Venice Gondola advice

[dbh62ark]

it doesn't matters where you get a gondola

 

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/gallivanting_by_gondola.htm

I don't think it matters from a price standpoint, but I do think the quality of your ride varies a lot based on where you board the gondola. After 44 days in Venice, our (educated) opinion is that the tourists who board in the Grand Canal at stands such as the one by the Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal are out in the midst of a lot of hustle and bustle. Not my idea of a romantic gondola ride. We've taken the gondola rides from several stands, and our favorite is the one just off St. Mark's Square. If you stand with the Basilica at your back facing the square, there is an opening approx 3/4 of the way down the long right side of the square. If you board in this area, your ride goes down some scenic canals and then out into the Grand Canal briefly for a view of the Rialto Bridge from a different perspective than you have on foot. That's my favorite route for a gondola ride, and it's a great experience.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[CathyCruises]

That's good to know from someone who obviously knows from whence they speak. It was fun to see the wedding couples riding--must be somewhat of a local custom.

 

Cathy

[ondeckatsea]

Is it $75-$85 per passenger or for a gondola full?

[nparmelee]

The current official gondola rates are:

€80 for 40 minutes, additional 20-minute increments are €40.

After 7 p.m., the base rate climbs to €100, with €50 for an additional 20 minutes.

Up to six people can share a gondola.

 

That is per gondola, not per person.

[dbh62ark]

I should also have noted that from the gondola stand I referenced, the gondoliers will help you to form a group if you don't have one. So you can split a gondola ride between three couples and get to meet some new friends. :) Honestly, we rarely meet people we don't like, and it's fun to share a gondola ride with strangers because who's not in a good mood in Venice? :) :)

 

Donna

[ondeckatsea]

That makes it a lot more reasonable. Guess we will be taking a gondola ride after all!

[vakamalua]

Not only are they very expensive but it can be VERY hot and humid down in the gondola in the small canals during the summer!

[hylasgirl]

Not only are they very expensive but it can be VERY hot and humid down in the gondola in the small canals during the summer!

 

 

Some things are worth the money. I believe ONE gondola ride in your life is one of them. And I think doing it once without sharing with someone else (especially a stranger) is another thing that is worth the money.

 

Venice by gondola is amazing!!! And talk about photo moments around every corner. You just can't get the same pictures any other way.

[dbh62ark]

Not only are they very expensive but it can be VERY hot and humid down in the gondola in the small canals during the summer!

Well, of course it depends on your budget, but I think 25-30 Euros per couple (depending on whether or not you tip) is very reasonable for such a wonderful experience. And if anyone is concerned about the heat, they can consider going in the morning or late in the day to avoid the heat. It's hard for me to imagine anyone being unhappy in Venice under any circumstances and certainly not on a gondola ride, but I suppose that just due to my great love of Venice and my (usually) sunny nature.

 

Happy travels,

Donna

[ruby_tuesday]

Hi - my mother is going to Venice this summer and she is concerned about boarding a gondola as she is almost 70 and has heard reports of people finding it tricky. I really want her to go on one and enjoy Venice, as it has been her ambition to go there for years - can anyone advise me please on how easy it is or whether they are quite 'tippy' - my only experience was boarding one in the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas :D - that was fun!!

 

Have a fantastic time anyone going on the Ruby - it is an incredible ship, went on there for my honeymoon in December and you are in for a treat!

 

Thanks in advance for any replies!

[dbh62ark]

Hi - my mother is going to Venice this summer and she is concerned about boarding a gondola as she is almost 70 and has heard reports of people finding it tricky.

It's not hard at all to board at the gondola stand (in St. Mark's Square) that I mentioned earlier in this thread. Employees at this stand help everyone board the gondolas, and I've seen many older than your mother (my mother is 69) board the gondolas at this stand.

 

Happy travels,

Donna

[ruby_tuesday]

It's not hard at all to board at the gondola stand (in St. Mark's Square) that I mentioned earlier in this thread. Employees at this stand help everyone board the gondolas, and I've seen many older than your mother (my mother is 69) board the gondolas at this stand.

 

Happy travels,

Donna

 

Brilliant, many thanks Donna - I will pass the message on. I really want her to go as she will only regret it if she doesn't, and this will help put her mind at rest.

 

Thanks again!

[David]

Has anyone taken the gondola evening serenade ride? Can you find them on your own like the regular gondolas -- and, if so, where? The ship's price for this is an outrageous $140 per person, just for a 40 minute ride (but these include transport there -- not a big deal). I've found two websites that book the rides for the mid-$50 per person range for the evening gondola serenade that leaves from the station near the Gritti Palace.

 

Any suggestions would be welcome. Many thanks.

