Venezia, Venice Italy Virtual Tour
An oft-recited joke about Venice’s gondolas implores you to remember these two important rules: If the price bothers you, don’t do it. If the price doesn’t bother you, make sure you understood the gondolier correctly.
To be fair to Venice’s gondoliers, it may help to think of a gondola as a Stradivarius violin - each one is handmade without a blueprint, and is an individual masterpiece with a distinct personality. Gondoliers typically spend nearly €20,000 for a traditional hand-built wooden gondola, with a useful life of about 20 years. Every part of a gondola is custom made and the boat is made from many types of woods, although oak and mahogany are very common. It can take ten years to receive a new gondola; a typical builder only makes four to six new boats per year. Since 1890 gondolas have been built asymmetrically, so that only one gondolier is needed to row the boat. This efficient design enables a gondolier to row continuously from just one side while maintaining the ability to steer the boat.
Venice, with a populartion of approximately 270,000, is arguably Italy's most beautiful and romantic city, built on the water in a lagoon. It's small, traffic-free streets along the winding canals make for great walking. It consists of 117 bodies of land connected by more than 400 bridges over its 150 canals. Since horses were banned in 1392, almost all activity takes place on the water. There are no big avenues or streets, only small lanes and squares. There are other cities with canals in the world, but no other place where all inhabitants regularly make use of its canals. This is what makes this city so special.
A gondola ride has the power to define your vision of Venice. Think of Mark Twain, who, initially disappointed upon his first glimpse of Venice in the mid-19th century, soon changed his mind when he boarded a gondola:
"I began to feel that the old Venice of song and story had departed forever. But I was too hasty. In a few minutes we swept gracefully out into the Grand Canal, and under the mellow moonlight the Venice of poetry and romance stood revealed. Right from the water's edge rose long lines of stately palaces of marble; gondolas were gliding swiftly hither and thither and disappearing suddenly through unsuspected gates and alleys; ponderous stone bridges threw their shadows athwart the glittering waves. There was life and motion everywhere, and yet everywhere there was a hush, a stealthy sort of stillness, that was suggestive of secret enterprises of bravoes and of lovers; and clad half in moonbeams and half in mysterious shadows, the grim old mansions of the Republic seemed to have an expression about them of having an eye out for just such enterprises as these at that same moment. Music came floating over the waters--Venice was complete. "
- from ‘The Innocents Abroad’, 1869
Booking a Gondola Ride:
You'll find gondolas and gondoliers throughout the main tourist areas, from Tronchetto and the Piazzale Roma to the Rialto Bridge area, the Doge's Palace, and busy pedestrian crossings along the secondary canals.
Online website Aventure Bellissime offers some basic advice about booking a gondola rides in Venice:
A 45-minute Gondola ride through the back-canals of Venice will cost a minimum of 80€ if completed before 8 p.m. Gondola rides in the evening hours cost even more money. Gondola's can take a maximum of six-passengers.
1. Don't pre-book a Gondola ride. If you do so you will be stuck having to take the ride at a specified time. If it’s raining you’re stuck with a reserved time. Better to book through your hotel concierge when you arrive, and when you know what the weather will be like!
2. Never pay more than 80€ for a Gondola ride. Many Gondoliers will try their luck and insist on higher prices before accepting the 80€ price. Also, keep track of the time you board the Gondola. We have heard many stories of people paying over a 100 € for a ride that lasted twenty minutes or less.
2. Gondoliers who operate the Gondola's Venice are a mixed bag of characters. Many don't speak a word of English, so check their communication skills before paying for a ride. Part of their fee should include explanations of what you’ll be seeing when taking the ride. They also shouldn't spend their time with you engaged in conversation on a cellular phone, oblivious to the fact that they have clients to entertain.
3. Typically Gondola rides in Venice do not cover much of the city; it's more the experience of being in Gondola. One of those things you have to do... But, if you want to see the city by water you should consider booking our Grand Canal Boat Tour. This tour also includes the minor canals of Venice.
