venice and cruise ships a delicate balance

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News: Venice and Cruise Ships: A Delicate... (The New York Times) - Behind the headlines

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July 8, 2021

Venice and Cruise Ships: A Delicate Balance

Last month, a 2,500-passenger ship entered the Venetian Lagoon — the first since the pandemic began — reanimating the debate on the negative effects of mass tourism.

Behind the headlines

Research findings and data from the National Library of Medicine

PubMed articles

The effects of ship wakes in the venice lagoon and implications for the sustainability of shipping in coastal waters.

We analyse the impact of ship traffic in the vicinity of navigation channels in a wide shallow waterbody. The crucial hydrodynamic driver in this situation is the depress …

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Tourism Pains: Venice and cruise ships: A delicate balance

In early june, the msc orchestra, a 2,500-passenger cruise ship, entered the venetian lagoon at dawn, sailing through st. mark’s basin, past the doge’s palace and the still-quiet st. mark’s square..

It continued its journey through the Giudecca Canal and then docked on Venice’s main island. It was the first time a cruise ship had entered the lagoon since the pandemic hit Italy in February 2020. In a place that is heavily dependent on tourism, and where cruise travel contributes about 3 pc of the local gross domestic product, many in Venice welcomed the ship. But others did not. Among the latter were 2,000 protesters who met the MSC Orchestra when it sailed on its reverse route two days later.

“I hope we made some of the passengers wonder if what they were doing is wrong and think about the social and environmental impact of their vacation,” said Jane da Mosto, a biologist and activist who took part in the protest on a small boat. The pandemic has put Venice’s legendary international tourism influx on hold for more than a year. In doing so, it has sparked an animated debate on how mass tourism has negatively affected both the lagoon’s environment and Venice’s character. In this debate, cruise ships have become a metonym for over-tourism.

The pandemic hiatus has given the city  which is celebrating its 1,600th birthday this year  a chance to reflect on how tourism’s exponential growth has eroded its social fabric, driving non-touristy businesses and residents out. In the past four decades the city’s historical center (what most Americans mean when they say “Venice”) has lost half of its residents, now down to 50,000.

“The situation is dramatic, there are no houses,” said Maria Fiano, 46, a high school teacher who runs OCIO, an organisation that monitors Venice’s housing. According to her estimates, 42 pc of beds in the center are rented to tourists, which landlords find more profitable, leaving many locals struggling to find a place. But not every tourist has the same cost-benefit ratio. While day trippers  including many of those who are cruise passengers amount to 73 pc of visitors, they contribute only 18 pc of the tourism economy. The proportion is inverted for people who spend at least one night at a hotel; they represent 14 pc of visitors, but 48 pc of the business.

In March, the local government of Veneto, Venice’s region, approved a plan vowing to curb hit-and-run visitors and attract more slow-paced ones. They also hope to wean Venice off its over-dependency on tourism, creating new places of employment, including a hydrogen plant, a project still in its embryonic phase, and a recently launched accelerator for renewable energy businesses. “It’s the first time that local authorities formally recognised that mass tourism cannot go on like this forever and that depopulation is a serious problem,” said Fabio Moretti, the dean of Venice’s Academy of Fine Arts, which was involved in the plan along with other academic institutions and the Boston Consulting Group.

The presence of large ships in the lagoon, especially those in the immediate vicinity of Venice’s most precious sites, has raised eyebrows at UNESCO and sparked protests by residents since 2012. They argue that mammoth, fuel-guzzling ships are physically incompatible both with Venice, a two-square-mile island, and the lagoon that surrounds it. (A 2019 study published in Nature asserted that the wakes created by large vessels induced the erosion of the shoreline and, through the “continuous resuspension of sediment in the area,” could redistribute industrial pollutants already present in the lagoon.)It’s not so much the number of visitors they bring overall — only 7 pc of the 27 mn tourists who visited Venice in 2019 were cruise passengers, according to a recent study by the Boston Consulting Group — but the fact that they bring thousands of them all at once, overcrowding the city’s historical center while contributing little to its economy.

Anna Momigliano is a reporter with NYT©2021

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Giant cruise ships banned from historic centre of Venice

A plan is unveiled to stop the invasion of massive cruise ships in the sensitive ecosystem of Venice, but not everyone is happy.

Thursday 9 November 2017 05:38, UK

Giant cruise ships will be stopped from steaming past Venice's St Mark's Square under a new deal between the Italian government and Venice officials.

The plan will see the tourist ships re-routed to a nearby industrial port.

After years of debate, it is hoped the move will balance the need for tourism and jobs with the city's delicate ecosystem.

Venice has been a victim of its own popularity, with an onslaught of tourism that has clogged the city's narrow waterways and seen many of its residents depart.

The massive cruise ships dwarf the church towers, the famous views and even sometimes block out the sun.

The plan, to be brought in over the next three to five years, will mean ships over 55,000 tonnes are sent to the mainland's Marghera port.

They would not sail through the Giudecca canal, one of the main waterways through Venice that empties into St Mark's basin.

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Environmental groups are unhappy with the plan, however, as they say it still allows polluting ships to enter Venice.

In November 2014 ships larger than 96,000 tons, with a capacity of 3,000 to 3,500 passengers, were banned from the city .

That move came after the Costa Concordia disaster in January 2012, which increased pressure on the authorities to keep liners away from the central Giudecca canal and St Mark's Basin.

Italian transport minister Graziano Delrio said the most recent plan was a "real and definitive solution".

"Let's absolutely keep large ships away from the Giudecca Canal and the Basin of San Marco."

He added: "We also said that during this transitional period, while the Marghera port is being properly equipped, a new regulation will be put in place by the naval authority.

"This will oversee the temporary passage of large ships with new, more balanced criteria which take into account all landscape, architectural, environmental conditions in order to preserve the lagoon at its best."

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Good or bad? The truth about the cruise ships in Venice, Italy

Protests against cruise ships in Venice made it to the world’s largest and most reputable news networks many times between 2010 and 2020.

The relationship between Venice, the Venetians, and the cruise ships docking in Venice is a very sensitive subject, so it is critical to analyze and break it down in order to understand it better.

As one might expect, when it comes to Cruise Ships or “Grandi Navi” (literally “Big Ships”), Venetians are divided into two groups: those in favour of Big Ships and those opposed to Big Ships entering the Venetian Lagoon.

Both groups have reasons to justify their positions, so we’ll stick to listing facts as the best way to discuss this difficult issue.

When it comes to cruise ships in Venice, size matters

In most cases, the disparity in size between the ships and Venice creates the most direct and strong impression on onlookers.

Is this perception based on facts? Are cruise ships truly too big in comparison to Venice?

The size of Venice and its Lagoon, and the number of inhabitants

A few things to know to understand the (tiny) size of Venice:

• The total area of Venice is slightly less than 8km2, roughly twice the size of Central Park in New York.
• The Saint Mark’s Bell Tower, Venice’s tallest building, stands 99 meters tall.
• The majority of buildings in Venice are under 20 meters tall.
• The lagoon in which Venice is located has an average depth of around 1.2 m.
• Venice has a population of fewer than 50.000 inhabitants.

The size of cruise ships

Here’s some information to understand the size of modern cruise ships:

• Since the first purpose-built cruise ship in 1970, ship sizes have steadily increased.
• The first cruise ship, named “Song of Norway,” was built in 1970. It was 188m long, 24m wide, weighed 18.000t, and could accommodate 1.100 people.
• The “Harmony of the Seas,” built in 2016, is 362.15 meters long, 66 meters wide, and 70 meters tall, with a draught of 9.3 meters, a gross tonnage of 226.963 tons, and a capacity of over 9,000 people. The gross tonnage has increased by more than 1300 percent compared to the “Song of Norway,” or 500 percent compared to the Titanic.
• 38 of the 47 new cruise ships scheduled to be built by 2021 will weigh more than 100,000 tons.

A first decree, in 2013, prohibited ships with a gross tonnage above 96.000t from passing through the Saint Mark’s Basin.

If you’re wondering how big a ship of 96.000t could be, consider the MSC Magnifica. This ship measures 294 meters in length, 32 meters in width, has an 8-meter draft, can carry up to 4.600 passengers,… and is just under the 96.000 tons limit!

Finally, in 2021, the Italian Government passed a new decree that prohibited ships above 25.000 tons to pass right in front of Saint Mark’s in Venice.

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While the size of cruise ships is immediately apparent to our senses, their impact on the local environment cannot be seen with the naked eye but can be measured.

The city of Venice is currently not compliant with EU directives regarding the location and number of air quality control centres. There should be more air quality control centres in Venice than there currently are.

Nonetheless, the data available already provides an idea of the impact and effects of pollution caused by large ships.

Venice background pollution

Consider two important facts to understand many Venetians’ confusios about Venice’s extremely poor air quality:

• The entire surface of Venice is inaccessible to cars, making it the world’s largest pedestrian city.
• Venice is the Italian leader in ecological mobility due to its public vs. private transportation ratio: a much higher percentage of people use public transportation compared to the rest of Italy, reducing each individual’s environmental footprint.

Nonetheless, the background pollution in Venice’s air is higher than it should be. The main contributors are public transportation boats and sightseeing boats known as “granturismo”: water transportation regulations are far laxer than those on land!

Indeed, maritime companies are permitted to use low-cost fuel with a high sulfur content (1.500 times that permitted for land vehicles!) and are under no obligation to use a particulate filter. Filters that reduce emissions by 90-99% would cost 5.000 € per boat, a sum that could be repaid with less than 600 one-way tickets.

The impact of cruise ships on the air quality in Venice

According to the Italian Senate, […the regional agency for environmental prevention and protection has demonstrated that the cruise ships traffic in Venice is the major responsible for atmospheric pollution …], [… every ship pollutes as much as 14.000 cars , also while being docked. Moreover, an estimation performed by the Veneto Cancer Institute states that “ in Venice and Mestre there is a statistically significant excess of lungs cancer compared to the rest of Italy “].

This is an extract of Act n. 1-00199, published on the 13th of December 2013 by the Senate of the Italian Republic .

It is worth noting that this refers to fine dust : the situation for other highly polluting elements is even worse!

Official measurements in Venice are performed in Sacca Fisola, a low-populated area upwind of the harbour.

EU directives , however, impose at least two monitoring centres in the heart of populated areas , and Venice doesn’t comply with the law on this matter.

Ambientalists turned towards the environmental organization NABU , to ask for measurements to be performed in the heart of the city, which is downwind the harbour: those values turned out to be  5 to 6 times higher than the already alarmingly high measurements in Sacca Fisola.

