Italy River Cruises: the 8 to Book First

1.Florence River Cruise on a Traditional Barchetto

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 376 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $71Our pick

Meet near Florence’s center, walk to the Arno, and spend about 45 minutes aboard an original Florentine barchetto. An English-speaking guide explains the Ponte Vecchio, Uffizi, Vasari Corridor, and Corsini Palace while you enjoy wine or a soft drink. Groups are limited to 14 people.

“Our guide was very nice and very knowledgeable. Although, the cruise was actually after the sunset the view was still amazing.”

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2.Alcantara River and Gorges: Bodyrafting Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 353 reviews · 2 hours · from $65

Meet Andrea, Salvo, or another English or Italian-speaking guide at Agriturismo Valle Alcantara. After gearing up in a wetsuit, helmet, and jacket, you walk upstream through the Alcantara River, swim, jump, and float 2.5 km through volcanic rock passages.

“Absolutely fantastic. thanks to our guides Davide and Salvo l”

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3.Tiber River Urban Rafting Tour with Roman Pizza

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 334 reviews · 2 hours · from $47

Paddle through central Rome with a certified guide, passing Castel Sant’Angelo and Tiber Island before tackling rapids near Ponte Garibaldi. Guides such as Facundo, Julia, Greg, and Daniele add history and humor. Expect a 2-hour outing, wet shoes, safety gear, water, and Roman pizza.

“My boys 22, 17, and 11 and I, all had a great time! Our guide (from Argentina) was fantastic!!”

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4.River Rafting for Families

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 290 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $60Top rated

Meet at the rafting center in Dimaro Folgarida for a family-friendly Noce River descent with guides such as Luca or Luis. Bring swimwear, a T-shirt, wet shoes, and a towel. Gear, shared transport, and rafting photos are included.

“You should definitely do it. It was just great. We had a lot of fun and a great guide - Luis!!Auto-translated”

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5.Tiber River Hop-On Hop-Off Boat Tour Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 238 reviews · 1 day · from $24Best value

Use Rome’s Tiber as a quiet transport route between Isola Tiberina, Castel Sant’Angelo, Ponte Sisto, and Piazza del Popolo. Boats run about every 30 minutes, with open-air and covered seating, a smartphone audio guide in seven languages, and views of bridges, Castel Sant’Angelo, and St. Peter’s Basilica.

“The boat only runs until 7:00 so it’s not as useful transport as it could be have been. We paid for the all day transport but only used it for one stop in the afternoon so it wasn’t a great deal. Downstairs in the boat was a lot of fumes so everyone wanted to to sit upstairs in the open of course. But there weren’t a lot of seats and several of us stood. There is no tour guide talking so I don’t know what that part of the rating survey was about. It’s a nice little boat ride on the river, but if you are planning a ride, I…”

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6.2 hours Rafting on Noce River in val di Sole

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 179 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $66

Start near San Michele’s Castle in Cusiano, learn paddle commands, then raft the Noce River toward Dimaro with English-speaking guides such as Pedro, Jose, and Kose. Expect about two hours on the river, provided gear, private transport, and a child transfer around the harder Mezzana rapids.

“Perfectly explained in English, nice captain, very professional, polite, it was great fun to do the rafting experience in such a beautiful environment. Highly recommended!”

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7.Urban Rafting on Rome’s Tiber River

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 138 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $48

Meet beneath Porta del Popolo, then follow an English-speaking guide to the Tiber for about two hours of gentle paddling, floating, history, and two easy rapids. Guides such as Dario, Sebastian, Daniele, and Carlos lead the outing. Expect wet shoes, a pizza or street-food snack, and a different view of Rome.

“Something a bit different from the regular chaos of Rome which was very much welcomed by our two teenagers! Most of the journey is calm and quiet, then a short break for water and a slice of pizza (provided) before a couple of rapids (not too sinister and a chance to get wet - welcomed in the heat). Our guide filled us in with some interesting snippets as we went along and you get a different view of Rome. Only other comment is you don’t end up back where you started, which wasn’t overly clear in the tour description so it’s about a 20 min walk to the nearest metro…”

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8.River Boat Tour with Aperitif

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 104 reviews · 1 hour · from $55

Settle at a reserved table beneath Ponte Sant’Angelo for a one-hour Tiber cruise with cacio e pepe, Roman maritozzo, meatballs, fried bites, and one glass of wine or prosecco. You’ll pass Isola Tiberina and the Saint Peter’s area, then receive next-day hop-on hop-off boat access.

“Sejlturen var hyggelig. Maden var elendig. Har fået dåsemad der var bedre.”

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