Po River Cruises From Venice to Polesella

In eastern Italy, Po River Cruises generally run from Venice to Polesella. A few other waterways are also included - the Venetian Lagoon and the Grand Canal in Venice.

Did you know that Venice, Italy has over 150 canals!

St. Mark's Basilica on Grand Canal in Venice, Italy

The waterway between Venice and Chioggia, Italy is referred to as the Venetian Lagoon and is comprised of 117 small islands – all considered part of the city of Venice.

Once your river boat reaches Chioggia, you’ll start travelling to the west on the Po River toward Polesella.

Some packages are closed-loop – they depart from and return to Venice. Others begin in Venice and end in Polesella.

The distance between the two cities by water is probably less than 100 miles, so even a cruise that begins and ends in Venice could be finished in 7 days.

Po River cruises that depart from Venice and end in Polesella will spend more time in some of the destinations along the way.  Some of the cities or places included in the itinerary are 30 to 60 miles from the port-of-call on the Po River.

Po River Facts

The Po River begins in the Cottian Alps between France and Italy. At its origin – within the first 22 miles - it descends 5,500 feet. The river has 141 tributaries or other bodies of water that connect to it along its course. It is the longest river in Italy - flowing for 405 miles across eastern Italy before emptying into the Adriatic Sea.

Most of the Po River is not considered navigable for river cruising, especially west of Polesella. In Chioggia, Italy the river joins the Venetian Lagoon, which is the enclosed by of the Adriatic Sea.

 

Bologna, Italy

By Goldmund100 (Luca Volpi) (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Po River Destinations

From border to border of northern Italy, the Po River flows through several cities. Most of them, however, will not be included in your itinerary. Less than 100 miles of the river – from Polesella eastward to Venice – is navigable for river cruise ships.

Before reaching the Po River, your trip will begin in Venice, Italy on the Venetian Lagoon. The city of Venice is actually comprised of 118 small islands that are connected hundreds of bridges and canals. One of the canals you’ll probably travel is the Grand Canal which features St. Mark’s Basilica. 

Po River cruises begin about 25 miles across the Venetian Lagoon in Chioggia where the two bodies of water meet. A couple of cities you’ll pass through on the Po River after leaving Chioggia are Serravalle and Polesella. Other cities you might be able to visit from these ports of call include Ravenna south of Serravalle, Bologna to the south of Polesella and Verona to the north.
 

A UNESCO World Heritage Site that could be in your itinerary:
Ravena, Italy - Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta

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