Private Venice Canal Cruise: 2-Hour Grand Canal and Secret Canals
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Venice, Italy
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover the quieter, off-the-beaten-track side of Venice that most travelers miss during this private motorboat cruise. Skip the crowded public ferries and enjoy a bespoke ride through the city’s secret canals. Watch scenes of daily Venetian life as you glide through the lesser-known neighborhoods of Cannaregio, Dorsoduro, and the Jewish Ghetto. Highlights include Arsenale shipyard, a gondola workshop, and a cruise underneath Rialto Bridge.
- Forget the rush of large tour groups and explore at a pace that suits you
- See a different side to Venice, away from the tourist trail
- See craftsmen in work at a Dorsoduro gondola workshop and stop for photos at the Jewish Ghetto
- Private tour ensures a personalized experience
What's Included
- Professional English-speaking guide
- Luxurious motor-launch
- Stop at the Jewish Ghetto
- Grand Canal ride
- Enter via the “Porta dell’Acqua“ into the impressive Arsenal, the historic shipyard of Venice
- Stop by a Gondola Shipyard in the charming Dorsoduro district
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Meals
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Giardini RealiP.za San Marco, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Entrance to the Royal Gardens, on the waterfront of St Mark's Square - You'll meet Avventure Bellissime tour coordinator outside the Royal Gardens, in front of the wrought iron Gate holding a sign with the name of the tour and Avventure Bellissime written on it.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
See the quieter side of Venice with this small-group canal cruise. Make your way to the departure point near St Mark’s Square to meet your guide and board a comfortable motorboat. Enjoy the quiet charm of Venetian backstreets and observe canal-side scenes of daily life.
Pass through the gates of Porta dell’Acqua to enter Venice’s 12th-century shipyard known as the Arsenale. Learn how this historic naval depot was once among the greatest in Europe during Venice’s reign as a maritime superpower.
Next, glide through the narrow, picturesque canals of the Cannaregio neighborhood and make your way to Venice’s Jewish Ghetto. Disembark here for 15-20 minutes to explore the historic quarters by foot and capture photos of the centuries-old buildings that surround the main square.
Continue on by boat to the neighborhoods of Santa Croce and Dorsoduro, and pass a traditional gondola workshop where craftspeople carefully carve and finish these classic Venetian vessels by hand.
Finally, make your way out into the wider waters of the Grand Canal for a cruise past the opulent squares and churches that line its banks. Float beneath the famous Rialto Bridge before returning to the original departure point near St Mark’s Square.
Pass through the gates of Porta dell’Acqua to enter Venice’s 12th-century shipyard known as the Arsenale. Learn how this historic naval depot was once among the greatest in Europe during Venice’s reign as a maritime superpower.
Next, glide through the narrow, picturesque canals of the Cannaregio neighborhood and make your way to Venice’s Jewish Ghetto. Disembark here for 15-20 minutes to explore the historic quarters by foot and capture photos of the centuries-old buildings that surround the main square.
Continue on by boat to the neighborhoods of Santa Croce and Dorsoduro, and pass a traditional gondola workshop where craftspeople carefully carve and finish these classic Venetian vessels by hand.
Finally, make your way out into the wider waters of the Grand Canal for a cruise past the opulent squares and churches that line its banks. Float beneath the famous Rialto Bridge before returning to the original departure point near St Mark’s Square.
Piazza San Marco (Pass By)
1
Canal Grande
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Ponte di Rialto (Pass By)
Arsenale di Venezia (Pass By)
2
Ghetto Ebraico
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Cannaregio (Pass By)
San Pietro di Castello (Pass By)
Dorsoduro (Pass By)
Ponte dell'Accademia (Pass By)
Santa Croce (Pass By)
Ponte degli Scalzi (Pass By)
Chiesa di Santa Maria di Nazareth - Chiesa degli Scalzi (Pass By)
Squero di San Trovaso (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 2 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Tour is not suitable for people in wheelchairs or with walking difficulties as passengers are required to step down onto the boat when boarding. The variation of the level of tides can make the vessel unstable
- During high water, the tour will take place, but it might happen we have to partly adapt the tour to the weather conditions
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- All passengers pay the same rate irrespectively from their age
- On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
- 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
4.5
based on 139 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Our first tour of the trip! After landing in Venice all the way from the states, we were so grateful for this relaxing orientation to venice. We got so much information and understand the city better!
Tour was in a taxi and not in a wooden boat like the photos. Taxi was old and run down. Tour guide talked badly about “tourists” and the way they shop. His knowledge about the history was limited. We found ourselves correcting him several times. One strange thing was he kept asking us to leave our belongings (purse and backpack) on the taxi when we got off. Felt sketchy. Tour guide left us in the shopping district and not back where we started like it said. It was a 40 minute walk back. We mentioned we wanted to go back and he ignored us. Just awful experience. This was our 4th Viator tour this trip. The others were great.
