Venice

Venice: Grand Canal by Gondola with Commentary

Venice, Italy
Discovering Venetian Waterways by Gondola

From $34.04

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

  • 30 to 50 minutes
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Traverse the canals of Venice aboard a traditional gondola with your very own gondolier. Float along narrow waterways and hidden passages, admiring the beauty of one of Italy's most magical cities. Pass beneath centuries-old bridges and take in famous attractions such as St. Marks' Bell Tower and San Giorgio Island from the coziness of your flat-bottomed boat. Lastly, experience a ride in a unique virtual reality as you glide over the Grand Canal's tranquil waters at sunset over the centuries, and then discover the craftsmanship and secrets behind Venice's iconic boat with an up-close look at a sectioned model.
  • A gondola ride along Venice's waterways
  • Savor one of Venice's most sought-after and romantic experiences
  • Navigate secluded passages and beneath centuries-old bridges en route to the Grand Canal
  • See some of the city's top sights from a completely new vantage point
  • An ideal way to explore Venice, whether you're a couple, family or solo traveler

What's Included

  • SHARED GONDOLA RIDE OPTION: 20 minutes introduction to the gondola experience
  • SHARED GONDOLA RIDE OPTION: 30 minutes gondola ride with commentary
  • SHARED GONDOLA RIDE OPTION: Live commentary in Italian, English, French and Spanish
  • SHARED GONDOLA RIDE OPTION:App commentary in German, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi and Russian
  • PRIVATE GONDOLA RIDE OPTION: 30 minutes gondola ride WITHOUT commentary
  • Journey in the past by gondola Virtual Reality Experience (not included in the private option)
  • The Yard of Venice: discover the secrets of a sectioned gondola (not included in the private option)
  • Hotel pickup
  • Audio devices
  • Earphones

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting points

Select a meeting point
Type to search

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Your gondola ride begins in the emerald waters of the Grand Canal. The meeting-point is located near Saint Mark’s Square, making it easy to fit your tour in with other sightseeing plans.

Settle into a traditional Venetian rowing boat, a staple on these lagoons for around a thousand years. Rides include a maximum of only five people, so you’ll be able to stretch out comfortably without a tight squeeze.

Glide by some of the city’s most renowned attractions, from the Teatro La Fenice opera house to the Santa Maria della Salute basilica. Listen to commentary from your gondolier during the ride or multilingual narration using an app, depending on the option you select.

Prefer a quiet ride, alone or with friends or loved ones? Simply choose a private gondola ride with no commentary.

Ombra del Leone

5 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Chiesa di San Moise (Pass By)

Teatro La Fenice (Pass By)

Canal Grande (Pass By)

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute (Pass By)

Punta della Dogana (Pass By)

San Giorgio Maggiore (Pass By)

Giardini Reali (Pass By)

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Each gondola can host maximum 5 people; the seat aboard cannot be chosen but will be assigned by the gondolier depending of guests weight.
  • The Gondola Ride does not operate in case of exceptionally bad weather or high/low tide (in these cases it can be postponed the days after otherwise it will be refunded)
  • The itinerary may change in the event of wind or bad weather
  • The guide will be only on one gondola, the participants on the others gondola will listen to her/him with the audio-devices
  • The live commentary will be only in English, French, Spanish and Italian. The commentary on German, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, and Russian will be provided by mobile app downloaded on the own devices.
  • The live commentary IS NOT included in the PRIVATE OPTION
  • Please be at the meeting point 10 minutes before the departure time
  • 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 tour/activity will have a maximum of 5 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

See more
Featured review
Adam_M
Great experience and professional guides. Would fully recommend and happily do again every time I visit

