In Venice a boat isn’t a sightseeing extra – it’s how the city works. This guide compares Venice boat tours (gondolas, the Grand Canal, the lagoon islands, sunset cruises), what they really cost, the cheap vaporetto alternative, and hour-by-hour weather with wind.
Our pick: the €39 shared gondola if there are 1 or 2 of you. Half an hour on the water, an introduction to gondola history, an English audio guide and free cancellation until the evening before. For two that’s €78 – less than the €90 official fare, with a booked time slot.
A group of 3, 4 or 5? Hire a gondola directly at a gondola station (stazio): the official fare is €90 for the whole boat for 30 minutes by day (€110 for 35 minutes after 7 pm), up to 5 people. Split four ways that’s €22.50 each.
Want the Grand Canal with a live guide? The €45 water-taxi tour lasts an hour, also slips into smaller canals and is guided in English.
Half a day on the islands? The €18 Murano and Burano trip is the cheapest, with big groups. For a small traditional boat and Torcello too, the €73.50 bragozzo trip includes the transfer from St Mark’s.
Something special? The catamaran with spritz (€40) and the sunset cruise with prosecco (€95) are the most relaxed trips, away from Grand Canal traffic.
“Private” gondolas sold online often start above €120 for half an hour: more than the official fare. We only suggest them if you need a guaranteed time to the minute.
Our pick
Shared gondola ride
30 minutes in a shared gondola through the canals
20-minute introduction to gondola history
Entry to the Gondola Gallery
Downloadable audio guide
Cancel until the evening before
Audio guide in English
Guaranteed time slot, no haggling on the spot
Max 5 people per gondola · 4.2 from 1,416 Tiqets reviews
An official gondola costs €90 for the whole boat: for 1 or 2 people a shared seat is cheaper, for 3 or more it isn’t.
Indicative prices, checked on October 31, 2026: they may change: the final price is the one shown by the seller.
The budget option in Venice
Vaporetto line 1 is the cheapest boat trip along the Grand Canal: it runs the whole length of the canal from Piazzale Roma to St Mark’s, stopping at almost every landing stage, then carries on to the Lido. There’s no guide, but the view is the same as from a cruise.
ACTV 75-minute ticket: €9.50 – enough for the entire Grand Canal.
Travel passes: 1 day €25, 2 days €35, 3 days €45, 7 days €65. With a day pass you can also reach Murano and Burano (line 12 from Fondamente Nove).
Traghetto: €2. A real rowed gondola with two gondoliers that crosses the Grand Canal in a few minutes. You stand up.
ACTV tickets are sold on veneziaunica.it, at ticket machines and at authorised shops. On Tiqets the vaporetto pass starts at €12 for 75 minutes: more than the official ticket and non-refundable, so buying from ACTV is better value.
ACTV tourist tickets are not valid on the lines to and from Marco Polo airport.
Where to board in Venice
Gondolas (official stations): Danieli and Molo (St Mark’s), Dogana, Trinità, Santa Maria del Giglio, San Tomà, San Beneto (Bacino Orseolo), Carbon (Rialto), Santa Sofia and San Marcuola. The fare is the same everywhere.
Shared gondolas booked online: around St Mark’s, in Calle San Gallo and Calle de le Rasse; the exact spot is on your ticket.
Vaporetto line 1: Piazzale Roma and Ferrovia (Santa Lucia station) to start at the top of the Grand Canal; Rialto, Accademia and San Marco Vallaresso along the way.
Lagoon islands: Fondamente Nove, on the city’s north shore, for line 12 and many tours to Murano, Burano and Torcello.
Traghetti: Dogana (9–14), Santa Maria del Giglio (9–17 October to March, 9–18 April to September), San Tomà, Carbon (9–12, closed Saturdays and holidays) and Santa Sofia.
Venice boat tour times and best time to go
The best months for a boat trip are May, June and September: long days, pleasant temperatures and less heat than July and August.
Gondola hours: the day fare applies from 9 am to 7 pm, the evening fare from 7 pm to 4 am. Shared tours usually run from morning to late afternoon: the day’s exact times are on the tour page.
Best light: early morning on the Grand Canal and sunset on St Mark’s Basin.
Access fee: in 2026 day-trippers paid €5 or €10 on 60 days between April and July. The 2027 calendar isn’t official yet – check cda.veneziaunica.it. Overnight guests are exempt.
Winter: damp cold and possible acqua alta, but far quieter canals.
