Woman reveals genius trick for getting a free Venice gondola tour

A whizz around the city’s canals for free? We’re listening

Katie’s sneaky free tour of Venice (TikTok/@Backpackingbabble)

It’s no secret that Venice is an expensive town to explore - so many of us would jump at a free scenic tour.

One TikTok star recently gave her top tip for a rather creative way to skip the classic Venice gondola boat tour - typical price $80-100 (£67-84) - and enjoy a skim around the city’s iconic canals for free.

British vlogger Katie - who posts as @backpackingbabble - filmed herself on the back of a boat, gliding around Venice’s waters and taking in its sunlit streets.

But it soon becomes apparent that her hosts aren’t your typical tour guides.

“Romanticise talking the bin men into giving you a boat tour of Venice because you don’t have €80 to spend on a gondola ride,” she captioned the video.

Katie is seen cross-legged on the back of a slim, painted motorboat with the breeze in her hair - at one point ducking down low as it crosses under a bridge.

Black plastic bin bags can be seen neatly stacked in front of the savvy hitchhiker.

“And this is how you travel Venice on a budget,” she wrote in her video post.

The video has already had 1.5 million views and more than 201,000 astounded comments.

Katie doesn’t give any close-up tips on how she charmed the two rubbish collectors to let her ride along for free, but we imagine she had prepped a few Italian phrases beforehand.

“Honestly, this is a better experience and MUCH better story to tell than just being a normal tourist,” wrote one impressed follower.

“An iconic moment,” raved another.

“Instructions unclear - I’m now sat on top of my bin lorry going up the A13,” joked follower Liam Thompson.

Some followers speculated that the smell of the boat’s cargo might have marred Katie’s magical mystery tour - but she quickly put them right, commenting “Not at all! I think it was just sandbags and building materials.”