Reviews

4.0
2,186 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
0
0
0
0
0
Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 2,186 reviews
Terrible
Danielle_L, Mar 2024
Terrible- tried to cancel within window because it was pouring rain and no gondolas were running. Called the next day they still would not refund me. I took pictures and will be calling my credit card! Never again!
Rip off!
Hemanth_P, Mar 2024
Horrible experience. It’s like a factory floor! No commentary was provided despite having paid for one. Time on Grand Canal was less than 2 mins (to take a turn from one of the side canals to another). Gandolier was browsing on his phone, highly disinterested.
There was no commentary...
Christine_C, Mar 2024
There was no commentary on the gondola though the tour description said there should be. Supposed to be half hour gondola ride but only 20mins
Overpriced , seated separate
Gemma_B, Mar 2024
We shared with three other people and they seat you in order of weight - I would recommend you just book when you get there it’s cheaper and you can sit alone with your partner! No commentary
A Bucket List Must Do
Saundra_L, Mar 2024
I read the reviews before I booked this experience and I saw a lot of comments about people going to the wrong meeting spot. We had relatively no issues. I looked at the meeting point specified on Viator and google mapped walking directions. Now, I will say when you get over to the general area, which is by the museum entrance, it is the gray, metal roofed magazine kiosk/stand by Fenti. The guy at the stand was low key rude for no reason but we didn’t really have trouble finding the place. We walked a short distance and our guide talked about the history of the gondolas and their purpose. She told us that the gondoliers likely wouldn’t talk to us and they definitely do not sing, so we weren’t expecting it going in. Sure enough, our guy didn’t talk to us but he did whistle occasionally throughout the ride. However, he did talk on the phone practically the entire ride. And if he wasn’t talking on the phone, he was talking over the boat to the other gondoliers as we flowed through the narrow canals. It was peaceful and it was beautiful. At times, very quiet and serene. While we enjoyed it, it wasn’t as wowing as we thought it would be. But that’s just us… it may be amazing to you, Reader. We’re not sorry we did it, and it’s nice to cross off the bucket list, but it’s not something we feel we ever need to do again. Worth the money? Yes, I would say so. Folks in the reviews were complaining that no one talked to them on the actual gondola ride but that didn’t bother us. We got our information prior to the ride and then enjoyed the ride through the canals. The only “negative” part being the gondolier talking on the phone for a lot of the ride.
Nice ride and short walking Tour
Sarah_A, Mar 2024
Nice gondola ride but no singing! It would be lovely if the gondoliers sang. The tour guide said she’d take us through the gondola museum but then wasn’t at the meeting point at the end.
Poor
Larry_W, Mar 2024
Felt like we were in a cattle call. Hearding everyone to the gondolas, then line up by your boat and heard in. Never heard the commentary until the very end because of distance between speaker and our radios. Then hearded out again. Find something else unless you just need to say you rode in a gondola and don't mind the other things I mentioned.
Terrible
Stephen_M, Mar 2024
It was raining and I contacted the tour operator to change the date because my wife and daughter were afraid. They told me to contact Viator since they were unable to do so. Viator said no to changing the date. I wasn’t looking for a refund but to not go out the next day. Terrible and only care about money.
Very disappointing
Christine_S, Mar 2024
This was experience I was most looking forward to and was extremely disappointed. Our gondolier didn’t speak English and he didn’t introduce himself or offer any conversation or information. We would try to ask a few basic questions and he didn’t understand. Also was only about 15-20 minute ride.
Excellent way to see Venice
Mary_P, Mar 2024
We had a great experience with this company. I would highly recommend this It’s a easy way to take an excellent ride in the canal
French Commentary advertised - but was in English
Susan_P, Mar 2024
We booked the gondola ride with French commentary - the only time anyone spoke French was when we gave our passes and said we were on the « French commentary tour » to which we were told the commentary on the way to the gondola would be in English - not a problem for me (I am English) but a problem for my French partner. This activity should not be advertised with French commentary . But other than that the staff were very friendly.
Lovely Gondola ride
Chelsea_T, Mar 2024
We had a lovely Gondola trip, it was well organised and kept to time. I would say that I expected some commentary from the actual Gondolier which would have made it more personal. Our guide was lovely but often hard to understand her over the radio/headphones. I would recommend this service to a friend
Ambiance
Lindsay_B, Mar 2024
This was the one thing our son wanted to do in Venice. Our gondola driver was very nice, but we would have liked a little bit longer of ride. The museum was very informational as well. Overall, a great experience.
Interesting and educational
Jan_L, Mar 2024
The gondola ride was very interesting. We heard one of the gondoliers singing. Ours did not, it is not what they do, but we did hear one and he sang beautifully. I would recommend that if going on the gondola you bring some Vicks to put in your nose if you are not used to strong smells. They throw waste into the waters and some areas are strong odor. Rides and education are very interesting 👍🏻
Don’t be late
Edwin_R, Mar 2024
Our guide Julia was excellent, our gondolier was super nice. We enjoyed our tour, I only giving 3 stars because the administration was really rude! Our tour started at 11, we got lost and arrived at 11:06am. They told me you are late, tour is gone, in other words you lost your money, but if you want you can pay $8 euros for each person. So I had to paid $32 euros extra to get into the other tour. This is 50 mins walking tour and 30 mins in the gondola ride. While you are in the gondola the tour person is not with you, they will meet you at the end of your ride to show you a short movie.
a great Venice experience
Jane_W, Mar 2024
Easy and really fun! Just the right amount of time. Nicole our guide was kind and spoke good English and asked if we had any questions which I appreciated. Our gondolier sang and while he had broken English he shared some local perspectives which was nice and gave us a deeper insight into life in Venice. I recommend!
Not worth it.
Jessica_G, Mar 2024
The gondolier was very dry even if the other couple was asking questions. Did not seem interested in answering or even having a conversation. Did not say welcome either.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Dear Guest, we are deeply sorry for your personal comment, please consider that the gondolier is not the guide, but he is like a driver who must take care of his oar. At your disposal for further information. Regards.
Crowded and rainy
Jose_A, Mar 2024
A bit crowded plus a rainy day. Not a great experience Would try again the next time I come to Venice
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thanks for the review. Please consider that gondola ride is a unique occasion to discover the hidden and romantic canals of Venice and the façades of Venice historical buildings on gondola. Regards.
Enjoyable Ride.
Ryan_M, Mar 2024
Enjoyable Ride. We were given an introductory in a chosen language about the tour about 15 minutes and then we rode about 30 minutes in venice.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thanks for your kind review
A Venice classic
Mackenzie_W, Mar 2024
When you think of Venice and the classic gondola ride…this tour is exactly what you should imagine. A peaceful ride through the canals, with a lovely tour guide who gives just enough commentary without being too much. Beautiful day.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thanks for your kind review
...

Explore Similar Things to Do