Gondola Ride

I did not take a Gondola ride when I was there in May but I believe the evening ride is more expensive.

HI we went to Venice on a Rick Steves tour in Oct. and did a night time Gondola ride. I thought it would seem very fake and touristy but it was just magical. I would really suggest doing it at night. Venice itself is so magical at night plus all the day trippers are gone.

I too took the evening gondola ride, on the Rick Steves Venice tour - highly recommended. During the day the canals (particularly the Grand) are like "freeways". At night you have the place almost all to yourself. Very romantic if you have a partner but enjoyable even if not!

You can also take a traghetto ride across the Grand Canal for 1 Euro...instead of 150 Euros for a Gondola ride. The boats are basically the same except you don't get a red velvet cushion for your rump on a traghetto.

Granted, the ride is a lot shorter on the traghetto. But for a 100+ Euro savings it's worth contemplating!

We went on a gondola ride just as the sun was beginning to set. The photos are amazing. We paid 80 euros, and it was worth it. So much so that we intend to go again this September.

GONDOLA TARIFFS

starting from 6/28/2006

DAYTIME PERSONALISED AND STANDARD TOUR
(40 minutes - maximum 6 people per gondola)

EURO 80

additional 20 minutes EURO 40

NIGHT-TIME PERSONALISED AND STANDARD TOUR
(from 7.00pm to 8.00am, 40 minutes, maximum 6 people per gondola)
EURO 100

additional 20 minutes EURO 50

These are the official fees set forth by the ombudsman of Venezia, and are posted on the City of Venezia's official website. Certain gondoliers were charging people much higher fees than are allowed by the city. Ask your gondolier about prices beforehand, if it is higher than the fees above, find another gondolier.

We tried gondola group after group and everyone of them was in the $150 range even though we were negotiating for 2 gondolas for our group of 7. This was on January 4. I think our problem was the large number of Japanese tourists at each area who were apparetnly more willing to overpay. We decided to forget the whole thing and just enjoy endless joyriding on our vapo passes.

Al,

I have taken a gondola ride both day and evening. If you are going with a spouse or significant other I would say evening, very romantic. Of course during the day you see more but it is magical at night. We took the ride from Piazza Santa Maria Formosa and it was cheaper and very pretty. The gondolier was great. Have fun.

Go in the evening when it's dark. It's very peaceful and relaxing since there are not as many boats on the canal. Plus, it just feels more magical. You can see the sites during the day from the water taxis.

We were in Venice a couple of weeks ago and the price of a gondola ride is 100-150E depending on the duration of the ride but it is worth it.

One more comment on this topic. We were in Venice in june and took a Gondola ride. I had read in Rick's book about being certain to agree on the price before getting in so we did (80 Euro). Unfortunately, I did not also ensure we agreed on the length. While 40 minutes is the norm, our guy returned us wtihout comment in 25. We felt very ripped off.

My wife and I went on a night gondola ride and it was pricey but totally worth it. We went to different gondola docks to get prices. Try to bargain with the gondoliers because they will try to rip you off. They will ask for $150 to cruise the Grand Canal by the Rialto Bridge. We checked the docks by St. Mark's square and was approached by a very nice gondolier. We bargained for a $120 Euro ride that took us under the Rialto bridge but stayed mostly in the inner canals which at night are very serene and romantic. Our gondolier was great pointing out points of interest and giving a history of the city. He answered any questions we asked and spoke very good English. Well worth the price.