Secrets of Venice by Canal Boat

Walking through Venice you can admire some of the beauty, but travelling on the water is getting to know the city more personally for it is along the waterways you experience the true pulse of day-to-day life and the legacy of past generations.

The Grand Canal, which is the main waterway, is slightly longer than three kilometres and divides the city in two parts. What people often don’t realize until they get to Venice is that the canals are not just for show, the city’s inhabitants actually rely on them to travel around the city. In fact, the majority of traffic in the city is on water.

While the first image people typically associate with Venetian canals is of the gondola rides long popular with tourists, these pole-driven boats are vastly outnumbered by motorized private water taxis and public water buses that are called vaporetti. You will also see police and fire boats, barges to transport goods, and even funeral barges.

If you take Avventure Bellissime’s Venice hour-long canal tour you have the opportunity to tour the areas of Venice that can only be visited by boat, including places not part of public transportation routes and even some inaccessible to gondola.

Secret details about daily life

The first part of the tour explores the Grand Canal, which is lined by stunning examples of architecture from the Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance periods. It boasts four bridges, the oldest of which dates to the late 16th century. Our expert guides narrate the voyage, interpreting each beautiful façade to explain the history and purpose of each palace, museum, church, and public building—complete with secret details about daily life and fun facts.