NABU’s measurement registered both the background pollution in different parts of the city and the spike concurrently to the passage of cruise ships . The level of PM 2,5 after the passing of a cruise ship Nave reached 150 times the level of PM 2,5 of clean air .

“I know there are regulations out there!”, you might think. Yes, there are, but not for everybody.

Since the enforcement of the standard Euro V in 2009 , the max amount of sulfurs in fuel was reduced to 10 ppm, or 0,001% .

That’s great! This, however, counts only for land vehicles such as cars and trucks.

The fuel allowed on ships at sea can  contain up to 3,5% sulfur : that is 3.500 more sulfur than the one allowed in fuel for land vehicles.

While moored , ships are allowed to use fuel with up to “only” 1,5% sulfur, which is still 1.500 times more polluting than the fuel used by cars and trucks .

Do ships burn fuel while docked in the harbour?

Yes, they do, because the port in Venice (as most ports around the world) can’t provide enough electricity for keeping the services and amenities running onboard the ships. Therefore, ships keep their engines running to produce electricity.

A cruise ship docked in Venice keeps the motor running 24h a day and burning a fuel that is 1.500 (one-thousand five-hundred) times more polluting than car fuel. 

Many nations worldwide, including Italy, lack laws enforcing the use of filers on cruise ships. As a consequence, many cruise ships don’t make use of particulate filters and catalyst converters , which would decrease emissions by (over) 90%.

The cost of filters, called scrubbers, for a medium-sized cruise ship is around 1 million € . Considering that the average cost of a cruise ship is around 350 million, the cost for the purchase of filters would represent just  0,3% of the total cost. 

There are two main reasons for which cruise companies chose not to make use of scrubbers :

• Filters would take up space that companies prefer to reserve for entertainment instead.
• The current laws allow cruise ships to approach the coast even without filters if they have “clean” fuel . Clean fuel on ships, however, contains up to 1500 times more sulfur than land fuel does.

In order to answer the concerns raised by Venetians regarding the pollution caused by cruise ships, companies have signed and publicized their “Venice Blue Flag” voluntary agreement , with the promise to make use of BTZ fuel when approaching Venice. BTZ fuel is an oil with less than 0,1% sulfur , far below the Italian national requirement of <1,5% when in urban areas.

We salute with excitement such a of voluntary agreement!

Unfortunately, despite their announcements, upon inspection by the port authorities companies have been fined for not even respecting the national requirements and using instead fuel containing 2,8% sulfur  (Venice, 18/07/2015). How reliable!

Let’s make this last information very clear:

• Cars fuel has a 0,001% limit
• The Italian Law imposes a 1,5% limit on ships within 12 miles from the coast (the limit raises to 3,5% beyond 12 miles)
• Cruise ship companies promised to respect a voluntary 0,1% limit

But upon inspection, companies were found to be using fuel with 2,8% sulfur, a value 2.800 times higher than the one allowed for cars and well above the Italian Law.

Effects on the local environment

Besides the aforementioned air pollution, there are several other effects caused directly by Cruise Ships or human intervention looking to accommodate ever growing cruise ships in the lagoon.

Effects on Venice

Three main impacts of cruise ships in Venice are the displacement of water and the consequent erosion of the lagoon, the corrosion caused by pollutant, and the digging of canals in the Venetian Lagoon which is a very delicate environment.

• Displacement is the mass of water moved by the submerged part of the ship, and it’s the parameter that allows a ship to float . Gross Tonnage, which is what the Laws refer to, is the measure of the volumes of a ship, not its mass. There is no direct relationship between Gross Tonnage and Displacement. However, the displacement in cruise ships is roughly around 50% of its gross tonnage : a 100.000t ship will move 50 million litres of water. Even though performed relatively slowly, the movement of such a massive amount of water erodes the hundreds and even thousands of years old foundations of the palaces and the streets of Venice. Big ships are not the only cause of this phenomenon, of course. Heavy (and too-fast-moving) motor traffic is to be blamed also for the holes (yes, real holes) being carved in the foundations.
• The pollution  caused by the fuel used by cruise ships as well as motorboats mixes with the air produces NO2, CO2, and SO2 which damage  severely not only the “natural” environment and the health of living beings but also corrodes severely the works of art and the palaces of Venice.
• The heavy digging of the canals to let Big Ships into the Venetian Lagoon increases the amount of water that enters and exits the lagoon during tides . The direct and most obvious effect on the city of Venice is the increase in number and intensity of High Waters, or Acque Alte , which partially flooded the city.

Effects on the Lagoon

We mentioned above the consequences that digging canals have on the city of Venice. What were the effects of human intervention on the lagoon ?

• The lagoon used to have an average depth of 40cm until less than 100 years ago. The digging and deepening of canals led to the erosion of 70% of the natural sediments and an increase in depth to an average 1,2m … that’s an increase of +200%.
• The increased amount of water led to the erosion of the sandbanks of the lagoon. Sandbanks are home to Venetian wildlife : fishes, birds, small rodents, and plants. Since the digging of the canals started, the habitat of local species has decreased drastically .

Dangers and risks of collisions

The most immediate fear of Venetians and Venice lovers when it comes to the passing of Big Ships in the heart of Venice, is the risk of collision .

The rules established to reduce this risk are very strict and applied with great attention:

• Every cruise ship is halted at the entrance of the lagoon of Venice, is boarded by two captains of the Venice Port and is manoeuvred all the way until it is safely docked in the harbour.
• Every cruise ship is preceded and followed by two tugboats that can  intervene in the case of an emergency .

These rules have indeed granted great safety to the city of Venice over the years, but have not prevented entirely accidents. Some of them could have been devastating to the city.

Will cruise ships tragedies no longer occur in Venice?

No, only forbidding cruise ships to pass in the basin of Saint Mark will assure Venice to be completely safe from cruise ship related accidents.

Just like everything else, from trains to planes, the risks are calculated, reduced as much as possible, and often prevented . Yet, accidents do happen , it’s a matter of statistics and probability. Whether a mechanical or electrical dysfunction, terrorism, human error or deliberate choice, tragedies are a reality.

In the past years, between 500 and 600 cruise ships docked yearly in Venice. This means that cruise ships cross the Basin of Saint Mark between 1.000 and 1.200 times every year , just in front of the Doge Palace on one side, and San Giorgio on the other side. In 20 years , big ships will have passed 20 to 24.000 times through the heart of Venice . One, only one, single accident in the Basin is one of those 2o.000+ crossings could mean a tragedy from which Venice would never recover.

The possibility of accidents is small , but the consequences would be devastating .

Up to this point, all considerations speak clearly against Big Ships.

Why then, are there people in favor of cruise ships?

Impact of the cruise ship business on the local Economy

The Venice Cruise Ship Terminal employs 4-5.000 workers locally , which is over 4% of the workers of Venice , and a total of 7-8.000 workers in all of Italy. The economic impact of the port represents 3-4% of the Venice municipality GDP .

Venice acts mainly as a homeport . A homeport is a port from which a cruise ships’ journey start or ends. Cities that have home ports benefit from greater economic expenses than cities working as transit ports do since it is more likely for cruisers to be spending one night in town before or after their cruise. In 2015, the port of Venice has welcomed close to  1,6 million passengers.  The above data and its implications were taken from a  report about the benefits of the port , commissioned and funded by the Venetian port itself.

On the other hand, since Venice has experienced a sudden increase of cruise passengers , an overwhelming number of souvenirs shops and low-price-and-quality restaurants have opened , targeting day (or hour) trippers. This kind of business has contributed greatly to the increase of rents and the disappearance of many local shops and activities , as well as artisans’ shops and authentic traditions.

Impact of the Cruise Ships on the National Economy

An important business connected to the cruise ships industry is the making of these big ships . The Italian public company Fincantieri is one of the biggest shipbuilding companies in the world , specializing in cruise ships, warships, and 60+m yachts. It has several construction yards in Italy, as well as in the U.S., Brazil, Norway, Romania, and Vietnam. One major construction point is in Marghera (Venice), and it gives work to thousands of workers and 350 businesses. The number of subcontractors increases this industry’s relevance even further.

Fincantieri in 2015 employed directly 7.700 people in Italy and over 22.000 people all around the world, generating revenues of 4,2 Billion €. 

It is clear that a part of Italy’s economic interests and job opportunities are tightly bound to the cruise ships business .

Current situation and Government interventions

Laws and decrees.

Technically, since 2013 a Decree called Clini-Passera prohibits big ships over 40.000t to pass by the basin of Saint Mark . Only technically though, since the decree also requires the presence of alternative routes for ships over 40.000t, in order to be effective . As long as the city of Venice will  not provide alternatives , this limit is automatically increased to 96.000t . Before 2013, the upper limit used to be 130.000t.

This situation, however, is probably better than if the 40.000t limit would be respected since, currently, the only ships small enough to respect that limitation are  old ships with obsolete engines . These “small” big ships might indeed look less invasive to the eye, yet they pollute the air more than bigger and more modern ships do .

Until early 2021, the only limitations to cruise ships passing through the basin of Saint Mark are the use of fuel with less than 1,5% sulfur (1500 times higher than the percentage allowed on land) and a gross tonnage below 96.000 tons .

That did not satisfy civil society groups who demanded cruise ships be banned from passing through the heart of Venice. Indeed, ships up to 96.000 tons still represent a massive size compared to the city’s dimensions.

At the same time, the 96.000t limit did not satisfy cruise companies, since most of the new ships being built were over 100.000 tons and wouldn’t be allowed to pass in front of Venice . Seeing Venice from above was considered to be the highlight of the cruise ship journey, and is, therefore, the strongest cruise ship ticket selling argument .

Finally, in 2021, things changed: From the 1st of August 2021, ships weighing with a size above 25.000 tons can no longer pass in front of Saint Mark’s Square!

In 2021 some things changed for Cruise Ships in Venice

A new Italian Law passed in July 2021 stated that ships above 25.000 tons can no longer pass in front of Saint Mark’s Square starting August 1st 2021!

This, however, does not mean that cruise ships can no longer enter the Venetian Lagoon.

On the contrary, the local and national administrations are considering increasing the width and depth of an existing canal inside the Venetian Lagoon to let much bigger cruise ships dock in Marghera, nearby Venice.

Therefore, while we welcome the new Law, it only solves one problem: the risk of collisions.

The huge impacts of cruise ships on our delicate local environment and the enormous pollution caused are not addressed at all.

Projects and proposals

Despite the new law of 2021, the Italian Government is taking into account three proposals to improve to the current situation.

Two of them, called Contorta Project and Trezze Project , focus on the digging of existing canals in the Venetian lagoon ; The third, called the Venis Cruise Project , focuses on building a new docking terminal at the entrance of the Lido channel connecting the Adriatic sea to the lagoon.

Increasing the width and depth of canals in the Venetian lagoon is fiercely opposed  by environmental groups since it will alter and worsen, once more, the fragile state of the Venetian lagoon . In order to make big ships pass, the canals would be dug a dozen meters deep, allowing a much greater amount of seawater to enter or exit the lagoon during tides. The digging of one of these canals would result in the destruction of even more sandbanks , or “barene”, and an  increase in the frequency and intensity of High Water , or Acqua Alta, in Venice.

The creation of a new docking terminal is opposed for several reasons. From a logistic point of view , the common remark is that it will be necessary to create yet another means of transportation for millions of people from the cruise terminal to the centre of Venice. Cruise ships oppose this project. A new docking terminal would prevent companies to sell the view-of-Venice-from-above , and would spoil the investments made during the past decade to become the majority shareholder of the Venice Port.

A further project suggests cruise ships should make use of the already existing “oil canal” or “Canale dei Petroli”, which is used since 1969 by mercantile ships to reach the industries of Marghera. This project would require no intervention on the Venetian Lagoon, but the making instead of a new Port in Marghera and the conversion of the current Port into social housing. The Marghera Port would be the only location adapt for cold-ironing, or   shore connection , providing enough electrical power to docked ships, making it possible for their main and auxiliary engines to be turned off, dramatically cutting the cost of air pollution.

We tried to provide you with plenty of information to describe the relationship between Venice and the Big Ships. Whichever is your position on this matter, we respect it.

The opinion of others

We understand the problems that would be caused by posing a limitation to cruise ships, and we understand that several people are bound to this business and depend on it. We respect those who strongly support the cruise ship business as it currently is.

We are aware that many people depend on the activities coming from the Venice Port , and that the ever-growing protests of the local communities are felt like a great threat and danger to their jobs.

In a land where unemployment is high, pay is low, and social help is less-than-ideal, this is exactly the leverage used by those who could make a change but wish instead to keep things as they currently are,  only to increase their profit despite damaging severely the health of the local population and the environment.

Our Opinion

We are very critical of the current situation.

We just can not and will not accept the great, constant and terrible pollution caused by these ships and the promotion of mass tourism that contributes to the disappearing of local businesses and authentic shops in favour of mass-produced plastic souvenirs that target day-trippers.

We understand and respect the importance of this business and the jobs it generates  but we believe it must change in order to respect something that matters more than the profit of a few: the health of all the Venetians, the protection of Venice, and the respect of the environment.

We have a dream

We wish for the preservation of the current jobs , but we also wish for some major changes that will respect Venice, the lagoon, and the Venetians.

Which changes do we believe should absolutely be undertaken ?

• Ships should be obliged to use filters .
• Close to cities, fuel allowed on ships should respect the same parameters as the one allowed on land .
• Once docked , ships should switch off their motors and receive electrical power from the Port itself.
• Ships should not pass in front of Saint Mark . Entertainment and profit should not win over safety.
• No new canals should be dug or enlarged . The Venetian Lagoon is delicate and should be preserved.

We believe in our dreams, and we will try to push for a change in every way we can.

Congratulations on making it through this long and technical article!

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Venetians aren’t all smiles about the cruise ships that visit the city

• By Megan Williams

Nicolo Boccenti stands in his small motorboat docked near the Piazza San Marco and reaches out to help a small group of visitors come aboard. They've hired him to take them around Venice for the day.

But Boccenti isn't just a water taxi driver in Italy’s city of canals. He's also part of a group of Venetian activists who recently bobbed in the city’s signature lagoon wearing wetsuits and inflatable rings. They want to stop the mammoth cruise ships that pass through the fragile lagoon up to a dozen times a day.

As more and more luxury liners sail into the lagoon, a growing number of Venetians say they’re fed up. The towering ships are more than just a visual nuisance, they say; they put the foundations of the historic city at risk. It’s an especially sensitive issue after the grounding of the cruise ship Costa Concordia two years ago.

Boccenti explains that as the ships, which weigh more than 130,000 tons and tower 10 stories high, pass through the lagoon, they displace huge amounts of water, disturbing the delicate ecological balance the city depends on.

“They make waves that damage the city,” he says.

Italy adopted a law last year — after the Costa Concordia wreck — that bans boats of more than 40,000 tons from entering Venice's lagoon and other sensitive areas. But the law remains on hold in  Venice  as the city struggles to find a way to balance economic concerns with environmental ones.

Paolo Costa, the city’s Port Authority president, says Venice is the Mediterranean's most important "home port" — a place where cruise ships depart and arrive. And it's something the city's economy increasingly depends on.

“For us, being home port is very important,” Costa says, and not just because of the tourists on the ship. He describes a typical cruise liner as a “hamlet” of thousands of people.

“We supply them, and do all the maintenance on the ship,” he says. “And this is only because we are home port.”

Key to keeping that home port position, says Costa, is that tourists get what he calls "the aesthetic privilege" to gaze upon the beautiful Piazza San Marco from the deck of their ship.

Costa says the city is looking at an alternative route for the luxury liners, one that would involve digging into another canal to make it deep enough for the massive ships. But that poses two major problems: a $120 million cost that no one seems ready to pay, and public opposition to excavating and disrupting the ecosystem of another canal.

“These kind of big ships are a danger for the city but good for the economy of the city, the coffee shops, everything,” said Massimo Milanese, who manages a café in Piazza San Marco.

Like many Venetians, Milanese recognizes the importance of the cruise ships to the city, but says the Venetian and Italian governments need to come up with a plan before the lagoon is ruined.

“Like everything in Italy,” he says, “it's a lot of discussion. But this problem is urgent for Venice.”

Meanwhile, the ships that are staying afloat, while Venice is sinking.

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Italy to ban large cruise ships from Venice's waterways

Tourist traffic will be redirected away from the lagoon city starting aug. 1.

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Declaring Venice's waterways a "national monument," Italy is banning mammoth cruise liners from sailing into the lagoon city, which risks being declared an imperiled world heritage site by the United Nations later this month.

Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said the ban was urgently adopted at a cabinet meeting Tuesday and will take effect on Aug. 1. It applies to the lagoon basin near St. Mark's Square and the Giudecca Canal, which is a major marine artery in Venice.

Franceschini said the government decided to act fast "to avoid the concrete risk" that the UN culture agency UNESCO would add Venice to its list of "world heritage in danger" after it meets later this week in Beijing.

The cabinet decree also "establishes an unbreakable principle, by declaring the urban waterways of St. Mark's Basin, St. Mark's Canal and the Giudecca Canal a national monument," the minister added.

Before the coronavirus pandemic severely curtailed international travel, cruise ships discharging thousands of day-trippers overwhelmed Venice and its delicate marine environment.

Environmentalists and cultural heritage have battled for decades with business interests, since the cruise industry is a major source of revenue for the city.

The government's decision was "awaited by UNESCO and by all those who have been to Venice and who have remained disturbed by the huge size of these ships passing through the most fragile and most beautiful place in the world," Franceschini told reporters.

UNESCO recommended last month placing Venice on the agency's list of "world heritage in danger" sites.

There was no immediate comment from the UN cultural agency.

Earlier this year, the Italian government had decided on a ban, but without setting a date for it to start.

But now the government "decided to impose a strong acceleration" to implementing the move, given the looming UNESCO review, Franceschini said in a statement.

Another impetus was the startling appearance in early June of a 83,000-tonne cruise ship nosing its way down the Giudecca Canal for the first time since the pandemic's arrival in early 2020 effectively suspended mass tourism in Venice.

Smaller, 'sustainable' ships still welcome

The ban applies to ships weighing more than 22,600 tonnes or longer than 180 metres, or with other characteristics that would make them too polluting or overwhelming for Venice's environment.

Italian Premier Mario Draghi's office specified that ships that don't have any of those characteristics and thus "are considered sustainable" to the Venetian environment can continue to dock in Venice.

The premier's office noted that permitted ships generally have about 200 passengers, compared to the thousands that huge cruise vessels carry.

• Cruise ship life restarts in Venice, but not all welcome its return
• A tale of 2 cities: Venice residents torn between mass tourism and a more harmonious existence

With only a few hours of shore time in Venice, the big liners' passengers tend to clump around classic tourist sites like St. Mark's Square, adding to the city's already-crowded public spaces.

No cars are allowed in historic Venice, which consists of narrow alleys and many bridges linking passageways. During high tourist season, which occupies a good deal of the year in Venice, navigating as a pedestrian is a daunting challenge.

The cabinet decree also establishes compensation mechanisms for navigation companies and others affected by the ban.

Until a more suitable docking area can be established elsewhere in waters outside the heart of Venice, the government has approved creating at least four temporary docking sites near the industrial port of Marghera, located on the northwestern Adriatic Sea.

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Where Is The Cruise Ship Port In Venice

Published: December 13, 2023

Modified: December 28, 2023

by Prissie Rone

• Travel Tips

Introduction

Welcome to the enchanting city of Venice, Italy, renowned for its canals, rich history, and cultural treasures. While Venice is famous for its gondolas and picturesque streets, it is also home to a bustling cruise ship port that welcomes thousands of tourists each year. In this article, we will explore the location of the cruise ship port in Venice, as well as the transportation options available for those embarking on a cruise.

Venice’s cruise ship port is a gateway to exploring not only the city itself but also the stunning Adriatic Sea and the surrounding region. Whether you’re visiting Venice for a day before boarding a cruise or planning to spend some extra time exploring the city after your voyage, understanding the logistics of the cruise ship port is essential to make the most of your visit.

With its unique and intricate network of canals, Venice presents a charming and romantic backdrop for cruise ship passengers. The port is strategically located near the historic center of the city, allowing travelers to easily explore the iconic landmarks, magnificent architecture, and vibrant Venetian culture.

As we delve into the details of Venice’s cruise ship port, we will also discuss the environmental impact of the cruise industry on the delicate ecosystem of the city and the debates surrounding its presence. Additionally, we will touch upon the future plans and potential relocation of the port, which have generated both local and global controversies.

Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or a cruise ship enthusiast embarking on your first adventure, this article will serve as your guide to the cruise ship port in Venice, providing valuable insights and information to enhance your experience in this extraordinary city.

Overview of Venice’s Cruise Ship Port

Venice’s cruise ship port, also known as the Venice Cruise Terminal, is a bustling hub that serves as a gateway for cruise ship passengers looking to explore the city and its surrounding regions. The port is strategically located on the western edge of the historic center of Venice, providing convenient access to both the city’s famous landmarks and the beautiful Adriatic Sea.

The cruise ship port is comprised of two main terminals: the Marittima terminal and the San Basilio terminal. The Marittima terminal is the larger of the two and can accommodate multiple cruise ships at a time, while the San Basilio terminal is primarily used for smaller vessels.

Upon arrival at the port, passengers are greeted with a lively atmosphere, as various cruise lines from around the world dock here. The terminals are well-equipped with modern amenities, including check-in facilities, baggage handling services, and comfortable waiting areas. The staff are friendly and efficient, ensuring a smooth embarkation and disembarkation process for passengers.

The port is conveniently connected to the city’s transportation network, allowing passengers to easily access Venice’s enchanting sites. Water taxis, known as vaporettos, and water buses, known as traghetti, are available near the terminals and provide a convenient way to explore the city’s famous canals and reach popular attractions.

For those who prefer to explore on foot, the cruise ship port is just a short distance away from iconic landmarks such as St. Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace, and the Rialto Bridge. The narrow streets and charming alleyways of Venice are easily accessible from the port, allowing cruisers to immerse themselves in the city’s unique atmosphere.

Additionally, the cruise ship port offers a range of facilities and services to enhance the passenger experience. There are shops, cafes, and restaurants where visitors can indulge in local cuisine and shop for souvenirs. Passenger services such as currency exchange and tourist information are also available to assist travelers during their time in Venice.

Overall, Venice’s cruise ship port provides a seamless and welcoming experience for passengers, combining modern amenities with the timeless charm of the city. Whether you’re embarking on a grand Mediterranean voyage or exploring Venice for a day, the port serves as the perfect starting point for an unforgettable adventure.

Location of Venice’s Cruise Ship Terminal

Venice’s cruise ship terminal is strategically positioned at the western edge of the city’s historic center, making it easily accessible for cruise ship passengers. The terminal is situated in an area known as the Marittima basin, which is located between the Giudecca Canal and the Canale della Giudecca.

Specifically, the main cruise ship terminal in Venice is called the Marittima terminal. It is located at the entrance to the Port of Venice and is composed of several terminals designated by letters, such as Terminal 103 and Terminal 107. These terminals are designed to accommodate large cruise ships and are equipped with the necessary facilities and services to ensure a smooth and efficient embarkation and disembarkation process.

The San Basilio terminal, on the other hand, is smaller and primarily caters to smaller cruise ships and private yachts. It is located on the southwestern side of the historic center, near the San Basilio neighborhood.

Both the Marittima and San Basilio terminals offer convenient access to the city’s iconic landmarks and attractions. From the Marittima terminal, you can easily reach Saint Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace, and the Rialto Bridge by foot or public transportation. The San Basilio terminal provides access to the charming Dorsoduro neighborhood, known for its art galleries, museums, and historic sites like the Accademia Bridge and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

The proximity of Venice’s cruise ship terminals to the city center allows passengers to make the most of their time in Venice. The terminals are well-connected to the city’s transportation network, providing easy access to water taxis, water buses, and other forms of public transportation. Additionally, various taxi services and private transfers are available for those who prefer more personalized transport options.

Overall, the location of Venice’s cruise ship terminal ensures that passengers can seamlessly transition from the port to the vibrant heart of the city, allowing for a memorable and convenient experience in this enchanting destination.

Transportation Options to the Cruise Ship Port

Getting to Venice’s cruise ship port is relatively straightforward, thanks to the city’s well-connected transportation system. Whether you’re arriving by air, train, or car, there are several options to reach the cruise ship terminals with ease.

If you are arriving at Venice Marco Polo Airport, one of the most convenient ways to reach the cruise ship port is by taxi. Taxis are readily available outside the airport terminal and can take you directly to the port. Another option is to take the ACTV bus, which offers a direct route from the airport to the Piazzale Roma, a transportation hub near the cruise terminals. From there, it’s a short walk or water bus ride to the port.

If you are arriving at Venice Santa Lucia Train Station, you can easily reach the cruise ship port by taking a water taxi or water bus. The water taxi provides a more luxurious and private option, while the water bus, also known as a vaporetto, offers a more affordable alternative. Both options will take you directly to the cruise terminals or to the nearby Piazzale Roma, from where you can easily reach the port on foot or by water bus.

For those arriving by car, it’s important to note that Venice is a pedestrian city, and cars are not allowed in the historic center. If you are driving to the cruise ship port, you can park your car at one of the many parking garages located near the Piazzale Roma or the Tronchetto parking island. From there, you can walk or take a water bus to the cruise terminals.

If you’re staying in a hotel in Venice, many hotels offer shuttle services to the cruise ship port for their guests. Be sure to check with your hotel in advance to see if this service is available. Alternatively, you can arrange for a private transfer or taxi to take you directly to the port from your hotel.

Once you arrive at the cruise ship port, navigating the terminals is simple and straightforward. The terminals provide clear signage to guide passengers to the appropriate check-in areas, baggage drop-off points, and waiting areas. Port staff are on hand to assist passengers and ensure a smooth embarkation process.

Overall, Venice provides a variety of transportation options to cater to different preferences and budgets. Whether you choose to arrive by taxi, water taxi, water bus, or shuttle service, reaching the cruise ship port is hassle-free, allowing you to begin your cruise adventure or explore the enchanting city of Venice.

Nearby Attractions and Landmarks

Venice’s cruise ship port is not only a gateway to the city itself but also a convenient starting point to explore the nearby attractions and landmarks that make this destination truly unique. From historic sites to cultural treasures, there is no shortage of things to see and do in the vicinity of the cruise ship terminals.

One of the highlights near the cruise ship port is undoubtedly St. Mark’s Square, the heart of Venice. This iconic square is home to several remarkable landmarks, including the majestic St. Mark’s Basilica, renowned for its intricate Byzantine architecture and stunning mosaics. Adjacent to the basilica is the Doge’s Palace, a remarkable Gothic masterpiece that once served as the seat of the Venetian government. Exploring the opulent rooms and crossing the iconic Bridge of Sighs is an unforgettable experience.

The Rialto Bridge, another prominent landmark, is within walking distance from the cruise ship port. This beautiful bridge spans the Grand Canal and is lined with bustling shops and markets, offering a vibrant atmosphere and a chance to soak in the local culture.

For art enthusiasts, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is a must-visit attraction just a short distance from the cruise ship terminals. Housed in the former residence of the renowned art collector herself, this museum features an impressive collection of modern and contemporary art, including works by Picasso, Pollock, and Dalí.

Exploring the charming neighborhoods surrounding the cruise ship port is also a delight. Dorsoduro, located near the San Basilio terminal, boasts picturesque canals and is home to world-class art institutions like the Accademia Gallery. The district of Castello offers a glimpse into the traditional Venetian way of life, with its narrow streets, local shops, and hidden gems waiting to be discovered.

Additionally, the Venetian Lagoon, which surrounds the city, is an attraction in itself. Island-hopping to Murano, known for its glass-blowing tradition, and Burano, famous for its colorful houses and lace-making, gives visitors a taste of the unique charm of the Venetian islands.

Whether you have a few hours or a few days to spend in Venice, the cruise ship port’s proximity to these renowned attractions and landmarks ensures that you can make the most of your time and immerse yourself in the captivating history, art, and culture that defines this extraordinary city.

Impact of Cruise Ships on Venice’s Environment

Venice’s cruise ship industry has had a significant impact on the environment of this delicate and unique city. The presence of large cruise ships in the lagoon has raised concerns regarding water pollution, erosion, and the overall sustainability of Venice’s ecosystem.

One of the primary concerns is the environmental impact caused by the emission of greenhouse gases and particulate matter from cruise ships. The combustion of fossil fuels, such as diesel and heavy oil, releases pollutants into the air, contributing to air pollution and climate change. This issue is particularly significant in Venice, where the city’s narrow canals and confined spaces trap pollutants, leading to poor air quality.

In addition to air pollution, the wake created by the passage of large cruise ships also contributes to erosion and damage to the fragile foundations of Venice’s buildings and infrastructure. The force generated by these ships can cause the already vulnerable city to sink further into the lagoon over time, exacerbating the risks posed by rising sea levels.

Water pollution is another concern associated with the presence of cruise ships. The discharge of wastewater, including sewage and graywater, can introduce pollutants and contaminants into the sensitive ecosystem of the lagoon. Efforts have been made to regulate waste disposal and improve onboard treatment systems, but the impact on the surrounding environment still remains a concern.

Furthermore, the sheer volume of tourists brought in by cruise ships has placed additional pressure on Venice’s already strained infrastructure and resources. The influx of visitors can strain the city’s waste management systems and crowd popular attractions, negatively affecting the local quality of life and the overall visitor experience.

Recognizing the environmental impact of cruise ships on Venice, steps have been taken to address these concerns. In 2019, the Italian government implemented regulations aimed at redirecting large cruise ships away from the central areas of Venice. The plan is to reroute these ships to a new terminal at the industrial port of Marghera, located on the mainland, reducing their presence in the historic center.

Efforts are also being made to raise awareness and implement sustainable practices within the cruise industry. Cruise lines are investing in greener technologies, such as shore power systems that allow ships to turn off their engines and connect to electric power while docked. Additionally, initiatives promoting responsible tourism and the protection of the lagoon’s fragile ecosystem are gaining momentum, with a focus on education, conservation, and sustainable management of resources.

While progress is being made, the impact of cruise ships on Venice’s environment remains an ongoing concern. Striking a balance between tourism and the preservation of this unique city’s ecological integrity is of utmost importance to ensure the long-term sustainability and protection of Venice’s fragile ecosystem.

Local and Global Controversies Surrounding the Port

The cruise ship port in Venice has been at the center of both local and global controversies, with debates and concerns surrounding its impact on the city’s cultural heritage, environment, and quality of life for its residents.

Locally, there has been a longstanding debate about the effects of large cruise ships on the historic fabric of Venice. Critics argue that the presence of these massive vessels in the lagoon threatens the city’s fragile foundations and contributes to the erosion of its unique architectural and cultural heritage. Concerns have been raised about the compatibility of the cruise industry with the preservation of Venice’s artistic and historical integrity.

Furthermore, there are concerns about the impact of mass tourism, largely driven by the cruise industry, on the daily life of Venetians. The influx of tourists from cruise ships can overcrowd the city’s narrow streets and popular landmarks, diminishing the quality of life for residents and straining the infrastructure and resources of the city.

On a global scale, the controversies surrounding the Venice cruise ship port highlight broader issues within the cruise industry itself. Critics argue that the industry’s focus on mass tourism and profit often comes at the expense of environmental sustainability and the well-being of local communities. The clashes in Venice have sparked discussions regarding the responsibility of cruise lines to minimize their impact on the destinations they visit, as well as the need for stricter regulations and sustainable practices within the industry.

The controversies surrounding the cruise ship port in Venice have garnered international attention and have led to calls for change and action. Environmental organizations, cultural heritage groups, and local activists have been advocating for a more sustainable approach to cruise tourism in Venice. Their efforts have prompted governmental interventions, including the recent decision to reroute large cruise ships away from the city center. This decision, however, has also faced its own share of controversy, with some arguing that the proposed alternative still poses risks to the fragile ecosystem of the lagoon.

The controversies surrounding the port of Venice highlight the wider debate about the balance between promoting tourism, preserving cultural heritage, and protecting the environment. They serve as a reminder of the need for collaboration between stakeholders, including local communities, cruise lines, and government authorities, to find sustainable solutions that prioritize the long-term well-being of the city, its residents, and its irreplaceable cultural heritage.

Future Plans and Potential Relocation of the Cruise Ship Port

The future of the cruise ship port in Venice has been the subject of much discussion and debate, with proposed plans and potential relocation efforts aiming to address the concerns surrounding the port’s impact on the city and its environment.

In an effort to alleviate the strain on Venice’s historic center and reduce the environmental impact of large cruise ships in the lagoon, the Italian government has proposed a plan to reroute these ships away from the city’s central areas. The proposal includes the construction of a new cruise terminal at the industrial port of Marghera, located on the mainland. This potential relocation would remove the direct presence of large cruise ships from the historic core of Venice, alleviating concerns about erosion, pollution, and overcrowding.

The proposed plan has faced mixed reactions. Supporters argue that the relocation would preserve the delicate foundations and cultural integrity of Venice, while still allowing cruise passengers to access the city through alternative transportation options. They believe that the move would help strike a balance between tourism and the preservation of the city’s unique heritage.

However, critics have expressed reservations about the potential relocation. Some argue that the proposed new terminal at Marghera may still have a negative impact on the delicate ecosystem of the lagoon and the surrounding areas. Concerns have been raised about increased ship traffic and the potential impact on the industrial port itself.

Additionally, there are those who advocate for a more comprehensive and sustainable approach to the cruise industry in Venice. They argue that simply relocating the port does not address the broader issues of mass tourism, environmental impact, and quality of life for residents. These critics propose alternative solutions that focus on limiting the number of cruise ships, implementing stricter environmental regulations, and promoting responsible and sustainable tourism practices.

Ultimately, the future of the cruise ship port in Venice will depend on ongoing discussions, collaborations, and decisions made by various stakeholders. Balancing the economic benefits derived from tourism with the preservation of Venice’s unique character and environmental sustainability is a complex challenge.

It is important for all parties involved, including cruise companies, local authorities, residents, and cultural heritage organizations, to engage in a dialogue aimed at finding sustainable solutions that ensure the long-term prosperity of the city while respecting its rich history and delicate ecosystem.

As the discussions continue, the potential relocation of the cruise ship port remains a compelling possibility and topic of interest in shaping the future of Venice’s tourism industry and protecting the city’s irreplaceable cultural heritage.

Venice’s cruise ship port serves as a gateway to the enchanting city and the mesmerizing Adriatic Sea. While the port provides convenient access for cruise ship passengers to explore Venice’s historic center and nearby attractions, it has also been embroiled in controversies and debates regarding its impact on the environment, cultural heritage, and quality of life for residents.

The port’s close proximity to Venice’s iconic landmarks and vibrant neighborhoods offers a seamless transition between the cruise terminals and the city’s captivating sites. From St. Mark’s Square to the Rialto Bridge, the rich history and culture of Venice beckon just a short distance away.

However, concerns have been raised regarding the environmental effects of cruise ships, including air and water pollution, as well as the erosion of Venice’s delicate foundations. The popularity of the cruise industry and the influx of tourists has also generated debates about the sustainability of mass tourism and its impact on the local community.

Efforts are underway to address these concerns, such as the proposed plans to relocate large cruise ships away from the historic center to the industrial port of Marghera. This potential relocation aims to strike a balance between tourism and the preservation of cultural heritage, although it has faced mixed reactions from various stakeholders.

The future of the cruise ship port in Venice ultimately lies in collaborative efforts between cruise lines, local authorities, residents, and cultural heritage organizations. Finding sustainable solutions that prioritize the long-term well-being of the city, protect its fragile ecosystem, and respect its rich history is of paramount importance.

As Venice continues to evolve, it is crucial for all involved parties to work together towards a harmonious balance between tourism, preservation, and sustainability. By doing so, the cruise ship port in Venice can serve as a gateway to not only the city’s captivating sites but also to responsible and thoughtful exploration, ensuring a memorable and sustainable experience for generations to come.

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Venice Tries to Balance Effects of Visits by Big Ships

By Elisabetta Povoledo

• May 12, 2011

VENICE — When cruise ships and ferries stream their way down the Giudecca Canal to dock at Venice’s main passenger terminal, the windowpanes on some of palazzos on the quay have been known to tremble. Sometimes, even the walls shake.

“Oh, we feel them, even if they go very slowly,” said Rossella Vianello, who works at the University of Venice linguistics department, housed in a palazzo facing the canal. The windows shake at their passing, she said, “although it used to be worse before the university replaced the old glass with double panes.”

Beyond wobbly windows, a growing number of Venetians are beginning to question the impact that these large vessels are having on this chronically fragile city.

Last year, at least 619 passenger ships and 581 passenger ferries made stops here — a de rigueur destination of many Mediterranean cruise itineraries — unloading more than two million visitors onto Venetian streets, usually for short stays.

Most of the ships follow the same route to arrive at the passenger terminal, through the Bocca di Lido, the northern access to the lagoon, and then along Venice’s fish shaped belly past St. Mark’s Basin and down the Guidecca Canal.

Local concerns are manifold, and range from questions over the pollution — water, noise and air — created by the ships, to the impact on the lagoon’s ecosystem and the potential erosion of the marble of Venice’s buildings and their underwater foundations.

“We can no longer put up with something that affects the health and well-being of the city — we must stop pretending that nothing is going on,” said Saverio Pastor, a local artisan of gondola parts and activist in the movement against the ships. “There’s also the question of visibility.”

The Olympia Palace, for instance, a Minoan Lines ferry that bobbed down the canal on Wednesday, is 214 meters long and 15.5 meters above the water (with 7.4 meters below). “It’s like a condominium of 5,000 people passing through an extremely delicate environment,” he said of such ships.

Port Authority officials have repeatedly assured citizens’ groups that regular monitoring takes place, both of the air quality and ship emissions, as well as noise pollution and other potential side effects on the lagoon and its historic buildings. But suspicions run high among critics that the whole truth is not being told.

Surveys carried out for the Port Authority do indicate that the background wake motions created by the transit of the ships “don’t cause any damage to buildings and that pollution levels are within the norm,” said Michela Scibilia, the president of a residents’ organization, 40xVenezia.

“But citizens perceive something else altogether,” she said, noting that 400 people joined a Facebook page to ban the ships in less than a week. What the city needs, she said, is more open debate on the matter.

And like it or not, tourism fuels Venice’s economy.

“Everyone in Venice works with the cruise passengers, from taxis, to bars, to suppliers — it is one great big turnover,” said Antonio Murer, proprietor of El Chioschetto in Venice, a bar on the Giudecca Canal. Mr. Murer used to live just next to his bar, and he recalled shaky foundations and clinking glass. “But the ships bring people, and cruises can save a season.”

Still, people express concern with how quickly the phenomenon has grown. In 1999, fewer than 100,000 people visited Venice as part of a cruise; last year there were nearly 1.6 million. Venice and Barcelona now vie for first place in Mediterranean home port rankings.

“Some days you can have as many as 10 ships coming in,” said Manuel Vecchina, another ship critic. “It just isn’t safe.”

And the tourists from the ships, who do not stay long, do not make a significant impact on Venice’s overall economy. “And even if they did spend millions, is it worth the risk of destroying the city?” Mr. Vecchina asked.

At the end of April, citizens’ groups sent a letter to the Port Authority and Venetian and national officials asking for the ships to be banned in St. Mark’s Basin. They are still waiting for a response.

Paolo Costa, president of the Venice Port Authority, dismissed the criticisms.

“We are amply under every limit of the law, and if we are, it’s because we’ve made an effort to be,” he said in a telephone interview. “We have the best cruise terminal in the Mediterranean for efficiency and sustainability.”

Work is under way on a new terminal for ferryboat traffic at Fusina, on the mainland next to an industrial area. When it opens in 2013, the passenger ferries (and the thousands of cars they carry) will be detoured there, using a route through the lagoon now used mostly by cargo traffic. The Port Authority is also starting measures to improve environmental sustainability, Mr. Costa said, to better handle increases in traffic.

“We are facing a bottomless demand for cruises to Venice,” he said. “To the few thousand protesters, I say that millions of visitors come by cruise, and many more millions would like to come.”

In fact, many tourists swear by the cruise experience.

“We wouldn’t have come had it not been for the cruise,” Rick Confer, a financial consultant from Minnesota, said at the start of a 10-day cruise around Italy. “People want to see culture and beauty, and cruise ships allow that.”

Tell that to Severino R. Rigo, an information technology engineer who represents a committee of people who live in Castello, a neighborhood of Venice.

He is angry because many large ships are permitted to dock off the Riva dei Sette Martiri, a quay next to the Biennale Gardens, bringing noise pollution and creating vibrations that he believes are dangerous for palazzo foundations. Mr. Rigo said such activity would be unthinkable in places like the Piazza Navona, the fountained baroque square in Rome.

“It’s fine to have tourists, but they have to be managed,” he said. “And then no one would dream of parking a semitrailer in Piazza Navona.”

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Why some residents of European hot spots just want tourists to stay away

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For people who live in particularly picturesque quarters of charming European cities, the words “Instagrammable” or “Tik-Tok famous” can feel like harbingers of doom.

Or harbingers, at the very least, of intense annoyance.

Across the continent, this has been a summer of visitor-related discontent. The stresses of over-tourism sometimes spur irate displays directed at outsiders — such as attention-grabbing anti-tourist protests in Barcelona last month, with demonstrators wielding water pistols, or hostile graffiti popping up in places like Athens.

• Read the companion piece: How not to be a terrible tourist: What Europeans want travelers to know

In some of the more iconic way stations on Europe’s tourist trail — Amsterdam and Santorini, Prague and Bruges, Dubrovnik and Florence — the downsides of being all-too-well-loved destinations are becoming more and more apparent. At the same time, tourism projections point to an even more crushing influx in years to come.

Even in areas where the economy is heavily dependent on tourism — or perhaps particularly in such places — activists are increasingly vocal about travel practices that drive up prices , strain services, hurt the environment and erode the quality of daily life.

A big event like the Summer Olympics in Paris can sometimes have a paradoxical effect — drawing those who want to attend, but at the same time putting off others who fear inflated prices and unmanageable throngs.

With the Games ending this weekend, initial visitor tallies pointed to an overall bump, but thinner-than-usual crowds and last-minute price cuts in areas away from the main sports venues.

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When disgruntled feelings erupt, sometimes it’s the result of tourists behaving badly — in some cases, very badly indeed. But through sheer dint of numbers, even well-intentioned visitors can be a burden.

“There’s this phenomenon of all of us considering travel a right, of thinking, ‘Well, I’m allowed to go anywhere,’” said Charel van Dam, marketing director for the Netherlands Board of Tourism. “But there are obligations to fulfill that have to do with how we travel, and how we behave when we travel.”

The Netherlands, for example, expects around 60 million annual visitors by decade’s end — dwarfing the country’s population of about 18 million. Such lopsided numbers are common across Europe.

Grumbling about excess visitors is nothing new. In recent months, though, the local backlash has been making headlines.

The Barcelona protesters, incensed by skyrocketing rents linked to short-term holiday rentals, doused open-air diners in the famed Ramblas district — a gesture that tourism officials insisted did not reflect widespread public sentiment.

Elsewhere in Spain, street marches have popped up repeatedly on the island of Mallorca, where demonstrators brandished cardboard models of sleek private jets and cruise ships to decry the arrival of what they say are overwhelming numbers of visitors.

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Travelers’ affronts in Europe’s tourist zones are sometimes glaringly apparent: pounding music from late-night parties, or puddles of vomit on doorsteps in quiet residential streets. But the slights can be subtler as well.

“Sometimes, I feel like they think I’m just part of the scenery,” said Janeta Olszewska, a 29-year-old emigree from Poland who works in Amsterdam’s famous floating flower market. “It’s so strange when visitors can’t even say ‘Good morning’ before they begin telling me what they want.”

In some locales, the business of promoting tourism has morphed into brainstorming over ways to manage and contain it. In Venice, where the tourist tide is as much a hazard as the seasonal acqua alta, authorities began charging day-trippers a 5-euro fee (about $5.40) in April.

But critics protested that the $2.4 million in revenue the city took in over a period of three months only pointed up the magnitude of the overcrowding problem.

“It was a great failure,” Giovanni Andrea Martini, a Venice City Council member who opposed the program, said in an email.

“It was supposed to be a system for managing tourism flow, but it didn’t manage anything — tourists entered the city in greater numbers than on the same days last year.”

Some European cities, including Copenhagen, have embarked on a carrot-not-a-stick approach. A pilot program that began in the Danish capital last month, dubbed CopenPay , offers small perks like free ice cream to visitors who engage in eco-friendly behaviors such as picking up trash or using public transport.

Other venues are trying a dual track: Amsterdam, for example, is seeking to crack down on public drunkenness, discourage gawkers in the famous red-light district and curtail holiday apartment rentals — going so far as to inaugurate a “Stay Away” campaign aimed mainly at British stag partyers — while enticing visitors to venture outside the tiny confines of the city’s canal-lined center.

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“You do catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” said Van Dam, the Netherlands’ tourism marketer, citing the success of sustainability initiatives such as hotels giving guests a free drink in the bar if they decline daily room cleaning.

Industry professionals and municipal authorities acknowledge that tourism is a trade-off: often an economic boon, sometimes a social bane.

In heavily touristed parts of Amsterdam, access to ordinary goods and services tends to dry up up as the commercial balance tips toward the wants and needs of visitors. Want an Aperol spritz, some CBD oil, or a ceramic Dutch-clog refrigerator magnet? No problem. But residents say finding penny nails or laundry pods or a spatula can involve a tiring trek.

Sometimes, touristic obsessions are a source of bafflement. At central Amsterdam’s landmark Athanaeum bookstore, whose eclectic periodicals draw a loyal clientele from across Europe, customers and staff alike were briefly mystified by the long queues at a nearby koekmakerij — a cookie shop.

They quickly figured it out: The place was all over Instagram.

“It was only one particular kind of cookie, and at first we thought, ‘How can that even work as a business?’” said Reny van der Kamp, 59, who has worked at the bookstore for more than 20 years. “Well, we found out. They actually had to have crowd control.”

Eventually, the cookie purveyor moved to bigger quarters about a quarter of a mile away. On a recent summer morning, the line stretched out the door.

Often, the public-nuisance aspect of tourism is confined to a small area of a given city, but then creeps gradually outward. Amsterdam’s Jordaan district, within the central ring of canals but traditionally a quiet residential area, is now frequented by selfie-snapping visitors — many of them drawn by rapturous descriptions on social media of the neighborhood’s winsome domesticity.

“Now and then, people actually crane their necks to look into our windows,” said Ricky Weissman, 43, an American special-effects designer who moved to the Jordaan a decade ago with his wife. “And you’ll see someone peeing on the side of someone’s house — it’s like, ‘Why? You can find a bathroom anywhere!’”

But he considers such intrusions to be offset by the surroundings. Their daughter, born here, is 5 now, and speaks Dutch and English.

“It’s a fairy tale, really, living here,” Weissman said.

Locals’ cherished routines are often disrupted, however — sometimes in dangerous ways. Commuting briskly by bicycle one day, Nashira Mora, who works as a tour-boat booker, had no time to react when a pedestrian — a visitor, she found out — suddenly came to a dead stop in the middle of the bike lane, eyes phoneward, oblivious to approaching cyclists.

“I went right over the handlebars,” the 26-year-old said ruefully. “Luckily, no one was hurt. And my bike was OK. But …” she trailed off and shook her head.

In many tourist centers, the coronavirus pandemic was a revelation for residents. For all the stress and isolation of lockdowns, and the immense tragedy of lives lost to the virus, landmarks usually avoided because of visiting hordes were suddenly empty — and fully revealed in all their glory.

“It did perhaps make people think about what it would be like to have their own city back,” said Mari Janssen, a 25-year-old studying Russian literature.

Locals and tourists often lead separate but parallel existences, more or less ignoring one another’s presence. The two worlds bump up against each other in places like the Albert Cuyps market, one of Amsterdam’s largest collections of open-air vendors.

Some merchants — a cheesemonger, a produce vendor, a baker — said that they had long counted local householders as their main customers, but that picnic-sized portions for tourists yielded cash bonanzas.

The change in the market’s character, however, was wearing on some. At a stand selling stroopwafel — a sweet concoction of layered wafers held together with syrup — a small group of foreign visitors began excitedly shouting orders at vendor Sylvia Lassing, 63, even as she was handing someone else their change.

“It’s a lot, sometimes,” she sighed during a lull a few minutes later.

A flower seller, asked about the tourist trade, irritably mimed how some outsiders would manhandle his delicate blooms — brilliant purple irises and Van Gogh-worthy sunflowers — and then walk away without buying anything. But he understood, he said, that few would want to take a perishable bouquet to the airport or a hotel room.

As a visitor turned to leave after chatting with him, though, he waved his hands in an emphatic gesture to halt them.

“Wait, wait!” he said. “Here, have a daisy.”

More to Read

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Laura King is a Berlin-based reporter for the Los Angeles Times. A member of the Foreign/National staff, she primarily covers foreign affairs. She previously served as bureau chief in Jerusalem, Kabul and Cairo.

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Venice and Cruise Ships: A Delicate Balance

The New York Times-World · 2021-07-08 17:04

In early June, the MSC Orchestra, a 2,500-passenger cruise ship, entered the Venetian Lagoon at dawn, sailing through St. Mark’s Basin, past the Doge’s Palace and the still-quiet St. Mark’s Square. It continued its journey through the Giudecca Canal and then docked on Venice’s main island.

It was the first time a cruise ship had entered the lagoon since the pandemic hit Italy in February 2020.

In a place that is heavily dependent on tourism, and where cruise travel contributes about 3 percent of the local gross domestic product, many in Venice welcomed the ship.

But others did not. Among the latter were 2,000 protesters who met the MSC Orchestra when it sailed on its reverse route two days later. Some were on small boats on the Giudecca Canal; others chanted anti-cruise slogans from the waterfront.

Protestors in small boats met the MSC Orchestra as it departed Venice in June. Credit...Michele Gallucci

“I hope we made some of the passengers wonder if what they were doing is wrong and think about the social and environmental impact of their vacation,” said Jane da Mosto, a biologist and activist who took part in the protest on a small boat.

The pandemic has put Venice’s legendary international tourism influx on hold for more than a year. In doing so, it has sparked an animated debate on how mass tourism has negatively affected both the lagoon’s environment and Venice’s character. In this debate, cruise ships have become a metonym for overtourism.

The pandemic hiatus has given the city — which is celebrating its 1,600th birthday this year — a chance to reflect on how tourism’s exponential growth has eroded its social fabric, driving non-touristy businesses and residents out. In the past four decades the city’s historical center (what most Americans mean when they say “Venice”) has lost half of its residents, now down to 50,000.

“The situation is dramatic, there are no houses,” said Maria Fiano, 46, a high school teacher who runs OCIO, an organization that monitors Venice’s housing. According to her estimates , 42 percent of beds in the center are rented to tourists, which landlords find more profitable, leaving many locals struggling to find a place.

But not every tourist has the same cost-benefit ratio. While day trippers — including many of those who are cruise passengers — amount to 73 percent of visitors, they contribute only 18 percent of the tourism economy. The proportion is inverted for people who spend at least one night at a hotel; they represent 14 percent of visitors, but 48 percent of the business.

In March, the local government of Veneto, Venice’s region, approved a plan vowing to curb hit-and-run visitors and attract more slow-paced ones. They also hope to wean Venice off its over-dependency on tourism, creating new places of employment, including a hydrogen plant, a project still in its embryonic phase, and a recently launched accelerator for renewable energy businesses. “It’s the first time that local authorities formally recognized that mass tourism cannot go on like this forever and that depopulation is a serious problem,” said Fabio Moretti, the dean of Venice’s Academy of Fine Arts, which was involved in the plan along with other academic institutions and the Boston Consulting Group.

Venice residents hold a protest to demand an end to cruise ships passing near the city, as the first cruise ship of the summer season departs. Credit...Manuel Silvestri/Reuters

‘An act of violence against the city’

The presence of large ships in the lagoon, especially those in the immediate vicinity of Venice’s most precious sites, has raised eyebrows at UNESCO and sparked protests by residents since 2012. They argue that mammoth, fuel-guzzling ships are physically incompatible both with Venice, a two-square-mile island, and the lagoon that surrounds it. (A 2019 study published in Nature asserted that the wakes created by large vessels induced the erosion of the shoreline and, through the “continuous resuspension of sediment in the area,” could redistribute industrial pollutants already present in the lagoon.)

It’s not so much the number of visitors they bring overall — only 7 percent of the 27 million tourists who visited Venice in 2019 were cruise passengers, according to a recent study by the Boston Consulting Group — but the fact that they bring thousands of them all at once, overcrowding the city’s historical center while contributing little to its economy.

On average each cruise passenger injects about 200 euros into Venice’s economy, according to the same study, but most of that money goes to port taxes and other services, such as laundry and refueling, rather than city-center businesses like restaurants and museums.

“I’ve never interacted much with cruise tourists, they are rarely seen in places like mine,” said Andrea Degnato, 37, who manages a wine bar called Cantina Arnaldi.

Indeed, because they are often in too much of a hurry to linger in a wine bar, cruise visitors are seen as the opposite of the kind of tourists who would make Venice tourism more sustainable.

“People are unloaded here as a sack of potatoes, they hang around, thousands of them, just a couple of hours, buy a slice of pizza and go back,” said Silvia Jop, 37, a Venetian who works in cinema and cultural events. “If you add this to environmental damages, it’s an act of violence against the city.”

But she also acknowledges that cruises provide work to thousands of people, such as cleaners and porters, although most of them tend to be from the nearby mainland. “Their right to have a source of employment must be respected,” Ms. Jop said.

After a long pause in mass international travel, Venetians are contemplating how to welcome visitors back. Credit...Luca Bruno/Associated Press

‘Like having an elephant in a china store’

For centuries, the Venetian Lagoon protected Venice. Built on a cluster of islands, the city could not be attacked from land, and the lagoon’s hard-to-navigate shallow waters and muddy seabed discouraged invaders from sea, who risked getting stranded. Thanks to this inaccessibility, Venice maintained its status as a maritime power throughout most of the Middle Ages.

But today Venice can be reached on cruise ships weighing up to 95,000 tons, docking directly in the heart of the old city.

“It’s like having an elephant in a china store,” said Diego Calaon, a scholar of ancient topography at Venice’s Ca’ Foscari University. He noted that, in its heyday in the late Middle Ages, Venice had a policy of preventing large vessels from docking on its shores, noting that they were much, much smaller than modern cruise ships.

Stretching 30 miles across the Adriatic and shielded from the open sea by two narrow islands, the lagoon is a shallow body of salt water , often less than 5 feet deep, crisscrossed by deeper trenches created by erosion or dug by man. It is only through these canals that vessels of a considerable size can navigate — and, even so, with difficulty: In 2019 a cargo ship was stranded in the eastern part of the lagoon, near Chioggia.

Venice’s historical center, a fish-shaped island in the middle of the lagoon, is skirted by one of its deepest canals, the Canale della Giudecca, where cruise ships currently pass, docking in the island’s main port, the Marittima. But this route is narrow, and dangerously close to the city. In another incident in 2019, a cruise ship lost control and crashed into a dock , injuring at least four people.

“We see only two solutions. Either these huge ships are kept out of the lagoon altogether, or the industry adapts to our environment and sends smaller ships,” said Tommaso Cacciari, a spokesman for the No Big Ships Committee , a grass-roots organization that since 2012 has been fighting the presence of cruise ships in the lagoon.

A new home for ‘the monster’?

On paper, cruise ships are already banned from Venice, if not from the lagoon entirely. In 2012 Italy’s Parliament approved a bill that banned ships over 40,000 tons from parts of the lagoon close to Venice’s main island. But the same law also says that the ban will be applicable only after a viable alternative route is found. Almost a decade later, authorities still haven’t found that alternative.

“We are kept in a limbo,” said Francesco Galietti, the national director for Italy of the Cruise Lines International Association. He added that as soon as the Italian government finds a solution, the industry is ready to comply with whichever alternative route is chosen. “Any solution that makes sense would work for us. The only thing we care about is keeping Venice as a home port for the Eastern Mediterranean.”

But anti-cruise activists argue that it’s unfair that the current law is conditional on finding a new port: “It’s like having a monster knocking on your door and, rather than chasing him away, you worry about finding a new home for the monster before forcing him to leave,” said Ms. da Mosto, the activist.

There are two main proposals: rerouting vessels toward Marghera, the lagoon’s main commercial port on the mainland, or building a port outside of the lagoon.

The problem with Marghera, said a representative of Venice’s Port Authority, is that “it’s a commercial port for containers, it’s not built for passengers.” Also, since Marghera is inside the lagoon, critics say that rerouting cruise ships there will do little to contain environmental damages.

As for building another port altogether: On April 1, Italy’s government approved the allocation of funds for a feasibility study for such a project. But the process of developing the plans for the project alone is expected to last until mid 2022, the Port Authority said, leaving little hope that a new port would provide a solution in the short or even medium term.

Halting cruise traffic until a new port is ready would take an economic toll. Before the pandemic, the cruise industry employed, directly and indirectly, 4,200 people in the area, according to the Port Authority, and brought revenues of 280 million euro (over $332 million), although most of that money does not go to Venice’s historical center.

In the meantime, UNESCO is getting impatient. Last month the agency released a report urging Italy’s government to prioritize “the option of banning large ships from the Lagoon altogether” and to set a time frame to “temporarily reroute ships” toward Marghera or elsewhere.

The agency also announced on the same day that it is considering adding Venice to its list of endangered World Heritage sites. “The recommendations for inscription on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger are not sanctions but alerts to find solutions,” a representative for the agency said in an email statement, mentioning “mass tourism, especially with the presence of cruise ships” as one of the organization’s concerns.

But several government officials, speaking anonymously because Italy’s factitious coalition government is divided on the topic, said they’re feeling pressured by UNESCO and, more broadly, by the negative publicity Venice received when cruise ships returned after the pandemic. Recent protests have brought the attention of the international media on the issue, and Venice is hosting a G20 summit between July 8 and 11.

The summit will provide an opportunity for a hiatus. Authorities have issued a temporary halt on large cruise ships until at least July 18, citing a combination of security measures ahead of the summit and the upcoming Festa del Redentore, the annual festival celebrating the end of the plague that devastated the island in 1576.

Sources in the Italian government say progressives in the coalition are trying to push an extension on the temporary halt until the Marghera port is at least partially ready and hope the international attention brought by UNESCO’s rebuke and by the upcoming summit will help them put pressure on the issue. “We’re feeling the eyes of the world pointed at us,” said one official.

THE WORLD IS REOPENING. LET’S GO, SAFELY. Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our Travel Dispatch newsletter : Each week you’ll receive tips on traveling smarter, stories on hot destinations and access to photos from all over the world.

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Watch CBS News

Nature is flourishing in Venice as the coronavirus pandemic keeps tourists away

May 13, 2020 / 11:52 AM EDT / CBS News

Venice, Italy  — Venice has suffered during the  coronavirus pandemic without its usual influx of tourists. But it has enjoyed an unintended benefit: Nature is flourishing.

CBS News' Chris Livesay reports that, perhaps more than any other city, Venice has gone from one extreme to the other under lockdown. The Rialto Bridge, the Grand Canal and even St. Mark's Square have been deserted as people around the world have stayed home, and as Italy has battled its COVID-19 outbreak.  

Ecologist Marco Sigovini says the streets and canals usually awash with tourists are so still, that nature has moved in to fill the void. There are hardly any boats to churn up cloudy sediment and scare away marine life, so jellyfish and schools of fish are swimming around in the iconic canals.    The European Space Agency has  snapped satellite images – taken a year apart in April – that show the dramatic reduction in boat traffic:

Cruise ships are conspicuously absent, too. Last year, more than 600 passed through. With their titanic size, environmental scientist Jane Da Mosto said the vessels splash corrosive wakes onto the fragile foundations of Venice's harbor. Sometimes the damage can be much faster: Last year, four people were injured when a cruise liner slammed into a Venetian dock. 

But today, Da Mosto says "it's more like a lake."

"I just imagine that all the buildings in Venice are kind of singing to each other," she said. "They must be so relieved not to be bashed around."

Without the ships' billowing exhaust, her team has also measured a marked improvement in air quality. 

It's not without a cost, however. Empty streets and empty canals also mean empty pockets. Without tourists, COVID-19 has left the local economy gasping for air. 

One fishmonger said he'd go bankrupt selling to Venetians alone. There are only 50,000 of them, compared to 30 million tourists who typically come every year. 

"We're not dying of coronavirus," Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told business leaders at a demonstration. "We're dying of hunger." 

Striking a delicate balance between the ecology and the economy is going to determine the future of Venice. For now, it seems there's a tension between public health and public wealth in the city – and around the world.      

Italy partially eased lockdown measures last week, only to see a big increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country's hardest-hit region, The Associated Press reports. The country has seen more than 220,000 confirmed cases, and more than 30,000 people have died in Italy due to the virus, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.   

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How to Choose the Best Mediterranean Cruise for Couples

F or many of us, embarking on a Mediterranean cruise has long remained a coveted dream, etched at the top of our bucket lists, beckoning with promises of azure waters, sun-drenched coastlines, and timeless treasures waiting to be discovered. Last year, we were fortunate enough to turn that dream into reality, indulging in the allure of the Mediterranean’s captivating charm. Now, as seasoned voyagers of its azure expanse, we find ourselves once again drawn to the siren call of the sea, eager to set sail on another unforgettable journey. Yet, amidst the myriad of options that adorn the horizon, selecting the perfect Mediterranean cruise becomes an art form—a delicate balance of aspiration and pragmatism, where the vessel we choose becomes the vessel of our dreams. Join us as we navigate the waters of choice for the best mediterranean cruise for couples and embark on a quest to uncover the secrets of finding the ultimate Love Boat amidst the Mediterranean’s azure embrace.

Today we will discuss why a Mediterranean cruise is so unique for couples and how to choose the perfect destination. So read it before planning your cruise through the Mediterranean . 

Best Mediterranean Cruise for Couples

The Mediterranean has been on our bucket list for quite some time now. And we were fortunate enough last year to check that one off our wishlist. For right now this is more of an intro post and we will be doing a more in-depth post later that will include different ports to visit as well. So be sure and subscribe for follow os us on social media below to see that next article.

First of all, there are some unique aspects to consider when you are cruising the Mediterranean with your significant other partner that will make the experience all the more unforgettable.

From the beautiful coastlines of Greece and Italy to the picturesque waters of the French Riviera, here are some ways to choose the best Mediterranean cruise, after considering some key factors.

Choosing an Itinerary

For couples seeking a romantic escape amidst the enchanting backdrop of the Mediterranean, selecting the ideal itinerary involves a delicate blend of passion, intimacy, and adventure. Begin by envisioning shared experiences that ignite the flames of romance: perhaps strolling hand in hand along cobblestone streets illuminated by the soft glow of lanterns, indulging in candlelit dinners overlooking the shimmering sea, or reveling in the timeless allure of sunset cruises beneath painted skies.

Consider destinations renowned for their romantic ambiance, such as the picturesque villages of the Amalfi Coast, where cascading cliffs and azure waters set the stage for intimate moments. Alternatively, the Greek Isles beckon with their whitewashed buildings, secluded coves, and breathtaking sunsets, offering a sanctuary for love to blossom.

Opt for itineraries that prioritize leisure and relaxation, allowing ample time for couples to savor each other’s company without feeling rushed. Look for cruises that offer secluded beaches , private excursions, and onboard amenities designed for romance, such as couples’ spa treatments or gourmet dining experiences.

Furthermore, consider incorporating special touches to enhance the romantic ambiance, whether it’s booking a private balcony cabin for intimate moments overlooking the sea or arranging surprise activities like wine tasting tours or sunset picnics on secluded beaches.

Ultimately, the perfect itinerary for couples is one that fosters connection, sparks romance, and creates cherished memories to last a lifetime. So, set sail together on a voyage of love, and let the Mediterranean’s timeless beauty be the backdrop for your romantic escapade.

Some popular Mediterranean cruise destinations for couples are the Adriatic Sea, the Dalmatian Coast, Italy including Rome and Venice,Cyclades or the Aegean Islands, Corsica and Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands.

Best Time to Cruise the Mediterranean

Choosing the best time to cruise the Mediterranean depends on your preferences for weather, crowds, and activities. Generally, the Mediterranean cruise season runs from April to October, but here’s a breakdown to help you decide:

• Spring (April – May): This is a great time for cruising if you prefer milder temperatures and fewer crowds. The weather is usually pleasant, with blooming flowers and lush landscapes. However, the sea might still be a bit chilly for swimming, and some attractions might not be fully operational until later in the season.
• Summer (June – August): Summer is peak season for Mediterranean cruises. The weather is hot and sunny, perfect for swimming and beach activities. However, this also means larger crowds at popular ports of call, higher prices, and potentially scorching temperatures in some areas. Be prepared for more crowded tourist sites and book excursions and accommodations well in advance.
• Fall (September – October): This is another excellent time for cruising, especially if you want to avoid the peak summer crowds but still enjoy warm weather. The sea remains warm for swimming, and the landscapes may feature autumnal colors. Prices may drop slightly compared to the peak summer season, and you’ll likely encounter fewer tourists at popular attractions.

Keep in mind that the Mediterranean region is vast and diverse, so weather patterns can vary significantly depending on your specific itinerary. Also, consider factors such as local festivals and events that may influence your cruise experience. Ultimately, the best time to cruise the Mediterranean depends on your preferences for weather, crowds, and budget.

Which ship to Choose

Choosing the right cruise ship for your Mediterranean adventure depends on several factors including your budget, preferred amenities, itinerary, wether you want a luxury cruise and personal preferences. Here are some considerations to help you make the decision:

• Cruise Line Reputation: Research different cruise lines and their reputation for Mediterranean cruises. Some popular options include Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, and Princess Cruises. Each line offers a different atmosphere and onboard experience, so choose one that aligns with your preferences.
• Itinerary: Look for a cruise itinerary that includes ports of call and destinations you’re interested in exploring. Some itineraries focus on specific regions like the Western Mediterranean (Spain, France, Italy) or the Eastern Mediterranean (Greece, Croatia, Turkey). Consider whether you prefer a more culturally immersive experience or if you want a mix of beach destinations and historical sites.
• Ship Size and Amenities: Decide whether you prefer a large mega-ship with a wide range of onboard amenities like water parks, Broadway-style shows, and multiple dining options, or if you prefer a smaller, more intimate ship with fewer crowds and a more personalized experience. Larger ships often offer more entertainment and dining options, while smaller ships may provide a more relaxed atmosphere and easier access to smaller ports.
• Budget: Consider your budget and what’s included in the cruise fare. Some cruise lines offer all-inclusive packages that include meals, beverages, and shore excursions, while others may charge extra for these amenities. Take into account additional expenses like gratuities, onboard activities, and souvenirs.
• Cabin Type: Decide what type of cabin you prefer, whether it’s an interior, ocean view, balcony, or suite. Balcony cabins are popular for Mediterranean cruises because they offer stunning views of the coastline and easy access to fresh air.
• Reviews and Recommendations: Read reviews from past cruisers and seek recommendations from friends or travel agents who have experience with Mediterranean cruises. They can provide valuable insights and tips to help you choose the right ship for your vacation.

Ultimately, the best cruise ship for you is one that meets your preferences, budget, and desired itinerary for your Mediterranean adventure. Take your time to research and compare options before making a decision.

Consult a Travel Planner

Your Mediterranean travel specialist will provide a travel planner with some tested tips to see the Mediterranean better. Some romantic experiences to consider in the Mediterranean should include:

• Wine tasting: Nothing more enjoyable than exploring the vineyards of Greece and France and tasting the flavour of the excellent wines with your beloved by your side.
• Take a private boat tour in order to explore hidden caves and secluded beaches together.
• Go island hopping: Discover multiple Mediterranean destinations, enjoying the freshest seafood,sun-ripened tomatoes and olives.
• Dive in the Blue Grotto together on the island of Capri and immerse yourselves in the enchantment of this season cave and it’s azure blue waters.

When you are ready to the best mediterranean cruise for couples, we encourage you to contact Heather at Flow Voyages . She’s been a friend for more than a decade and we’ve sailed with her multiple times since then. Heather is an expert at all things cruise related and does a great job of taking the stress out of planning, finding great deals, and always watches for price drops so that you can focus on planning the important things like what you will be doing once on board! There is no charge to you for her services and her prices are usually the same or better than what you’ll find on the cruise line’s website.

She can be reached by phone: 630-779-9302 or email:  [email protected]

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The post How to Choose the Best Mediterranean Cruise for Couples appeared first on roamingmyplanetcom .

Venice is taking its battle against mass tourism a step further by banning loudspeakers and tourist parties of over 25

First came Venice’s €5 charge on day-trippers who enter the city. 

Now, the Italian city will cap the size of tourist groups and ban the use of loudspeakers by tour guides to maintain Venice’s sanctity. 

The new measures will take effect on Aug. 1 with the aim of “protecting the peace of residents” and making Venice’s paths more pedestrian-friendly. They will apply to Venice’s main city center as well as the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello, and could result in fines between €25-500 if breached, Reuters reported . 

The loudspeaker ban and crowd control were meant to kick in in June, just weeks after Venice became the first city to charge an entrance fee for visitors, dubbed the “tourist tax.” The goal? To rein in those making day trips to the city during peak travel season. 

It’s still too early to gauge the pilot program’s success, although estimates suggest the local government has already raised $2.6 million from more than 485,000 tourists. 

Venetians have criticized it, saying it’s turning the city into a “ theme park .” Others felt that a small sum wouldn’t do anything to deter overtourism and would be complicated to enforce. 

Tourism has real ramifications in the lagoon city, as it’s on UNESCO’s list of endangered destinations. 

UNESCO highlighted the environmental damage from motorboats and cruise ships approaching the city and the impact of tourism on Venice’s historic buildings, as they get flipped for commercial use, as key risks facing the city.  

Roughly 20 million people visited Venice in 2023—that’s 400 times the city’s population of just under 50,000 . As one of the most visited cities in Europe, Venice has somewhat drowned in a sea of tourists. But putting a lid on those numbers won’t be easy. As more people leave the city, it has come to rely on tourism to drive the economy . 

Venice has become the symbol of the overtourism trend that several other European cities grapple with. The city has risked degrading the quality of life and services for the locals as they battled with a limited housing supply and essential services due to a higher inflow of visitors.

Amsterdam is looking to ban cruise ships —a measure Venice adopted in 2021—as they push to keep “nuisance” tourists away. Meanwhile, Barcelona announced that it would stop short-term rentals to free-up housing for its residents. 

It’s a delicate balance between preserving some of Europe’s most frequented cities without turning tourists away completely. Whether Venice is successful in achieving that remains to be seen. 

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Venice and Cruise Ships: A Delicate Balance

There are two main proposals: rerouting vessels toward Marghera, the lagoon’s main commercial port on the mainland, or building a port outside of the lagoon.

The problem with Marghera, said a representative of Venice’s Port Authority, is that “it’s a commercial port for containers, it’s not built for passengers.” Also, since Marghera is inside the lagoon, critics say that rerouting cruise ships there will do little to contain environmental damages.

As for building another port altogether: On April 1, Italy’s government approved the allocation of funds for a feasibility study for such a project. But the process of developing the plans for the project alone is expected to last until mid 2022, the Port Authority said, leaving little hope that a new port would provide a solution in the short or even medium term.

Halting cruise traffic until a new port is ready would take an economic toll. Before the pandemic, the cruise industry employed, directly and indirectly, 4,200 people in the area, according to the Port Authority, and brought revenues of 280 million euro (over $332 million), although most of that money does not go to Venice’s historical center.

In the meantime, UNESCO is getting impatient. Last month the agency released a report urging Italy’s government to prioritize “the option of banning large ships from the Lagoon altogether” and to set a time frame to “temporarily reroute ships” toward Marghera or elsewhere.

The agency also announced on the same day that it is considering adding Venice to its list of endangered World Heritage sites. “The recommendations for inscription on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger are not sanctions but alerts to find solutions,” a representative for the agency said in an email statement, mentioning “mass tourism, especially with the presence of cruise ships” as one of the organization’s concerns.

But several government officials, speaking anonymously because Italy’s factitious coalition government is divided on the topic, said they’re feeling pressured by UNESCO and, more broadly, by the negative publicity Venice received when cruise ships returned after the pandemic. Recent protests have brought the attention of the international media on the issue, and Venice is hosting a G20 summit between July 8 and 11.

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