Venice Italy overnight moorings

[Mibosa]

I am travelling to Venice Italy in September and am hiring a boat for 2 weeks. The boat company has a number of free mooring locations and I note maps have marinas marked as Tourist Harbours, but I believe they incur a cost. I am interested in any response to the two following topics please -


1. any person with recent boating experience in the lagoons of Venice and environs.
2. anyone with experience or knowledge in overnight mooring in those areas.

Thank you.

[Franziska]

The small harbor opposite of San Marco on the island of St Giorgio Maggiore is nice and used to be reasonably priced (for Venice that is).
We had a real good time there.
Not a lot of amenities though.
Good connection to the city by Vaporetto.

Great experience to enter Venice on your own keel by night. Beware of huge unlit concrete cruise ship mooring buoys in the Canale di Guidecca though.

Enjoy!

[Fr Mo]

There are five free anchorages and two free moorings:

Anchorage 1: Immediately SW of Poveglia Island. Very scenic and quiet. Coop Supermarket 10 minutes away by dinghy in a dreary Isola di Lido suburb. Leave the dinghy across the street from the supermarket. 45 minute dinghy ride (respect speed limits) to the Compagnia della Vela marina in San Giorgio Maggiore, across from San Marco. Ask kindly and they will probably let you leave the tender for the day next to the Marinaio office by the marina entrance. 3-minute vaporetto ride to San Marco from the Compagnia. Anchorage not practical for getting to know Venice proper.

Anchorage 2: Canale Gaggian di San Lorenzo. Very quiet. Scenic. The highly recommended Punta Gialla supermarket in Cavallino-Treporti is a 15-minute dinghy ride away. Leave the dinghy on the public dock immediately past the bridge at Via Treporti on Canale Pordelio, walk 300 feet to the supermarket. You can also leave the dinghy on the public quayside next to Marina Fiorita and its ferry terminal on Canale Saccagnana (5 minute dinghy ride), and take a ferry to San Marco, but the connections and transfers from this vaporetto terminal are not ideal and take well over 1 hour. Best to take your dinghy to Punta Sabbioni and see if you can find a spot to leave your dinghy there (we did not attempt this). Vaporetto connections to San Marco from Punta Sabbioni are optimal and you could be in Venice in a bit over 1/2 hour. Anchorage not practical for getting to know Venice proper.

Anchorage 3: Canale di Burano, NE of Burano proper. Not quiet. Scenic. Dinghy to Fondamenta Cao di Rio or Fondamenta Pontinello. Leave the dinghy and explore Burano, its museum, churches, restaurants, shops and provision in the small supermarkets. Take ferry to San Marco, but beware it takes well over one hour. Anchorage not practical for getting to know Venice proper.

Anchorage 4: Canale di Tresso, N of S. Erasmo island. Extremely quiet. Scenic. Can't dinghy to anyplace. Must anchor with fore and aft anchors. We went there but left since our 16-meter boat is too big and we don't anchor fore and aft.

Anchorage 5: Canale Porto S. Erasmo, SW corner of S. Erasmo island, due S of the Torre Massimiliana. Scenic. Not quiet. Only a lunch stop.

Free mooring 1: free docks in the backyard of beautiful 1600 year-old Torcello Cathedral, Venice's mother church, on Canale di Torcello. Explore Torcello, the original Venetian city, largely dismantled hundreds of years ago when the stones of its buildings were more valuable in Venice proper than the actual Torcello buildings. We went there by dinghy as the free docks are only suitable for boats about 13 meters or less (my estimate). Med mooring only, use your own anchor. Only suitable for settled weather. Free use overnight, we read somewhere. You could take a vaporetto to San Marco, but it would take over 2 hours.

Free mooring 2: on fondamenta at end of Calle Malea/Malleo on SW side of Burano. We know (and have photos!) of another sailor who stayed there overnight in summer, no charge. But we explored it twice by foot (once in November and once in January) and there were no available spaces either time. His sailboat is about 13 meters. I don't think I would leave the boat there during the day, as delivery boats use the fondamenta.

The larger issue for the cost-conscious sailor is that unless one finds a spot to leave one's dinghy in the city proper, possibly somewhere around the quieter canals around Cannaregio, then one must take the vaporettos. And in this case, unless one gets a monthly pass, the prices can be prohibitive. We got monthly unlimited passes for several months when we stayed at the Compagnia della Vela, and even then it was not cheap.

