The Grand Canal is the main aquatic thoroughfare in central Venice. The S-shaped waterway follows an ancient riverbed from the Tronchetto parking island, the Piazzale Roma transit centre and the Santa Lucia railroad station to Piazza San Marco and St. Mark's Basin. The canal is about 4 km or 2.5 miles long, with a width that varies from 30 to 70 meters (98 to 230 feet).
The best way to see it is to ride the No. 1 vaporetto from the Piazzale Roma or the railroad station in the direction of San Marco, preferably in the evening when the day-trippers have gone home and the palazzi along the canal are floodlit or illuminated from within. If you're on one of the older boats with an open bow, sit up front; otherwise grab a seat in the covered open-air section at the boat's stern.
As the waterbus zigzags between stops on both sides of the canal during its 40-minute journey from the Piazzale Roma to San Zaccaria you'll pass under three bridges and see dozens of palaces that were built from the 12th to 18th Centuries.
Another way to see the canal is from the bridges that cross it. The Ponte di Scalzi is just upstream from the railroad station; the Rialto Bridge is about halfway up the canal, just after a sharp bend, while the Accademia Bridge is the last bridge across the canal before St. Mark's Basin. Go the top of any bridge, find a place at the railing, and watch the constant stream of vaporetti, barges, water taxis, police boats, ambulances, gondolas and other boats.
Italian Trips
Venice is an amazingly beautiful place with a stunning photo opportunity around every twist and turn of the alleyways and canals.
Veni...
from: £259
View »
The Grand Canal is the main aquatic thoroughfare in central Venice. The S-shaped waterway follows an ancient riverbed from the Tronchetto parking island, the Piazzale Roma transit centre and the Santa Lucia railroad station to Piazza San Marco and St. Mark's Basin. The canal is about 4 km or 2.5 miles long, with a width that varies from 30 to 70 meters (98 to 230 feet).
The best way to see it is to ride the No. 1 vaporetto from the Piazzale Roma or the railroad station in the direction of San Marco, preferably in the evening when the day-trippers have gone home and the palazzi along the canal are floodlit or illuminated from within. If you're on one of the older boats with an open bow, sit up front; otherwise grab a seat in the covered open-air section at the boat's stern.
As the waterbus zigzags between stops on both sides of the canal during its 40-minute journey from the Piazzale Roma to San Zaccaria you'll pass under three bridges and see dozens of palaces that were built from the 12th to 18th Centuries.
Another way to see the canal is from the bridges that cross it. The Ponte di Scalzi is just upstream from the railroad station; the Rialto Bridge is about halfway up the canal, just after a sharp bend, while the Accademia Bridge is the last bridge across the canal before St. Mark's Basin. Go the top of any bridge, find a place at the railing, and watch the constant stream of vaporetti, barges, water taxis, police boats, ambulances, gondolas and other boats.
Leisure & Tourism Trips
Venice is an amazingly beautiful place with a stunning photo opportunity around every twist and turn of the alleyways and canals. Venic...
from: £249
View »
The Grand Canal is the main aquatic thoroughfare in central Venice. The S-shaped waterway follows an ancient riverbed from the Tronchetto parking island, the Piazzale Roma transit centre and the Santa Lucia railroad station to Piazza San Marco and St. Mark's Basin. The canal is about 4 km or 2.5 miles long, with a width that varies from 30 to 70 meters (98 to 230 feet).
The best way to see it is to ride the No. 1 vaporetto from the Piazzale Roma or the railroad station in the direction of San Marco, preferably in the evening when the day-trippers have gone home and the palazzi along the canal are floodlit or illuminated from within. If you're on one of the older boats with an open bow, sit up front; otherwise grab a seat in the covered open-air section at the boat's stern.
As the waterbus zigzags between stops on both sides of the canal during its 40-minute journey from the Piazzale Roma to San Zaccaria you'll pass under three bridges and see dozens of palaces that were built from the 12th to 18th Centuries.
Another way to see the canal is from the bridges that cross it. The Ponte di Scalzi is just upstream from the railroad station; the Rialto Bridge is about halfway up the canal, just after a sharp bend, while the Accademia Bridge is the last bridge across the canal before St. Mark's Basin. Go the top of any bridge, find a place at the railing, and watch the constant stream of vaporetti, barges, water taxis, police boats, ambulances, gondolas and other boats.
Primary Languages Trips
Venice is an amazingly beautiful place with a stunning photo opportunity around every twist and turn of the alleyways and canals. Venic...
from: £249
View »
Show Map