Month by month
Month
Average high
Rainy days
Jan
8°
6
Feb
9°
5.2
Mar
13°
5.7
Apr
17°
8.3
MayBest
22°
8.2
JunBest
26°
8.6
Jul
29°
5.9
Aug
28°
6.1
SepBest
24°
5.9
Oct
19°
6.7
Nov
13°
5.8
Dec
8°
5.9
1991–2020 averages for Venice: mean daily high and rainy days. Source: ISPRA and NOAA, table published on Wikipedia (“Venice”).
Good
Venice weather and wind today
Good: cloudy, 10 to 12 °C, no rain, wind up to 9 km/h.
Time
Sky
Temperature
Rain
Wind
12:00
Cloudy
10°
–
8 km/h
13:00
Cloudy
11°
–
7 km/h
14:00
Cloudy
12°
–
7 km/h
15:00
Cloudy
12°
–
4 km/h
16:00
Partly cloudy
12°
–
5 km/h
17:00
Partly cloudy
10°
–
7 km/h
18:00
Partly cloudy
10°
–
9 km/h
Fair
Venice weather and wind tomorrow
Fair: rain, 10 to 12 °C, 1.4 mm, wind up to 10 km/h.
Time
Sky
Temperature
Rain
Wind
09:00
Fog
10°
–
4 km/h
10:00
Cloudy
11°
–
3 km/h
11:00
Light rain
12°
0.2 mm
3 km/h
12:00
Light rain
12°
0.2 mm
2 km/h
13:00
Light rain
12°
0.2 mm
5 km/h
14:00
Cloudy
12°
–
9 km/h
15:00
Cloudy
12°
–
7 km/h
16:00
Cloudy
12°
–
10 km/h
17:00
Rain
12°
0.5 mm
8 km/h
18:00
Light rain
12°
0.3 mm
10 km/h
Venice weather this weekend and in the coming days
The best days for a boat trip are Friday, November 13. The rating only looks at rain and wind during tour hours.
Tue, Nov 10Good Cloudy · 10–12° · no rain · 9 km/hTours
Wed, Nov 11Fair Rain · 10–12° · 1.4 mm · 10 km/hTours
Thu, Nov 12Not ideal Heavy rain · 11–13° · 27.8 mm · 31 km/hTours
Fri, Nov 13Perfect day Cloudy · 15–15° · no rain · 8 km/hTours
Sat, Nov 14Good Mostly sunny · 13–13° · no rain · 20 km/hTours
Sun, Nov 15Good Cloudy · 11–11° · no rain · 8 km/hTours
Mon, Nov 16Good Clear · 12–12° · no rain · 8 km/hTours
Tue, Nov 17Good Mostly sunny · 11–11° · no rain · 4 km/hTours
Wed, Nov 18Good Cloudy · 10–10° · 0.2 mm · 5 km/hTours
Thu, Nov 19Not ideal Heavy rain · 14–14° · 7.2 mm · 3 km/hTours
Today and tomorrow are accurate hour by hour; up to day seven the trend is reliable; the last days give a rough idea. Above 30 km/h the water gets choppy and small boats may postpone departures. Updated every hour.
Venice in rain or wind: what changes
Gondolas still run in the rain, but they are open boats: gondoliers may stop in heavy rain or wind. Shared gondolas booked on Tiqets can be cancelled free until the day before – check the forecast above before then.
Wind: out on the open lagoon (catamaran, island trips) you feel the wind far more than in the canals. Above 30 km/h it gets choppy.
Acqua alta: between October and January some areas flood for a few hours, St Mark’s Square above all. Boats keep running, but boarding can be awkward.
Covered option: the vaporetto has an enclosed cabin, and on line 1 you still see the Grand Canal through the windows.
Crowds
Gondolas: queues at the best-known stations (Molo, Danieli, Rialto) peak around midday. San Tomà and Santa Maria del Giglio are calmer.
Vaporetto line 1: waits at Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, Rialto and San Marco can be long at peak times; early morning and evening are much quieter.
Annual passenger numbers for boat tours are not published.
What you see from the boat in Venice
The colourful houses of Burano, a stop on lagoon boat tours
The Grand Canal: almost 4 km in an S-bend, lined with Gothic and Renaissance palazzos, the Rialto Bridge and the Accademia Bridge.
St Mark’s Basin: the Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sighs from the water, San Giorgio Maggiore and the Salute.
The back canals: narrow and quiet, best seen from a gondola.
Murano: the glass island, with furnaces open to visitors.
Burano: brightly painted houses and a long lace-making tradition.
