Venice Gondola Ride

[R,D,W]

My husband and I are leaving next week for our dream vacation to the Med. We are researching gondola rides. Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated. Thank You

[Travelcat2]

We took Regent's "included" gondola ride. We had very low expectations as we know how touristy these type of things can be. We were extremely surprised as this ended up being an excellent excursion -- one that we highly recommend.

[beachtango]

We took the included gondola excursion when we were on the Mariner in May 2011 and it was very unpleasant and rather scary. They squeezed six of us into the gondola, it was tippy and uncomfortable, and the gondolier was cold and unfriendly, never saying a single word to any of us. Free, yes - but we could not wait for it to be over.

[ridolphi]

beachtango - so sorry your experience was not so plesant. We too did the one from Regent (although it wasn't included at the time we did it, still paid for excursions in those days) and we had a wonderful experience. Two couples of us, plus the two guys who sang and played the accordian. There was a group of about 4 gondolas moving along together and we ended up being fairly impressed, even though we thought it was going to be touristy, it really wasn't. After, the two couples of us walked over to St Marks square and went to a cafe for some wine, and there were concerts going on in several of the cafes that could be heard all over the square, they took turns playing classical music and it was "magical" and we felt we had had such a great Venice experience.

[hondorner]

We hired a gondola on the Grand Canal this past May; just picked one out at random. I think it was around $100, including tip; there were four of us and we agreed that it was worth $25 each. It was just after we finished lunch, and most of the gondoliers were also at lunch, we just chose one of the fellows who returned a little early.

 

We lucked out! Our gondolier was experienced, fun, friendly and wanted to be sure we enjoyed our ride. He took us through many small, out of the way "alleys" (for lack of a better word for water channels about 6' wide) and pointed out highlights of the architecture.

 

He did not sing -- most gondolier do not -- but many offer a professional singer for an extra fee. About halfway through our voyage, we met another gondola coming in the opposite direction, with a singer! They turned left, we turned right into the same channel directly behind him,and we enjoyed the singer for the rest of the trip. Pure serendipity. The gondolier grinned; he knew he was giving us a treat!

[Threechicks]

My two daughters and I took a gondola ride while in Venice early this month. We just found one available at one of the places they stop. It was a gorgeous hot sunny day and the canals were full of gondolas. I have always enjoyed them in the past but this one was by far the best. We were all waving at each other in the other boats. Lots of fun and well worth the E100.

[nana541]

My husband and I are leaving next week for our dream vacation to the Med. We are researching gondola rides. Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated. Thank You

 

When in Venice.....do the Gondola ride!! How many times will you be in Venice. We got lost in Venice (doesn't everyone), and walked and walked until I thought I mite drop and THEN around the corner was a beautiful Black Gondola!! Our Gondolier spoke 7 languages and was very very charming. He wanted to know if we wanted the "Regular tour" or the "Long Tour" I think it was 40ish min vs 60 min. As my feet felt as if they would fall off any minute we opted for the LONG tour....don't ask me what it cost because at this point I did not care I was that pooped!

Now this is where it gets even better, as we got in and got comfortable I looked back at our "Angel" in the guise of a Gondolier and said that the only thing that would make this more perfect was a great glass of wine. Well, you guessed it, within 3 or 4 minutes he pulled up to an ancient dock and asked me to hold on while he jumped out and soon returned with a bottle of lovely white wine from the local area....a wonderful ride and great wine, he was a 5th generation Gondolier, learned from his grandfather.

 

Did I say this guy got a very big tip!!

 

Yes it is touristy, but do it any way. i think that just one or two couples is all you should try to squeeze into a Gondola. Enjoy Venice :)

[RachelG]

We did the included gondola ride on Voyager last year. It was great. There were six of us in the gondola, and we got to be great friends quickly. Yes, it was a little tippy. After all, a gondola is like a canoe. But it was great fun. I highly rec it.

[mariners]

I, too, recommend the gondola ride as it gives a totally different perspective of Venice and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience onboard the gondola. However, a word of caution for those who book independently. We were given a choice of two prices 100 Euros or 150 Euros. We chose the 100 Euros. We began our ride in daylight and, as it turned to dusk, our gondolier let us know that our ride was ending. We thought that he'd take us back to where we began the ride. Instead, he let us off at a totally different place. As we were staying in Venice and had walked the area, we were able to find our way back to our hotel. We were never told that there were different prices after dusk and that the second price would have allowed us to return to the place where we began the ride. It was still one of the highlights of our time in Venice. Ask questions to make sure that you know what you are getting.