Brussa Is Boat
Brussa Is Boat
4.5
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
7:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Sunday
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
About
BRUSSA BOAT IS offers a rental service with traditional Venetian boats with or without a pilot, for an unforgettable day in the Lagoon of Venice. During the summer we are open on Saturdays and Sundays to rent our boats all day with the withdrawal in the morning and return in the evening from 18:00 to 19:00.
Venice, Veneto, Italy

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(14 reviews)
(4 reviews)

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles74 reviews
Excellent
61
Very good
7
Average
1
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Terrible
4

os243
Cambridge18 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Friends
We hired an Open Portland and had a whole day touring around the lagoon. It was absolutely brilliant and we really recommend Brussa.

We booked by email and filled all relevant paperwork digitally. The contract is in Italian but there is, of course, google translate. There was a brief test before pick up, which is a responsible thing to do, for your sake as much as theirs.

The Brussa team have been absolutely brilliant - helpful and genuine, and with a great sense of humour. They gave us lots of recommendations for places to visit and go for a swim. Note: a mooring can be tricky to find on some of the islands on a busy weekend afternoon. We have spent half an hour looking to moor on Torcello.

The agreement was that we return the boat refilled with petrol. But we somehow failed to get the petrol pump to accept our credit card. Not a problem, they said, and just charged us a small amount for the petrol we used.

Thank you Brussa - it was a really great experience and we will be back again!
Written 17 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bryan W
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021
We had an adventure in the lagoon of our own making, and Brussa Is Boat saved the day and were incredibly generous and professional in doing so. After passing the test with the boat, we took an afternoon trip to San Michele and then Murano. It was a wonderful trip and a great way to get there. As we were leaving San Michele, though, thick fog set in. We're incredibly poor navigators and overshot Venice, getting stuck in the shoals at low tide. (They had provided a map and detailed directions. This was on us.) They called us on our cell before we had even tried reaching out to them. They had been monitoring our location and saw that we were in trouble. With great efficiency, they came out in their own boat, towed us out of the mire, guided us to port as darkness fell, and were great sports about the whole thing. They charged a negligible amount for a ruined prop but nothing for the rescue, which must have been about an hour total of their time. It wound up being a great adventure but would have vastly different if it hadn't been for their oversight, competence, generosity, and good cheer.
Written 30 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Slava R
4 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
I called and then emailed them to reserve a boat without licence. They sent me a contract, in italian, to fill in and send back to them, to reserve the boat. They would charge me 100 eur right away and the rest on the day of the rental. I read and speak Italian so I read the contract, and some things made me uncomfortable. E.g. concerning the test the contract says: "Qualora il conduttore, all’atto della consegna, dimostrasse incapacità a condurre l’imbarcazione, ad insindacabile giudizio del locatore, il contratto si intenderà risolto di diritto ed il prezzo versato dal conduttore sarà trattenuto a titolo di penale." which means that if you fail the test they keep the money as a penalty. Concerning the boat malfunctioning the contract says "Eventuali riparazioni ed assistenza da terzi dovranno essere autorizzate dal locatore e le relative spese saranno a carico del conduttore e del conducente in via solidale." This means that if e.g. your motor fails and you will need to be towed it will be at your expense. That's weird!

I did not want to risk failing the test and losing 100 eur so I emailed them asking if it is possible to take the test the day before taking the boat, to which they agreed. An Italian guy asked me if I ever drove this type of the boat, to which I replied that I only drove boats piloted which a steering wheel, not at the back. The guy showed me very rapidly how to start and stop the engine and then I drove the boat 50m out, turned around and then back. The engine is very sensitive, at the minimum you ride at 3km/h and a minimal rotation causes you to go to 8km/h at which point the guy gets annoyed: "too rapid!". Then I was ordered to park the boat. Since the guy did not explain how to park the boat I started doing something wrong, at which point the guy got annoyed again. Then he allowed me a second attempt, in which I did manage to park the boat, but when I stopped the engine the guy again got annoyed: "only stop the engine when it is in neutral". Great, but he did not tell me this before, so why be annoyed? Then he asked if he thinks he can give me the boat. I said that I think he can, and he said that he does not think so: "sei troppo pericoloso" - you are too dangerous (the whole conversation was in Italian).

He then offered to repeat the parking test for a third time. I asked if he thinks I am improving or if he thinks it's hopeless, in which case I did not want to waste any more of his (and my) time. He said it was hopeless (which makes me wonder why he suggested to repeat the test). At this point we said good bye to each other.

My conclusion is: even though they do not say it clearly on their webpage, it is unlikely that you will be able to pass their test if you never drove this kind of boat before. So although they say "very simple test", I would suggest you not to bother if you like me only drove boats with a steering wheel. And especially don't give them your credit card number before doing the test, if there is any risk that you fail it, since the contract allows them to keep the 100 eur.

In the end they did allow me to take the test in advance and I did not lose any money. But someone less careful or less capable in reading Italian could end up in an uncomfortable situation.

