Charming Gondola Ride on the Grand Canal & Gondola Gallery™
Description
Experience the enchanting essence of Venice as you glide along its romantic waterways with a skilled gondolier. Enjoy complimentary access to an app featuring insightful commentary about your gondola journey. As you soak in stunning views of the Grand Canal, admire landmarks like the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the historic Gritti Palace, along with famous sites such as La Fenice Theatre, Punta della Dogana, and the Mozart House. At the end of your ride, take in a breathtaking panorama of Saint Mark’s Basin and picturesque San Giorgio Island. For an immersive experience, enjoy a unique virtual reality segment that allows you to glide over tranquil waters at sunset, witnessing Venice’s beauty through the ages. Sail through the Grand Canal and serene inner waterways aboard a traditional gondola, bypassing long lines to step directly onto your boat. Charming Gondola Ride on the Grand Canal™ © Venice Tours S.r.l. Licensed to City Tours Co. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tour Options
Itinerary
“The most beautiful road in the world”, this is how the Canal Grande is known as. If you look around, what you will see is almost the same view that a 18th-century nobleman would have seen, and before him a Renaissance courtesan, and even before that, a merchant who lived in the Middle Ages.
Peggy Guggenheim Collection is one of the most important art collections in the world. Peggy Guggenheim, from New York, arrived in Venice in 1949 and began to satisfy her art addiction by buying this wonderful building where she put on display invaluable artworks for the whole world to see. The beautiful terrace you see is where Guggenheim sun-bathed regularly enjoying the view over the Canal Grande
The Gritti Palace got its name from the Gritti family, an old Venetian family, the most important member of which was Andrea Gritti,, the Doge of Venice in the Renaissance. Andrea Gritti led the Venetian armies against the League of Cambrai, consisting in France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, which wanted to stop Venice’s expansionist ambitions in France.
Once one of 7 major theatres in the city, today the Fenice is Venice’s one and only opera house. It is surely a jewel among European theatres, and began to shine from the beginning, as the best composers of the age wrote and performed their operas here, among which Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini. But it was Giuseppe Verdi who is most attached to the Fenice and to Venetian memory.
Here, as you come into the Grand Canal you are opened to the church of the Madonna della Salute. The first thing that strikes a viewer is how imposing the church is, strategically placed at the entrance of the Grand Canal looking out onto the rest of the city in every direction, thanks to its circular shape. Today, ever 21 November the city celebrates the Madonna della Salute in memory of the end of the plague
We are a unique gallery where you can see and touch a real Venetian Gondola, the only place in Venice where you can have this experience. Discover how a Gondola is made, exploring every detail of this city icon. Get a 3D and VR Experiences: A Dive into the Past on board of the Gondola Immerse yourself in a unique experience thanks to our 3D and VR technology. We invite you to experience Venice as it once was, virtually strolling through its historic alleys, observing its monuments in their original glory, and feeling the authentic atmosphere of past eras. This experience will allow you to step into a book, to become part of the history you are reading.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Unfortunately the tour is not totally accessible for wheelchair users or people with walking disabilities.
- Comfortable shoes and appropriate clothes suggested
- It is mandatory to be at the meeting point 10 minutes before the departure time
- The itinerary could change in case of wind or bad weather
- 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
- The gondolier serves as the driver of the gondola, providing rowing and navigation services throughout the ride.
Reviews(1,425)
We were looking forward to riding in a gondola but this was not the experience we expected. We wound our way on foot through the city past the docks where you can purchase rides, until we reached the experience office. There we were all ushered into a small dark room for a VR history lesson. Then a worker talked to us about the history of gondolas. It felt like they were trying to help us feel like we “got our moneys worth” out of the activity. Some of this information was useful, but it could’ve been done in half the time or as we rode in the gondola. We finally made it back to the gondola docks and boarded the boat. Our gondolier never even acknowledged us. He did not say a word to us or smile the entire ride. Next time I will just go to the docks and find a friendly gondolier who can impart information as we ride.
This felt mass produced. Very basic tour that felt unnecessary, Gondola traffic jam, very short ride. Underwhelming.
Dear Guest, We are sorry to hear that the tour did not meet your expectations. Thank you for the feedback. We always try to improve and offer the best experience to customers. We hope to welcome you to a more positive experience in the future. Regards, Customer Care Team
I didn't realize the VR tour was a part of the full tour. We were put in a tiny, hot room with others and handed VR goggles. I can't say we really enjoyed that part. Then there was a quick walk with some history to the gondola. We had the option of downloading an app to hear about the locations we were passing by, but we opted just to enjoy the ride. Our gondolier didn't say anything to us. It was a short ride, but beautiful.
In the description of the tour there is no mention of a VR history of the Gondola, but that was what the first 15 minutes of our 45 minute “Charming Gondola Ride on the Grand Canal & Gondola Gallery”. It was entertaining and educational, but we were confused since there was no mention of that in the description. The gondola ride was nice, but our gondolier didn’t say a word to us the entire time. I purchased the experience in English thinking we’d get a gondolier that would explain some of what we were seeing and that we could ask questions to, but he literally didn’t say a word to us. I would not recommend this tour to anyone. We got our gondola ride, but that was it.
We were scheduled for 20 minute orientation and 30 minute Gondola Ride. There was no orientation given other than viewing my ticket and gondola ride was about 20 minutes long - a little short. The Gondolier was on his phone entire time. The ride was enchanting - just a little short!
The tour is not impressive for the price. They offered a VR experience at the gallery and never did it. Why even offered something in the itinerary if they are not going to do it. When we asked about it they said it was closed. The workers at the office were dismissive when we told them. They act as if they are not getting paid. Terrible customer service.
The service was rushed and impersonal. The gondolier made very minimal contact or communication with us. He was on his phone and voice messaging or FaceTiming at points. The tour was booked for 45 minutes with a virtual reality experience but was done in 20 minutes without the VR! The actual ride on the canals was lovely but disappointed in not receiving the total experience we paid for.
Scheduling the gondola ride was very easy and we appreciated that. Finding the meeting location was not very clear. It would be helpful to be provided with a landmark such as meet at the Venice Tours office along with the address. It wasn’t clear to us where to check in. There were no signs indicating that was the meeting place. The office bame sisnt match what was on our ticket so we assumed it was a different company but we eventually went in to ask and it turned out we were at the right place. The gondola ride was interesting but the gondolier never said hello or welcome and didn't talk the entire ride. There was no explanation of any of the buildings or the canals. That would have been okay because language could be an issue but at least a friendly hello would have made it a little better. Luckily there was another sweet couple on the ride.
Meeting point was convenient. VR experience was good and informative. I didn't have to validate the ticket.
This is by far one of the best Gondala and history tours you can have. For €85, you and your partner can have a 45 minute Gondala tour through Venice and onto the Grand Canal. You'll get a VR history introduction about Venice, then a 10 minute walk to the Gondala's with a tour guide. The guides are extremely knowledgeable, friendly, accommodating and talk to you via an ear piece whilst walking and on the Gondala. What a brilliant experience for the money.
