Grand Canal Gondola Ride with Storytelling & Gondola Gallery™
Description
Experience the magic of Venice on a Gondola Ride through its enchanting canals. With just 5 guests and the gondolier on board, enjoy a more intimate and exclusive way to discover the city from the water. As you glide beneath centuries-old bridges, along the Grand Canal, and past breathtaking views of St. Mark’s Basin and San Giorgio Island, your guide brings Venice to life with stories and insights about its palaces, landmarks, and rich history. The guided experience continues at the Gondola Gallery, where your guide reveals the history, craftsmanship, and traditions of Venice’s iconic gondola, shows you the only original gondola displayed in section, and leads you through a unique 3D journey across Venice through the centuries.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will pass trough the Gran Canal terrace of Ca Giustinian, one of the oldest Palace overlooking the Canal Grande.
Close to San Marco Square, in front of St Moise (Moses) Church and the Gondola station, the guide will introduce you in the elegant and romantic world of the Gondolas.
Once one of 7 major theatres in the city, today the Fenice is Venice’s one and only opera house. It is surely a jewel among European theatres, and began to shine from the beginning, as the best composers of the age wrote and performed their operas here, among which Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini. But it was Giuseppe Verdi who is most attached to the Fenice and to Venetian memory.
The most beautiful road in the world”, this is how the Grand Canal is known as. If you look around, what you will see is almost exactly what a nobleman in the 18th century might have looked upon, and before him a Renaissance courtesan and before him a merchant in the Middle Ages.
Here, as you come into the Grand Canal you admire the church of the Madonna della Salute. The first thing that strikes a viewer is how imposing the church is, strategically placed at the entrance of the Grand Canal looking out onto the rest of the city in every direction, thanks to its circular shape. Today, ever 21 November the city celebrates the Madonna della Salute in memory of the end of the plague
Punta della Dogana separates the Grand Canal from the Giudecca Canal. For its strategic location it was the house of the Custom and of the Salt Warehouses. During the fifteenth century, the Sea Customs House, which had previously been near the Arsenale, was transferred to the western point of Dorsoduro borough.
You will have a view of the Island of san Giorgio Maggiore, with its beautiful Renaissance Church built by Palladio in the Renaissance and the belltower resembling the bigger one in St Mark’s Square. The island was once known as the Island of Cypress Trees before it became an important Benedectine monastery.
At the end you will enjoy a wonderful overview of Saint Mark’s Square. This is a spot which painters from all over the world have tried to capture in its uniqueness, but we can only recommend that you sit back and take it all in.
The Gondola Gallery is a unique place to discover the history, craftsmanship, and traditions of Venice’s iconic gondola. With your guide, see the only original gondola displayed in section and enjoy a unique 3D journey through Venice across the centuries
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- 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 live commentary will be only in English, French and Spanish. The commentary on German, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, and Russian will be provided by mobile app downloaded on the own devices.
- Private Gondola Ride - In-App Commentary Only
- 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
- The gondolier serves as the driver of the gondola, providing rowing and navigation services throughout the ride.
Reviews(4,554)
Tour guides seem a bit unorganized- We were asked to put on VR headsets for the first 15 mins, unclear expectations
Guide at the office was very nice and helpful. Everyone helping check in, and the gondolier were nice too. Easy to work out where to go and what to do. Our gondolier answered any questions we had but otherwise left us to chat amongst ourselves which we liked. Much better value than booking with randoms on the canals. We were quoted +€100 each for a similar trip by someone by the basilica, we payed approx €35 for each for this one. Also stayed off the grand canal other than starting/ending so avoided traffic and saw more different smaller canals which we found better, also kept us cooler out of the sun.
Very professional and cared about the group
Dear guest, thanks a lot for the positive feedback about the tour and for choosing us. We are glad to know that everything went well and we hope to see you again in Venice very soon! Best regards, Customer Care Team
A gorgeous way to see Venice! We learned a lot about the history of Venice and how it has evolved over time. Our tour guide, Emma, was such a delight! She did the tour in English and Spanish, and always kept the whole group together. The actual gondola ride was about 30 minutes, but you really don’t need more than that to get the authentic Venetian experience. If you have a day to spend in Venice, make sure you incorporate this experience!
Dear Guest, We appreciate your feedback. Thank you and we hope to see you in Venice again. Regards, Customer Care Team
Walking through Venice we wanted to take a gondola ride and we found this agency that advised us and managed an experience with our 4 and 2-year-old daughters, it was perfect and highly recommended. Camila our guide was unbeatable
Dear guest, thanks a lot for the positive feedback about the tour and for choosing us. We are glad to know that everything went well and we hope to see you again in Venice very soon! Best regards, Customer Care Team
Enjoyed top experience and got a lot of history with it
Dear guest, thanks a lot for the positive feedback about the tour and for choosing us. We are glad to know that everything went well and we hope to see you again in Venice very soon! Best regards, Customer Care Team
They explained it very carefully and made me very comfortable in the gondola.
Dear guest, thanks a lot for the positive feedback about the tour and for choosing us. We are glad to know that everything went well and we hope to see you again in Venice very soon! Best regards, Customer Care Team
Good experience! The service is good and the guide is very kind.
Dear guest, thanks a lot for the positive feedback about the tour and for choosing us. We are glad to know that everything went well and we hope to see you again in Venice very soon! Best regards, Customer Care Team
Very good organization!! I recommend this agency to you; a short virtual video before the tour that tells us the history of the gondoliers, very nice.
Dear guest, thanks a lot for the positive feedback about the tour and for choosing us. We are glad to know that everything went well and we hope to see you again in Venice very soon! Best regards, Customer Care Team
Superb tour with a magnificent setting. I highly recommend it!
Dear guest, thanks a lot for the positive feedback about the tour and for choosing us. We are glad to know that everything went well and we hope to see you again in Venice very soon! Best regards, Customer Care Team
