Private Gondola Ride: Explore Venice with a Local Guide
Venice, Italy
- 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Enjoy a private ride through Venice’s iconic canals aboard a traditional gondola. On this classic Venetian experience, soak up famous sights like the Rialto Bridge and the ornate Ca’ d’Oro palace while your expert gondolier navigates the beautiful handmade boat through the Grand Canal and other waterways. A friendly local guide accompanies you on the ride to share interesting facts about Venetian history and architecture along the way.
- Enjoy personalized attention from a private guide and a gondolier
- Cruise along the picturesque Rio della Madonnetta and then onto the Grand Canal
- Pass top Venice attractions including Accademia Bridge, Ca’ d’Oro, and Rialto Bridge
- Listen to stories about the Venetian gondolas as well as trivia about the city history and architecture
What's Included
- Private guide in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian
- Private 30 minutes gondola ride
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drink
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Gondola - Traghetto Santa Maria del GiglioCampiello Traghetto, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Meeting point: 15 min before the departure time at the gondola station of Santa Maria del Giglio in front of the Gritti Palace Hotel. Please look for your guide with a sign with your name on it!
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
A gondola ride is a quintessential experience on any Venetian vacation. Make your way to the departure point near St. Mark’s Square, and then step aboard a beautiful handmade gondola. The boat seats five passengers comfortably, in addition to the gondolier and your local guide. Head out along the charming Rio della Madonnetta and take in the canal-side sights of the Santa Croce and San Polo neighborhoods while your guide shares fun facts and trivia about Venetian history.
As your gondolier expertly navigates the boat into the famous Grand Canal, admire the opulent palaces and churches that line the city’s main thoroughfare. Enjoy being a part of the canal’s energetic activity as a steady flow of water taxis, barges, and other gondolas cruise up and down the watery way. Glide beneath the beautiful Accademia Bridge that connects the San Marco and Dorsoduro neighborhoods, and then float through some narrower side canals to get a glimpse of the city’s daily life and tucked-away charms.
Back on the Grand Canal, see the magnificent Gothic architecture of the Ca’ d’Oro palace and pass under the iconic Rialto Bridge, flanked by bustling open-air markets and shops. After a memorable ride, your tour concludes back at the starting point.
Price is per person, based on five passengers per boat.
As your gondolier expertly navigates the boat into the famous Grand Canal, admire the opulent palaces and churches that line the city’s main thoroughfare. Enjoy being a part of the canal’s energetic activity as a steady flow of water taxis, barges, and other gondolas cruise up and down the watery way. Glide beneath the beautiful Accademia Bridge that connects the San Marco and Dorsoduro neighborhoods, and then float through some narrower side canals to get a glimpse of the city’s daily life and tucked-away charms.
Back on the Grand Canal, see the magnificent Gothic architecture of the Ca’ d’Oro palace and pass under the iconic Rialto Bridge, flanked by bustling open-air markets and shops. After a memorable ride, your tour concludes back at the starting point.
Price is per person, based on five passengers per boat.
Gondola - Traghetto Santa Maria del Giglio (Pass By)
1
Canal Grande
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Punta della Dogana (Pass By)
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute (Pass By)
Palazzo Ca' Dario (Pass By)
Peggy Guggenheim Collection (Pass By)
Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti (Pass By)
Ponte dell'Accademia (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
- Infants aged under 2 years will be seated on the lap of an adult;
- There is a limit of 4 people + 1 guide per gondola
- On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.0
based on 143 reviews
Brent_F, Mar 2025
We never have a bad word to say in any review but we were disappointed.
We arrived 15 mins early, as requested, to meet our guide - the guide wasn't there (although she did arrive at the end of our tour to say hi). We had read the reviews and were really looking forward to the gondola ride. A lot of time spent turning the gondola round as opposed to actually going anywhere - appreciate there is other traffic - the tour was very short and we didn't really see much at all. We felt this was extremely expensive at £276. I was proposing to my partner and so not only did this experience not make the trip special, it actually detracted from it. Sorry!
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Hello Brent,
Thank you for your kind feedback. We are grateful you were able to participate in this beautiful tour. Your feedback is useful for optimising the tours with our suppliers and we will share your feedback.