Response from Host, May 2023
Dear Client,
Thank you for your feedback . I spoke with our guide Sergio as from your name I could trace back the booking. I try to answer to all various points you arise:
Sergio is a professional guide with degree in art and history and has been one of our guides for about 20 years. Therefore I'm a bit surprised to read that you had to correct him . Also he would never speak badly about tourists as we all live on tourism - he was explaining that since tourism has increased, many venitians have moved out from Venice to live outside of Venice - and this is a true fact. The tour could have easily finished back to where it started ; Sergio understood that you wanted to visit the shopping area and therefore offered you to stop at Rialto, as the main shopping street is between Rialto and St Mark's.
In regards to the boat, these are the regular water taxis that are used in Venice to operate these tours and although Sergio confirmed it was not a wooden taxi , we would never operate our tours with run down taxis boats - but if you have pictures of the boat, please share those.
We are a professional tour company that have been in business for 24 years and have grown thanks especially to the great dedication and love we have for our business and for trying always our best to deliver quality experiences to our clients. Most of the times we succeed , others we don't,like in all businesses as it is impossible to please everybody, for many variable and subjective reasons as well.
Kind Regards
Monica
There were 8 of us on this cruise and the boat used only had seating for 3 to 4 outside the cabin. Those seated inside the cabin really couldn't see what the tour guide was discussing/telling us to look at.
A boat without the cabin should have been utilized
Also, really not so many secret canals as the tour was titled, they were just canals that most tourists would not see since they were mostly away from the main tourist locations
Response from Host, Aug 2022
Dear Client,
Thank you for your feedback. In Venice the only boats allowed down the grand canal and that can be used to tour are the type of boats you were given for touring. We've been operating this tour for many years and our guides advice clients to stay outside in the open air - Generally there is room for 4 people in the back and 4 in the front - Majority of clients enjoy spend part of the time stading and part of the time seated.
As for the secret/ hidden canals, our tour features many off the tourist routes canals to give you a different perspective of venice - this is what we intend for secret, seeing places of enchanting Venice most tourist don't see and visit.
Yours sincerely, Monica
The tour guide was very knowledgeable and spoke wonderful English. She took us to all the main attractions and then some, thank you
This was an excellent tour and I wholeheartedly recommend it!
Georgia was our guide and she was superb. She gave lots of history and background on the city and the buildings. One of the highlights was our stop at the Jewish ghetto where we spent a significant time learning about how it came about and how it has transformed over the years.
This was such a great introduction to our visit to the city!
The driver was great and the boat was excellent and smooth. Perfect trip!
Lovely to travel all around Venice in boat with guide.
Couldn’t quite hear all commentary from back, but a lovely couple hours
Response from Host, May 2022
Dear Client,
Thank you fo your feedback and I'm just a bit concerned, although you are spending good words of praise about our tour, that you could not properly hear the guide. Guides are supplied with a mike during these tours by boat - did you advise your guide about the issues you were having about hearing her speech properly?
Anyhow I'm glad you've overall enjoyed the tour. Seeing Venice from the water, it just gives a completely different perspective to our unique city.
Kind Regards, Monica
The tour was amazing and just what we were looking for. Nice chance to explore outside of city center and check out other areas. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and extremely friendly. Shared tour but ended up being private as noone else was on the boat. 10/10!
Response from Host, Aug 2021
Dear Dustin,
Thank you so much for your 5-star review! We are very happy the tour was amazing and we will certainly provide your comments to the guide. This tour was booked as a private experience so it was arranged only for you with no other people joining. Thank you for touring with us!
Kind regards,
Aleksandra
Sales Manager @ Avventure Bellissime
We have been to Venice several times before. This time we wanted to get an a bit different view to the city and booked this tour (small group!) and we really saw things and got views we did not have before. Our guide Cristina was very knowledgeable, spoke good English, provided much information and shared many interesting stories. And just in the right dose - not too many details but enough to learn something new and at the same time not get overwhelmed with data you will forget the next minute anyway. We really got the impression that Cristina is passionate about this city and enjoys presenting it. And we enjoyed listening to her and watching some of the wonders that Venice has to offer.
Very enjoyable and informative. Excellent tour for start of visit. Gave a 4 only because taxi did not accommodate outdoor viewing for all guests at same time.
Christina B. was an exceptional guide, she answered many questions about Venice and it’s history. She was knowledgeable about her beautiful city and she made is comfortable and entertained. There was only 6 of us on the tour so it was a nice size for that tour.
Kristina our guide was very engaging and informative. Beautiful views of the city from many angles. Would recommend to anyone and everyone!
