The Secrets of the Grand Canal - Special Private Boat Tour
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Venice, Italy
- 1 hour (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
What's Included
- Private transportation
- WiFi on board
- Private Guide of Venice
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
The guide will pick you up directly at the Reception of your Hotel.
Itinerary
1
Canal Grande
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
2
Rialto
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
San Marco
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Ponte dei Sospiri
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Squero di San Trovaso
2 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca' d'Oro
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
7
Mercati di Rialto
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
8
Ca' Pesaro Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderna
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
9
T Fondaco Dei Tedeschi by DFS
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
10
Fontego del Megio
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
11
Palazzo Labia
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
12
Ponte degli Scalzi
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
13
Palazzo dei Camerlenghi
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
14
Ca' Rezzonico
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
15
Ponte dell'Accademia
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
16
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
17
Punta della Dogana
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
18
Ponte della Costituzione
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
19
Palazzo Grassi
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
20
Doge's Palace
2 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice (so only if you are Not staying in a Hotel in Venice) who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 60 reviews
Conner_W, Dec 2025
Extremely knowledgeable guide. Great with logistics. Highly recommend. You will not be disappointed.
Shannon_K, Oct 2025
Our guide, Giovanni was exceptional. He is very knowledgeable and has a fun personality. It is so peaceful to leave the crowds of Venice and experience the city from the water. Giovanni took us to parts of Venice we would not have seen on foot. Very fun and worthwhile experience. Would highly recommend.
Maureen_S, Sep 2025
Mario and Michaela were great, Michaela was full of knowledge and history of Venice and Mario was an excellent driver …it was fun to get the layout of the city on our first day!!!!
I would highly recommend them!
Bastian_D, Aug 2025
Our guide Georgia took us around Venice on a wonderful tour. Loved that it was private (just our family), so the interaction was a lot more personal. Great way to see and learn about Venice. Pick up and drop off at our hotel which was great.
Kirsten_Z, Aug 2025
Sebastian was a wonderful guide—very friendly and knowledgeable! We wanted to end our tour at a different location and they were very accommodating. Seeing Venice from the water is a must
Jeff_R, Jul 2025
We would recommend that the guide on the boat have a speaker that would make it easier to hear his commentary, otherwise it was great
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi Jeff
Thank you very much for your review and for your kind words about our guide – we truly appreciate it!
Regarding your comment about the use of a speaker, we would like to inform you that, unfortunately, it is not allowed during navigation on the Grand Canal due to regulations set by the Municipality of Venice.
We hope to welcome you again on one of our tours in the future!
Best regards
Luca
Kimberly_S, Jul 2025
It was wonderful to experience the Grand Canal with our own personal guide. The tour was a highlight of our trip.
rocky, Jul 2025
Marta was our guide and it was a pleasure to listen to her and get the local insight.Sge was so friendly and knowledgeable.a real highlight of the trip.Couldn’t recommend this tour highly enough.
Thank you Martha.x
Leslie_C, May 2025
Lovely boat ride exploring the history of the Grande Canal. We did an active foodie walking tour in the morning followed by this tour in the afternoon, which was a perfect way to see Venice by water and rest after the walking tour. We had a boat driving and our own tour guide and it was fantastic! Highly recommend
Jennifer_O, May 2025
A perfect way to relax & get oriented to Venice. We started our trip with a peaceful glide through the canals while our guide, Makala, pointed out landmarks & gave us a brief history of the city & the canals. Makala met us at our hotel making our trip stress free & very special. She was super knowledgeable & gave us lots of tips making it easier to navigate the city. Her restaurant recommendations were great! We really enjoyed our canal tour & think it was a wonderful way to start our trip!
Mary_I, Apr 2025
Nico was our tour guide and provided us with a great history of the city, past inhabitants of the palatial dwellings as well as explaining the architecture over the centuries. He also pointed out the many challenges faced with preservation of the city. Grazie!
wissaint, Apr 2025
Sebastiano (sp?) led us on a wonderful tour of the Grand Canal and other canals! Our wooden boat was gorgeous, the weather was perfect, and we stood in the back of the boat for incredible views of the canals. We highly recommend this tour!
Clay_K, Jan 2025
This was a great way to quickly and efficently explore and learn about the grand canal. Matteo was an exteremely knowledgable guide and provided a great experience.
Richard_G, Oct 2024
Our guide Nico was phenomenal. He brought to life all the sites as we boated privately around several canals. He was engaging and funny. Spoke excellent English. Definitely a good introduction to the coty
Nancy_F, Oct 2024
On time, very knowledgeable, experienced, upbeat, engaged, answered all our questions during the entire time
MariaAraceli_C, Oct 2024
This is a must do - see the grand canal and other parts of Venice! Our guide Nico was wonderful and knowledgeable; he gave us all the history as only a local can!
Koosha_M, Aug 2024
Jiovani was excellent, great tour. At the end he gave us a map with a lot of hand written notes. You can nearly see everything from the boat. Suggestions where to eat, what to do, …
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Dear Koosha_M,
Thanks for this 5 star review stating our tour was lovely, it's been a real pleasure to be your guide and hope to welcome you back soon for new experiences on foot and by boat.
At disposal,
Steve_U, Aug 2024
Matteo was a wonderful guide. We would have loved another 30 minutes of sightseeing but it was enjoyable.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Hello Steve_U,
Such a pleasure to read your review! For us the amazing thing is to have interested and passionate clients just like you :)
We hope to welcome you back soon! We still a tons of things to tour and experiences to organize, like the Murano tour.
