Couple of venice questions

[Tillylovesseabourn]

Hi folks!

 

I will be visiting Venice in May, and would like to take a gondola ride, and another evening watch something at the opera house. Has anyone had any experience with either of these things?

Is the gondola ride worth pre booking?

How much should it cost/any company recommendations?

 

Is the opera a good/bad experience/worth it?

 

Your opinions are much appreciated, thanks

[riffatsea]

You don't have to pre book a gondola ride.

You'll find them out waiting for customer along the canal. Go away from San Marco and haggle a bit for the best price.

As for opera, the REAL opera house can be expensive! IF you love opera of course it is a great experience.

IF you are an opera " newbie" you might want to just get a taste of it at MusicaPalazzo. This is a small company that does La Traviata or The Barber of Seville in a beautiful old palazza near San Marco Square. Each act is done in a different room of the mansion. You should book this ahead as it is sold out most nights. It is a great intro to opera.They have a web site in English.

[chipmaster]

Gondolla well worth and as the other poster noted, no need to book. They are readily available for hire all around the canals. We tried haggling but had little luck.

[Earl Rosebery]

Hi folks!

 

I will be visiting Venice in May, and would like to take a gondola ride, and another evening watch something at the opera house. Has anyone had any Is the opera a good/bad experience/worth it?

 

Your opinions are much appreciated, thanks

 

The opera House La Fenice is a beautiful building restored after a disastrous fire. 'Death at La Fenice' and 'City of Falling Angels' from your library are both well worth reading. If there is no program on or if the program is too expensive, the tour is still worth while

We ended up at the 'Scuola Grande di San Teodoro. You can book online at http://www.eventful.com for 34E or buy at the box office the same day or the day before.

 

I don't like opera but enjoyed the evening. My wife loved it. Seating was general admission on canvas chairs. The only downside was the idiots who insisted on taking flash pictures during the performance. Everyone should know that their flash only reaches about 12 feet and should be turned off . But they put up with it.

 

They have a performance almost ever night.

 

I think Musica Palazzo might be the better experience.

 

You can find them all on google. The english version of the La Fenice website is well hidden but it is there.

[euro cruiser]

We tried haggling but had little luck.

That's because the rates are set by the authorities, and gondola operators are not supposed to vary from them. That's not to say that some don't, occasionally, but it's not the norm.

 

You can see the rates here at the official web site: http://www.gondolavenezia.it/history_tariffe.asp?Pag=43

[Tillylovesseabourn]

Thanks for all of your help!

 

Looks like la traviata is on at the Fenice, so might try that for the experience!