Thank you and sending kind regards,
Team Venice Events
Sandra_F, Oct 2024
What was supposed to be the highlight of our Venice visit was the most disappointing! I guess the most memorable experience was when the guide was the first one off the gondola and left! No goodbye, no thank you - obviously no tip! The second most memorable experience was when she made no attempt to find us upon arrival as she stood eating a candy bar. Thirdly, our impression was that we were going on a PRIVATE tour and the gondolier would be giving any tour needed, not a total stranger with absolutely no personality who invaded our privacy and talked about various people who died in a house and how Venice was built when she wasn’t speaking Italian with the gondolier who we had no interaction with at all.
Don’t waste your money on this tour - opt for a $90 30-minute experience and call it a day. Ours was a colossal waste of money!
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hello Sandra, Thank you for your kind and honest review. Your kind feedback helps understand how our suppliers can improve their offerings. We often deliver this feedback to our suppliers in effort to improve every day the quality of the tours that are offered. Thank you again and sending kind regards, Team Venice Events
Ron_D, Sep 2024
If you want a romantic trip as a couple, this is not the way. If you want a gondola ride with a knowledgeable guide to teach you about the history of the city and gondola rides. This is the way.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Dear Ron, thank you for your kind and honest review. We are grateful you could join us for our tour. We hope to welcome you back again in the future.
Sending kind regards,
Team Venice Events
Simon_I, Jul 2024
Terrible. Paid for an hour. It was hot so we decided 40 minutes would be fine. In total he returned us after 15 minutes. NO GUIDE. And rude . My husband asked if he could sing happy birthday to me and he responded “I’m not a clown”. When I spoke to lady in office, she didn’t refund for time that was cut short.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Dear Simon,
Your reservation was at 15.00 and you arrived at the meeting point at 14.30 (the guide arrived at 14.50) We have been informed that you asked to start immediately the tour instead to wait for the guide.
The guide arrived at the correct time and she waited for you at the gondola station but you arrived too early. She also called you during the ride but at the beginning you didn't reply to her calls.
We are sorry for the gondolier behaviour but we always remember that they are only drivers and they are not obliged to have a conversation with the clients.
We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Craig_E, Jun 2024
This is a Venice essential, and taking the trip with a guide is sooooo much better than alone with the gondolier or with musicians. Our guide was excellent. The trip was both fun and interesting.
Susan_B, Jun 2024
The gondolier was talking on his cell phone the entire time, and our tour guide had a cold personality, was impersonal, and all about business. When our ride was over, the guide got off first and fled with only saying goodbye to one person in our party due to the rest of them being still in the boat.Our gondola ride was also cut short by 15 minutes without explanation, even when we paid for an hour. Definitely not worth the price, I travel often and I’m not shy about paying good money for a quality private tour. This tour was barely enjoyable.
Holly_M, Jun 2024
This is a complete scam!!! Do not waste your money or time!! We paid $450 for a one hour guided gondola ride and they shortened it to only 30 minutes at the start! Appalling. So, then, we actually paid $450 for 30 minutes! The going rate is 90 euros for 30 minutes. So that’s some terrible math. A total ripoff and scam. We are not the first to be ripped off on this tour.
TripAdvisor, this tour should be removed ASAP! Look at the many other terrible reviews, and others have mentioned it was only 30 minutes. It’s a tactic. I really wish I had read the reviews before purchasing.
At the very least TripAdvisor should have reimbursed for 1/2, which they refused, and it was a total pain to work with them on it. Ruined our first day in Venice. We will be taking this up with our credit card company for a refund, rest assured.
Do not purchase this tour! The travel company TripAdvisor uses for this gets away with murder, cutting the trip in half and keeping the money! You are better off going to a gondola station (St Mark’s square between the two columns for example) and paying for a ride there. Beware of this tour. The guide didn’t add much either.
minh_d, Jun 2024
The gondala ride was fine but our tour guide was useless. She spent most of the time talking to the gondola driver and only a few minutes talking to us. She definitely did not want to be there and it showed from the first minute we met her.
