Gondola Ride

Spend the extra money to do the gondola ride in the evening with the serenade. And go with someone you really love.

You can’t leave Venice without going on a gondola ride

Sure it’s hokey, commercial and way too expensive. But if you’re with your loved one it’s a must and will be remembered as one of the most romantic things you ever did. Also the view from a gondola gives you an entirely different perspective on the canals. The usual price is 100 euros for an hour ride but most will give you a cheaper shorter trip if asked and if you find a gondolier off the well treaded tourist path, you may be able to bargain down. Talk to your gondolier a few seconds before deciding. A gondolier with a pleasant, eager to please disposition will enhance your experience.Our gondolier proudly pointed out where he was married and was happy to give us tips on the city’s romantic spots.

The whole thing with gondola rides seems overly touristy and overrated. I had more fun chatting in the sidestreets of Venice with local kids than on the $100 USD gondola ride I was invited to join.

I took the gondola ride at night, and it was a very intimate, very special (kind of spooky) and very memorable experience. The calls the gondoliers make (to avoid crashing into each other) come bouncing across the water through the streets and alleyways, and there’s something interesting about looking up into the lit windows from the dark water. Also, the turn out into the loud, brilliantly lit Grand Canal from the dark, narrow alleys is something burned upon my brain until the day I die.