You’ve probably seen the red hop-on, hop-off buses in Rome and other cities (there’s even now a hop-on, hop-off bus along the Amalfi Coast)…Perhaps it was only a matter of time before a hop-on, hop-off tourist boat came to the waterways of Venice.
Earlier this month a hop-on, hop-off vaporetto service began on Venice’s Grand Canal. Vaporetto dell’Arte runs daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and makes eight stops between the train station and San Giorgio. Two additional stops at Arsenale and Giardini will be added during the Architecture Biennale, August 29 to November 25, 2012.
Vaporetto dell’Arte has 80 seats and space for 20 additional passengers to stand. The seats are equipped with multi-language audio-visual systems. Each passenger receives a welcome kit which includes disposable earphones, a map and special offers from partners like Punta della Dogana and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
A 24-hour pass costs 24€ for adults and 15€ for children and seniors. A better deal, for those staying a dayor more in Venice or exploring the city on a wider basis, seems to be purchasing the Vaporetto dell’Arte pass in conjunction with time-limited ACTV tourist tickets (12, 24, 36, 48, 72 hour, 7-day and 3-day Youth Card: Rolling Venice). This costs only 10€ in addition to the price of the other ACTV tickets. All of these passes/tickets are available for pre-purchase through Venice Connected up to a minimum of four days before collecting and/or using them.
Thanks to the Nan McElroy for first informing us about the new service. — Kathy McCabe