Gondola Rides in Venice
What better way to top off your stay in Venice than to experience what you’ve only ever seen in movies? You can almost hear the melodious voice singing “When the moon hits your eyes like a big pizza pie…” as you glide along the glistening water on a gondola, feeling the cold crisp evening air brush your face. Ah, the gondola. You can’t get any more romantic than that. Some people marvel at the Grand Canal and are content simply riding along it on a water taxi or ferry. But others can’t help but feel their heart tugged in the direction of the more sentimental and reflective counterpart. Although it may cost much more, sometimes you simply cannot put a price on a once in a lifetime experience.
If you pass the Grand Canal, it won’t be long until you spot someone riding on a gondola. There are plenty of them all around. It’s not a surprise, because the main form of transportation in Venice are water vehicles, and gondolas are one of them. But don’t misunderstand, it’s not like every Venetian gets to experience a romantic gondola ride on the way to work each day. Oh no, nobody really uses the gondola as strictly a form of transport anymore. Nowadays, it’s more of tourists who are the ones flocking to them, and it isn’t for practicality, but always for the ride and the experience. If your goal is to actually get from one place to another, you should use the ferries or water taxis—they’re a lot cheaper. But, you’d be crazy to go to Venice and not experience a gondola ride, no matter how expensive it is. You’ll get bopped in the head numerous times once you return to your home. So you might want to start brushing up on your gondola knowledge.
It’ll be easy to differentiate a gondola and gondolier from the rest of the water vehicles. Gondolas can be flat, black and long, somewhat resembling a oversized canoe. Or many can have lots of decorations on them, calling out for attention. You’ll know someone’s a gondolier because they are required to wear a striped shirt with black pants and closed shoes, sometimes they even have a hat.
Some people ride gondolas on the Grand Canal, but others prefer a more peaceful route. Sometimes it gets too crowded on the main waterways. What some people opt to do is take the back canals. These canals bring you to less crowded spots, and you can really enjoy the atmosphere in peace. To take this ride, walk a little bit away from the main street, and there you will be able to find gondolas that take you around through the back canals.
A gondola ride is normally 80 euros for 40 minutes, but this can be split between 6 people. For every additional 20 minutes, you need to add 40 euros. At night, the prices go up. After 7pm it’s 100 euros for 40 minutes, plus 50 euros for every additional 20 minutes.
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Rialto Vaporetto Stop, 31024 Venice, Italy