sunset gondola ride

How long is the ride? Grand Canal or side canals? How many additional passengers will be in your gondola. Get all of that those details ironed out before you agree to the proposal. Personally I think gondola rides are overrated and a bit funny to watch the tourists all packed into a boat gliding along canals as onlookers gawk and take pictures. If you just want the experience of riding in a gondola consider taking the traghetto across the grand canal for 50 cent euro. It's a 2 or 3 minute ride across in a real gondola, but you don't get pillows or serenades as you go. Take your remaining $54.50 and have a nice dinner and bottle of wine.

From our experience, the cost of a gondola ride is about 100Euro for the entire boat which holds up to 5-6 people. The ride takes about 45 minutes. We shared a gondola with 3 others (older couple with granddaughter). Our cost was 20Euro per person ($24). There's no shortage of gondolas in Venice. I don't see why you have to book one in advance when they are all over the place looking for your business.

Tim, I think you mean "your remaining Euro 79.50"...

Here are two links to pictures of two of the many gondola areas. No big shortage on the gondolas here. LINK LINK

grazie for this information! i actually found a few older threads after i asked my q...we are girl scout group of 4 teens 2 adults and because we are doing our best to stretch our hard earned cookie money, we will consider the trag ride for 50cents. but of course, kids see the world thru different lens so if the magic of venice includes the gondola, then i will negotiate around the 80-100 euro mark---which is a tremendous savings over viator's reservation of $55 p/p!

Ten or eleven years ago my wife and I were taken in a gondola with a musician and a singer. We were the only passengers. Fortunately, we did not have to pay for it.
Was it romantic and exciting, darn right. Would we do it again? Only if we did not have to pay for it. We will be in Venice again this coming September and will be content to stand on one of the many bridges and watch the gondolas go by. If you really want to spend the money to go on one, you will be better served to go down to the water where you find LOTS of gondolas parked and try bargaining with the gondoliers. Even if they all give you the same price, you know that you are not having to pay someone ahead of time that will make up what the gondoliers are paid. Enjoy Venice.

Hey Rik: '"your remaining Euro 79.50". Sorry, I don't understand. Chris said $55 (55 US Dollars).

Nah, I was speaking in general as the gondolas usually start at 80 euros. Incidently, my friends in Venice once told me that the gondoliers are by far the richest people in Venice, many of them pulling in a couple hundred thousand euros a year or so. I personally have only done it once, on my first trip way back in 2000 and felt so ripped off that I've never felt the urge to do it again in the 50 or 60 times I've been back since. And believe it or not, I only paid about 15 bucks.

I second what James said. We were just in Venice and found the gondolas totally kitschy. I had never imagined I would see bumper-gondolas. They are packed down some canals like sardines. I was totally put off by the many gondoliers cigarette smoking/texting/chatting with friends on the bridges. It was It's a Small World ride gone bad. I was totally disappointed by it.

FWIW, you can catch a gondola all over Venice. We stumbled across lone gondoliers a lot. We never rented one because I'm too cheap/frugal, but you might get more personalized attention if you avoid the big clusters.

When we took our gondola ride we got on a gondola right next to the Frari church. It was away from the St. Marks/Rialto Bridge gondola gridlock area and was quite fun. During out 45-50 minute ride we only passed 1 other gondola, and the gondolier was very attentive and answered every question we had. The ride couldn't have been any better. So if you do decide to go ahead with the ride, make sure you get on one that is a ways outside of the busiest areas. It will be a much better experience.