Gondola ride in Venice - which is most price effective way ?

Just wait until you get to Venice and talk to a couple different gondola operators. They will all cost about the same amount as it is set by law. 115 per person is crazy and I would not consider paying it. We were there 2 years ago and a ride was between 60 and 85 euros depending on the length of the ride and that was for 2 or us. We chose not to ride as it was getting late but I thought the rates were fine. Donna

Or just take the 5 minute Traghetto ride across the Grande Canale for .50 Euro in a real gondola but without the serenade.

Tim, paying € 0,50 to cross the canal is a different experience, lasts 3-4 minutes.

That price is totally crazy. Don't pay that! There will be gondoliers at points asking passing tourists if they want a ride. We started out at 80 euro and got him down to 60. It was about a half hour ride for four of us (no serenading tho).

The tour prices for a gondola are ridiculous. There are many locations to get a gondola ride and they are a set fare, you pay one price for the entire gondola ride, not per person from those locations and up to 6 people. The current official fare is €80 for 40 minutes with an additional 20 minutes each at €40, the rates go up after dark. That's for the entire gondola, up to 6 people, not per person. 40 minute ride for 4 of you would only be €80, still not cheap, but much more reasonable. There are plenty of gondolas around, wander the back streets and you'll find gondoliers offering rides. Just agree on time, route and price before starting off.

"...paying € 0,50 to cross the canal is a different experience, lasts 3-4 minutes" I think that's what I already said, wasn't it?

The fun thing with the traghetti is that you can tell the tourists from the locals by how they ride. Tourists scramble on and sit down. Locals step on, turn back toward the side that they are leaving, and stay standing. They know that the boat turns around right after it shoves off, so then they're facing the correct way. They also know that it's so quick that there's no point in sitting.

Thanks, Michael. We must be local since we never sit down. ;o) We do spend two-three months a year in Venice these days. Must say that altho we have taken the vaporetto and traghetto often, we have never had the desire to ride a gondola for the price. Our apartment this coming holidays is on a canal and we will be watching the gondola glide by.

We were their two years ago (in the summer~yikes) and the Gondoliers were asking 100 euros for 30 minutes. Granted, in the Summer Venize is packed shoulder to shoulder with tourists. Maybe they up their rate simply because they can. The lines were long to get on the boats, and the boats cruised down the canals back to back. Like a disneyland ride. Not our idea of a good time. Venice is beautiful, and the experience may be worth it to some, but we saved the $240 dollars and spent it on another night and day in Italy away from the crowds.

Thanks everyone for invaluable advise! Based on these responses, we will opt to sort out ride when we reach there.

If you do decide to do a gondola ride, I suggest hiring one somewhere other than San Marco. There are little clutches of gondolas tied up throughout the city, and they can take you on the more interesting back alleys of Venice and show you parts of Venice you can only see from a boat.

We booked a walking tour and Gondola ride as a package with Expedia. We paid $58.00 a person. Go to Expedia activities and see if you want to do it. We met another couple in the tour and had a great time. The Gondola ride took us out into the Grand canal and then through other smaller canals. The rest of the tour was fun and informative (I guess that would depend on your guide). Copy/paste and go to the link. If you book it, meet for the tour at the TI in San Marcos Square. Good Luck.
http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=tsdt

#1 a Traghetto is not like a gondola ride. It's a quick point to point trip standing across the canal. #2 A gondola ride is 85 euros for up to 6 people for 45 minutes. If you get away from San Marco to some of the quieter canals as you cross a small bridge where there are often gondoliers you will hear "Gondola. Gondola, Gondola!" from there you may be able to bargain a bit a probably get the better deal earlier in the day. It's about 20 more euros at night but any time is a good time for a gondola ride in Venice. Don't prebook there are plenty available once you arrive in Venice. #3 Forget the serenade, it's plenty nice without it.

I would expect to pay between 75 and 125 for the four of you total. It's somewhat negotiable but depends mostly on time of day, time of year, etc. Prices may be pretty brutal when cruise ship crowds are present but I can't imagine they would be 115 per person for four people. The cruise ship most likely loads six per Gondola, the max they can take. If I were negotiating, I would ask a Gondolier why I should choose him over others? Is his tour longer than the others? Does he sing? Is he more fun than other Gondoliers? Will he take us to the most wonderful places? Will he tell us about the places we see? I would ask the questions with a smile on my face and choose someone with a sense of humor. I would, seriously, want to know how long the ride was before I agreed to a price and loaded up.