Venice, Italy1-2 hoursLate afternoon
Grand Canal
Venice's main waterway lined with palace façades and vaporetto routes.
Ideal: Ideal for Venice atmosphere, canal views, photography, and slow city exploration.
It splits the city in a reverse S over 3.8 kilometres; width ranges from 30 to 90 metres and average depth is only 5 metres. Most of roughly 170 buildings along its banks date from the 13th to 18th centuries and their façades were designed to be seen from the canal. Only four bridges cross it: the stone Rialto from 1591, Accademia, Scalzi, and Calatrava's Costituzione added in 2008. Where there is no bridge, standing gondolas called traghetto still ferry people across.
Why go?
- To see Venice's canal life and palace façades
- For an affordable and beautiful canal tour by vaporetto
- To connect easily to the Rialto Bridge and St Mark's area
Travel tip
Using the vaporetto line near sunset gives beautiful views; it's more affordable than a gondola.
