Enchanting Venice: Private Gondola Experience
Venice, Italy
- 25 to 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
For centuries, Venice has been synonymous with its most iconic mode of transport, the water gondola. On this private, luxury-minded tour, you’ll cruise the city’s fabled lagoons in your own specialty boat, partaking in a time-honored tradition. Soak up the elegant atmosphere and discover Venice’s picturesque waterfront—including crumbling palaces and stone bridges—from new perspectives, unseen by pedestrians.
- A fully private traditional gondola cruise in Venice
- Help keep the city’s maritime heritage alive by floating in the 1,500-year-old traditional vessel
- Lean back and enjoy the best views of the Venetian waterfront—from the comfort of your seat
- Discover lesser-known parts of the city, away from most of the crowds
What's Included
- 30 minutes ride on a traditional Venetian gondola
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Commentary on board (no guide)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Gondola - Traghetto Santa Maria del GiglioCampiello Traghetto, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Please reach by yourself the Giglio gondola station in Campo Santa Maria del Giglio, near Hotel Gritti. Make sure to arrive on time. Please show your voucher to the gondoliers.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Canal Grande (Pass By)
Laguna di Venezia (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Please be aware that on certain dates, registration and payment of an access contribution will be necessary to visit the city of Venice. We encourage you to check all the information and procedures for registration or payment on the dedicated website of Comune di Venezia.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
GULEN_W
We booked our Gondola ride with Viator. Was extremely easy and straightforward. We got to our pick up point half hour early and yet they let us on. Would highly recommend experiencing this whilst in Venice.
Reviews
3.4
based on 39 reviews
JOSE_K, Apr 2026
Bad bad!! Super fast because it was full, no good attitude, no singing…. The one in Vegas is much better!!
Cheers.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Dear Jose,
Thank you for sharing your feedback.
A gondola ride in Venice is a traditional experience that reflects centuries of Venetian history and craftsmanship. Gondoliers are highly skilled professionals who navigate the narrow canals of the city using a unique rowing technique known as voga alla veneta, a practice that has been passed down for generations.
Unlike themed attractions found in other destinations, a gondola ride in Venice is not designed as a performance or a show. Singing, for example, is not part of the standard gondola service unless a specific musical experience is booked separately. The essence of the ride is to quietly glide through the canals and appreciate the atmosphere and beauty of Venice from the water.
Routes are managed by the official gondola stations and are designed to ensure a smooth flow of traffic in the canals while respecting the timing of each ride. For this reason, gondoliers cannot freely modify the itinerary during the service.
While we understand that experiences may differ from expectations, comparing an authentic Venetian tradition with a themed attraction elsewhere may lead to some misunderstandings about what a gondola ride in Venice actually represents.
Kind regards,
Park Viaggi Team
Cem_Z, Sep 2024
Gino was our Gondolier and he was great. I wasn't expecting a guided tour but he gave us o e unprompted and it was nice. Friendly guy and seemed popular with the locals. Lovely time
Nick_S, Aug 2024
Gondola driver was on his phone and not interacting or sharing information. I noticed other younger drivers on their phones during tours as well. Older ones were not. Did not have the true Venice feel.
tram_t, May 2024
We were assigned a Gondola with a very unhappy driver. He hardly speaks or explains the route and no story telling about the cannel or about the Venice in general, which would give it the vibe to this ride. Not much interactive with the visitors at all!
At the end of the ride, another driver hinted us that tip is needed, which topped it up our already bad experience with this tour.
Stacey_F, May 2024
When a tourist goes to Venice you must take a gondola ride, no matter what! Book it in advance, enjoy the ride and check the box that you did it!
Joshua_C, Apr 2024
It was a ‘good’ experience and one for the bucket list. Duration was a bit less than expected (arguably closer to 20mins rather than 30mins) and we would have preferred a bit longer for the price paid. But friendly gondolier who kept us safe and dry. The ‘tip’ bucket and verbal encouragement to tip on disembarking is unnecessary/unwelcome.
Ushandan_K, Apr 2024
Lovely boat tour. Peaceful as it was a private tour, however felt it could have been longer (was about 20 min).
Stephanie_V, Apr 2024
A thoroughly enjoyable 30 minutes sailing through the canals of Venice taking in the sights. Absolutely wonderful, thank you.
Jill_H, Mar 2024
This was the worst and most disappointing experience! The ride was only 15 minutes down an ugly canal. The Gondola operator was on his phone talking the entire time! And the cost was outrageous compared to what we could have paid on the site. I am seeking a refund for this HORRIBLE experience.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Dear Jill,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback regarding your recent gondola experience with us. We are genuinely sorry to hear that the service did not meet your expectations, and we appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.
Given that the itinerary of the ride is fixed, the total duration, including both embarkation and disembarkation procedures, typically ranges from 25 to 30 minutes.
Regarding the gondolier's phone use, although they're not required to provide commentary, we expect professional conduct at all times and will address this issue to improve future experiences.
Concerning the pricing, we recognize that purchasing a ride on the spot might seem more cost-effective. However, our prices reflect the added value of guaranteed reservations, seamless planning, and the dedicated support provided by our team and our partners at Viator. We strive to offer competitive rates while ensuring a memorable and hassle-free experience for our guests.
