VENICE
The Venice shortlist.
The 15 most popular grand canal tours in Venice. The ones worth your time in a city with plenty to choose from, each with prices, running times and the operator behind it.
Shared Grand Canal gondola with app commentary, secret canals, and VR history plus a Gondola Gallery. 30–60 minutes.
Most Popular“Just as described. Service was excellent and the activity was really nice! GYG is excellent too!”
Grand Canal gondola with live guide stories, a short walking intro, and the Gondola Gallery with 3D and virtual ride in Venice.
“A must do in Venice. Very educational and a great experience. Our tour guide Beatrix was amazing with explaining everything to us and ensuring we had a good Gondola ride. I would recommend.”
A 30-minute shared gondola ride on Venice’s canals with a master gondolier, from San Marco docks to the Grand Canal area.
Glide the Grand Canal in a small gondola with optional live commentary, VR history, and classic Venice views near St Mark’s.
“There was a virtual reality presentation before the tour but some of the headsets didn’t work which was disruptive to everyone and especially disappointing for the folks who didn’t get to see the show. Then the audio boxes were so static filled we couldn’t understand what our guide was saying. If we had it to…”
Shared gondola on Venice’s Grand Canal plus a guided walk, multilingual commentary, and VR gondola history, in English.
“We went to the location that we were provided which was incorrect. We went to 4 separate locations before finally getting to the correct location and ended up being 20 minutes late. The tour guide company said they notified Viator months ago about the location change for the meeting spot but it was too late…”
1-hour motorboat ride on Venice’s Grand Canal with live English narration, Rialto Bridge views, and the modern Della Costituzione glass bridge.
Skip lines at Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica, then cruise the Grand Canal by motorboat on a private guided 4-hour Venice tour.
“Christina was very professional but not stuffy! So much great information and told to us in a very fun way.. but she also was accommodating for our family when we needed breaks. She gave many good tips for when we were on our own later. Highly recommend!”
Serenaded 30-minute gondola on Venice’s Grand Canal and side canals, with live singer and musician in a small flotilla.
“It would be nice to have the music in our gondola and/or have someone telling us what we are seeing.”
Shared gondola on Venice’s canals with live Italian serenades, plus a Gondola Gallery workshop of tools and craftsmanship near San Marco.
“Loved the gondola ride!! The route was beautiful and we the music was great! The musicians weren't in our gondola but we could always hear it. It's hard to rate the guide since he really didn't say anything but he got the job done. The only small disappointment was that I would have liked to…”
Venice on foot and by gondola with a guided city center walk, Rialto photos, 30-minute shared ride, La Fenice stop, and an audio guide.
“Very good walking tour and excellent finish with Gondala ride. Highly recommended and good value for money”
Private 2-hour Venice canal cruise featuring the Arsenale, Jewish Ghetto walk, gondola workshops, and a Grand Canal run past Rialto.
“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…”
Venice Grand Canal private small-group boat trip with a guide. See Rialto Bridge, Ca d’Oro, Accademia, and Giudecca in 1 hour.
“Gianni our guide was warm and friendly. His commentary was entertaining and informative. Would reccomend this trip to others.”
Small-group motorboat on Venice’s Grand Canal with an art-historian guide, iconic bridges, and palazzi views in about one hour.
“Would not recommend.”
Small-group Grand Canal speedboat tour with local guide and headsets, passing Rialto and major palaces from the water in 90 minutes.
“Ask for further clarification about the meeting place. Every other tour we took in Italy had instructions to look for a flag or umbrella or bag color. This tour group just said meet at the statue. There were huge crowds of people. We walked around the statue and asked multiple tour groups if they were…”
Private 1-hour Grand Canal boat tour with hotel pickup: Rialto, St Mark, Bridge of Sighs, Ca’ d’Oro, Doge’s Palace.
“Extremely knowledgeable guide. Great with logistics. Highly recommend. You will not be disappointed.”
The historic centre, the lagoon islands and the art the city was built around.
