Gondola ride in Venice

[momphoto]

Was wondering if there are certain companies to use?  Is it betting to go in morning or evening?  Cost?  Our hotel is near st. Marks square.

[edinburgher]

27 minutes ago, momphoto said:

Was wondering if there are certain companies to use?

They are independently run and you will see "gondola ranks" (sort of like taxi ranks) as you walk around and  you simply approach one which is available to hire.  They are regulated and have fixed prices for fixed periods of times but you should check the cost  before you get in.  My understanding is that gondolier singing comes at an additional cost but as we never did one I cannot be certain although the info should be online. 

 

We were put off when we saw the gondolas following what appeared to be a fixed and somewhat crowded route with the gondolas all  in convoy, all nose to tail with the one in front.They are more expensive after 7pm.  You could find lots of info online, also reviews, by googling "Venice gondola rides" or similar.

Edited June 3 by edinburgher

[euro cruiser]

The city posts the list of official gondola stations as well as the fares on their web site here:  Tariffe, orari e stazi Servizio Gondola | Comune di Venezia.

 

It's in Italian, but easily understood with google translate.

 

Here is what google translates it to:

 

- DAYTIME HOURS (from 9.00 to 19.00): 90.00 euros for a 30 minute tour

- NIGHT TIME (from 7.00 pm to 4.00 am): 110.00 euros for a 35 minute tour

- the duration of the tour may be altered by a few minutes due to traffic, tide and weather conditions;

- for any other service of different duration the price is calculated in proportion to the time. A maximum of no. can board. 5 people.

[princeton123211]

4 hours ago, momphoto said:

Was wondering if there are certain companies to use?  Is it betting to go in morning or evening?

As has been said there is no discernable companies-- its all independent operators. I personally prefer to go after breakfast or towards early evening (but before the higher evening costs kick in which I don't really consider worth it). The sweet spot is to do it during the day time but avoiding the hottest time of day midday as you are pretty exposed in the gondola. 

 

4 hours ago, momphoto said:

Cost?

The set tariffs aren't negotiable down (although some goldoliers will try and charge you more so you can always refer to the published rates if that happens). You can negotiate with them for a slightly longer trip than the standard half hour which can be nice- usually its 40-45 minutes and an additional 20-30 Euro. 

 

4 hours ago, momphoto said:

Our hotel is near st. Marks square.

A good spot to catch one is the rank outside the Hotel Bauer not far off St Marks. Usually not hard to get one there. 

 

Another option (although I wouldn't say replacement for a traditional gondola ride) is to take the Traghetto that leave right in front of The Gritti Palace Hotel and takes you across the Grand Canal and is super convenient if you want to visit the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. It costs only 2 Euro per person and be prepared- it's not uncommon to stand on the crossing. 

 

Once over there you can also find one of my favorite places for Cicchetti in all of Venice-- Enoteca Schiavi. Actual Venetians still go there. 

[John Bull]

 

JB 🙂

[marazul]

47 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

A good spot to catch one is the rank outside the Hotel Bauer not far off St Marks. Usually not hard to get one there. 

@momphoto

The Bauer is closed for renovations and it will emerge with a new name. The signs may or may not say Bauer.  That gondola rank is located by the bridge in front of the church of San Moisè, just a short distance from St Mark's.

[PORT ROYAL]

5 hours ago, momphoto said:

Was wondering if there are certain companies to use?  Is it betting to go in morning or evening?  Cost?  Our hotel is near st. Marks square.

Consider booking with Giogia Boscolo - The first female Gondola driver - 

She had to be two times a good as a male to be thought half as good. Fortunately for, Giogia this was not very difficult.  Giogia kicked butt - Contact

https://www.instagram.com/giorgia_boscolo_/?hl=en-gb

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

JB 🙂

I bet that is someone who flew in that morning, and is trying to stay active until normal bedtime in the new time zone!

[PORT ROYAL]

Or the third bottle of Brunello over Lunch……

 

The Gondolier looks happy, because it’s possibly his fee of $200 per hour.
Thinks…I’ll be kind and let them sleep it off