THE VENICE GONDOLA RIDE EXPERIENCE
What exactly does a Gondola Ride involve?
All gondola rides will end at the same place you began.
The gondolier helps you aboard, you’ll take a seat in a surprisingly comfortable padded seat and be able to stretch out your legs. If you’re a group, there will be a little more arranging at the beginning and it’ll be a bit less spacious, but that’s all there is to it.
Surprisingly smooth and stable when on the small canals, you will just be expected to enjoy the views, take some photos, and duck your head as and when required going under a vertically-challenged bridge. You can also move around it for different photos, but it’s worth checking with the gondolier when you can / cannot do this.
You will be exposed to the elements so, if gliding along under the peak summer sun, bring your own hat or umbrella. In winter, don’t let yourself become too cold half way through.
The gondolier takes care of the route and the rest, bringing you back hopefully without shaving off too many minutes from the agreed time before you pay and say arrivederci!
Where is best place for a gondola ride in Venice? Should you do a gondola ride down the Grand Canal?
This is probably the most important point to note in this Venice Gondola guide.
Quite simply, you should not take your gondola ride in the Grand Canal. Yes, you may have seen some beautiful photos of people in gondolas in the canal, or lovely photos taken from the canal looking out to Rialto Bridge or the Doge’s Palace. However, that is not the best way to spend your 30 minutes or €90.
As mentioned, as beautiful as it is, the Grand Canal is the main thoroughfare for all the boats in Venice. This means water taxis, vaporetti, private boats, delivery boats, and even those ghastly gargantuan cruise ships – please get your shit together on that Venice (cruise ships were technically banned from the city a couple of years ago but the ban is yet to be implemented).
For you, this means congestion, traffic, and noise – and a much rougher ride due to the resultant waves. This is an issue recognised by the work of the Gondolier’s Guild who have protested against the increasing number of motorised boats on the Grand Canal, further eating into your already brief time on the water. These waves reduce the average lifespan of the traditional wooden boats by 75%, and tragically contributed to a tourist’s death on a gondola ride in 2013.
Further, rides departing from nearby St Mark’s Square, Rialto, the Bridge…
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