Our top pick26,711 reviews
30 min - 2 hVenice: Grand Canal Gondola Ride with App Commentary
★ 4.2 · 26,711 reviews
- 30 minutes - 2 hours, Shared gondola on the Grand Canal
- Water activity
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
Five ways onto one waterway
Venice Grand Canal boat tour: five ways to ride it
A Venice Grand Canal boat tour on this site is either rowed or motored. The shared gondola with app commentary costs $41 and the storytelling gondola $44; both include a visit to the Gondola Gallery and are listed at 30 minutes to 2 hours and 1 to 3 hours. By motorboat it is $111 for 90 minutes with an expert guide, $210 for a private hour past the Rialto Bridge and the Accademia, or $414 for a private hour that ends at St Mark’s Square.
Quick answer
The short answer. On a budget, the shared gondola at $41 is the most reviewed Venice Grand Canal boat tour here, rated 4.2 across 26,711 reviews. For a guide who names St Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs, take the motorboat at $111, rated 4.5. For a boat to yourselves, the private trip at $210 has 134 reviews at 4.4.
Venice Grand Canal boat tour at a glance
- Options on this page
- Fivetwo gondolas, three motorboats
- Lowest fare
- $41shared gondola, app commentary
- Highest fare
- $414private hour to St Mark’s Square
- Most reviewed
- 26,711 reviewsthe shared gondola, rated 4.2
- Highest rated
- 4.7the private hour, 15 reviews
- Expert guide aboard
- $111motorboat, 90 minutes
- Private boat
- $210one hour, 134 reviews
- Gondola Gallery
- Two listingsboth gondola rides include a visit
- Reviews across the five
- 44,973weighted rating 4.2
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationshown on all five listings
Book direct
Five ways onto the Grand Canal, with live fares
Each Venice Grand Canal boat tour below, ordered by review count. Two are rowed gondolas, three are motorboats.
18,010 reviewsRated 4.2
1 - 3 hGrand Canal Gondola Ride with Storytelling & Gondola Gallery
★ 4.2 · 18,010 reviews
- 1 to 3 hours, Shared gondola ride and gondola gallery
- Water activity
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
134 reviewsRated 4.4
60 minVenice: Grand Canal Private Boat Trip
★ 4.4 · 134 reviews
- One hour, Private boat along the Grand Canal
- Water activity
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$210$210.00 / hour
Check availability→ 
103 reviewsRated 4.5
90 minVenice: Grand Canal by Boat with Expert Guide
★ 4.5 · 103 reviews
- One and a half hours, Grand Canal by motorboat with a guide
- Water activity
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$111$74.00 / hour
Check availability→ 
15 reviewsRated 4.7
60 minVenice: Private Grand Canal Boat Tour to St. Mark's Square
★ 4.7 · 15 reviews
- One hour, Private hour on the Grand Canal
- Water activity
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$414$414.00 / hour
Check availability→ Gondola or motorboat
Rowed or motored: two kinds of Venice Grand Canal boat tour
The gondolas. Both rowed listings include a visit to the Gondola Gallery; the storytelling listing describes it as a collection of authentic oars and tools from the trade. The $41 ride covers what its description calls the most beautiful part of the Grand Canal and its hidden waterways, with commentary in an app. The $44 ride is on a traditional black gondola, with a storyteller. The two share a rating of 4.2, on 26,711 and 18,010 reviews.
The motorboats. Three listings use an engine. The expert-guided boat at $111 winds through the city for 90 minutes with St Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs in view. The private boat trip at $210 passes palaces and sails under bridges for an hour, naming the Rialto Bridge, the Accademia and the water by Giudecca. The private tour at $414 spends its hour on the Grand Canal and ends at St Mark’s Square, with the stories behind the palaces.
For a Venice canal boat tour that also leaves the main waterway for the smaller canals, read the descriptions of the shared gondola and the expert-guided boat: both say so.
On the water
What a Venice Grand Canal boat tour passes
Four frames from the galleries of the trips on this page and the listings next to them.
Palace fronts
Gothic windows and balconies rise straight from the water.
From a wooden motorboat
A seat up front on a private boat, the far bank in view.
Busy water
Motorboats and water-bus stops share the Grand Canal with everyone else.
Into the side canals
The guided motorboat also winds through narrower canals like this one.
Pick by situation
Which Venice Grand Canal boat tour to book, by situation
Matched on fare, length and what each description names.
- You want the lowest fare — $41
The shared gondola with app commentary and the Gondola Gallery. 26,711 reviews at 4.2: the largest track record on this page, and a middling score.
