The Boats of Venice Italy

One of the things that fascinated me about Venice, Italy is all of the different kinds of boats you see. There are no vehicles on the walkways and sidewalks. The only things I saw with wheels were the delivery carts that deliverymen use to take goods from the boats to the stores. They look pretty much like a wheelbarrow with big wheels in back and a small one in front. These are designed to go over the steps of the bridges over the canals. In Florence you have to be careful and watch for taxis, delivery trucks, mopeds and bicycles. We were walking down a narrow sidewalk in Florence one day and saw a delivery truck coming at us with one wheel up on the sidewalk, the street was too narrow for him. We crossed the street and went between cars until he passed.

You don’t have to look out for wheeled vehicles in Venice. Everything moves through the water. This makes for a more relaxing walk around the city. No intersections with deciding when to walk or not. No stoplights or motorcycles wizzing by.

Taxi in Venice Italy

You will see some beautiful wooden boats that are used as taxi cabs. You will see them all around the city and docked at the main tourist areas. They can be a little expensive. We took a taxi from the train station to our hotel, The Venice Boscolo, and it was 70 Euro. I highly recommend you take at least one ride while you are there.

Gondola Venice Italy

Another boat ride that can get expensive is on one of the many gondolas, but is a must thing to do while in Venice. We found one off of the beaten path and it was around 90 Euro. You can find these from 75 to 150 Euro.

Actv Vaporetto Venice Italy

The Vaporettos are the water buses in Venice. They stick to schedules and routes and operate like buses in other cities. A single fare ticket is 7.50 Euro and is good for 75 minutes. If you are planning to ride multiple times consider getting a daily or multi day pass. The day pass starts at around 20 Euro.

Ambulance Boat Venice Italy

I heard a siren one day and looked up absentmindedly expecting to see a police car or ambulance and saw an ambulance boat. I saw some motorcycle cops one day but they were riding jet skis instead of motorcycles. I only saw this once and they were on the opposite side of my Vaporetto so I could not get a photo.

Police Boat Venice Italy

We saw several police boats while in Venice. We didn’t see anyone pulled over by one, but you can see the blue lights on top in case he needs to.

City of Venice Italy Boat

Here is a city owned boat going about its official duties of the day.

Automobile Ferry Venice Italy

I spotted this automobile ferry close to Saint Marks Square. If you look closely you can see cars and trucks on the the ferry. I wonder where it is going because I did not see any vehicles on Venice.

Beer Delivery Boat Venice Italy

There were a large variety of delivery vehicles around the city. Notice this beer delivery boat sitting outside of a pizzeria.

Floral Delivery Boat Venice Italy

Here is a floral delivery boat with some plants in it.

DHL Delivery Boat Venice Italy

A DHL boat was making its deliveries one day.

Delivery Boat Venice Italy

Here is a delivery boat with what looks like cases of water and at least one keg of beer, probably going to a restaurant.

Refrigerated Delivery Boat Venice Italy

I saw a couple of boats with refrigerated units on it. The fan unit just in front of the driver looks like the reefer units on refrigerated trucks here in the US.

Delivery boat Venice Italy

Here is a boat delivering some wood. Maybe someone is remodeling.

This is not a definitive article on the boats of Venice by any means. We were only in Venice for 2 full days. I think it would take a little longer to document all the types of boats in Venice. I hope you enjoyed my little snippet of it. Better yet, plan a trip and go see it for yourself!

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