Gondola trip in venice

We are off on the Majesty on the 11th September. There are six in the party and I was wondering if anyone could give me information on the cost of a gondola trip. Thomson are offering a gondola trip then free time in Venice for £49.00. I was toying with booking the transport in and out which costs £25.00 per person, then booking a gondola trip separately. I am also not sure if the Thomson gondola trip would last as long as the privately booked one. Any insights greatly appreciated.

We are also going to Venice on a cruise (tomorrow). Having been to Venice before, I would definitely NOT take a ship's trip especially if there are 6 of you. Where the ships dock, you can walk into Venice or take the people mover which is 1.5 euro. This takes you to Piazalle Roma. From there you can either walk round the town or take the #1 vaporetto (water taxi) which takes you all the way down the Grand Canal to St Marks Square. It costs 7.5 euro for a one-way ticket which lasts 75 minutes from when you validate the ticket, or you can purchase a day pass for approx 20 euros. You must remember to validate your ticket in the maching before boarding the vaporetto. Then we are going to wander around and make our way back on foot. It's such a beautiful place to just wander and get lost, you can easily find your way back.

The cost of a gondola varies depending on the time of day and where you pick it up. If you pick one up in St Marks Square it will be very expensive and also if it is late afternoon or evening. They charge per gondola, so if there are 6 of you that works out very reasonable.

Last time there were 4 of us and we found a gondola in the back canals where it was lovely and quiet away from the hustle and bustle,there were a couple of them waiting for a fare. We negotiated a price as it was late morning - they charged £60 for the 4 which we thought okay. My friend asked the goldolier to sing to us and he did!;)

Be very wary of the cafes in St Marks Square - very expensive. They charge you to sit down as there is a cover charge for the musicians. Our friends really wanted to have a drink in St Marks Square and knew that it was expensive but they treated themselves - £36 for 2 orange juices.:mad:

However we later picked up a slice of freshly baked pizza in the backstreets for 3 euros.

Hope you have a lovely time.

Thanks for that Dronnygirl. We were going to book the ships transport in and out of Venice because we had heard that the queues could be bad using the public transport. The Thomson trip uses a privately booked motor launch. Think we will wait to book a gondola when we get to Venice. Great advice regarding restaurants and bars, will definately try going off the beaten track. Although we girls must have our bellinis in Harry's bar!

You can have a private Water Taxi for 80 euro each way from the port and not be tied to specific transfer times For six that would work out slightly less and is a real treat. Gondolas are easy to find and have a standard fare in the day of 80 euro for 40 mins. They can hold six

What ever you choose, don't touch the water. My wife went to sick bay, the day after Venice, the Doctors first question, " Did you touch any water from the canals?".

Arrived back yesterday. No problem with queues for the vaporetto from Piazalle Roma. Had a wonderful time. You can also walk into Venice from here, it all depends on how much walking you want to do.

There is also a water taxi available from the dock for 8 euros, this takes you direct to St Marks Square but I would recommend doing the trip down the Grand Canal, a great start to the day.

Arrived back yesterday. No problem with queues for the vaporetto from Piazalle Roma. Had a wonderful time. You can also walk into Venice from here, it all depends on how much walking you want to do.

There is also a water taxi available from the dock for 8 euros, this takes you direct to St Marks Square but I would recommend doing the trip down the Grand Canal, a great start to the day.

Hi dronnygirl

Did you get up early for the sale in to Venice? If so what sort of time do you recommend [emoji3]

Hi all-afloaty - we were actually on P&O Oceana this time and were due to arrive in Venice approx 12.30pm. We were told to be in place for the sail in by 11am as there would be a commentary all the way in. We made sure we had a good viewing spot early as there is lots to see on both sides of the ship but the best side is Starboard when getting near, as you sail past St Marks Sq. It was a beautifully clear day and the commentary was so interesting. Various islands were pointed out and we saw the new sea defences being put in place. Then you sail past St Marks and into the Guidecca canal - fantastic. You can see right over Venice, we stayed overnight and the next morning were up early to see the sun rise over Venice.

Hi all-afloaty - we were actually on P&O Oceana this time and were due to arrive in Venice approx 12.30pm. We were told to be in place for the sail in by 11am as there would be a commentary all the way in. We made sure we had a good viewing spot early as there is lots to see on both sides of the ship but the best side is Starboard when getting near, as you sail past St Marks Sq. It was a beautifully clear day and the commentary was so interesting. Various islands were pointed out and we saw the new sea defences being put in place. Then you sail past St Marks and into the Guidecca canal - fantastic. You can see right over Venice, we stayed overnight and the next morning were up early to see the sun rise over Venice.

Thanks dronnygirl that sounds amazing! I've actually stayed in Venice for a week but really looking forward to the sail-in [emoji3]