The Grand Canal by vaporetto, the whole city filing past the rail.

Line 1 is slow, and that is the good thing: it stops at almost every landing stage and leaves time to look at the palaces, the Rialto market and the Accademia bridge. Line 2 does the same canal with fewer stops.

Why do it and who it suits

The Grand Canal is the main street of Venice, and almost all its palaces were built to be seen from the water. From the vaporetto you see them as they were conceived: Gothic and Renaissance façades, private landing stages, gondolas, delivery boats and the comings and goings of a city that still moves by water. It is also the cheapest way to do it: a public transport ticket, with no excursion or guide.

It suits everyone, including families with small children, who travel free up to age 6 and often enjoy it more than any museum. If you are looking for silence or an explanation of every palace, it is not the plan: it is a scheduled boat, sometimes full, with announcements over the loudspeaker and people getting on and off.

Where to sit

The outdoor seats, on the boats that have them, are the ones everyone wants, so the way to get them is to board at the first landing stage, at Piazzale Roma or Ferrovia, and wait for the next boat if the one that arrives is full. If you are standing, position yourself by the railing on the canal side, not in the door area, which is where people get on and off.

Tickets and passes

The 75-minute ticket costs €9.50 and covers a full journey with time to spare. If you are going to use the vaporetto three times in the day, the 24-hour pass, at €25, already pays off. There are 2, 3 and 7-day passes for €35, €45 and €65. Young people aged 6 to 29 can get the Rolling Venice, at €6, which entitles them to a 72-hour pass for €27.

With each ticket you can take up to three items of luggage free, provided the sum of their three dimensions does not exceed 150 cm each. Larger suitcases are not accepted. Folded pushchairs travel free and, if they fit, open ones too. Dogs travel free, one per passenger, muzzled and on a lead or in your arms.

Don't board without a validated ticket: there are inspectors and the fine is paid on top of the price of the journey.

When to go

First thing in the morning the canal is quiet, the light is soft and the boats are half empty. At dusk and at night, with the palaces lit up, the trip changes completely and is worth repeating. The worst is mid-morning and the return in the afternoon, when day-trippers and residents coincide.

In winter special timetables apply. From 2 November 2026, line 2 shortens its journeys along the Grand Canal at certain times, to San Marco Giardinetti or to Rialto, while the notice does not cut line 1, which remains the one that runs the whole canal. If you want to go quickly in winter, check the timetable.

If it rains or there is fog

The vaporetto runs in the rain, and the closed cabin lets you see the canal under cover. In dense fog or acqua alta above 95 cm, ACTV modifies the service and some lines change route: check the notices on the website or the app before setting out.