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Blog
A first-hand account from 2019 — sailing the Giudecca Canal before the ban. What it was like, and what has changed since.
Since 2021, ships over 25,000 gross tons are banned from entering the Giudecca Canal and the historic centre of Venice. This applies to virtually all large cruise ships — MSC, NCL, Royal Caribbean, P&O, Costa, and others. They now dock at industrial ports away from the city: mainly Marghera, but also Ravenna or Chioggia depending on the itinerary.
Smaller vessels and river ships are still permitted to dock near the historic centre.
This page describes my own experience sailing through the Giudecca Canal in 2019 — before the ban came into effect. It's a first-hand account of what it was like, not a guide to what happens today.
Port (then)
Venice Marittima — city centre terminal
When I Sailed
2019 — before the ban
Best Deck
Any open upper deck — higher the better
Worth It?
Completely and unreservedly yes
The Venice sailaway is one of those cruise moments that people talk about for years afterwards. Not because it involves any effort or planning, but because it just happens — and it's genuinely, unexpectedly, affecting. I sailed through in 2019, when large ships still passed through the Giudecca Canal, and it's still one of the most remarkable things I've seen from a ship deck.
You've checked in, found your cabin, had a look around the ship, grabbed something to eat. The engines start. Someone says "we're moving" — and that's when you need to be outside.
The ship moves impossibly slowly at first. You're barely drifting. And then Venice comes into view — the full, absurd, impossible beauty of it — and you're watching it from the deck of a ship that towers over its rooftops. It shouldn't work. It does.
The whole sailaway sequence takes around 45 minutes from departure to the open lagoon. The payoff — the city shrinking to a silhouette on the water as the light goes golden — is in the final 15 minutes. That's how it was. It's a memory I'm glad I was present for.
The sequence of landmarks as the ship left Venice in 2019 — sailing through the Giudecca Canal.
The ship passes through the Giudecca Canal — one of the widest waterways in Venice — with historic palazzos, churches, and residential buildings on both sides. The scale is extraordinary: you're on a ship taller than most of the buildings, gliding quietly past one of the most beautiful urban streetscapes in the world.
As you come through the canal, the great domed church of Santa Maria della Salute sits directly ahead on the right bank. It's one of Venice's most iconic silhouettes — white baroque stone against the lagoon. From the ship you get a perspective that almost no tourist sees.
The Doge's Palace and the campanile of St Mark's Basilica are visible as you pass the Riva degli Schiavoni waterfront. You'll see the vaporetto stops, the gondolas, the tourists — and then watch it all slowly recede behind you.
Once past the main city, the ship enters the open lagoon — and on a clear afternoon the light is extraordinary. The flat water acts as a mirror. The distant profile of Venice, with its campaniles and domes, sits on the horizon. This is the postcard moment. It lasts maybe 15 minutes and then it's gone.
How I made the most of the 45 minutes from departure to open water.
The ship starts moving at the scheduled time — there's no extended delay. If you go up to deck when you hear the engines start, you'll likely miss the first and best section: leaving the terminal through the canal. Get up there 15–20 minutes before departure.
When leaving from Venice Marittima terminal, the best early views — including the Salute and the main waterfront — are typically on the port (left) side of the ship. If you're unsure, stand somewhere near the centre and move as the city unfolds.
This is genuinely a moment that deserves a drink in hand. Whether it's a beer, a glass of wine, or a prosecco — it sets the mood. Most ships have a pool bar that will be open. Grab something before you go up.
A lot of people head in for dinner or to change, and miss the lagoon section entirely. The whole sailaway sequence takes about 45 minutes from start to finish. The payoff is in the last 15 minutes as the city shrinks to a silhouette. Stay out.
Get your photos in the first few minutes while you're close enough for them to be worth taking. After that, put the phone down and just watch. There's no filter that does the lagoon at golden hour any justice anyway — you may as well be present for it.
“The people who stayed inside for dinner ended up regretting it. Every single time.”
You can have dinner at 7pm when the city is behind you. You can't see Venice disappear into the lagoon at golden hour twice.
It was a 45-minute window. I'm glad I used it.
The key moments and when to be on deck — as it was in 2019.
Get up to deck now. Don't wait for the engines — be there early.
The ship starts moving. Giudecca Canal passage begins. This is the section most people miss.
Santa Maria della Salute, the Riva degli Schiavoni waterfront, the Doge's Palace. Best landmarks.
Open lagoon. The city has shrunk. The light is doing incredible things. Do not go inside.
Venice is a silhouette. You're at sea. Now you can go for dinner.
The situation has changed significantly since 2019.
Since 2021, large cruise ships dock at the industrial port of Marghera — on the mainland, connected to Venice by bridge. It's functional but unremarkable. You'll get a bus or transfer into the city. The arrival is nothing like sailing through the Giudecca Canal used to be.
MSC, NCL, Royal Caribbean, P&O, Costa, and virtually every ship over 25,000 gross tons is banned from the historic centre. If you're on a large cruise ship, you will not be sailing past St Mark's Square or through the main canal. This is confirmed — not a grey area.
Vessels under 25,000 GT are still permitted to dock at Venice Marittima near the historic city. If you're on a smaller luxury ship, an expedition vessel, or a river cruise, you may still get the full city-centre arrival experience.
The ban doesn't change Venice itself — just the approach. The city on foot is still extraordinary. The advice about getting lost, eating away from the waterfront, and going early still holds. You're just arriving differently.
Still applies regardless of where your ship docks — make the most of the day itself.
Venice is a walking city by nature. The vaporetto is useful for longer distances but much of what you want to see — Rialto Bridge, San Marco, the Dorsoduro waterfront — is walkable. Give yourself a full morning without a fixed schedule.
Venice's calli are designed to confuse — and that's a feature, not a bug. Some of the best parts of the city are the quiet residential campi away from the main tourist corridors. Take a wrong turn and see where it goes. You can always find water.
By 9–10am, the main routes are busy with day trippers and tour groups. By 8am, they're nearly empty. If your ship is docked overnight or you board early, the early morning city is extraordinary and worth the effort of getting up for.
The restaurants along the main canal-side routes are expensive and frequently mediocre. Walk two streets inland and the quality goes up and the prices come down. Ask for the day's fish at a bacaro — small Venetian bar — and you'll eat much better.
Getting from the city centre back to the cruise terminal takes longer than you'd think. Allow at least 90 minutes from St Mark's Square back to the ship. Vaporetto services run regularly but can be crowded, especially late afternoon.
Other stops on the itinerary — honest guides for each one.
Make the most of every port day — practical guides for the whole cruise.