Sarah_D, Apr 2024
Rubbish and a rip off. Paid £361 for an hour long gondola ride. Received a half hearted tour guide who really couldn’t be bothered and 30 minutes. Avoid
Malaya_J, Feb 2024
Fantastic experience on Valentines Day ! Our guide and gondolier were so friendly and was an amazing time...even the weather was great ! Thank you so much x
EvelynJ_P, May 2023
The actual gondola ride around the canals was a nice experience but the tour guide did not really contribute to the experience and obstructed it. She sat very close to one of our family members to the point that she had to be asked to move because the person could not face forward due to the tour guide's close proximity. She also blocked our view forward in the gondola. The information she provided was very limited and of poor quality, she did not provide meaningful information about Venice or the canals. By the time we had this tour, we had participated of several other tours in Rome and Florence with tour guides that were very knowledgeable about the history and architecture of the sites they were showing us and we were expecting our guide in Venice to also provide knowledgeable and insightful information about Venice, however, she only gave us a few bullet points, which she repeated throughout the ride.
Response from Host, May 2023
Dear Evelyn, thank you for your feedback.
Rachel_A, Apr 2023
Our guide was lovely . Very pleasant and informative. Answered all our questions but also let us relax and enjoy .
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Thank you for your good review that we will share with our guide :-)
Jens_K, Jul 2022
this is way too much money for a simple ride with a guide, who knows less than us. we recommend to book this gondoliere via a good hotel spontaneously!!!
David_W, Jul 2022
Guide is a local and she was wonderful answering our 11 y/o daughters questions. We went off the Grand Canal into a couple smaller quieter canals which we very peaceful.
Richard_B, Jul 2022
What a wonderful gondola ride with a wonderful guide! Our guide was so knowledgeable and fun. She had such passion for Venice and sharing Venice with us. It was a fantastic experience!
Diana_M, Jul 2022
Clementina was an excellent, knowledgeable guide with interesting stories and insights. Very lovely, peaceful tour with a very skilled gondolier. Highly recommended.
Bob_S, Jun 2022
We should have just taken a Gondola with the gondolier providing the commentary for half the price. They know as much, if not more. Don’t waste your money.
Kristen_V, Apr 2022
Our experience in Venice with our private gondola tour exceeded our expectations! I would highly recommend doing this. Our guide, Sylvia, was so wonderful and informative! We learned so many interesting facts we would never have learned if we did a gondola ride without a guide.
Barry_B, Dec 2021
We loved our hour on the gondola. Our guide was terrific. We had a very short time in Venice, and this was our only real tour, and she gave us a very good overview in just an hour. And she was friendly and fun.
shelleyjodee, Nov 2019
Love that this gondola ride is 1 hour instead of 30 minutes like the other ones. It's nice having a guide to point out what we are passing and tell some history about it. What I did not like was that the guide got on the boat with a bag full of books that she started asking us to look at while she talked about Venice history. After a while of listening to this I asked her to put the books away and just tell us about the things we were looking at. She was very nice about this and put the books away. On a different trip my daughter had the same experience and felt that the books and history lessons really took away from their enjoyment of the gondola ride.
Response from Host, Nov 2019
Dear Guest,
Thank you for your detailed feedback. We are pleased to see that you had a good experience with us. Your review will help us to improve our tour for the future.
Kind regards,
Venice Events Team.
gretchen_b, Aug 2019
Unfortunately we had a 2 hour delay from jfk and then an hour wait with kids thorough customs upon arriving vencie- we tried to reschedule the gondola ride (not refund) and they would not allow...
Michael M, Nov 2018
Enjoyed the extra time in Gondola vs. other ride options but a little disappointed in where the Gondola went, mainly on Grand Canal vs. smaller channels. Personal guide was good but not sure this was worth the price charged.
Frank Q, Oct 2018
If this tour had been a quarter the price 100 instead of 400, I would give this tour 4 stars max. But...given that A It barely lasted an hour, B our gondolier was an absolute smart-mouth, and C our tour guide while very nice was pretty checked out, I can't give it more than 2 stars. If you're looking for a private gondola ride, just book one by itself without the guide. You're probably still going to get an arrogant, smart-mouth gondolier, but at least you'll be paying a LOT less than what this tour charges.