- You want a person telling the story — $44 or $111
The storytelling gondola for a rowed ride, 18,010 reviews at 4.2. The expert-guided motorboat for 90 minutes with names attached, 103 reviews at 4.5.
- You want the boat to yourselves — $210
The private boat trip, one hour, 134 reviews at 4.4. Its description names the Rialto Bridge and the Accademia.
- You want to finish at St Mark’s Square — $414
The private hour on the Grand Canal that ends there. The highest rating of the five, 4.7, on 15 reviews.
- You have exactly one hour — $210 or $414
Both private motorboats are listed at one hour flat. The gondola listings give ranges, 30 minutes to 2 hours and 1 to 3 hours.
- You want the islands as well — $23 and up
These five stay in the city. The boats to Murano and Burano are compared on the Murano and Burano page.
Every trip, current fare
Venice Grand Canal boat tour prices, side by side
Five fares with the cost per hour where the listing gives a fixed length. The gondola rows show a dash because their lengths are ranges.
| Tour | Length | Price | What you get | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venice: Grand Canal Gondola Ride with App Commentary | 30 min - 2 h | $41 | Shared gondola on the Grand Canal | — | 4.2 · 26,711 |
| Grand Canal Gondola Ride with Storytelling & Gondola Gallery | 1 - 3 h | $44 | Shared gondola ride and gondola gallery | — | 4.2 · 18,010 |
| Venice: Grand Canal Private Boat Trip | 60 min | $210 | Private boat along the Grand Canal | $210.00 | 4.4 · 134 |
| Venice: Grand Canal by Boat with Expert Guide | 90 min | $111 | Grand Canal by motorboat with a guide | $74.00 | 4.5 · 103 |
| Venice: Private Grand Canal Boat Tour to St. Mark's Square | 60 min | $414 | Private hour on the Grand Canal | $414.00 | 4.7 · 15 |
Is it worth it?
Is a Venice Grand Canal boat tour worth it? The numbers
The gondolas are the lowest fares on the Grand Canal here, $41 and $44, and they hold 44,721 of the 44,973 reviews behind this page. Their 4.2 is lower than every motorboat on the page, which score 4.4, 4.5 and 4.7.
The motorboats cost more and are reviewed far less, 134, 103 and 15 times. In return, the expert-guided boat gives you 90 minutes at $74 an hour with names attached, and the private trips give you a boat without strangers for one hour.
If the point is simply to be on the Grand Canal once, the shared gondola is the cheapest Venice Grand Canal boat tour here at $41. If you want to understand what you pass, pay for the guided motorboat. A private hour at $210 is worth it when having the boat to yourselves matters more than the fare.
Want the whole city by boat, not just one waterway? Kayaks, electric boats and a jazz catamaran are compared on the boat tours page.
All boat trips compared→Before you book
Three things to check on the listing
Where it ends. The $414 private tour is sold as ending at St Mark’s Square, so plan the rest of the day from there.
How the commentary reaches you. The $41 gondola uses commentary in an app, so bring a charged phone. The $44 gondola has a storyteller instead.
Cancellation. All five listings here show Free cancellation; check the cut-off on the listing before you pay. Gondolas in more detail, including private ones, are on the gondola page.
Common questions
Venice Grand Canal boat tour, answered
How much is a Venice Grand Canal boat tour?
On this site, $41 for the shared gondola with app commentary and $44 for the storytelling gondola. By motorboat it is $111 with an expert guide, $210 for a private hour and $414 for a private hour ending at St Mark’s Square.
How long is a Grand Canal boat trip?
The private motorboats are one hour and the expert-guided motorboat 90 minutes. The gondola listings give ranges, 30 minutes to 2 hours and 1 to 3 hours, and both include a visit to the Gondola Gallery.
Is a gondola or a motorboat better on the Grand Canal?
The gondola is the cheaper and far more reviewed choice here: $41 with 26,711 reviews at 4.2. The motorboats cost more and score higher, 4.4 to 4.7, on far fewer reviews. Take the gondola for the ride itself, a motorboat for a guide and the sights named.
Can I book a private boat on the Grand Canal?
Yes, two listings: the private boat trip at $210, one hour, 134 reviews at 4.4, and the private tour to St Mark’s Square at $414, one hour, 15 reviews at 4.7.
Which trip shows the Rialto Bridge?
Two motorboat descriptions name it: the expert-guided boat at $111, which also names St Mark’s Square and the Bridge of Sighs, and the private boat trip at $210, which adds the Accademia.
Do the Grand Canal gondolas have commentary?
Yes, in two forms. The $41 ride has commentary in an app; the $44 ride has storytelling on a traditional black gondola. Both include a visit to the Gondola Gallery.
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