Cruises in Italy

Italy's water programmes rest on two points: the Venetian lagoon and the bay off Sorrento. In the lagoon the sailings are short — the excursion to Murano and Burano takes four and a half hours at 29 dollars, the extended version with Torcello six and a half hours at 35. These are the cheapest water entries in the catalogue.

The gondola stands apart: a classic half-hour ride through the canals costs 49 dollars, a forty-minute one 176. Strictly speaking it is not a cruise but city transport that became an attraction, and the price reflects exactly that.

In the south the day goes to the water entirely. Three eight-hour departures leave Sorrento, and they differ by route rather than length: Capri at 128 dollars, the Amalfi Coast at 163, Capri with a call at the Blue Grotto at 165. The eight hours are made up of the crossing both ways and stops for swimming, so an outing like this takes the whole day and the evening is better left free. The section holds 40 water programmes in Italy, from 29 to 234 dollars. A half-day format exists too: four hours along the Sorrento shore with swimming costs 140 dollars, and the version with the Blue Grotto 160. The price gap here equals one stop.