Traghetto gondola ferries in 2026
Looking for a cheap (if quick) gondola ride in Venice? Take a traghetto across the Grand Canal.
ABOVE: A traghetto, or gondola parada, prepares to leave the San Tomà pier on Venice's Grand Canal.
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Until 1854, the Ponte di Rialto was the only bridge across the Grand Canal in Venice. Even now, there are only four bridges along the canal's 2.5-mile (3.5 km) length. If you need to cross the canal and you aren't near a bridge, you have two choices:
Take the No. 1 vaporetto, which zig-zags from one bank to the other as it follows the Grand Canal, or better yet:
Head for the nearest traghetto pier and get rowed to the other side.
What a traghetto is:
Traghetto (plural: traghetti) means "ferry" in Italian. On Venice's Grand Canal, traghetti are the passenger boats that cross the canal at various points between the Rialto food markets (near the Rialto Bridge) and St. Mark's Basin.
A traghetto, also called a gondola parada, carries up to 10 passengers (compared to five for a privately-hired gondola da nolo). These large gondole eschew bow decoration, brocaded chairs, and other luxury trimmings. They are rowed by two oarsmen: one who stands behind the passengers like a traditional gondolier, the other closer to the bow.
Most traghetti have been operated by the same families for generations. As recently as the 1950s, there were some 30 of these gondola ferry routes. Today, there are just over half a dozen official routes, although you'll be lucky if you find more than a handful operating at any given time.
Traghetto routes in Venice:
Santa Sofia
This line runs between the Campo Santa Sofia and the Pescaria, or Rialto Fish Market.
Campo Santa Sofia is just off the Strada Nova, which is part of the main pedestrian route between the railroad station and the Piazza San Marco.
BELOW: The traghetto pier at Campo Santa Sofia is attached to a large gondola station. You'll pass this square as you walk along the busy Strada Nova:
BELOW: Two gondoliers row their traghetto from the Campo S. Sofia to the Pescaria:
BELOW: In this photo, you can see the Pescaria or Rialto Fish Market across the Grand Canal from Campo S. Sofia:
San Tomà
This popular line operates between a pier near the San Tomà vaporetto station (on the San Polo side of the Grand Canal) and the Calle del Traghetto in the San Marco district.
BELOW: "Servizio Gondole" signs can be confusing. Normally they refer to sightseeing gondolas, but in this case, the sign identifies the San Tomà traghetto pier:
BELOW: In San Polo, the San Tomà traghetto pier is easy to find, thanks to signs on building walls and in the street:
Santa Maria del Giglio
The name "S.M. del Giglio" is used both for a vaporetto station and a traghetto route.
The traghetto line connects the Campo del Traghetto (next to the Gritti Palace Hotel) with the Calle di Lanza in Dorsoduro, near the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
BELOW: The S.M. del Giglio traghetto station by the Gritti Palace Hotel is well marked:
BELOW: In Dorsoduro, a sign near the Peggy Guggenheim Collection points to the S.M. del Giglio traghetto pier:
Dogana
This route operates between a pier near the tip of Dorsduro to he San Marco Vallaresso waterbus station near the Piazza San Marco.
BELOW: The Dogana traghetto pier in Dorsoduro is close to the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute and the Punta della Dogana with its historic customs house:
BELOW: From the Dogana traghetto pier in Dorsoduro, you can look across to the San Marco waterfront:
BELOW: The boat from Dogana lands at a traghetto and gondola pier in San Marco:
BELOW: A sign identifies the traghetto pier, which is an extension of a San Marco Vallaresso vaporetto station (on left):
Carbon
We haven't listed details for the traghetto between Fondamente del Vin (San Polo) and Riva del Carbon (San Marco) because operating hours are extremely limited and you can cross the canal for free via the Rialto Bridge, which is a short distance away.
For a low-resolution city map that shows the locations of traghetto stations (including several that are "chiuso," or "closed") click here. The Italian-language page will open in a new browser tab.
Note: The city's page also has hours listed for each traghetto line, but be warned: The page isn't maintained, and the times may be out of date.
How to ride and pay:
ABOVE: A sign at a traghetto pier shows the traghetti's two-tiered pricing scheme.
Follow the "Traghetto" signs to the nearest landing, which will be a small wooden pier along the edge of the Grand Canal. Boats normally shuttle back and forth almost continuously, so you shouldn't have to wait long if the service is running.
When the traghetto arrives from the other side of the canal and passengers have disembarked, board the boat and find a place to sit or stand. Face backward, because the boat will turn as it leaves the dock.
Venetians traditionally stand during the crossing, but visitors normally use a seat or perch on the gunwales. An oarsman may require you to sit if his last batch of tourists toppled into the canal.
Hand your fare to the oarsman in cash as you board or leave the boat. If you don't have exact change, try to pay with coins instead of banknotes.
During busy times of the year, long queues can form at traghetto stations. (This is partly due to the herd effect created by TikTok videos.) You'll have to decide for yourself whether it's worth standing in line for a three- or four-minute ride across the Grand Canal.
Other practical advice:
Don't try to board a traghetto in a wheelchair, with a baby carriage, or with heavy luggage. Instead, use the No. 1 vaporetto, which has a flat deck and is fully accessible.
Hours of traghetto service are unpredictable at best. When they're operating, the boats are usually rowed back and forth across the Grand Canal from early in the morning until 7 or 8 p.m., or possibly a bit later in the summer (sometimes with a break for lunch).
If you arrive at a traghetto platform and no boat is in sight, do as the Venetians do and either take the vaporetto or save money by walking to the nearest bridge across the Grand Canal. (The vaporetto option makes the most sense when you have a one- to seven-day ACTV Travel Pass, which allows unlimited use of public water buses during the period of validity.)
More photos:
BELOW: Traghetti, like sightseeing gondole, provide an immersive experience amid the public water buses, water taxis, cargo boats, and boat traffic on the Grand Canal.
BELOW: Traghetto stations (such as this one at Giglio) often have up-to-date signs that indicate when service is available.
BELOW: Signs in nearby streets make it easier to find traghetto stations. (Just be wary of permanent signs attached to walls: The San Marcuola traghetto hasn't operated in years.)
Durant Imboden has
written about Venice, Italy since 1996.
He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching
Europe for Visitors (including
Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl
Imboden in 2001.
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