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Private Gondola Tour: Explore Venice and its Grand Canal History
4.1
137 Ratings
Venezia
Experience the charm of Venice on a private gondola tour. Float along the Grand Canal, learn about the history of gondolas, and admire iconic landmarks. Book now!
Duration:
1 hour
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Gondola Station - Santa Maria del Giglio - Meeting point for the tour and drop off
-
Canal Grande - A truly unique and magical one hour gondola guided tour of Veniceâs waterways, you will be guaranteed the best and most breathtaking views of the city of Venice from the water. We glide along the Grand Canal passing Ca Dario, the Peggy Guggenheim museum, the Accademia bridge, the real home of Casanova, Palazzo Grassi, Ca Rezzonico, Ca Bembo, Ca Pesaro, close to the Rialto bridge, Campo Manin, and Mozartâs house.
Once you have met up with our expert guide you will be steered in style by your own personal gondolier along the incomparable Grand Canal.
Passing through centuries of history and stunning Palazzi, each with their own story to tell, you will glide effortlessly along one of the most, beautiful and elegant âhigh streetsâ in the world. All you need to do is sit back, relax taking in the surroundings while our informative guide entertains you with stories and anecdotes of the city, explaining the history behind La Serenissima and her array of stunning palaces.
Turning into one of Veniceâs scenic side canals, you will not only be able to enjoy the splendour of the Canal Grande but also the quaint charm of the smaller, more residential areas too - âreal Veniceâ.
These are just a few highlights of this outstanding exploration of Venice. Our informative guide will tell you all about the gondola, its unique structure and traditions of the Venetian gondoliers â unique to Venice.
Why not indulge in this exceptional tour? Appreciate Venice from the best and most original angle.
An excellent way to combine an informative and stimulating guided commentary with an essential gondola ride, this tour is not to be missed!
- Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute - Basilca di Santa Maria della Salute is part of the itinerary
- Ponte di Rialto - The Rialto bridge is part of the itinerary (but ask to the gondolier first)
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection - Peggy Guggenheim is part of the itinerary
What's Included
- Private guide in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian
- Private 1 hour gondola ride
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drink
Additional Information
Take a private, hour-long tour on a gondola boat and immerse yourself in the rich history of these iconic Venetian boats. Let your gondolier guide you along the well-known Grand Canal as you sit back and enjoy interesting facts and anecdotes about both the city and its boats from a knowledgeable local guide. Enjoy the sights of picturesque Rio della Madonnetta, and marvel at key Venetian landmarks like the Rialto Bridge and the stunning Gothic Ca’ d’Oro mansion situated on the Grand Canal. Even though the typical gondola is compact, it comfortably accommodates up to five passengers, in addition to the onboard guide and gondolier.
- Infants aged under 2 years will be seated on the lap of an adult;
- There is a limit of 4 people + 1 guide per gondola
- 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
Location
Gondola Station - Santa Maria del Giglio
Campiello Traghetto
Meeting point: 15 min before the departure time at the gondola station of Santa Maria del Giglio in front of the Gritti Palace Hotel.
Please look for your guide with a sign with your name on it!
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.1
(137 Ratings)
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Craig_e
Jun 22, 2024
Just do it. - This is a Venice essential, and taking the trip with a guide is sooooo much better than alone with the gondolier or with musicians. Our guide was excellent. The trip was both fun and interesting.
Review provided by Viator
Malaya_j
Feb 15, 2024
Valentines Day Gondola Ride 💕 - Fantastic experience on Valentines Day ! Our guide and gondolier were so friendly and was an amazing time...even the weather was great ! Thank you so much x
Review provided by Viator
Getaway403344
Jun 19, 2023
Gondola Venice - Sylvia is very knowledgeable and informative about the city as she is a native born Venetian. Highly recommend fir your gondola ride.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nomad23851223745
May 6, 2023
Loved it! - Very pleased with our guide. Easy to find. We loved having the hour to go through all the canals, seeing the beauty of Venice.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan_b
Jun 15, 2024
Horrible treatment - The gondolier was talking on his cell phone the entire time, and our tour guide had a cold personality, was impersonal, and all about business. When our ride was over, the guide got off first and fled with only saying goodbye to one person in our party due to the rest of them being still in the boat.Our gondola ride was also cut short by 15 minutes without explanation, even when we paid for an hour. Definitely not worth the price, I travel often and I’m not shy about paying good money for a quality private tour. This tour was barely enjoyable.
Review provided by Viator
Evelynj_p
May 23, 2023
The actual gondola ride... - The actual gondola ride around the canals was a nice experience but the tour guide did not really contribute to the experience and obstructed it. She sat very close to one of our family members to the point that she had to be asked to move because the person could not face forward due to the tour guide's close proximity. She also blocked our view forward in the gondola. The information she provided was very limited and of poor quality, she did not provide meaningful information about Venice or the canals. By the time we had this tour, we had participated of several other tours in Rome and Florence with tour guides that were very knowledgeable about the history and architecture of the sites they were showing us and we were expecting our guide in Venice to also provide knowledgeable and insightful information about Venice, however, she only gave us a few bullet points, which she repeated throughout the ride.
Review provided by Viator
Simon_i
Jul 27, 2024
Don’t waste your money. - Terrible. Paid for an hour. It was hot so we decided 40 minutes would be fine. In total he returned us after 15 minutes. NO GUIDE. And rude . My husband asked if he could sing happy birthday to me and he responded “I’m not a clown”. When I spoke to lady in office, she didn’t refund for time that was cut short.
Review provided by Viator
Holly_m
Jun 15, 2024
Scam!! Do not purchase this terrible tour - This is a complete scam!!! Do not waste your money or time!! We paid $450 for a one hour guided gondola ride and they shortened it to only 30 minutes at the start! Appalling. So, then, we actually paid $450 for 30 minutes! The going rate is 90 euros for 30 minutes. So that’s some terrible math. A total ripoff and scam. We are not the first to be ripped off on this tour.
TripAdvisor, this tour should be removed ASAP! Look at the many other terrible reviews, and others have mentioned it was only 30 minutes. It’s a tactic. I really wish I had read the reviews before purchasing.
At the very least TripAdvisor should have reimbursed for 1/2, which they refused, and it was a total pain to work with them on it. Ruined our first day in Venice. We will be taking this up with our credit card company for a refund, rest assured.
Do not purchase this tour! The travel company TripAdvisor uses for this gets away with murder, cutting the trip in half and keeping the money! You are better off going to a gondola station (St Mark’s square between the two columns for example) and paying for a ride there. Beware of this tour. The guide didn’t add much either.
Review provided by Viator
Minh_d
Jun 3, 2024
Don’t get scammed by this guide - The gondala ride was fine but our tour guide was useless. She spent most of the time talking to the gondola driver and only a few minutes talking to us. She definitely did not want to be there and it showed from the first minute we met her.
Review provided by Viator
Sarah_d
Apr 24, 2024
Avoid at all costs - Rubbish and a rip off. Paid £361 for an hour long gondola ride. Received a half hearted tour guide who really couldn’t be bothered and 30 minutes. Avoid
Review provided by Viator
