Gondola Ride
- Madison "Sonni" Hendrickson
- Jul 4, 2018
- 2 min read
PRICE: €€€€€ VALUE: €€€€
When I think of Venice the first thing that comes into my mind is a gondola ride. It always looks so beautiful and peaceful in the photos and videos I'd seen. I was positive I wanted to experience it.
You can ride gondolas almost anywhere in Venice, but the main gathering spot for them right off of St. Marks Square. St. Mark's Square is already a huge tourist attraction with all the museums and churches so close together, it makes perfect sense for the gondolas to gather there. There are several stands where you can go purchase your ride, but the prices don't vary much from stand to stand. I imagine that the further away you are from St. Marks' Square the less the gondola ride would be.
I saw an American family near one of the stands so I went up to them and asked them their opinion on the gondola rides. They told me that there was an €80 ride that was roughly 25 minutes long or a €120 ride for about 45 minutes. They did both rides but liked the longer one better. They admitted that the €120 seemed pretty expensive but they thought it was worth it. The gondola operators took you to see the Bridge of Sighs, the house of Marco Polo, a few different churches, and gave some history on the city.
After getting that information I grabbed my friend and we flagged down one of the gondola operators. We paid for the "standard ride" which was the longer of the two the family I met recommended.
Is it worth it?
Yes, but bring friends.
Splitting €120 between two college students was a little hard to stomach. The ride was beautiful, peaceful, and really gave you another perspective for the city. It is a staple of a Venice visit for a reason. However, I would bring a group of friends and split the cost. The cost of the ride doesn't change depending on the number of people in the gondola. You could fit at least 5 people in the gondola, and that split up would be much easier on the bank.