Venice Grand Canal Cruise

You can do it yourself on the vaporetto
Rick's Venice book has a Grand Canal tour

In addition to the written tour in his book, he also has an audioguide

You can get it on the Rick Steves app (for Apple or Android), or here (scroll down to "The Grand Canal Cruise"): https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/italy

May I suggest buying a vaporetto pass for the time you are there. The uses are many! Just as many as the visions/experiences of Venice throughout the day and night. Early in the morning, take the vaporetto to watch Venice wake up - it is after all a living, working city. In the afternoon heat, it beats walking back to your hotel. In the evening, Venice changes completely as the sun goes down and the lights in the palazzi come on. Late at night, there is nothing more romantic than gently rocking to and fro as you glide within the work of art that is Venice.

Also, if you have a vaporetto pass, you can use it to visit the islands of the lagoon, particularly Murano, Burano, and Torcello, and to visit San Giorgio Maggiore - the beautiful, Palladio-designed church often hosts contemporary sculpture, and you can take an elevator up the bell tower for incredible views.

The only passenger vessels allowed in the canal are:
Vaporetto (water bus)
Water Taxi (they offer private tours)
Gondolas
Residents’ private boats with permit

They don’t allow other types, like gray line boat tours (equivalent to tour buses). The canal is the most important waterway in the city and otherwise it would be clogged with those tour boats.

It’s like cruising along the interstate! If you really want to do that then just hop on the vaporetto public bus and ride up and down the canal.

Thanks everyone for your help! Sounds like taking a slow vaporetto in the evening with Rick's audio tour will work best!

inbsig, Can your vaporetto day pass or 3 day pass really include the elevator up the bell tower ? (aka Campanile)
Thanks

a boat is a boat and an elevator or other tourist attraction is one of those.

Vaporetto passes are for use on the boats. That's all they do.

Yep, certainly didn't mean to imply that the vaporetto pass covered the elevator (which was only 3€, as I recall). Just wanted you to know that there is an elevator - you don't find one in every tower in Italy.