30-min Private Gondola Ride for up to 5 people
Description
• Enjoy a must-do experience in Venice without wasting time on site thanks to online booking • Enjoy the privilege of having an entire gondola at your disposal for 30 minutes up to a maximum of 5 people, without the hassle to share it with people you don't know, as is the case with cheaper shared gondola rides • Start your ride just a few steps from St Mark’s Square but away from the crowds of tourists • Cruise past famous highlights of Venice overlooking the Grand Canal but also discover the intimate charm and hidden gems of inner canals
Tour Options
Itinerary
See the scenic tower of the famous La Fenice Theater, rebuilt exactly as it once looked and where it was located after the great fire in 1996, which affected the whole building. You will also glide underneath an elegantly carved stone bridge, dedicated to Maria Callas, who made her first Venetian debut at La Fenice thanks to her starring role in Bellini's ‘The Puritans’.
At the beginning of your ride, admire one of the most evocative sights of Venice, the 17th century Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, overlooking the Grand Canal. It was designed as a votive offering by the entire city to celebrate the end of the terrible plague of 1630.
After the Basilica della Salute, you find Punta della Dogana that divides the Grand Canal from the Giudecca Canal and where the "Palla d'Oro" stands. It is a well-known gilt bronze sphere on top of the Dogana de Mar tower.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
Reviews(43)
Quite expensive for less than 30 minutes. I recommend doing more research and selecting a different company. The gondolier was friendly enough but it just felt very rushed, and we were back and out of the boat in under 25 minutes.
My wife has always wanted to visit Venice and we were so much looking forward to this part of the visit. The Gondola operators were a little rude, the ride was expensive and only lasted about 25mins total and the gondolier never said a word the whole ride. Very dissapointed. Will never return.
I booked this well in advance and was so looking forward to it. The gondolier was dressed in white and appeared to be more senior than all the others we passed. In fact nearly every gondolier spoke to him. Although he never spoke to us. We spent so much for this and didn’t get our money’s worth. What a disappointment don’t waste your money booking this. There are plenty of gondolas canal side. We rarely don’t leave a tip, and even though there was a tip jar (hat and sign) we did not leave a tip.
The customer service and everything leading up to the gondola ride was smooth and organized. However, it’s solely just a quiet short boat ride. Our gondolier didn’t say a single word or give us history, or offer to take a picture or anything. We saw other gondoliers going above and beyond for people and were hoping the same for our anniversary. Cool experience, but I would say it’s not worth the money.
A nice leisurely ride, very courteous staff, quick entry facilitated by our printed ticket. We arrived mid morning and had no wait. By midday it had become very crowded.
It was nice. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. We got some amazing pictures. But, it felt rushed. It didn’t live up to expectations and it cost more than we were told it would by the locals.
Venice is so much more than what We expected, pictures. movies, posters, etcetera do not compare with the Real experience of Venice; you just have to visit, And when you Do, please make some room in your agenda to visit the surrounding islands, gorgeous different towns, just minutes away but each one with each a specific atmosphere, style...
Please do not book this company. This company is extremely unprofessional. If I could give 0 stars, I would. We arrived 30 minutes prior to our reservation at 6:30 pm. When we arrived to the front, we showed our reservation booking in which we paid just about $200 (2 people). We were directed to go further down away from the original departure area because we were “at the wrong place.” So we followed directions and walked to the other side of the area of check-in (this was about a 20 minute-walk; however, at this point, since we had more than enough time before our reservation, we weren’t panicking). We walk to the other side only to be met by no one and there was no other company to attend to us. We were a bit confused as to why we were directed in this direction if no one was able to assist us. We began calling the company but the number did not go through. When we checked TripAdvisor, the pictures as to where we should meet were the original location where we were. So we decided to walk back to the original location in which we were dismissed. We walked (20 minutes) back to the original departure destination in front of the gondolas and we asked to speak with the manager. At this time, it’s 7:03 pm and we are furious that we might miss our booking. We are explaining to the manager (we show him our booking, we show him the company that we booked which matches the polo he is wearing). At this point, the same fellow that came out before and told us we were at the wrong place (Marco), comes out to tell us we are still in the wrong place. The manager then takes us to the back to see if our names put in the system. LOW AND BEHOLD. Our reservation is right in front of his eyes. He then does not apologize and basically dismissed us to the corner to get on a random ride. Then, after waiting for another 30 minutes, we finally get on the gondola ride. My friend who I was with suggested that we record the time in which we are on the gondola as we paid for a 30 minute ride. I did not think it would be a big deal as I was just happy to finally be on the gondola but I told her to go ahead. No kidding, we were on the gondola for about 16 minutes. When we asked the person that was maneuvering the gondola that we barely reached 16 minutes, he replied, “It’s more or less 30 minutes.” We were extremely furious and will make share to share with family and friends are disgust with this company. It is absolutely saddening the discrimination that we faced and I suggest that you find another company to enjoy this experience.
Dear customer, we are very sorry you went through such a huge inconvenience with finding the correct meeting point and that you were sent back and forth between two different Gondola stations. As you might have noticed, in Venice there are several Gondola stations located one close to another, and the gondoliers all wear the same uniform (the white and blue/red-striped t-shirt) which we understand might cause a little confusion in finding the right place to go to. Especially during the Spring-Summer season, all stations are often overcrowded, and gondoliers may sometimes be in a rush when welcoming a huge number of customers daily and can easily get confused. In fact, this is exactly what happened with your reservation. Unfortunately, upon your arrival, they got confused and mistaken in finding your reservation on their system since they did not recognise your voucher at first and thought your reservation was departing from a different Gondola station, closer to theirs. At this point, you were also dismissed by the other gondola station, which we also work with, since they did not have your reservation either, and they sent you back to exactly the same spot where you weren’t accepted earlier. Eventually, they managed to check you in, but it was already later than expected. We are aware this was a waste of your time, and we do apologise for this, but please understand that similar situations happen on a regular basis in Venice for all types of services during the High Season, as you might have seen when you were visiting the city. For the same reasons, also the duration of the gondola ride might be subject to variations in the route. The gondola is a unique type of boat whose use is strictly linked to the daily tide level or tide condition (favourable or unfavourable water flow) and other factors such as traffic on the canals. In fact, canals are very busy and sometimes gondoliers need to adjust the itinerary depending on the water level, the traffic on the inner canals, or the unstable weather. In conclusion, we hope that you accept our apologies, certain that we will keep improving our services based on the important feedback we receive from our clients and encouraging our local partner to do so, as well. Thank you, Insidecom Team
We booked this ride for 30 minutes but it didn’t even last 15 minutes and when we asked the staff, he said it’s okay, it’s normal. No way, waste of money if this is normal or it’s swindling!
Grand canal and smaller waterways. But only 20 min. Confusing getting there, they told me to go elsewhere and then the other group sent me back. &150 for 5 seems high given the tours on the spot are 80 euros for 30 min.