Torcello: the lagoon’s oldest island, with the basilica of Santa Maria Assunta and its mosaics.
What to bring
A windproof jacket, even in summer, for lagoon trips: it’s cooler out on open water.
Hat and sunscreen: gondolas and most boats have no roof.
Comfortable non-slip shoes for stepping on and off the landing stages.
Cash for the traghetto (€2).
Your ticket on your phone and ID if the tour asks for it.
Accessibility, kids and useful tips
Accessibility: getting into a gondola means stepping onto a moving boat. If you have limited mobility or use a wheelchair, ask the tour seller first; the vaporetto, with its floating landing stages, is usually the easiest option.
Children: welcome in gondolas, but the limit stays at 5 people per boat. For little ones the vaporetto or the catamaran are more comfortable.
Fixed price: the gondola fare is set by the city and isn’t negotiable. Singing and music are not included and cost extra.
Photos: on vaporetto line 1, look for an outdoor spot at the bow or stern, where the cabin doesn’t block the view.
Venice and its boats: a little history
The gondola: Venice’s signature boat, about 11 metres long and asymmetric, so a single gondolier can row standing on one side.
The traghetto: for centuries the way to cross the Grand Canal where there were no bridges; a few survive, run by gondoliers.
The bragozzo: the traditional flat-bottomed fishing boat of the northern Adriatic, with colourful sails.
The vaporetto: the first public steamboats reached Venice in the 19th century; today the ACTV network links the city, the islands and the Lido.
Getting to the Venice boarding points
By train: Venezia Santa Lucia station opens straight onto the Grand Canal; the line 1 Ferrovia stop is right outside.
By car or coach: you arrive at Piazzale Roma, the terminus of many vaporetto lines. Car parks are at Piazzale Roma and Tronchetto, linked by the People Mover.
From Marco Polo airport: buses to Piazzale Roma or Alilaguna boats; ACTV tourist tickets are not valid on these lines.
To St Mark’s: about 40 minutes on foot from the station following the signs, or vaporetto line 1 or 2.
The city’s official fare is €90 for 30 minutes from 9 am to 7 pm and €110 for 35 minutes from 7 pm to 4 am, for the whole gondola, up to 5 people. A seat in a shared gondola booked online costs €35–39 per person.
Shared or private gondola: which is better value?
For 1 or 2 people the shared gondola (from €35–39 each) is cheaper. For 3 to 5 people, hire a gondola at a station at the official €90 fare: split four ways that’s €22.50 each.
What is the cheapest way to see Venice by boat?
Vaporetto line 1 along the Grand Canal, with the €9.50 ACTV ticket valid for 75 minutes. To cross the canal in a gondola, the traghetto costs just €2.
How do I get to Murano and Burano by boat?
Take ACTV vaporetto line 12 from Fondamente Nove, which stops at Murano, Mazzorbo, Burano and Torcello, or join a tour: from €18 with large groups, or €73.50 on a traditional boat with the transfer from St Mark’s.
Can you take a gondola ride in the rain?
Yes, but gondolas are open boats and in heavy rain or wind the gondolier may postpone. Shared gondolas on Tiqets can be cancelled free until the day before.
How long is a gondola ride?
The official service lasts 30 minutes by day and 35 minutes in the evening. Longer rides are priced in proportion to the time.
Do I need to pay the Venice access fee for a boat trip?
The fee applies to day-trippers in the historic centre on the city’s calendar days (in 2026, 60 days between April and July, €5 or €10). Overnight guests are exempt. Check the 2027 calendar on cda.veneziaunica.it.
What’s the weather like in Venice today for a boat trip?
Good: cloudy, 10 to 12 °C, no rain, wind up to 9 km/h.
What will the weather be like in Venice this weekend?
Saturday, November 14: Good: mostly sunny, 13 to 13 °C, no rain, wind up to 20 km/h. Sunday, November 15: Good: cloudy, 11 to 11 °C, no rain, wind up to 8 km/h.
Is there a 15-day forecast for Venice?
Reliable forecasts go about 10 days ahead: here you get the next 10, hour by hour (with wind) for today and tomorrow and as a trend after that. To choose the month, see the climate month by month.
Where does this data come from?
Forecasts come from MET Norway, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, calculated for the tour area’s coordinates and updated every hour during the day and every 3 hours at night. Tour prices and conditions are checked on the sellers’ pages, with the date.
Forecast by MET Norway, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, calculated for the tour area’s coordinates. Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated every hour. Updated: October 31, 2026.
Shared gondola ridefrom €39 · Cancel until the evening before
