To view questions and answers: - click on the desired section to view the questions; - click on the desired question to view the answer; - clicking "View all" or "Hide all" you will show or hide all the questions and answers of that section.
Navigation on the Riviera del Brenta (the Brenta Canal) is, generally, from mid March to the beginning of November, every year. No navigation is planned in the winter.
The request should be submitted to our office by e-mail at info@battellidelbrenta.it, or by fax at the number +39 049 8763410, or still by telephone at +39 049 8760233.
Please inform us about the date you have chosen, the number of participants and the optional services you wish to purchase together with the basic package (e.g., additional Villas to visit and lunch). If the group is not formed yet and you are collecting information in order to plan a tour, we may set an option on the preferred tour date to facilitate the formation of the group; before the option expires you are kindly requested to cancel or confirm the tour and, in the second case, to make a down payment equal to 25% of the cost of the booked services.
The booking and penalty rules that apply to groups are the following:
a) upon confirmation of the tour chosen by a group, an advance payment equal to 25% of the whole tour amount shall be made; the balance shall be settled not later than 5 days before departure;
b) if some members of the group cancel their participation after the group tour had been confirmed, the following penalties apply: - for changes amounting to max. 10% of the booked services, no penalty applies provided these changes are notified not later than 5 days before departure; - for changes exceeding 10% of the booked services, a 50% penalty applies provided the cancellation is notified not later than 5 days before departure; - the whole tour rate if cancellation is notified after the above-specified deadline, or if the traveller does not show at the wharf.
Yes, the guides on board illustrate the various Villas, the locks and the swing bridges that are seen during the navigation. When the boat docks, the guides take tourists inside the Villas on a guided visit.
All boats offer a bar service. Also the smallest boats with 50 seats feature a mini-bar with coffee, drinks and snacks. All the services offered by the bars are at a charge.
The rate always includes navigation, the guide on board, during the navigation, and the entrance ticket and the guided visit to Villa Widmann. The entrance tickets to Villa Pisani and Villa Foscari Malcontenta and the lunch are not included in the price of the package; they may be booked and added, upon demand, to the services that are paid in advance to our organization, or their payment can be settled by the client directly on the spot.
The duration of the visit varies from one Villa to another, and it also depends upon the presence, if any, of other groups of visitors; generally the visit to a Villa lasts from 45 minutes min. at Villa Widman and Foscari-Malcontenta, to one hour and a half for the inside and the grandiose park of Villa Pisani.
The entrance ticket and the visit to Villa Widmann only are included in some of our packages. Visit to the other Villas is optional; therefore the relevant entrance tickets are not included in the basic package price.
No, lunch is not offered on board out of two considerations. The first is to offer higher comfort and hygiene to our guests; the second is wider choice and care in the preparation of the dishes, which would prove unfeasible on board. The boats navigating the Brenta canal are small (max. length 25 meters, max width 5 m) and offering lunch on board would imply discomfort for our guests and a restricted choice in the menu e.g. pasta and fried fish). Since the Brenta Canal is renown worldwide for the excellent quality offer of the typical restaurants that rise along the Canal, the lunch stop includes lunch in a typical river restaurant in the small town where the boat docks.
Yes, it can. Upon booking for a group, you may ask for the exclusive use of a boat and this exclusive right is either immediately confirmed by the operator or, if all boats are already booked, the group request can be inserted in the waiting list. The exclusive rent of a 60-seat boat is allowed with the payment of minimum 50 rates for the chosen tour. The exclusive rent of a 120-seat boat is allowed with the payment of minimum 85 rates for the chosen tour.
In Padua, embarkation is from the wharf next to the Porta Portello staircase. If you come by highway, we advise to take the Padova Est exit and follow the directions to Padova centro (city centre). You will drive along a straight, two-lane road (and pass the shopping mall Giotto on your right); when you get to the traffic lights at Piazzale Stanga, go straight on along via Fistomba; then turn on the first street to your right (via Gradenigo), then continue further 300 meters. On your right you will see an ancient gate made of white stone; when you cross it you will see the wooden embarkation wharf on your right, past the bridge.
At Stra you will meet the guide at the entrance to Villa Pisani. Regarding the tours leaving from Stra, and if these are booked in the weekend, generally the appointment with the guide is at 10.00 a.m. in front of the entrance to Villa Pisani for the visit of the interiors of the Villa; embarkation will follow the visit. If the group decides not to visit Villa Pisani, the meeting for embarkation is set at about 11.15 a.m. directly on the wharf, in front of the entrance to the Villa.
This depends upon the length of time available to the group. We envisage four opportunities for landing: - landing at Mira after the visit to Villa Widmann around 4.00 p.m., with no ZTLbus fee; - landing at Malcontenta around 5.00 p.m. (or at 6.00 p.m. if the group visits Villa Malcontenta), with no ZTLbus fee; - landing at Fusina around 7.00 p.m., with the obligation to pay for the ZTLbus fee; - landing in Venice (Giudecca or St. Mark’s) around 7.30 / 8.00 p.m. with the payment of the ZTLbus fee.
The Town Council of Venice has ruled the access of tourist coaches in its territory by defining a Limited Circulation Zone for Busses and Coaches (ZTLBUS). The coaches entering this area must purchase a pass, the cost of which varies according to the table you can find on this link. Those groups who embark or land according to a navigation program that features the Brenta Canal are offered a derogation, therefore the cost of the pass in this case is of € 50,00 for Euro-4 coaches and of € 60,00 for coaches falling in lower categories (subject to seasonal changes), for each coach. Since the pass is valid for three hours, we advise to purchase it upon arrival directly at the checkpoint of the Fusina Park; in this case our office will issue a declaration specifying the type of navigation service performed along the Brenta Canal, this declaration to be produced upon purchase of the derogation pass. Instead those groups embarking or landing at Villa Foscari – Malcontenta are exempted from payment of the ZTLbus fee provided that the coach takes on/off the group behind Villa Foscari-Malcontenta, in front of Hotel Gallimberti. More information on this link.
F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions