Big ships now board on the mainland. Under 25,000 tons, you can still sail out of the old city. Two lines we would book for summer 2027, what they cost, and where to sleep the night before.
Small ship cruises from Venice are the last way to leave the city the way cruise passengers used to: down the Giudecca Canal, past St Mark’s, out through the lagoon. Since August 2021, Italian law has kept ships over 25,000 gross tons, or longer than 180 metres, out of St Mark’s Basin and the Giudecca Canal. The large lines now board at Marghera or Fusina on the mainland, and most passengers reach them by bus.
A yacht carrying a hundred-odd guests is a fraction of that limit, so it is still allowed in. This guide covers the two small-ship lines we would look at first for summer 2027, with real sailings and prices checked on their own sites on 19 October 2026, and who each one is not for.
For a first small-ship trip with drinks, transfers and an excursion in the price, Emerald’s eight-day Croatian Coast and the best of the Adriatic, Venice to Dubrovnik. Fares started at about US$6,177 per person for the 24 July 2027 departure when we checked.
For a longer voyage that ends in Greece, SeaDream’s ten-day Yachting the Adriatic, Venice to Athens (Piraeus), on 17 June 2027. It costs roughly three times as much, and it is a different kind of trip: 112 guests, an open bar, gratuities covered and a watersports platform off the stern.
Who should not book either: families with young children, anyone who wants a big ship’s theatres and pools on sea days, and anyone who needs a round trip. Both of these are one-way sailings, so you are flying home from a different airport.
Decree-Law 103 of 2021 made St Mark’s Basin, the St Mark’s Canal and the Giudecca Canal national monuments and closed them to ships that break any one of four limits: over 25,000 gross tons, over 180 metres at the waterline, an air draft over 35 metres, or burning fuel with 0.1% sulphur or more while manoeuvring. Ships that stay under all four can still call.
In practice that splits Venice cruises in two. A big-ship sailing “from Venice” now means a coach or a boat transfer to an industrial quay on the mainland, and you sail out with the city behind you. A small ship can berth in the old city’s cruise terminals, and the sail-away is the first highlight of the week rather than something you watch from a coach window.
One caveat: the port assigns berths, not the cruise line, and they can change. Your final documents will name the terminal. Check them the week before you sail.
Emerald’s Croatian Coast and the best of the Adriatic sails one way from Venice to Dubrovnik. The ports, in order, are Rovinj, Šibenik, Trogir, Vis, Hvar and Korčula, then Dubrovnik. That is a port every day, and apart from Dubrovnik these are small harbours that rarely appear on big-ship itineraries.
Emerald lists ten 2027 departures between June and October. The from-prices we saw ranged from US$6,177 per person (24 to 31 July) and US$6,194 (31 July to 7 August) up to US$9,768 for 12 June, US$8,958 for 9 October and US$13,945 for 11 September. Fares move with demand, so read these as a guide to which weeks are cheaper, not a quote.
The fare is unusually complete for this price. Emerald lists seven nights on board, 20 meals, wine, beer, soft drinks and selected cocktails through the day, airport transfers to and from the yacht, an included excursion and two of its own guided experiences. Add flights and travel insurance and you are close to the full cost.
Emerald’s yachts are small: its newest, Emerald Kaia, takes a maximum of 128 guests, and the line’s earlier yachts are smaller. Kaia has an infinity-style pool at the stern and suites that can be booked with interconnecting doors, which is the detail to ask about if you are a group of four or five. Emerald’s itinerary page does not name the yacht for each departure, so confirm which one is sailing your week before you choose a suite.
Not for: anyone who wants a long, quiet stretch at sea. This is a busy week of short hops and early starts.
SeaDream I and SeaDream II each carry no more than 112 guests with a crew of 95, in 56 staterooms and suites that all face the sea. SeaDream describes its fares as all-inclusive, with the open bar and gratuities covered, and the marina at the stern has complimentary kayaks, paddleboards, jet skis and small catamarans when the captain can open it.
The Venice departure we would look at is SeaDream II’s Yachting the Adriatic, 17 to 27 June 2027. Boarding in Venice is between 2pm and 4pm, and the yacht sails that evening. It calls at Rovinj, Hvar, Komiža on Vis, Korčula (with an overnight), Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu, Fiskardo on Kefalonia and Galaxidi for Delphi, then transits the Corinth Canal before disembarking in Piraeus on the 27th. The lowest fare we saw was US$18,499 per person for a Yacht Club Stateroom on Deck 3, under SeaDream’s Book Today & Save rate.
If you would rather end in Venice than start there, SeaDream II’s Mediterranean & Adriatic Explorer runs from Civitavecchia on 22 August to Venice on 2 September 2027, via Capri (overnight), Amalfi, Taormina, Porto Montenegro, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Hvar, Mali Lošinj and Piran. Its lowest listed fare was US$14,160 per person. You arrive in Venice in the morning and disembark between 8am and 10am, which is the cue to book two nights in the city afterwards.
Not for: anyone who dresses for dinner and expects a programme of evening shows. SeaDream is relaxed, outdoorsy and social. Several suite categories on the summer sailings were already waitlisted when we checked, so if a specific suite matters to you, ask now.
Star Clippers’ tall ship Royal Clipper, Windstar and Uniworld’s lagoon-based S.S. La Venezia also run Venice sailings in 2027, according to agents’ listings. We could not confirm dates and fares on the lines’ own sites this week, so we have not quoted them. If one of them appeals, ask us and we will check it directly.
Silversea and the other luxury lines we usually recommend mostly sail larger ships, which board on the mainland. They are still a fine way to see the Adriatic. They just do not give you the sail-away.
Book at least one night before a small-ship departure. Boarding windows are in the afternoon, so you lose nothing by arriving the day before, and a delayed flight costs you an evening instead of the cruise.
For the full Venice evening, the Gritti Palace on the Grand Canal or the Danieli on the Riva degli Schiavoni, which reopened under Four Seasons in summer 2026 with restoration still continuing (ask what is finished on your dates). For design over gilt, Ca’ di Dio near the Arsenale, which is also on the waterfront and ten minutes’ walk from St Mark’s. For value, Hotel Flora, a family-run, 40-room hotel with a garden courtyard a few minutes from the square.
On busy dates the city charges day visitors an access fee. Overnight guests are exempt but need to register for a free QR code, so do that when you book the hotel.
Both lines sell direct on their own sites. Prices are per person, sharing, and change week to week, so pick two or three departures that fit, then compare the same cabin category across them. For Emerald, the cheapest weeks we saw were late July and early August. For SeaDream, book early if you want a particular suite.
Book the hotel when the cruise is confirmed, and arrange flights to arrive the day before. If your cruise ends in Dubrovnik or Athens, check the open-jaw flights home before you pay the deposit.
Or send us your dates and how many of you are travelling. We will price both lines for the same weeks, check which yacht and terminal your departure uses, and suggest the hotel.