Tourist falls into canal in viral video mishap, blames it on Google Maps' directions

A tourist who was visiting Venice, Italy, has directed her ire at Google Maps for what she claims were inaccurate directions — which led to an awkward splash.

The Polish tourist posted a recent video of herself walking down steps into a canal. 

"When Google Maps says ‘go straight,’ but you’re in Venice," the printed words say as the viral video plays. 

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As the woman walks down the steps, she slips — falling onto her back. The video later shows her cleaning her scrapped legs.

"How it started … how it’s going," says the caption.

A tourist's viral video (not pictured) shows her falling into a Venice canal after following directions from Google Maps, sparking nearly 300,000 likes and mixed reactions online. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

Fox News Digital reached out to Google Maps for comment, and to the video poster as well. 

The video quickly amassed some 300,000 likes, with followers chiming in about the mishap in the comments section.

"Soooo, what did she think would happen walking down stone steps into the water?" wrote one user.

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An Instagrammer said, "Oh, that water … Girl, hope you disinfected."

Another person wrote, "Quick question. What were you thinking?"

One user said of the woman in the video, "She obviously wanted to stop at the last step and ended up falling in." Venice has long suffered from overtourism and has been working to combat it.  (iStock)

A user wrote about the woman in the video, "She obviously wanted to stop at the last step and ended up falling in."

The same user added in part, "She was just wanting a cute video and likely cut herself on the sharp shellfish that post up along the Venice waterways."

Another person said, "People will do anything for attention."

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Venice has long suffered from the problems of overtourism. It has been working to combat that by announcing a change in tourist fees. 

The city introduced a pilot program in 2024 to charge day trippers a $5.17 (5 euros) entry fee that authorities hoped would discourage visitors from arriving on peak days, as Fox News Digital previously reported.

Approximately six million Americans traveled to Italy in 2023. (iStock)

Beginning this April, visitors will pay the access fee of $5.17 if they've booked four days ahead, while the fee for arrivals that are booked last-minute — within three days — doubles to $10.33 (10 euros), according to the city’s site.

The fee applies (on select dates only) to the ancient city of Venice, not to the minor islands of the Venetian Lagoon.

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Exemptions apply to residents, property owners, students, workers, persons with disabilities and children under 14 years of age.

Pino Parisi, a Connecticut-based Italian travel agent, said he is seeing more tourists than ever travel to Italy this year.

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"Venice's tourist taxes [are] not preventing people from going to Venice," he told Fox News Digital. "I don't think it is making a difference."

Approximately six million Americans traveled to Italy in 2023, according to the State Department.