If you are staying in Venice for a couple of days, you might want to explore the Veneto region. Do you want to go on a river cruise and see some of the most luxurious villas in Italy? Do you want to explore another beautiful city in Italy – Padua? Then you should take the Brenta Canal cruise – a boat trip on the Brenta Canal from Venice to Padua – one of the best day trips from Venice and river cruises in Italy!
We did this boat trip actually the other way round: starting in Padua and ending in Venice. It doesn’t really matter which way you do this boat trip, you will still visit all beautiful villas along the canal.
We thoroughly enjoyed the day spent cruising along the Brenta: slow travelling under the gentle sun, combined with alternating views of majestic mansions, small towns, weeping willows and green farmland.
Read more: What to do in Padua and Best day trips from Venice
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How to book the Brenta Canal Cruise?
The Brenta Canal Cruise is a one-day trip either from Padua or from Venice and is available between March and October.
The price is inclusive of guided visits to the villas and the lunch can be booked separately, or you can take care of it yourself. The boat stops at Oriago for lunch. We booked the tour with the lunch option and we were not disappointed at Il Burchiello restaurant. The service was very quick, although they had to make sure that all 40 something tourists had their lunch at the same time, and the food was also enjoyable.
I wold strongly advice to book the option with the lunch, as you might be short of time looking for a place to have lunch, unless you’ve brought some sandwiches with you.
When can I book the Brenta Canal cruise?
If you happen to be on the wrong day in the wrong city, don’t worry, you can still take an early morning train and depart from the other city.
The Brenta Canal Cruise can be booked between March and October. The cruise departs from Padua at 8:00 am on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and from Venice at 9:00 am on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. On Mondays there are no tours, as the lock keepers have a day off. Arrival is respectively at 5:30 pm in Venice or at 7:00 pm in Padua.
Before booking, check the availability for this tour here:
Brenta Canal? What’s so special about it?
The Brenta Canal (Naviglio del Brenta) is a waterway that connects Venice (Venezia) with Padua (Padova). The part from Fusina in the Venetian Lagoon to Strà is a branch of the Brenta River that was corrected. The part from Strà to Padua is a 10-km canal dug in 1209 to connect Padua with Venice, known as the Piòvegio Canal.
In the height of the Venetian Republic (La Serenissima) this was a busy waterway – on one hand it was connecting the University City of Padua to Venice and all the trade would go via the water, on the other hand it offered a summer escape for the wealthy Venetians who built sumptuous villas alongside the Brenta Canal.
In those days the transportation was carried out by barges pulled by horses, called burchiello. Today, the Brenta Canal is used only for leisure and the modern burchielli (plural for burchiello) carry tourists between Venice and Padua.
To correct the difference in the water level and to make possible going both upstream and downstream, there were built 5 locks which act as “water lifts”. The boat enters the lock and the back gate closes, then the sluice in front opens and equalizes the water levels, thus enabling the boat to go up- or downstream without much hassle. It was pretty impressive to see how these water locks work in real.
The gate will open and our boat will get trapped in the so-called “water lift” and we’ll go up or down a few meters depending on whether we are cruising up- or downstream. Pretty amazing to see it working!
There are also nine swing bridges that are still operated by hand. The boat stops in front of the bridge and it is winched away and the boat continues its course until it reaches the next lock or swing bridge.
The villas along the Brenta Canal
When you take the cruise, it is inclusive of visits to three of the villas along the Brenta Canal, that are open for visitors: Villa Foscari, Villa Widmann and Villa Pisani.
The famous villas along the Brenta Canal (about 100) are actually summer residences of the wealthy families who wanted to escape the muggy Venetian summers. They were designed by some of the most famous architects of the time: Palladio, Scamozzi, Frigimelica, and frescoed by equally great artists like Gianbattista Tiepolo, Benedetto Caliari, and Zelotti, just to name a few.
Spending the summer holidays at the villa (called “villageteria”) led soon to a frenzy, where big parties were organized on the burchielli, stopping at the villas on the way for even more entertainment, drinks and food. These Venetian “villa crawls” (analogical with the modern pub crawls) became a real mania from the 15th throughout to the 18th century and ended eventually with the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797 after the arrival of Napoleon.
Fun fact: A cruise on the Brenta Canal was part of the Grand Tour – a big tour around Europe, popular from the 17th to 19th centuries. Wealthy young men and women would venture on this trip of a lifetime at the age of 21, which was considered also a rite of passage. Well, the world hasn’t changed much, and nowadays gap years are more popular than ever, expanding the horizons of the young and not-so-young even way beyond Europe.
