San Giorgio, Murano Glass Factory & Gondola Ride

5 hours | Venice | V C E - 2 1 0
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$ 149.95
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Points of Interest

  • Gondola Ride
  • San Giorgio Church
Shopping Opportunities, Strenuous activity

Description

Be sure to read the Special Notes further down this page for important requirements and restriction.

Departing from your ship, you will board a water transport to start your tour around the Venice Lagoon. As you expected, transportation here in Venice happens on the water. The Floating City is really a series of 117 small islands linked by the famous canals, together making up an UNESCO World Heritage Site. So, your first stop, if you could call it a stop, is the quintessential Venetian experience, a 30-minute gondola ride along some of Venice's inner canals.

For centuries, gondolas and the traditionally clad gondoliers have been fixtures cruising the water roadways to the city. Until very recently, the role of the gondolier was a guild-trade passed down from father to son. (Venice got its first guild-approved female gondolier in 2009.) This is a truly unique experience filled with scenery that speaks for itself.

After your tour, you'll re-board your water transport for Murano Island. This has been the home of Venetian glasswork since 1291, when the Republic ordered the glassmakers to move from the city to the island for fear of the city's mostly wooden buildings catching fire. During your stay on Murano Island, you'll have an opportunity to see the craft and examine some of the exquisite works for yourself as you tour one of the leading glass factories. What made Murano's glassmakers so special was that they were the only people in Europe who knew how to make glass mirrors. They also developed or refined technologies such as crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicolored glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass. Of course, you'll have a time to pick up a few pieces for your own collection before re-boarding your water transport for you last stop, St. George's Church, or San Giorgio Maggiore on St. George's Island.

Situated on the littlest of Venice's islands, this 16th century Church and monastery is considered to be one of the great architect Antonio Palladio's masterpieces. It offers a superb neoclassical façade of red and white marble, and the simple interior boasts two of Tintoretto's greatest works: "The Last Supper" and "The Gathering of the Manna."

You'll get to spend 40 minutes discovering its beauty before returning to your water transport and a scenic return to your ship.

Special Notes:

This tour is not available to passengers beginning or ending their voyage in Venice.

The order of visited sites may vary.

On Sundays and church holidays, tour groups are not allowed inside the Church during services.
Photography is not permitted inside San Giorgio Church.

As this excursion involves extensive walking over uneven surfaces, it is not recommended for guests with walking difficulties.
The venues are not accessible to wheelchairs.

Guests have to be able to negotiate 5 steps in and out of the Gondola that sits low in the water. Guests are kindly requested to carefully follow the gondolier's instructions when boarding the gondola.

Seats are assigned to Guests by gondolier himself to guarantee gondola balance and safety. At the gondola landing stage Guests will be divided in groups of six people per gondola.

Please note that the gondola ride cannot operate in rainy weather, strong wind or during exceptionally high/low tidal conditions.

We suggest proper attire that covers shoulders and knees for the visit to San Giorgio Church.

Restoration work is often being carried out at various visited.

Details

Tour timeline may vary to avoid overcrowding, etc.

Depart from ship for your ride through the lagoon

Transport type:
Motorized Vessel
Transport Capacity:
100
Travel time:
00:20
Inside visit:
No
Air conditioned:
No
Wheelchair accessible:
No
Restroom available:
No
Shopping available:
No

Scenic gondola ride

Transport type:
Gondola
Transport Capacity:
6
Travel time:
00:20
Time at site:
00:30
Inside visit:
No
Air conditioned:
No
Walking distance:
547
Steps:
160
Wheelchair accessible:
No
Restroom available:
No
Shopping available:
No
Photo/video restrictions:
Yes
Photo/video opportunity:
Yes

Visit to the Murano Glass Factory

Transport type:
Motorized Vessel
Travel time:
00:50
Time at site:
01:00
Inside visit:
Yes
Air conditioned:
No
Walking distance:
220
Steps:
30
Wheelchair accessible:
No
Restroom available:
Yes
Shopping available:
Yes

Visit to the San Giorgio Church

Transport type:
Motorized Vessel
Travel time:
00:40
Time at site:
00:40
Inside visit:
Yes
Air conditioned:
No
Walking distance:
220
Steps:
30
Wheelchair accessible:
No
Restroom available:
No
Shopping available:
No
Photo/video restrictions:
Yes
Photo/video opportunity:
Yes

Re-board your vessel and return to Marittima Pier

Transport type:
Motorized Vessel
Transport Capacity:
100
Travel time:
00:30
Time at site:
00:10
Inside visit:
No
Air conditioned:
No
Walking distance:
15
Steps:
10
Wheelchair accessible:
No
Restroom available:
No
Shopping available:
No