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The programs and the rates are planned and calculated for our individual guests (i.e., single travellers, or couples, or families) of for the members of a group of travellers (groups to be formed by 25 persons min.).
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.
Tours can last half a day or a full day. Full-day tours start from the terminus cities of Venice, Padua, or Stra; half-day tours can start from or finish at Mira or Dolo.
Generally, the navigation service is organized as follows: - from Venice to Stra and Padua with the various A-line tours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; - from Stra to Venice with the B/2, B/5 and B/6 tours on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays;- from Padua to Venice with the B/1, B/3 and C/1 tours on Saturdays and Sundays.
In some periods of the year additional tours starting from Padua may be added on other days of the week, therefore it is always advisable to check service availability online at www.booking-on-line.com.
The Boats offer only one stretch of navigation, therefore they do not return to the pier they sailed from.
Concerning the navigation tours starting from or arriving at Stra, a shuttle service takes tourists from/to the coach station of Padua, close to the railway station. Tours A/4 (from Venice) and B/2 (from Stra) offer the possibility to return to Venice or to Padua on a private coach immediately at the end of the tour: tourists wishing to use this service must inform the Guide on board when the navigation starts.
As for all the other tours, the return trip to the starting city is not organized and it must be made at the travellers' cost. Various possibilities exist:
a) from Venice - Piazzale Roma or from the coach station of Padua, the SITA company operates its bus route rather frequently, via the highway; the travel lasts about 45 minutes and coaches leave every thirty minutes from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (click here for the timetable);
b) from Venice - Piazzale Roma or from the coach station of Padua, the ACTV company operates its bus route rather frequently, alongside the Brenta Canal; the travel lasts about 70/80 minutes and busses leave every thirty minutes from about 6:55 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Suburban bus route no. 53 Padova-Stra-Dolo-Mira-Oriago-Malcontenta-Marghera-Venezia or vice-versa (www.actv.it);
c) by train (about 30/45 minutes). Find the timetable on www.trenitalia.it
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.
The rate always includes navigation, the entrance ticket to the Villas and the guide on board, during the navigation and during the guided visit inside the Villas included in each tour.
The duration of the visit changes from one Villa to another, and it also depends upon the presence, if any, of other groups if 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 tickets of the Villas are included in the tour, since they are offered for free with the purchase of the basic navigation package (navigation, guide, and entrance ticket of the Villas).
All boats offer a bar service. Also the smallest boats with 50 seats feature a mini-bar with drinks and snacks. All the services offered by the bars are at a charge.
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. 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. Since the Brenta Canal is renown worldwide for the excellent quality offer of the typical restaurants that rise along its Canal, the lunch stop includes lunch in a typical river restaurant in the small town where the boat docks.
Travellers who do not book lunch can take a picnic lunch with them and eat it on the boat, or they can choose freely from the menu in the same restaurant where the other tourists are having the lunch they have booked, provided the restaurant still has availability of tables. When the tour stops at Dolo for lunch, tourists can also have lunch in another bar, in a restaurant or in a pizzeria nearby, or take their picnic lunch with them.
The fixed menu includes a starter, two first courses based on fish, a second course with grilled or roast fish, seasonal vegetables, a dessert, ¼ of a litre of wine and half a litre of mineral water. From Tuesday to Friday only it is also possible to book a light menu with fish or meat dishes including a small starter, a first course with fish, salad, a dessert, ¼ of a litre of wine and half a litre of mineral water.
Those people who do not appreciate fish are offered a meat-based menu with a starter, two first courses, a second course with grilled or roast meat, then seasonal vegetables, a dessert and beverages. Please specify this preference upon booking, or book the right menu online.
Yes, it is, but it should be asked for upon booking of the tour, or by purchasing it online. The menu includes a starter, two first courses, a second course with seasonal vegetables, a dessert and beverages.
We advice to get to the embarkation point not less than 15 minutes before departure. If embarkation is from another location than the three terminuses, then travellers should arrive not less than 30 minutes before the expected embarkation time.
Yes, travellers can decide not to use the shuttle bus service from Padua to Stra and reach Villa Pisani directly by their means. The appointment with the guide is set at 8:45 a.m. at the entrance of Villa Pisani for the visit, to be followed later by embarkation. Those wishing to begin their tour directly from Villa Pisani should inform us beforehand by e-mail at info@ilburchiello.it. Once in Venice, at the end of the navigation tour, travellers will be taken back directly to the Padua coach station close to the railway station, by coach, along the highway.
