Venice Advice please

[SmithieNix]

Any recommendations for booking gondola rides for 4 of us? We are due to sail into Venice at around 1pm. The trips offered by the ship are quite expensive and they are mostly 5 hours. I would like a trip that is between 3 and 4 hours. Ideas please?

[MeHeartCruising]

Any recommendations for booking gondola rides for 4 of us? We are due to sail into Venice at around 1pm. The trips offered by the ship are quite expensive and they are mostly 5 hours. I would like a trip that is between 3 and 4 hours. Ideas please?

 

I have never taken a gondola ride myself. However, I could swear that I have read that the standard time is about 45 minutes in length. What on earth does the excursion do for 5 hours? And I think even your 3-4 hours length is way too long. You really do not need to pre-arrange ANYTHING. The gondolas are all over Venice and you can approach them whenever you are ready to do your ride and talk to the driver. If you're going to be exploring Venice on foot, you can do it when you feel like it. Or if you're not walking much, you may need to arrange some travel into central Venice from the ship and there are ways to do that which can be explained if you need it.

[Langoustine]

There's really no need to book in advance. A standard gondola ride is about 40 minutes (I don't know where you're seeing 5 hour rides) and during the day will cost about 80 Euro. It's slightly more expensive at night. There are gondoliers everywhere waiting for your business, and I prefer the side canals to the Grand Canal, although being in the middle of water taxis, vaporetti, and the occasional police boat chase has a certain charm...

[mapleleaves]

I think you must have confused a couple of excursions; as stated above, gondola rides are typically 45 minutes for 80€. Info about gondolas, pricing, etc in this link:

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/gallivanting_by_gondola.htm

 

No need to reserve in advance. Wait until you're there so you can choose which route to take ( the busy Grand Canal or a quiet side canal) and which gondolier you prefer.

[SmithieNix]

Thank you... All good advice. The longer excursions include something else as well as the gondola ride. A stroll around Venice and then picking up a gondola on one of the side canals sounds good. We will make sure we negotiate properly in advance of the trip!

[SmithieNix]

Does anyone know the cheapest and easiest way to get from the port to St Mark's Square? Thank you.

[epixx]

Does anyone know the cheapest and easiest way to get from the port to St Mark's Square?

 

Yes! Walk it all the way, i.e., no People Mover, no vaporetto. We have done this several times. It's a lovely and interesting walk that usually takes us about 1-1.5 hours, because we enjoy stopping and looking in different areas, getting "lost" in the back streets, and having a cappuccino at a cafe.

[SmithieNix]

Thank you epixx. Sounds like a good plan. I think we will do that.