Our family of 5 is headed to Venice in June and would love to take a gondola ride in the evening (some may think it cheesy, but my kids and wife would enjoy it).
Is there any wisdom in booking one in advance? If so, any recommendations on companies?
Posted by
NorthCarolina
1132 posts
I can't answer this question, but a ride along the whole canal on the Vaporetto is also amazing. Put the FREE Rick Steves app on your phone BEFORE you leave == there is a great Venice Canal tour - we love listening to it as we ride the Vaporetto - he goes over lots of good history. There is also good walking tours in Venice on that app.
Posted by
Idaho, USA
8081 posts
Don’t book it in advance. The price is set across the city, so there’s no advantage. Plus you can choose the boat & driver in case you would like one with the traditional striped shirt, etc.
Have a great time!
Posted by
Atlanta
1008 posts
What Jean said. I prefer the small canals to the Grand Canal (which you can see plenty of on vaporetto trips) so I look for one in a pretty area away from the Grand Canal. We stayed in an apartment across from the Friari church several times, and the guy parked in the canal below our balcony gave us a lovely ride, and sang Elvis songs when the acoustics were to his advantage.
Posted by
San Diego, California
5976 posts
Or you could do Row Venice, which gives group rowing lessons on the beautiful back canals. The gondola rides are about 30 minutes. The Row Venice experience is 90 minutes for the group, about 100 Euros total. You all take turns rowing, and trust me, you're ready for a break, as it's harder than it looks!
Have a great trip!
Posted by
Sacramento, CA
290 posts
No advantage to booking ahead.
However, there is some advantage to thinking about where you might like your ride, ahead of time ( i.e. do you want to ride along the Grand Canal or would you rather glide along in a smaller canal? Is there a church you want see from a gondola?).
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
34503 posts
if you book in advance you won't know what the weather will be nor your (and your family) timing. Better to choose on the day.
Posted by
2 posts
I live in Venezia and can tell you that you don't need to prebook. They are everywhere and the prices are set so when they say special price...okay special as in the same price for everyone. It's their thing, trying to draw people in. Trust me, they are not going to rip you off. They are all the same price IF you are doing the same route. So don't bother to dicker with them.
It's not cheesy at all....it is a great way to see Venezia. Just know that you will be mostly in side canals and only briefly on the grand canal....it is SO busy with vaporettos, taxis, delivery boats, polizia, trash boats...you will be happy to get into the back canals.
Enjoy!