Yes, you may decide not to use the shuttle bus from Padua to Stra and drive directly to Villa Pisani. For those wishing to leave their car at Villa Pisani, this can be parked in the free park of the Villa or park it nearby. You can then return to Stra: - taking the suburban bus route to Stra serviced by the ACTV company from Venice, Piazzale Roma, because the bus stops in front of Villa Pisani; the bus ticket is at your charge; - by the coach included in the tour ticket that takes you to the Padua coach station, wherefrom you can take – at your charge – a suburban bus of the ACTV company to Stra.
Yes, they can embark at Malcontenta and, more precisely, at Villa Foscari where the boat stops on the tours A/4, A/1 and A/2.
The appointment with the guide, at the entrance gate of the Villa, is: - at 9:00 a.m. for tours A/1 and A/2; - at 10:15 a.m. for tour A/4.
The guide will take tourists inside the Villa, and embarkation will be at the end of the visit. Concerning tour A/4, those who wish to start their journey from Villa Foscari should inform our office beforehand by email or by telephone (info@booking-on-line.com or +39 049 8760233).
The boats used for navigation are not ferryboats but boats designed for tourism purposes; therefore they are designed for the transportation of people only. Unfortunately, we cannot accept luggage on board.
Pets are welcome on board, provided they are small or medium-sized. The muzzle is mandatory on board; moreover we advice to bring a transportation cage or bag to take the pet on public means of transportation.
If technical reasons or force-majeure events not depending upon the Organizing Company’s will prevent boats from sailing, the amount of money paid by travellers to the Organization will be refunded. If instead the tour starts regularly and later force-majeure events prevent performing part of the navigation, the Organization will complete the tour by coach.
In base of booking cancellation, the following penalties apply: - 50% of the tour rate is the cancellation is notified not later than 5 days before the tour; - the whole tour rate after the above-specified deadline, or if the traveller does not show at the pier.
The coach is easily identified from the sign reading “Il Burchiello” and placed on the front windscreen. The coach leaves from lane no. 12 of the Coach Station in Viale della Pace. To know where the coach station is located exactly, please go to the previous question.
The guide service is offered from the beginning to the end of the tour, therefore the guide will be with you also on the coaches on the journey there and back.
There is no set time for the booking, since booking for each tour opens one year before each date, and some dates may be already full; therefore we advise booking the required number of tickets as soon as possible.
In this case the user has to choose first the direction of the navigation (whether it is Padua -> Venice or Stra -> Venice, or the direction Venice -> Stra or still Malcontenta -> Padua) and check the available dates. Once the desired day is chosen, the user can choose among the available tours on that day and pay immediately online by credit card (VISA, Mastercard). Users will soon receive their vouchers (tickets) for the booked services by e-mail.
Payment can also be by postal order or bank transferup to 5 days before the date of departure. This method holds the booking over for 48 hours, during which time we need to receive a copy of the postal order or of the bank transfer made by the user; the copy shall be sent by fax to the number +39 049 8763410. In case of non-receipt of the payment order, the booking will be automatically forfeited. After sending the receipt by fax, the user will receive the vouchers of his/her booking by e-mail.
You can also call directly our office at the number +39 049 8760233 and book the tour simply by communicating the data of your credit card on the phone (Visa or Mastercard, name of the owner, number of the card, deadline and the 3 final figures of the control code CVV printed at the back of the card), or agree upon payment by postal order or bank transfer.
The postal order shall be made out to Antoniana Servizi srl – via Porciglia, 34 – 35121 Padova; the reason for the payment shall state the booking number specified by our operators. If they were not to communicate the booking number, please ask for one. Copy of the receipt of payment shall be sent by fax, as soon as possible, to the number +39 049 8763410.
The bank transfer shall be made out to Antoniana Servizi srl – via Porciglia, 34 – 35121 Padova according to the bank account details specified here below. Please send a copy of the bank receipt by fax to the number +39 049 8763410. IBAN details: IT 60 A 05040 12159 000003179981.
PLEASE NOTE: the reason for payment in both the postal order and the bank transfer must state the full name of the traveller, the date of the tour, the number of participants and the number of meals, if booked.
For various reasons, at times simply depending upon the network, payment by credit card may fail and the booking request remains outstanding. In this case you can try and pay online from this link, by filling the booking number in the box “Codice Prenotazione” (reservation code).
If further difficulties arise, please call our office as soon as possible at the number +39 049 8760233 (Mon-Fri 9.00-12.30 a.m. and 3.00-6.00 p.m.), and give all information that may prove useful to trace back the unprocessed payment. Our operators will be at your disposal to finish the payment procedure and send you the vouchers (tickets).
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