[Mirage35]

^^^ Post number one with info like that in it!! Welcome to the forum.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Fr Mo

There are five free anchorages and two free moorings:

Anchorage 1: Immediately SW of Poveglia Island. Very scenic and quiet. Coop Supermarket 10 minutes away by dinghy in a dreary Isola di Lido suburb. Leave the dinghy across the street from the supermarket. 45 minute dinghy ride (respect speed limits) to the Compagnia della Vela marina in San Giorgio Maggiore, across from San Marco. Ask kindly and they will probably let you leave the tender for the day next to the Marinaio office by the marina entrance. 3-minute vaporetto ride to San Marco from the Compagnia. Anchorage not practical for getting to know Venice proper.

Anchorage 2: Canale Gaggian di San Lorenzo. Very quiet. Scenic. The highly recommended Punta Gialla supermarket in Cavallino-Treporti is a 15-minute dinghy ride away. Leave the dinghy on the public dock immediately past the bridge at Via Treporti on Canale Pordelio, walk 300 feet to the supermarket. You can also leave the dinghy on the public quayside next to Marina Fiorita and its ferry terminal on Canale Saccagnana (5 minute dinghy ride), and take a ferry to San Marco, but the connections and transfers from this vaporetto terminal are not ideal and take well over 1 hour. Best to take your dinghy to Punta Sabbioni and see if you can find a spot to leave your dinghy there (we did not attempt this). Vaporetto connections to San Marco from Punta Sabbioni are optimal and you could be in Venice in a bit over 1/2 hour. Anchorage not practical for getting to know Venice proper.

Anchorage 3: Canale di Burano, NE of Burano proper. Not quiet. Scenic. Dinghy to Fondamenta Cao di Rio or Fondamenta Pontinello. Leave the dinghy and explore Burano, its museum, churches, restaurants, shops and provision in the small supermarkets. Take ferry to San Marco, but beware it takes well over one hour. Anchorage not practical for getting to know Venice proper.

Anchorage 4: Canale di Tresso, N of S. Erasmo island. Extremely quiet. Scenic. Can't dinghy to anyplace. Must anchor with fore and aft anchors. We went there but left since our 16-meter boat is too big and we don't anchor fore and aft.

Anchorage 5: Canale Porto S. Erasmo, SW corner of S. Erasmo island, due S of the Torre Massimiliana. Scenic. Not quiet. Only a lunch stop.

Free mooring 1: free docks in the backyard of beautiful 1600 year-old Torcello Cathedral, Venice's mother church, on Canale di Torcello. Explore Torcello, the original Venetian city, largely dismantled hundreds of years ago when the stones of its buildings were more valuable in Venice proper than the actual Torcello buildings. We went there by dinghy as the free docks are only suitable for boats about 13 meters or less (my estimate). Med mooring only, use your own anchor. Only suitable for settled weather. Free use overnight, we read somewhere. You could take a vaporetto to San Marco, but it would take over 2 hours.

Free mooring 2: on fondamenta at end of Calle Malea/Malleo on SW side of Burano. We know (and have photos!) of another sailor who stayed there overnight in summer, no charge. But we explored it twice by foot (once in November and once in January) and there were no available spaces either time. His sailboat is about 13 meters. I don't think I would leave the boat there during the day, as delivery boats use the fondamenta.

The larger issue for the cost-conscious sailor is that unless one finds a spot to leave one's dinghy in the city proper, possibly somewhere around the quieter canals around Cannaregio, then one must take the vaporettos. And in this case, unless one gets a monthly pass, the prices can be prohibitive. We got monthly unlimited passes for several months when we stayed at the Compagnia della Vela, and even then it was not cheap.

Welcome aboard Fr Mo! You may get the award for "best first post" ever!

[Fr Mo]

Thank you.

Actually that was my second post. My first one, which is time-sensitive for the person who asked, is awaiting moderation.

I have benefited over the years from lurking in this forum from time to time. I enjoy sometimes posting about places we've visited, because reminiscing practical details makes one re-live enjoyable times.

Fair winds,

[Don C L]

It's in now and also an excellent and informative post!

[markpierce]

Transportation within Venice is by boat (purchase a multi-day pass) or by foot only. On our stay, we roomed at a nunnery (no signage and where English wasn't spoken yet communication was effective). Unfortunately, their prices have been raised substantially. ... A fascinating city. One must spend several days to appreciate.

[Fr Mo]

Originally Posted by Mibosa

I am travelling to Venice Italy in September and am hiring a boat for 2 weeks. The boat company has a number of free mooring locations

It would be very helpful to others, Mibosa, if you would list the free mooring locations they have provided you.

Thank you in advance,