JamesG, Oct 2018
Very good gondola ride - tour guide was on time and enhanced the experience of the gondola ride
Rochelle_D, Jul 2018
We loved Barbara! We learned so much about the city of Venice, and enjoyed the sites as she spent an hour showing us through the Grand Canal via gondola. We would highly recommend this tour :)
SALINA_R, Jul 2018
This was our first time in Venezia. A private, romantic gondola ride is a must! We were celebrating our 25th anniversary. We read reviews of other tours, which included someone who would serenade, but we found out they are sometimes not on the same gondola but within earshot. We were fresh off our flight and lacking sleep, but we were excited! The skill of a gondolier is something else! They can turn tight corners while launching off a wall and balancing with an oar! Our tour guide, Maria-Teresa, was originally from Germany but she had been living in Venezia and was well-informed and well-understood. It was everything we imagined it to be on a gondola, but much more! Bucket list item ticked off!
Katherine_M, Jul 2018
Not only beautiful, but also informative. Our guide noted history and architecture while our awesome gondolier glided our gondola through the Grand Canal and city waterways.
Sandra_L, Jul 2018
Choosing the private tour is the best option when deciding on a gondola ride. Our tour guide was informative and was open to stopping at locations for pictures.
txferny, Jun 2018
Not very good! The driver not friendly, looks like they were on the run and didn’t put any attention in please the customers
Bridgett T, Jun 2018
There was a 90 chance of rain at our scheduled Gondola ride on a Tuesday morning so we asked if we could go the evening before if there was a vacancy. We were allowed to go so that was nice BUT the tour itself was the worst tour our family has ever experienced anywhere in the world. A gondola ride in Venice is an experience you anticipate and dream about for years. This 30 minute experience was so disappointing. The gondoliers smoked cigarettes, sat, and talked while tourists gathered for their rides. Even though the boats were empty, they kept telling people to wait. Finally they gathered everyone up at one time 7:30 pm and put people in boats. There were probably 20 gondolas that went out at once and just followed each other around a block. Two other people were in the boat with our family even though this was supposed to be a private tour. The gondoliers did not care. The gondolier never even told us his name. He steered the boat next to another boat and talked to the other gondolier the whole time. He even took us down a canal with a building under construction so that we had to lean so as not to hit the tarps covering the building. NOT VERY SCENIC! We went around one block by Venetian standards and he docked the gondola at 7:58 pm. ONCE IN A LIFETIME GONDOLA RIDE OVER. For a group of workers who are so specialized and known the world over, they didn't seem to care or take pride in what they were doing at all. Seemed very unionized as in they only did what was absolutely necessary and did not care about their patrons at all. In the picture below you can tell how close we are to the other gondola and he stayed very close beside them the whole time. I understand that being a gondolier can be inherited or they have to train for many years to become one. Nothing in the way we were treated or our tour would suggest they were proud of what they do. So sad because I am sure many others would love that opportunity. I have seen tour bus drivers have much more pride in their work than these guys. And to top it off this was what my husband wanted for his 65th birthday. Such a disappointment. Would not recommend booking this ahead of time to anyone.
From
-9%
$340.92
per group (up to 4)Was $374.63
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Special Offer
Private Gondola Ride: Explore Venice with a Local Guide
143
30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$374.63
$340.92
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Venice, Italy
- Venice Music Museum (Museo della Musica) Tours & Tickets
- Campo Santa Maria Formosa Tours & Tickets
- San Polo Tours & Tickets
- Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) Tours & Tickets
- Venetian Lagoon (Laguna Veneta) Tours & Tickets
- Giardini della Biennale Tours & Tickets
- St. Mark’s Bell Tower (Campanile di San Marco) Tours & Tickets
- Correr Museum (Museo Correr) Tours & Tickets
- Ca' d'Oro (Palazzo Santa Sofia) Tours & Tickets
- Venice Jewish Ghetto (Ghetto di Venezia) Tours & Tickets
- Biblioteca Burano Tours & Tickets
- Venice Lido (Lido di Venezia) Tours & Tickets
- Rialto Fish Market (Mercato di Rialto) Tours & Tickets
- Venice Accademia Gallery (Gallerie dell'Accademia) Tours & Tickets
- Campo San Bartolomeo Tours & Tickets
- Mocenigo Palace (Palazzo Mocenigo) Tours & Tickets
- Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) Tours & Tickets
More attractions near Venice, Italy