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If you visit Venice and don’t take a gondola ride, then you haven’t visited Venice. I know, it’s a totally touristy thing to do, but one of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about Venice are gondolas.
What does it cost?
Gondola rides can be expensive, whether you take one on the Grand Canal or through the smaller, quieter canals in the rest of the city. The city sets the rates at €90 for 30 minutes (as of August 2024). After 7pm, the rates increase to €110. Ask the gondolier to sing and the rate will go even higher.
Do you have to pay the set rates? No. You can negotiate both the rate and the length of the ride. If you’re not comfortable with the price, don’t do it. Also, up to five people can ride a gondola, so splitting the cost isn’t out of the question. If you do decide to take the ride, it will be a memorable experience and you’ll probably feel it was well worth the time and money.
Our Gondola Ride
We were very lucky and found a gondolier who approached us and offered us a 40 minute ride for €40. This was after the crowds from New Year’s had left and the city was a bit empty. We jumped on the offer and started our gondola ride on Rio di San Provolo, just outside of the Church of St. George of the Greeks in the Castello district of the UNESCO World Heritage city.
The first part of the ride took us down Rio di San Lorenzo and past the Church of San Lorenzo.
We then turned down Rio della Tetta and passed by several beautiful buildings. It was interesting to see the buildings from the canals rather than the streets.
Rio della Tetta merged with Rio di San Giovanni Laterano, where we passed under a couple of bridges before making a left turn down a narrower canal.
We took the next left down Rio del Mondo Novo, passing our hotel and the Church of Santa Maria Formosa, which is located on Campo Santa Maria Formosa.
From there, we wound back through the quiet canals of Rio di Santa Maria Formosa and Rio di San Severo to where we started.
Worth the Wait
In the end, we paid the gondolier a little extra for an excellent experience. He took a few photos for us and explained the history of some of the buildings we passed by. Just when we thought we weren’t going to take a gondola ride after five days in Venice, the opportunity presented itself. It was worth waiting for. Click here for a virtual tours of the canals.