Best regards,
Donna_S, Aug 2024
This was excellent, and we got to see the highlights including the Doges Palace, St Marks, Bridge of Sighs, Rialto Bridge.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Dear Donna_S,
Thank you for your review! It means a lot to us you really liked the Grand Canal boat tour and think our guide is friendly and passionate. This is our hometown and our main goal is to share this passion with our customers :)
Best,
George_T, Jul 2024
It was an exceptionally hot day but our guide did everything to make us feel comfortable. He was friendly and very knowledgeable of Venice and its dynamic history.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Hi George,
It's been a true pleasure to be your guide for the Grand Canal Private boat tour and it's even better to read now this amazing review.
Venice has a lot to offer and, despite the mass tourism, we are trying to promote the local parts in a sustainable and interesting way so I'm glad you would recommend our company!
Thank you so much!
Maria_L, Jul 2024
The best part was the decision to extend our tour! Beautiful city, great tour guide ! The boat ride was very smooth and we could see the city all around
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Hey Maria,
sooo happy to read this! I had a blast too and being your guide was a true pleasure.
We stay at complete disposal and cannot wait to hear back from you soon!
Best regards,
Thomas_L, Jun 2024
Tour guide Nicola was great. I might suggest doing longer so you can get more around each area.
One suggestion to this tour guide would be to get the ear pieces and microphone so we could hear a little better. We were at back and she was at front of boat.
Driver and Nicola were great!
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Dear Mr. Thomas,
We are very happy you enjoyed the tour of the Grand Canal by private boat with our driver and Nicola.
Thank you also for this feedback, we've made proper changes concerning the headsets.
We Hope to welcome you back soon!
Best regards,
Tessa_F, Jun 2024
We had such a lovely time on this boat tour! Our guide Nico was so knowledgeable and personable, he even gave us some recommendations after we got off the boat. Boat was very comfortable and the hour length tour was the perfect amount of time to get an overview of the city, hear some historical tidbits, and grab great photos. Would definitely recommend!
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Dear Tessa,
Thank you so much for your kind words. It's been a real pleasure to show you around our city.
We hope to welcome you back soon! We have plenty of new experiences, such as the Murano and Burano excursion by boat :)
Natausha_H, Jun 2024
Sara was wonderful! She took us all around Venice on this private taxi tour and answered all 2,759 of my kids’ questions. She was very warm, very personable (as was the taxi driver) and we even stopped off for a delish gelato. Wonderful, memorable experience.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Dear Natausha_H,
Grazie mille! I really appreciate your 5-star review for my tour of the Grand Canal.
My city has such a long history and it's our mission to share it to the world.
I'll be happy to welcome you back soon!
Best regards,
RachelTaxman, May 2024
A good way to be introduced to the city of Venice and to learn about the islands. We were guided by a 5th generation Venician.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Hello,
So great to read our tour was a great way to start your trip! We try our best to transmit the love for this job and with this review I feel like we made it!
Arrivederci!
Robert_D, Apr 2024
What a great tour and a great guide! We had such a nice time learning about Venice, the history, the important parts to see...and they picked us right up at our Airbnb. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable, fun, nice, and went over and beyond. We really enjoyed this private tour and would recommend it to anyone.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Dear Robert_D,
Thank you so much for booking this special service furing your stay in Venice!
You had the possibility to enjoy an hour as venetian lifestyle on board on a private boat!
For venetian people get a boat is like a car "A MUST" :)
We highly suggest to get back to Venice and get on board on our Riva Aquariva Luxury boat "DEA" too, a special boat where navigating through the venetian lagoon you can reach particular island unknown by a lot of people.
We wish you all the best.
Regards,
Francesco
star5teachhotmailcom, Mar 2024
Great overview of architecture and important places to visit. Matteo was a wonderful tour guide, very knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Good Morning,
We'd like to thank you once again for the 5 star review. I am very proud of our guide Matteo, his love for this city makes a bold difference and I can tell you understood it.
It would be a honour to be a part, once again, of your next trip to Venice :)
thesamples, Oct 2023
It was great to see everything in person that we had read about or seen in movies. The architecture is so different from building to building. Seeing how people live in the houses or apartments and the different government buildings from the different periods.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Dear Guest,
Thank you for such a wonderful feedback, we always try to do our best to satsify customer's needs.
While in Venice, don't hesitate to contact us again!
The Grand canal boat tour is a really nice way to discover part of Venice in a relaxing way!
Best regards,
Alessio
Steve_C, Sep 2023
Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. It's a terrific way to see Venice! We were taken through both small canals and of course the Grand, all of which were beautiful.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Dear Steve,
Thank you for your nice review about the Grand canal boat tour!
It is the best way to get introduced to the city!
Hope to see you soon,
Alessio
James_M, Jul 2023
Power boat tour, with a guide. Just the two of us, our guide, and the boat driver. This was a good way to see the sights on/ about the Grand Canal. Our tour guide, Natasha, was friendly, courteous, and very knowledgeable. We took many pictures.
We enjoyed the tour. Our only complaint was that we were not picked up at our hotel [as the tour description advertised]. Our guide walked us from the hotel to our boarding point on the Grand Canal. We debarked at that same location at the end of the tour.
From $205.36
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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The Secrets of the Grand Canal - Special Private Boat Tour
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