Venice - gondola rides and glass blowing

I'm sure any gondolier would take you up the Grand Canal. Like anything else, money talks. Don't know of any glass blowing places that you create your own glass. You can probably find it somewhere.

I was in Venice just a few weeks ago and Vaporetto No. 1 travels up the entire Grand Canal, if you are interested in a euro-saving tip.

I think it was Vaparetto #42 that did the grand canal, out to Morano and then around the other islands. It was a neat ride that took over an hour and a half and gave you a great idea of how the islands work. As well, it was only 4 Euro or something like that.

Totally recommend it if you can get a seat in the back.

It's unlikely a gondolier would take you the entire length of the Grand Canal. It's a very long trip and is choppy and congested. Private gondolas may go out into the Canal for a short ways but they primarily travel through smaller side canals.

I suppose if you offered enough money, a gondolier might attempt it (and you'd have to pay for his return). As others have pointed out, the vaporetto is the better deal to see the Grand Canal.

Glass-blowing is a highly skilled craft that takes much application to learn.

You can see demonstrations in Murano and in Venice.

The gondola ride is something you should do once. A vaporetto ride is not going to compare to it. Yes, it is expensive but worth it. An ideal way to do it would be sharing the ride with someone--and a gondolier who sings and plays accordian adds to the enjoyment. Have a great time in Venice!

The Grand Canal is the superhighway of Venice - very busy with lots of traffic. The beauty of gondola rides is getting back into the smaller side canals and seeing sites that can only be seen from a gondola. It's much quieter and more romantic as well. Plus a gondola ride for the length of the GC would cost you a fortune, possibly several hundred euros. (Incidentally, a gondolier cannot play an accordion and guide the boat at the same time, as was sort of implied in a previous post. You would have to pay extra to have a musician on the gondola.)

Remember, even if you have what you think is a good idea, if nobody else does it, it might not be.

I'm a Vaporetto traveler but there is another option. You can take a private water taxi up the grand canal. It's a lot more expensive than the Vaporetto but won't cost as much as a Gondola.

I rarely spend a lot to splurge on touristy stuff. If I did, I would only take a Gondola at night and try to get some quiet back canal views of old Pallazos.

As far as glass blowing. As was said before, I'm sure you could find someone to give you a lesson; just don't count on creating something worth bringing home in your first try. As a teen I threw pottery in a studio next to glass blowers. Every time someone tried blowing glass, the molten glass would simply drip off the end of the stick because you have to keep turning it to keep it balanced.

Devereaux--I'm a glass artist that went to Murano this past summer. There are a variety of techniques in the glass arts--glass "blowing" is only one of many. Glass blowing makes hollow things. You can also cold work glass. I make beads and buttons out of glass, this technique is called "lampworking" because the original flame used to melt the glass was from a lamp--an oil lamp or a candle. The making of very large objects, like chandeliers, utilizes a furnace type heat source, or a "glory hole". If you have no experience with this type of art, I do not think any of the places in Murano will let you try it. This type of art is hard physical labor with conditions that are not optimal--hot, hot, hot. And remember, Italians speak mainly Italian, so communication is limited. If you want to try making beads there are several artists on Murano that teach classes. Check out the website: lampworketc.com and then search the "classes" section. David Penso is just one of many fabulous bead makers, although he considers himself a jewelry designer with handmade glass beads, he does teach lampworking classes. PM me if you have any other questions.

I asked a Gondolier how much he'd charge and he said 60 Euros per 1/2 hour. To do the whole Grand Canal will cost you a lot of money. Well if you are wealthy, go ahead, but IMO the price is ridiculuos.
You can get a daily pass for 14 Euros good on any boat and bus or take one the boats that goes along the Canal for 6 Euros one way.
On Murrano island there is a glass factory. I guess you can the glass blow there.

I was in Venice several weeks ago and I actually took a grand canal tour with a tour company that is mentioned in the RS book. http://www.tours-italy.com/venice-city_tours-grand_canal.htm

There were only 6 of us on the boat, including the driver and guide. The tour was almost an hour and a half and the guide gave us the history of various buildings along the canal. It was about 40 euros a person and you get to drink prosecco.
I actually liked it much better than our gondola ride - which felt rushed. And it didnt help that our gondolier was too busy talking loudly to his buddies along the way.

For me I thought the vaporetto was good enough, I stayed at a hostel up near the train station and loved taking the vaporetto up and down the grand canel and it was so much fun! Personally I feel like the gondola's are over priced, I saw many gondoliers taking on their cell phones while steering the gondola - kinda ruins the romance.

As for the glass blowing I was pretty dissapointed with Murona, there really is not much on the island, the glass blowing demonstration I saw was only about 10 mins. and pretty lame, they then cart you through the show room hoping you buy soemthing. I found my time much better spent walking the streets from San Marco up to the Jewish Getto and hsopping near Rialto.

Ditto Cora,

I skipped Murano, heard it was too touristy. So I went to Burano - very touristy IMHO, and Torcello - a loooonng way to go for not very much. Wish I had spent that day getting lost in Venice instead.

Another good and inexpensive way to see the Grand Canal is take a traghetto ride ACROSS the canal. It is only 1/2 a Euro. They are in several spots, but I took one near the Rialto Bridge.

My wife and I were in Venice just over a month ago, and after talking to people who had taken a gondola ride and felt it was overpriced, we skipped it and got a three-day vaporetto pass.

It was wonderful! Going back up to the poster who said the Grand Canal is the superhighway of Venice, I was amazed and fascinated at the amount of traffic streaming through there.

We stayed in the Accademia area, walked down to Zattere, got on a vaporetto that went to Lido, then caught another that went around the east and north sides of Venice and ended up back at the train station. A great way to see the area!

Two words of advice--one poster mentioned sitting in the back. Not all vaporetti (sp?) are the same. Some are only open in the middle at the boarding area. We just waited until enough people left and moved to the edge. And, they recently changed the numbers of the routes for the vaporetti, so be careful with older guidebooks. Get current into when you get your pass.