 

David

[travelingran]

Has anyone taken the gondola evening serenade ride? Can you find them on your own like the regular gondolas -- and, if so, where? The ship's price for this is an outrageous $140 per person, just for a 40 minute ride (but these include transport there -- not a big deal). I've found two websites that book the rides for the mid-$50 per person range for the evening gondola serenade that leaves from the station near the Gritti Palace.

 

Any suggestions would be welcome. Many thanks.

 

David

 

 

DO NOT TAKE THE SHIP'S GONDOLA RIDE.

 

we did take it and i was so disappointed. they herded a group to a water taxi and took us to st marks area. we were told we would walk over i think 4 bridges and then down another long walk to a waiting group of gondolas. since there were only 2 of us, we were placed with another couple we had never seen before. we went in a short circle and back to the original point. there were about 4 or 5 gondolas in a group so close together that it was hard for the guys to keep from hitting another gondola. there was a serenader on one of the gondolas. it was not a romantic evening gondola ride by any means. the only good thing about the evening was that they had a photographer waiting when we boarded the gondola to take our picture. that could have been better if we were not with 2 strangers. i would have preferred to have the picture taken with the two of us. we purchased the pictures when we returned to the original starting place. it was late, maybe 9:00 or so and we were then told we were on our own for approx 30 or 40 min, i can't remember. we stopped and had a drink at a cafe and then just wondered around as the cafe's around the dock were closing for the evening.

 

as you can tell, we do not do many ship tours as we prefer to do things on our own time frame. you can hire a gondola anywhere along the canal. there are so many on the canal, you can pick and choose when and where you want to pick up one.

 

this tour may be fine for some and i am sure some of the cruisers in our group enjoyed it. we did not. it may be exactly what you are looking for but it was not for us.

 

we are in our 60's and we had a wonderful time on this cruise. we are usually not very adventurous, but on this cruise we took trains, buses, metros and walked until we dropped. it was a wonderful way to visit the sites. needless to say we did not gain as much weight on this cruise as we usually do. we ate wonderful food at ports and on the ship, but it seems the exercise took care of all those calories.

 

we loved venice as all the other ports. we took a water taxi (on our own) to murano one afternoon. it was a very relaxing time for us. we had lunch at a wonderful patio cafe there. we had a great time exploring on our own at every port.

 

i know this is a long post but i would also like to mention that in sicily i chartered a coach for 53 of our roll call members to take us to tamorina. that worked out very well, the cost was $12.00 each. we chose the amount of time we wanted to spend there. everyone was on there own. there was no guide. we had a set time to meet to return to the ship. we had lunch at a great sidewalk cafe and visited some ruins there. we just strolled along the streets, shopped and sat on a bench and people watched. tamorina is great little city. the coach was very nice, the scenery on the drive was wonderful.

 

one more thing. we went in late july and the heat was horrible. i would not go at that time again. that said, it was the most incredible trip we have ever taken and we have been on quite a few.

 

if anyone has any questions about any of the ports, i would be happly to help. i will try not to make my response so long.

[David]

Hi Travelingran:

 

Do you know if the gondolas you took were stationed opposite the Gritti Palace hotel, which is a bit of a walk -- or one stop on the Vaporetto local (#1) from St. Marks Plaza?

 

Does anyone know of any other stations to get an evening gondoloa serenade? As mentioned, I found this one location on two websites, and they charge in the mid-$50 range per person, which is much less than the cruise lines charge, but perhaps more than what we could find on our own, if it's possible to do that.

 

FYI -- we are booked on the 31 July sailing of Legend of the Seas and will be in Venice the night of 7 August. It will be hot -- but hopefully more comfortable at 7:30 p.m. for the gondolas.

 

David

[travelingran]

Hi Travelingran:

 

Do you know if the gondolas you took were stationed opposite the Gritti Palace hotel, which is a bit of a walk -- or one stop on the Vaporetto local (#1) from St. Marks Plaza?

 

Does anyone know of any other stations to get an evening gondoloa serenade? As mentioned, I found this one location on two websites, and they charge in the mid-$50 range per person, which is much less than the cruise lines charge, but perhaps more than what we could find on our own, if it's possible to do that.

 

FYI -- we are booked on the 31 July sailing of Legend of the Seas and will be in Venice the night of 7 August. It will be hot -- but hopefully more comfortable at 7:30 p.m. for the gondolas.

 

David

 

i am not sure where we boarded. the water taxi let us off near st marks at a dock which we passed coming into venice on the ship. it was quite a walk through st marks plaza back into a canal area. sorry i can't help more on the location.

 

we went last year at the time you have planned. just be prepared for the heat. take plenty of water every time you get off the boat and eat a lot of gelato (sp).