In my google review I gave 3 starts but here I give 2 because in their reply there they say falsehoods - like that I thanked them profusely for conducting the test, that I ran into several things etc. It was OK for me that they did not give me the boat in the end, but they could have done the same after I told them that I never rode this type of boat, and they could have saved time. I suspect they were simply bored since there were no other customers, and wanted to show me their superiority. Otherwise why offer the third attempt if it was hopeless? If you reply here can you explain? You may be running this business since 1979 and it may be a part of your business model to charge 100 eur for a 20min test, and it is my purpose here to warn my fellow travelers of such business practices.
Written 14 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LorisVX
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
We called to book and we arranged a (possible) pick up of the boat around noon. Before you sign the contract they want to make sure that you are somehow able to handle the boat. Which makes perfectly sense as the channels (e.g. Cannareggio) are busy and you are not supposed to be a danger for yourself and the others. I have no boat experience (I am a canadian canoe person) but I somehow passed the test :) Staff was very patient and helpful.
The lagoon seemed not too busy during the week. It is beautiful to get lost among islands. We went to Burano and it was a glorious day. My recommendation is to leave earlier in the morning, as things in the lagoon seem to flow slow and you may want to visit more and take your time.
You can't miss this trip. It provides a different perspective of this town. I visited dozens of times. But on "your" boat it is a different stoty
Written 21 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Densworth
12 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020
We arrived to collect the boat at Brussa is boat on Sunday 27th September. The weather was not great - raining and a bit choppy - they clearly didn’t want us to go out.Daniel said he wouldn’t return until 6pm so we would be unable to return the boat early if we wanted to.We cancelled the booking as they requested but they would not give us a refund.All they offered was a postponement until the following day.
Overall it couldn't have been a worse experience and you take a big risk if you book ahead of time.
We felt cheated!
Written 7 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Simon K
12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019
It was a nice experience to move around like the venetians. We end up going to Murano and Burano on the same day and even had the time to navegate around Venecia. A pitty is that you are not allowed to enter the canals of Venecia, not even the grand canal. But the different experience of beeing navigating on your own, away from the always present tourist croweds makes it a great experience.
Written 30 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Quest797696
17 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
They have decent sized boats with outboard motors and tiller steering. There is no steering "wheel" as such like you may expect on bigger boats, making navigation a little tricky in the narrow canals of Venice.

Two things to keep in mind:

1. They will test your boating abilities before giving you the rent a boat. If you can drive a boat with an outboard you will be fine. If you can't don't try as this is not the place to learn.
2. The boats are sturdy and heavy which is ideal in the choppy waters. Ours worked perfectly if quite noisy.
3. You cant drive in the Center of Venice / grand cannel. This was fine for us as we had seen that lots walking/vaporetto/water taxi etc so this is to see the lagoon not the rest.
4. I enjoyed the independence of own boat, going for a swim at the entrance to the lagoon etc You can get to most of the areas via vaporetto but it is never the same.
5. Parking the boat can be a bit tricky as we want to be
6. Navigating can be a little tricky.
7. The waterways are busy in some areas so keep an eye out for other boats and be respectful of those on the waterway.

Bring a towel, swim gear etc in the summer. You can stop and buy drinks, snacks a meal on the way.

They have GPS trackers on the boats. They will know if you did and they won't be happy about it.

I've hired boats from them on a couple of occasions. It's a great experience, but not being allowed to drive thru all the parts of Venice you traditionally associate with Venice is a bit of a let-down. Also, keep in mind that boat parking is not easy to find.
Written 22 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sina Bahrami
London12 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Couples
Brussa Is Boat is the only company in Venice that will hire you a boat without a captain.

They have decent sized boats with outboard motors and tiller steering. There is no steering "wheel" as such like you may expect on bigger boats, making navigation a little tricky in the narrow canals of Venice.

Two things to keep in mind:

1. They will test your boating abilities before giving you the keys.
2. You're not allowed to drive thru the famous parts of Venice. They have GPS trackers on the boats. They will know if you did and they won't be happy about it.

I've hired boats from them on a couple of occasions. It's a great experience, but not being allowed to drive thru all the parts of Venice you traditionally associate with Venice is a bit of a let-down. Also, keep in mind that boat parking is not easy to find.
Written 9 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Enjoy Respect Venezia! Venice is a unique city in the world and to preserve it the municipal administration of Venice prohibits the circulation in the canals inside the city to non-residents. In the lagoon there are lots of things to see just as beautiful and the maps that we provide allow you to navigate to discover them, an experience not to be missed.
Written 10 May 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Genady B
Haifa, Israel63 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2019 • Couples
Better than gondola! You do not need a license, but there is some test before you go.
Got same price for 1hour private boating lesson as for 1/2 hour gondola ride. The instructor was very kind and patient. The lesson was inside the channels, same way gondolas and vaporetos do, so actually you got experience to be a local.
Written 28 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jefecarlosrobin
La Jolla, CA19 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2019 • Family
We went for 2 hours and had a great time. A pilot came with because I did not know the area and he was super cool. It was so much cheaper and less slick than water taxi. You can’t go into the little canals but that was probably ok. This is the closest way to get to The dream of a little boat around Venice.
Written 14 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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BRUSSA IS BOAT (Venice) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go