This was a wonderful tour. Christiana was very knowledgeable about the history of Venice and the neighborhoods along the canal. We were able to see sites that you can't see on gondola rides. I also particularly enjoyed walking through the Jewish Ghetto and viewing the monuments.
Christiana was very personable and professional.
Excellent tour - extremely interesting - loved seeing the different types of boats used.
The tour guide was very knowledgeable on the history and even many fun facts. With this tour, you really feel like you have been able to experience Venice in a unique way. Definitely recommend this tour.
Our tour was changed to one hour, but we were notified well in advance. Our guide, Christina, was excellent, even in very cold conditions. Highly recommend.
The cruise was great. I really liked that it was a small group. Our guide was wonderful. She brought the history and magic of Venice to life.
My husband and I loved this small group tour. Our tour guide was great and very knowledgeable! Would definitely recommend this tour!
This was a fabulous way to see Venice by boat. It was the size of and same type of boat as the water taxis. The guide was very informative. It was a small group. He covered most of the Grand Canal, got off briefly in the Jewish Getto, and saw some of the less touristy back canals. Really an awesome tour, well worth it!
Good value. I wish we could have gone all the way down the Grand Canal
Was looking forward to this tour and was very disappointed after finishing it. First of all the motor boat was too crowded - 8 passengers plus the guide. They put 4 of us in the back and 4 plus the guide in the front of the boat. It was a beautiful day and all the passengers in the back stood to enjoy the views. If you decided to sit outside you couldn't see anything around the people that were standing so you also had to stand. because 4 people were way too many and you couldn't move or even turn around to take pictures without pressing next to the people around you. The tour down the canal from the starting point was a waste of my precious time I had to enjoy Venice - not much to see other than St. Marks Square. Once the boat turned into the small canals the trip was very nice although as I said before, way too crowded. The stop at the Jewish Quarter was interesting but a little too long. Eventually the boat went into the Grand Canal but not far enough up the canal to enjoy all the Palaces, which is why you do the Canal. Personally I feel less time heading toward the Docks, and more time through the less traveled canals arriving at the Grand Canal farther up so tourists could see the best area of the canal. Of course there was plenty of room to sit inside the motor boat - naturally everyone wanted an outside view - especially to take pictures!! - Did not enjoy the trip due to the crowded boat.
What a way to see Venice! Loved the tour
The only downside - one of the boat drivers was on the phone speaking loudly during the early part of the tour which made it difficult to hear the guide. Several of us talked to the tour guide, she immediately spoke with him, it stopped.
The tour guide was the best and most informed guide I have had in Italy. Trip was very informative and allowed us to see parts of Venice we would not get to walking. One problem was that there was a third person next to boat driver who was constantly on the phone and was a distraction for all aboard to hear the information from the guide. Was tempted to ask for my money back but the guide was so gracious I decided not to.
Loved cruising around the island and learning all about Venice. Our guide Cristina spoke excellent english and was very knowledgable. The time flew by before we realized it it was over. Highly recommend this tour for an overview of some of the best of Venice.
This was fabulous! It rained on and off during our tour but we didn't have to worry because we could go inside the boat during the showers and opned the roof completely during the sun. Our guide was thoughtful and great at explaining botht the large historical facts and small interesting details about Venice. We gained a much greater understanding of the canal systems than we thought possible. This trip is enjoyable, informative and fun. It is a great way to spend 3 hours in Venice
Comfortable uncrowded boat. Entertaining and informative guide. A great introduction to Venice.
Great way to explore the island your first day in Venice. Guide was very knowledgable. There was just the right amount of information given.
Great tour. Small group. The tour uses a private water taxi to tour small canals and waterways such as the dock yard, the Jewish ghetto and several cathedrals and towers. The tour travels down the grand canal visiting many stately houses, museums, public buildings and the Rialto bridge. Get your cameras ready for there's lots to see. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we stopped to take a half hour walking tour of the old and newer Jewish ghetto. Plan to get there early for it is easy to get lost in Venice and the boat will leave without you if you are more than 5 or 10 minutes late.
We loved this tour! Only 3 of us actually turned up, so it was more like a private tour experience, but the tour guide was lovely and provided lots of interesting information. I think if there were more people our experience may have been a little less comfortable on the boat, but as it stands we had a fantastic trip!
Excellent tour of all of the canals in Venice with detailed commentary. The water taxi was smaller in size. Seven were on our tour with three and the guide standing in the front and three standing in the back and one remaining inside the covered boat. An open-air boat would have better served the tour.
What a great way to get off the beaten path. The tour was on the other side of Venice that's at the edge of maps. Our tour guide was extraordinarily knowledge and pleasant. We really did go where there were no other tourists. It was a nice split between a comfortable boat ride and walking through special neighborhoods.
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