Home > Venice > Venice Grand Canal Small Group 1-Hour Boat Tour
USD $55.00
Venice Grand Canal Small Group 1-Hour Boat Tour
Venice, Italy
The best way to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of a city built on water is by boat. Gliding through Venice's Grand Canal and minor canals, you'll be introduced to the splendid palaces, churches, bridges, gardens and warehouses lining the city's liquid streets. Your luxurious motor launch boat tour of the Grand Canal brings the magic of Venice alive – ideal for photographers!
Unlike a gondola ride, this Grand Canal boat tour takes you through many diverse areas of the city for a thorough introduction to the city of Venice. Step foot on your boat near St Mark’s Square, admiring St Mark’s Basilica and Doge's Palace along with other landmarks as you disembark. While you ride, you'll learn about the origins and evolution of the Grand Canal, Venice's most important 'street.’
Marvel at the stunning palaces and churches that line the famous Venetian canal as you pass by squares like Campo Santa Maria Formosa that contain Gothic palaces and churches, like the magnificent San Giovanni e Paolo. Your guide will enlighten your group about Venetian architecture as well as the trade schools of Venice – such as the Scuola Grande di San Marco – that provided the foundations for the mercantile empire to flourish.
Then, take a fascinating journey through Venice’s minor canals to see parts of the city that are seldom visited by tourists. Take in the charming ambiance as you float through these less crowded canals. The boats are small enough to navigate the narrow canals, with enough space for you to comfortably sit outside to take photographs and listen to the detailed commentary provided by your guide. All boats are equipped with microphones and speakers so you can clearly hear the information.
Our beautiful Venetian guide explained the highlights of Venice to us, explaining its history. Lovely day and wonderful little boat tour. Our boat boarded at the dock near San Marco Square. Very nice sharing the waterway with the gondola's and the vaporettos.
Review by: Jolene W, May 2018
Good way to see the sites before branching out on your own. Guide very informative about history and sites he wanted us to see.
Review by: amypai, April 2018
Good overview of the city and the canals, the driver guide were most informative and helpful.
Review by: Mark G, April 2018
Great introduction to Venice worth the trip.
Review by: Michael L, April 2018
The waters were so choppy,weather was cold and rainy, boat was small and hard to see out windows so we did not go on this boat ride.
Review by: Douglas K, April 2018
Venice is a great city to just walk around in, but definitely should get a perspective from the water, too, as the canals are really the roads. Our group was about 8 people, and transportation a small water taxi, which was ideal...still fairly small and intimate but able to cover a lot of territory, initially going up a couple of smaller canals, than about halfway around the perimeter of the island, then the full length of the Grand Canal
Review by: Kim, April 2018
Loved this boat tour! Wonderful guide, loved being able to move through the canals and cover more area with the motor boat option.
Review by: Alexandra F, April 2018
This was way better and longer than a gondola ride. Not to mention that the boat is bitter/more stable than a gondola. Also, our tour guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining, which was a bonus! Highly recommend!
Review by: Martin C, April 2018
Great little boat tour to get around to see Venices waterways. We were late and missed our original time slot but was allowed on the next one,very good of the tour guide, which I forgot her name but she was excellent and knowledgeable about Venice. Well worth doing it as an introduction to Venice.
Review by: Shelli S, March 2018
A great way to see and get aquainted with Venice, highly recommend
Review by: Stephen B, March 2018
Great tour and well worth the money. Guide was great and knowledgeable. Comfortable boat especially on a cold day. On time. Good fun. Gondola ride is good...this was great....Thanks
Review by: Gary R, March 2018
We booked a longer tour, but there weren't enough people to run it, so we joined several other couples on this short version. We were picked up at the Royal Gardens and crammed into a standard water taxi, The tour took us to the far side if the Grand Canal and then along the canal and back to San Marco. Our guide was pleasant and well informed, but we didn't have much of a view from the water taxi and we were only told about the highlights. We went back a couple of days later and used the Vaporetto to make our own way down the canal at a much more leisurely pace, seeing and learning much more. If you're in Venice for a day, this is a good way to see some of the highlights along the Grand Canal. If you have more time, take the water bus.
Review by: Phillipa D, February 2018
Great to be in a small group. Clean and tidy boat. Guide informative although at times difficult to understand
Review by: Matthew D, February 2018
Great trip and guide. The tour provides a superb look at the city. Do the tour on the first day you are there to help get the lay of the city.
Review by: MARIA N, February 2018
I read from a travel book that a tourist should also try the grand canal tour in addition to the gondolas. It gives you a bigger view of the city from the grand canal. I am glad we did this tour!
Review by: Debra F, January 2018
Fabulous. Just long enough and a very informative tour guide.
Review by: Matt M, January 2018
Funny guide, but just a bit boring. Would save my money and see the canals through the taxi windows...
Review by: Ian T, January 2018
This was a great way to familiarize yourself with the layout of Venice as well as get a brief history of the city. The guide was knowledgeable and personable, and set us up for the rest of our stay. Highly recommended.
Review by: pjoelkers, December 2017
This is a must do for all visitors to Venice to get the lay off the land. The tour was very insightful. The guide was very informative.
Review by: o.sullivan, November 2017
A wonderful and relaxing way to see Zurich and surrounds. Only down side was the Felsenegg Cable car as some cars were overloaded while others has very few people in them. The view at the top was great though. Enjoyed every other minute.