Villa Foscari (aka Malcontenta)
The villa was designed by Palladio for the brothers Nicolò and Alvise Foscari in the second half of the 16th century and is one of the most beautiful examples of the Palladian architecture. The frescoes are by Battista Franco and Battista Zelotti, who had worked with Veronese on various projects. The Palladian Villas in Veneto, one of which is the Malcontenta, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We were impressed by the symmetry and the classical beauty of this villa. The villa consists of three floors: the ground floor is reserved for the functional activities, the first floor (the so-called piano nobile) was for the “noble” activities with 2 symmetrical apartments, each consisting of 3 rooms. The second floor was used as a storage for agricultural goods.
The villa was named La Malcontenta as according to the legend the Foscari’s wife was exiled there for improper behaviour.
Today, the villa is owned by descendants of the Foscari family, but nonetheless it is open for the public.
Adjacent to the villa there is a very well kept park. Take a stroll and enjoy the symmetrical beauty of this Palladian villa.
Villa Widmann (Rezzonico-Foscari)
The next stop on the Brenta Canal Cruise is Villa Widmann. It was built in the early 18th century for a Venetian noble family of Persian origins. Later the villa was purchased by the Widmann family and totally renovated in the French Rococo style, popular those days. When you enter the villa you can’t help but notice the gigantic chandelier of Murano glass.
The ball room is richly decorated with trompe l’oeil frescoes – all architectural features (columns, friezes and cornices) are actually painted in an optically deceiving way.
The Villa has a beautiful garden with a circle of statues: gods, nymphs and cupids. In the barchessa (a porticoed outbuilding) belonging to the villa, there is an exposition of old carriages.
Villa Pisani
Villa Pisani is the most grandiose of all villas, a fine example of 18th century Baroque. It was commissioned by the rich Pisani family to commemorate the election of Alvise Pisani as the 114th Dodge of Venice in 1735. Therefore, in the original villa there were exactly 114 rooms. Villa Pisani features also a gigantic fresco on the ceiling in one of the rooms painted by Gianbattista Tiepolo – ‘Glory of the Pisani family’.
Well, the glory didn’t last forever and after the Pisani family lost all their money on gambling, they sold the villa in 1807 to Napoleon, who gave it to his stepson Eugène Beauharnais. After Napoleon was defeated in Waterloo in 1814, the villa ended up in the hands of the Habsburg family who made out of it a holiday place for the 19th century aristocracy. After the annexation of Veneto to the Kingdom of Italy in 1866, the villa became a property of the State.
The most famous room in the villa is the Napoleon’s apartment that features ensuite bathroom with a recessed bath – the ultimate luxury those days. Too bad he spent only one night at the villa. Or at least this what they say.
Not only is the villa amazing, but also the gardens are beautiful. There is a long water channel that leads to the stable which façade is quite stunning for a façade of a stable. There are some artificial mounds, a tea-house and a maze. A part of the garden is covered by trees.
Fun fact: The villa, together with the gardens, occupies a whole bend of the Brenta Canal.
Arriving in Padua
After Villa Pisani the trip ends in Padua. As you will arrive there in the late afternoon (around 7 pm-ish), I highly recommend spending a few hours walking around the city and enjoying its beauty.
Make sure to check out the many squares in Padua: Piazza dei Signori, Piazza dei Frutti, Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza Eremitani and Prato della Valle – one of the biggest squares in Europe. Another must-see for a short visit to Padua is Il Santo – the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua.
Fun fact: Our 4-day itinerary in Padua with all attractions, featuring the Brenta Canal cruise.
How to get back to Venice/Padua after the Brenta Canal cruise
No matter which way you took the trip it’s quite easy to go back to your home base. The train connection between Padua and Venice is very reliable and there are trains every 20 minutes. The trip takes about 30 – 45 minutes, depending on the type of the train.
In Padua you can take the train from the Padova Centrale and you can disembark in Venice at Santa Lucia train station (Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia).
In Padua the cruise starts/stops at Portello Landing, which is about 20 min walking form the train station. In Venice the cruise starts/stops San Zaccharia A, 30 minutes by the vaporetto form Santa Lucia, or 45 minutes walking.
Answers to some of your questions about the Brenta Canal Cruise
- Small dogs (on a leash and with a muzzle) are allowed on the boat. However, no animals are allowed in Villa Pisani.
- You can take luggage (max 75x50x3 cm) on board, but you need to pre-book it for an extra cost.
- The cruise takes place even with bad weather as the boats are covered.
- You need to be present about 10 minutes before departure time.
- There’s a bar on the boat, so you can order drinks.
Wow, I had never heard of these villas before. They look fantastic, and I too am loving that recessed bath. Thanks for sharing!
This is absolutely gorgeous, honey!! I’ve been to Venice twice but missed the lovely surroundings, now I have an excuse to go a 3rd time hehe! <3
That’s a perfect excuse, isn’t it?
What a great idea for a day trip! I love going on canals and through locks and the villas you get to see are really impressive. Pinning this for when I make it back to Venice.
Wow this looks amazing! We’ll definitely check this out next time we go to Italy!