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Follow along with our Florence adventure below! 

Writer's pictureAmanda Rosa

Don’t Tip the Boat Over: What to Expect on a Venetian Gondola Ride

Updated: May 18, 2018


A gondola goes down the famous Rialto, Venice's busiest waterway. The Rialto Bridge is famous for its shops, similar to the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. Many gondola rides will go through the Rialto and turn into a side canal.

The only way to experience Venice is by water. If “Waterworld” was a gorgeous 15th century utopia with spritz and overpriced straw hats, it would be Venice.


After just a day of hopping around different islands, I had a serious case of sea legs. Small, green waves lap docks and boats weave in and out of the city’s main artery, the Rialto. Instead of the usual Fiat, small motorboats are parked in the water across from gelato-colored apartments. Even the water taxi stops bob up and down like apples in a bucket.


Gondolas can fit up to six passengers, not including the gondolier who steers the boat from the back. Gondoliers often shout at one another to say hello while boating down canals.

Boating is inevitable, and Venice is defined by its relationship with water. In fact, Venetians celebrate an annual Marriage of the Sea in which the mayor throws a wedding ring into the Adriatic Sea to renew their vows and express their devotion. The thousand-year love affair makes sense; the sea provides food, commerce, fun and transportation to the city. It’s no wonder millions of international tourists wish to experience Venice the good, old-fashioned way: the gondola.


I’ll admit, I’m not one to be that American tourist. I’ll avoid gaudy souvenir shirts, walk the streets as fast as locals do and try to order my cappuccino in Italian (although the barista always replies in English). However, I was prepared to dish out some extra cash to sit in a little boat and float around Venice. My friends felt the same way.


A gondolier ducks under a bridge while guiding tourists around the Venetian island of San Marco. San Marco is known as the city's "tourist hub" and is home to the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica.
A gondolier ducks under a bridge while guiding tourists around the Venetian island of San Marco. San Marco is known as the city's "tourist hub" and is home to the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica.

The gondola is the canoe’s skinny cousin. In the early days of Venice, the lagoons required a shallow vessel for residents to get around, according to the Telegraph. Today, gondolas can fit up to six passengers, not including the gondolier, or gondola driver, who steers while standing on the back of the boat. Gondola passengers are always tourists. Locals take the Vaporetto, which is a water bus, to get from island to island.


Venice ain’t cheap, so let’s talk money. The Venetian government sets the average price of a standard gondola ride: 80 euros for 40 minutes. Every additional 20 minutes is about 40 euros. However, no two gondola rides are the same. Prices ultimately depend on the amount of time and the gondolier’s services.


For example, a 30-minute ride at sunset complete with a serenading gondolier will cost upwards of 100 euros. You can find gondola ride booths around the city, but don’t expect to find anything less than 80 euros off the bat. The easiest, and usually cheapest, way to buy a ride is online.

A happy young couple strolls down the canals of Venice and talks to their gondolier. A private, two-person gondola ride can cost upwards of 100 euros.

For 31 euros a pop, my four friends, a random New Zealander named Zoe and myself got an unforgettable ride. We booked our ride on Trip Advisor with Bucintoro Viaggi, a travel agency, for the 30-minute gondola ride. The agency’s most popular option is the walking tour and gondola ride for 45 euro.


Before checking in with the touring company, my friends and I crossed the Rialto bridge in search of a good bacaro, which is a Venetian wine bar that serves food similar to Spanish tapas. The bacaro we found served cheap food and bellinis to a large crowd of happy locals.


My meal came out to about six euro. A quick bite at a bacaro is ideal before a gondola ride, especially if you’re prone to seasickness. The winds were starting to pick up the morning of our ride, so if you have a weak stomach, be wary of choppy waters.


Behold the beautiful (and busy) Rialto bridge. On a sunny day, tourists take pictures in front of it, walk across it, and take boat tours underneath it.

We checked in at the Bucintoro Viaggi office at 2:45 p.m. and waited outside in the San Luca plaza with other gondola riders. An employee led us down a couple of streets to a dock area flanked by a Hard Rock restaurant, hotel and Hugo Boss store. The area screamed “tourist trap,” but then again, so do many of Venice’s canals.


A Bucintoro Viaggi employee leads the gondola riders from the San Luca plaza to the gondola dock.

Since we booked five tickets, we had room for Zoe Petterson, a solo rider, to join us. An employee helped each of us onto the boat, and we were on our way.


As Alesandro steered out of the dock and finessed his way through a pile-up of gondolas, a friend of mine ask him a question.


“Has this boat ever tipped over?”


Alesandro whistled a tune to himself, pretending not to hear her. I would’ve been more suspicious if that interaction wasn’t so funny.


The canal led to the immense Rialto, the busiest waterway in Venice. We made a left onto Rio Grimani and took photos of peaceful residential and commercial areas.


Alesandro, a gondolier, poses for the camera while rowing down the Rio Grimani in Venice.

A few minutes later, I noticed something in the water


“Is that a shell? Is that a shirt? Is that bread?”


A voice behind me answered my question in a Venetian accent: “It’s bread.”


I knew he spoke English.


Alesandro warmed up to us, made some goofy poses while we took pictures and taught us some phrases in Italian (which I’ve already forgotten). My friend asked him again if the boat has ever tipped over.


And then Alesandro said, “Well, we can try!”


He immediately put all of his weight on one side of the gondola, pretending to capsize us. Our screams and laughs echoed down the canal. Some locals smoking outside were very confused.


Zoe, a 24-year-old hotel employee in London, was laughing through the pain. The ordeal reminded her of a snorkeling boat trip gone wrong in Australia when she and her friends got caught in a storm. Luckily, we were safe in Venice.


“I thought it was really beautiful and romantic,” she said. “I’d probably like to come back with someone else.”


Zoe normally doesn’t trust boats, but made an exception for Venice.


“That’s just what you do.”


But remember, dear reader: I’m not complaining. We laughed, we screamed, we learned how to say “cuddles” in Italian. It wasn’t a sightseeing tour or history lesson, but it was undoubtedly fun. I got my money’s worth and an awesome story to tell.

A gondolier lends a hand to tourists onto a gondola before they begin their tour.

If traveling abroad has taught me anything, it’s to take everything in stride. A gondola ride can be as romantic, informative or scenic as you want it to be, but for a price. Feel free to negotiate if you’re on a budget, but remember, gondoliers live and work in an expensive city, largely fueled by tourism.


A gondola ride is only one of a million ways to experience Venice. If you’re in town for at least three days, I would highly recommend buying a 72-hour pass for 79.12 euros on Viator’s website ahead of time. Different Vaporetto boat numbers take different routes that circle the Venetian islands, and the platforms list the upcoming arrival times and destinations.


Besides beautiful scenery and architecture, gondola riders can also get a fish-eye's view of Venetian residential and commercial areas. It is a city, after all.

The gondola is not a modern mode of transportation. Although locals no longer use the gondola to get from point A to point B, the boat is the city’s undisputed icon. It’s a strictly tourist attraction that keeps a proud tradition alive and well.


Only Venice can claim the gondola, and even if a ride teeters on the edge of “tourist trap” status, it’s something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. Maybe twice if you come back with a fiance on a romantic getaway. Here’s to hoping Zoe gets to do so.


And if the city is underwater in 50 years, at least the gondolas will stay afloat.


While riding in a gondola, you get to witness Venice's beautiful architecture from the same point of view as the original Venetian sailers.


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