Your feedback is invaluable to us as it helps us continually improve our services. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again in the future and provide you with an experience that not only meets but exceeds your expectations.
GULEN_W, Nov 2023
We booked our Gondola ride with Viator. Was extremely easy and straightforward. We got to our pick up point half hour early and yet they let us on. Would highly recommend experiencing this whilst in Venice.
JetJouett_W, Sep 2023
Everyone needs to ride in a gondola in Venice at least once! Very relaxing and interesting. This time our gondola guy was not at all friendly or interesting, it was very crowded and I think everyone had had enough at this point. I would recommend but be prepared to get a tired, uninteresting gondola guy! Last time I went it was very cool and i had a great, friendly gondola guy!
Josh_H, Sep 2023
Very relaxing and our driver was awesome. He took us on a good loop and it ended in the grand canal.
Dagyanamai_I, Jul 2023
We had the best time. Fell in Love with Burano. We were so impressed with Murano artist. The best part was our tour guide she provided us with so much information was very kind and patient with us. I highly recommend this tour specially with the same tour guide and also with the water taxi transportation provided.
Melissa_C, Jul 2023
I would not recommend booking this gondola excursion ahead of time. It was very chaotic and unorganized. I paid almost double what they were currently charging. We had to wait almost 30 minutes from our original start time. Once we were on the gondola, our gondolier did not say a word to us but spoke with all of the other gondoliers the entire time. It was not worth the money and there was nothing special about this excursion. I would recommend booking the gondola when you get to Venice and pay 1/2 the price.
S_S, Jun 2023
Next time I’ll just book a gondola tour when I get there. We had a fair amount of problems with our Viator tours in Venice. The providers had no record of our sign up and because they were so busy they were very annoyed despite showing them the confirmation. We had this problem on another Viator tour in Venice as well.
Alina_A, Jun 2023
The Gondola ride was long enough to see everything and went to most bridges. The only thing was that the gondola guide didn't sing. I recommend this tour.
Celia_B, Jun 2023
Very disappointed. Not much different to queuing for the ride along with everyone else. I booked this ride as a special private ride and expected more . I could have paid a lot less and had just the same ride .
Aaron_H, May 2023
Average experience Guide not personable Gondola left 20 mins after scheduled time! We were there 15 mins for checkin Host checkin was very rude
maribreyt, May 2023
This gondola ride was barely 20 minutes. The gondolier barely spoke to us. For the price we paid, we should be getting a refund because it was nowhere near what was described. Would not recommend.
Olivier_D, Apr 2023
The whole experience was great. However, the regular price is 80€ and considering we paid 138€, which means almost 60€ more than the regular price to be sure to have the time slot we reserved for, seems to be too much. We had the Gondola tour in the beginning of April and there were plenty of availabilities on the spot in the evening (Campo San Moisè). It's maybe worth the price for peak periods (summer time).
Jeanne_S, Jan 2023
This was a must to do in Venice. Was very relaxing for my husband and son. Really couldn’t understand the tour guide much but was quite ok.
Abraham_P, Mar 2022
Great tour experience thanks to the music and singer on board of the gondola while traveling the canals.
Brian_P, Feb 2022
Your 1st time in Venice, you need to do a Gondola ride. I enjoyed myself, and the boatman took us into the main channel. That was fun.
Ralph_G, May 2021
Our gondolier was great! I wish I could remember his name! He was very friendly and took a lot of pictures for us. Most of the trip, we were in the smaller canals, which was very quiet and relaxing. Right near the end we went out into the Grand Canal. It was nice to experience, but the smaller canals were more pleasant.
Jacqueline_H, Jul 2019
This was a really nice Gondola ride. The experience was very special. My boyfriend really enjoyed his surprise. We had no issues, the entire process with our vouchers was smooth.
Davide_P, Feb 2025
ho pagato 150 € per mezz ora per riservare un giro in gondola assieme alla mia compagna , ma non capisco come mai chiedono questi soldi dato che i prezzi una volta arrivati sono esposti e il giro in una gondola tutta per noi costava non 150 ma 90€
FERNANDO_M, Aug 2024
Vuelta muy cortita y algo cara.
Menos de media hora para dar la vuelta a una manzana.
Por ese dinero te das una vuelta en taxi (vaporeto) y ves mucho más.
Viagense_C, Apr 2023
O serviço é divulgado como tendo a duração de 50 minutos, porém, a confirmação da reserva veio com 30 minutos de duração e o serviço durou pouco mais de 15 minutos, com apenas uma volta pequena. Como o embarque e desembarque demoraram devido ao grande movimento de canal, eles descontaram esse tempo do passeio e não apresentaram reembolso.
CLAUDIA_P, Oct 2021
Mezz’ora incantevole tra i canali alla scoperta di una Venezia non raggiungibile a piedi…. Bellissimo!
Tobias_S, Aug 2020
Die Frage war zuerst welche Gondelfahrt sollten wir buchen?
Wir haben uns für eine private Fahrt entschieden.
Die Fahrt an sich war ruhig und sehr schön. Unser Gondoliere hat uns auf englisch noch zu zwei drei Sehenswürdigkeiten berichtet.
Auch unserer vier jährigen Tochter hat es super gefallen.
Würden wir wieder buchen.
From $184.48
per group (up to 5)up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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