Best of · GONDOLA RIDES

The World’s 15 Best Gondola Rides

119 rides  ·  from $12 a seat

Venice rows about four hundred of them and eight other cities row a few dozen more. These 15 are the rides worth the fare, priced per passenger where the operator sells seats and per boat where it does not, with the whole catalogue underneath.

Venice: Grand Canal Gondola Ride with App Commentary - The Gondola Gallery and VR time machine
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Venice: Grand Canal Gondola Ride with App Commentary

Venice: Grand Canal Gondola Experience with Live Commentary™ - Finding the office near St. Mark’s Square
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Venice: Grand Canal Gondola Experience with Live Commentary™

Venice: Shared Gondola Ride Across the Grand Canal - Finding the Alilaguna meeting point
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Venice: Shared Gondola Ride Across the Grand Canal

Grand Canal Gondola Experience with Live Commentary™ - The opening view at Ca’ Giustinian
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Grand Canal Gondola Experience with Live Commentary™

4.Grand Canal Gondola Experience with Live Commentary™

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 4,223 reviews · 30 to 50 minutes (approx.) · from $49

Review of Venice’s Grand Canal gondola ride, with route details, live commentary, VR add-on, group size, price, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“We went as two couples and had such a great time! The gondola ride was beautiful, and cruising along the Grand Canal (unfortunately no live commentary during the ride). But It was still fun, scenic, and a memorable way to experience Venice. Definitely recommend it for couples or friends looking to enjoy a classic Venetian moment!”

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Venice Walking Tour and Gondola Ride - The Grand Canal and Venice’s watery main street
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Venice Walking Tour and Gondola Ride

5.Venice Walking Tour and Gondola Ride

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 3,630 reviews · 2 hours 9 minutes to 2 hours 27 minutes (approx.) · from $72

Review of Venice’s 2-hour walking tour and 30-minute gondola ride, with practical tips on guides, meeting points, value, and what to expect.

“Not worth the price spare yourself the aggravation with rude tour guides.You will have a better experience on your own.”

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Venice In a Day: St Mark's, Doges Palace Gondola Ride & City Tour - The 35-minute gondola ride
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Venice In a Day: St Mark’s, Doges Palace Gondola Ride & City Tour

6.Venice In a Day: St Mark’s, Doges Palace Gondola Ride & City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,588 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $124Top rated

See Venice’s Rialto, St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace, and canals in six hours with skip-the-line access and a gondola ride.

“It was a great experience with Mateo! It was just my boyfriend, myself, and him. It felt more private and awesome! We enjoyed getting to see parts of the city we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. It was also cool to have a break in between and go on the gondola and see the city another way other than via our feet. Mateo is super informed about everything and made sure we got all the information we needed. Would recommend to all of our friends heading into Venice!”

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Venice: Traditional Shared Gondola Ride - Starting near San Marco and finding the tour desk
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Venice: Traditional Shared Gondola Ride

7.Traditional Shared Gondola Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 3,263 reviews · 30 min · from $42

See Venice from a traditional gondola for 30 minutes, passing quiet canals, palaces, the Grand Canal, and possibly the Bridge of Sighs.

“Very good so nice to see the small canals and our gondolier was very happy to answer questions and had a good sense of humour”

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Venice: Private Gondola Cruise for up to 5 Passengers - The Grand Canal from a gondola seat
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Venice: Private Gondola Cruise for up to 5 Passengers

8.Private Gondola Cruise for up to 5 Passengers

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 3,106 reviews

Review of Venice’s private 30-minute gondola cruise, with Grand Canal views, smaller waterways, practical tips, pricing, and honest drawbacks.

“We opted for the private session. Even though the trip was short, it was peaceful and quite special - we were able to see some buildings of Venice from the water. We did not choose the commentary option but our gondolier was fun and entertaining throughout to the boat ride. Would recommend.”

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Venice: Private Crafted Gondola Ride Along Grand Canal - Boarding near Rio dellOrso or Campiello Traghetto
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Venice: Private Crafted Gondola Ride Along Grand Canal

Romantic Venice: 30 Minute Gondola Ride with Serenade - Peggy Guggenheim and the Accademia Bridge
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Romantic Venice: 30 Minute Gondola Ride with Serenade

10.Romantic Venice: 30 Minute Gondola Ride with Serenade

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 2,742 reviews · 30 minutes (approx.) · from $66

Is Venice’s shared gondola ride with serenade worth $66? See the sights, understand the group setup, and decide if it suits your trip.

“I would give them a 0 if I could!! The worst experience we had on our dream vacation. My children are I arrived 30 minutes early and we ended up being seated in the last gondola., furthest from the serenade. The driver was completely unfriendly, when we asked a question he shook his head and implied he was on the phone. No descriptions of the sites were given. We were the first gondola to dock but were forced to climb over another gondola which arrived after us in order to get onto the pier. I am 75 years old with a bad knee and this was very scary & dangerous.…”

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Venice's Best: Basilica, Doge's Palace, Gondola & History Gallery - St. Mark’s Basilica: gold, marble, and strict entry rules
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Venice’s Best: Basilica, Doge’s Palace, Gondola & History Gallery

11.Venice’s Best: Basilica, Doge’s Palace, Gondola & History Gallery

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,478 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $129

Review of Venice's Best tour, with St. Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace, gondola ride, VR history gallery, tips, value, and drawbacks.

“Excellent tour! The guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I learned a lot about the history of the places we visited. It was well worth the time and money!”

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Las Vegas Super Saver: Madame Tussauds with Gondola Boat Ride - Reserving the Venetian gondola ride
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Las Vegas Super Saver: Madame Tussauds with Gondola Boat Ride

Charming Gondola Ride on the Grand Canal & Gondola Gallery™ - Seeing a gondola from the inside at Gondola Gallery
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Charming Gondola Ride on the Grand Canal & Gondola Gallery™

13.Charming Gondola Ride on the Grand Canal & Gondola Gallery™

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,313 reviews · 45 minutes (approx.) · from $47

Review of Venice’s shared gondola ride and Gondola Gallery, with Grand Canal views, VR history, practical tips, price, and honest drawbacks.

“Sadly it was not how we wanted.. it was very confusing it was unclear where to meet - after 90 minutes of walking around the city we located the office in a newspaper stand near the post office and vendi outside of St Marks square only to be told the location changed - it was frustrating but there was some communication via email with the office but there information was inaccurate… Next time we’ll wait until day of to do condola ride - and this company should learn too be sure to have easy to use directions for people many who are from out of town or the country -…”

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Venice: Crafted Gondola Under Breathtaking Bridge of Sighs™ - Boarding near San Marco
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Venice: Crafted Gondola Under Breathtaking Bridge of Sighs™

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