Venice > Local transportation > Gondolas

Gondolas and Gondola Rides

How to hire a gondolier in Venice, plus a money-saving alternative to gondolas on the Grand Canal.

ABOVE: Gondoliers await customers at a Venetian bar.

Official gondola rates: Base rate for 30 minutes: €90 After 7 p.m.: Base rate for 35 minutes: €110

By Durant Imboden

There are two important rules to remember about gondola rides in Venice:

• If the price bothers you, don't do it.

• If the price doesn't bother you, make sure you understood the gondolier correctly.

Fact is, a gondola cruise in Venice is like traveling by hansom cab in New York's Central Park: It can be a delightful experience, but only if you're able to forget the price and focus on the ride.

What a gondola ride costs

The city of Venice sets official rates for gondola rides, which started at €90 for 30 minutes the last time we checked personally in Venice. A longer ride will cost you proportionately more. Confirm the time and cost with the gondolier before you climb in the boat.

After 7 p.m., you'll pay €110 for a standard 35-minute ride . (Yes, you get an additional five minutes at night, and you can pay more for a longer ride.)

Up to five people can share a gondola. Some people even bring their dogs.

ABOVE: When you take your dog on a gondola, ask it not to howl if the gondolier sings.

Special services, such as singing, can increase the fare. This means you should confirm both the rate and the length of the ride before you get into the boat.

If you dislike talking about price, you can leave that chore to your hotel concierge, though he (or she) may add a hefty surcharge to the gondolier's quoted rate.

A few years ago, a reader told us that he'd paid the Hotel Bauer's concierge €120 for a gondola ride just before Carnevale, but he added that he didn't mind the rate and got great service.

Another reader (presumably well-heeled) spent a mind-boggling €150 for a 50-minute ride but thought the expenditure was "well worth it."

ABOVE: Boatyard workers launch a gondola at the Squero di San Trovaso in Venice's Dorsoduro district.

To be fair to Venice's gondoliers, they invest a great deal in their boats: upwards of €20,000 for a traditional hand-built wooden gondola with a useful life of about 20 years, plus annual maintenance. They need to earn the bulk of their annual income in a few short months. (See Squero di San Trovaso for photos of a Venetian boatyard.)

Finally, a gondolier's living costs may be higher than yours, since Venice is an expensive city in one of Italy's wealthiest provinces.

Look it at this way: The gondolier who's rowing you up the Grand Canal probably could earn more money for less work at an industrial plant on the mainland.

Where to hire a gondola

ABOVE: The gondola station at Santa Sofia serves both gondole and traghetti (gondola ferries that cross the Grand Canal).

You'll find gondolas and gondoliers throughout the main tourist areas, from Tronchetto and the Piazzale Roma (where motorists park their cars) to the Rialto Bridge area, the Doge's Palace, and busy pedestrian crossings along the secondary canals. Chances are, you'll encounter men who politely ask "Gondola?" as you walk past the flotillas of parked boats.

Tips:

• Decide what kind of trip you want, then find a gondola stand in the area nearest your destination. For example, if you'd like to experience the hubbub of the Grand Canal, hire a gondola near the Doge's Palace or the Rialto Bridge.
  
  If, on the other hand, you'd rather tour the quiet and romantic side canals, book a gondola away from the vaporetti and water taxis. (The latter may be the best idea if boats make you nervous or if you're inclined to seasickness.)

• If you'd rather not deal with gondoliers, or if you prefer music with your ride, consider booking a tour through a travel agency.
  
  Viator offers online reservations for the Gondola Serenade Tour and other excursions; you can book ahead and lock in the price by prepaying in your own currency.

The traghetto: a two-euro gondola crossing

ABOVE: A traghetto crosses the Grand Canal.

Venice's best transportation value is the traghetto, a public gondola ferry.

A traghetto, also called a gondola parada, is a larger version of the usual gondola da nola, carrying 10 instead of five passengers. You'll pay €2 to cross the Grand Canal at one of the half-dozen ferry points between the railroad station and the Campo del Traghetto near St. Mark's Square.

The ride is short, and service can be sporadic these days, but the experience is memorable--especially if you emulate the Venetians by standing up during the crossing. For more information and photos, see our Traghetti article.

External Web links

Official Gondola Site
Learn about the gondola's history, or assemble a bibliography of books (mostly in Italian) about gondolas and Venice. The site also discusses the traghetti or gondola ferries across the Grand Canal.

Official Gondola Tariffs (City of Venice)
The city's Italian-language gondola page shows official rates and locations where you can hire gondoliers. (Caveat: The quoted rates aren't always up to date.)

ABOVE: Signs near gondola stations show current rates.

The Gondola Maker
Laura Morelli has written an historical novel about a gondola maker who "restores an old gondola with the dream of taking a girl for a ride." (The novel has been praised by Publishers Weekly and by Francis Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun.)

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

PC Magazine has called this "the premier visitors' site for Venice, Italy." Over the years, it has helped more than 30 million travelers. For more information, see About our site, our Europe for Visitors press clippings, and our reader testimonials.