Review by: Malcolm H, November 2017
Our tour guide on this boat new everything about her city and was great as we slowly motored around this old and amazing city
Review by: desioshilo, November 2017
The small group boat tour was super. The commentator was very informative. I would highly recommend this tour. _br/_ Only downside, it was a little confusing to get to the meeting point.
Review by: Catalin Constan D, November 2017
It was a beautiful tour of Venice, it's really unique to see all those houses and hear the history being told by a local
Review by: Carla O, October 2017
Wow! A must in Venice!
Review by: Lurch, October 2017
We were unable to take this tour.
Review by: LOIS B, October 2017
What a wonderful experience and a great way to see amazing places getting great pictures and relaxing on the boat enjoying the canal.
Review by: Catherine H, October 2017
This boat tour is really wonderful, the guide points out all the historical buildings and features. Best way to see and enjoy a major part of Venice.
Review by: Mary S, October 2017
Disappointing. Based on the pictures on the viator video, I expected the boat ride to provide great viewing opportunities. It did not. Fellow passengers also expressed their disappointment. We had better views from taking the water taxi in Venice. Waste of money for me. In addition, the tour guide staff that we encountered did not display a positive customer service attitude. The tour leader that met us was late and offered no comment or apology One of the first families to arrive at the meeting place apparently had a problem with their reservation and became distressed after conversing with the tour leader who offered no consolation. My party and I were prepared to give them our seats as they had adolescent children and Mom and Dad seemed so upset but at the last minute they were able to get on a boat. The tour delivered on the boat ride was presented as if by rote.
Review by: DCTraveler, October 2017
A fantastic way to see the city! We took this tour on our first night in Venice, right at sunset. Our group was very small, the boat seemingly new and well cared for, and our guide enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The hour flew by and we didn't want it to end. Highly recommend!
Review by: Sharon L, October 2017
This was the best deal for the money and time. You are taken through small canals, under bridges and finally down the grand canal. The guide was very knowledgeable about how venice was founded and built. There were only 8 ppl on the tour. We were able to stand, we were not over crowded, and we had room to move about and take photos from driffrent angles. The guide even offered to take photots for us.
Review by: Jacinda G, October 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: David T, October 2017
Thought it was a great way to get an overview of Venice with interesting information.
Review by: Stephanei H, October 2017
A little confusing check in process but once on the boat our tour guide was very knowledgeable and added anecdotal stories which were fun to hear.
Review by: Sanna R, September 2017
It was ok. Pretty views but kind of dull.
Review by: Sanna R, September 2017
It was ok. Pretty views but kind of dull.
Review by: Dorothy K, September 2017
We would definitely recommend the small group tour to anyone. Besides being a perfect way to see Venice, it was also very informative.
Review by: Angela T, September 2017
This Tour was 5 first class tour guide full of useful information - fantastic well maintained boat - and this trip lest you see so much of the Venice Canals and the North and South Lagoons AND the Grand Canal it was truly an experience we will never forget - Amazing Viator Communications excellent with meeting point arrangements spot on - if we return to Venice I would do this trip again it was so good.
Review by: Stefan N, September 2017
Väldigt trevlig båttur och en duktig guide. Denna tur kan jag verkligen rekommendera.
Review by: Robert B, September 2017
It was raining all day, so you couldn't really take good pictures of anything or see much because the windows of the boat were constantly fogging up. The tour guide kept talking and describing things as we passed by them, but difficult to see because of the rain. On a clear day, the ride would have been 5 stars. Also, make sure you bring a bottle of water or something to drink.
Review by: Shelza R, September 2017
Well worth the investment! Boat was big enough to sit or stand and have great views of the city and not crowded at all. Cristina was our guide and she was AMAZING! So knowledgeable, personable, and funny. Just go!
Review by: Catherine Y, September 2017
Interesting tour but after catching a few water taxis we realized we had seen it all already. Unless you don't know any of the history of Venice I wouldn't recommend this tour.
Review by: Dino G, August 2017
As with my other experiences, a great tour with an excellent guide!
Review by: Amit K, August 2017
I enjoyed the tour. She had very good knowledge and easy to understand.
Review by: Stuart H, August 2017
Save your money!
Review by: Margaret K, May 2017
Great tour with knowledgeable guide. Only issue was getting into water taxi in choppy waters but there was help available. Went through 3 canals plus Grand Canal. Went to areas where there are only locals so gave you an idea of Venice Canals.
Review by: Kevin G, May 2017
A great way to see the best sites on the Grand canal
Review by: Lizzy R, April 2017
I enjoyed this tour. The tour guide she gave a very good explanation of Venice. Amazing tour. Thumbs up for the female tour guide. She wdid an amazing job. I highly recommend this tour.
Review by: Robert U, April 2017
an interesting way to see the Grand Canal and hear some of the history of Venice. maybe I expected a little more but for an hour it is worth it
Review by: Robert U, April 2017
an interesting way to see the Grand Canal and hear some of the history of Venice. maybe I expected a little more but for an hour it is worth it
Review by: Stuart A, April 2017
The ride in the taxi boat is fun and you can see lots of beautiful Venice which can't be seen from vaporetto. If you want to hear the guide, be sure to sit in the front. If you sit in the back, you won't be able to hear anything.
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