“The most beautiful road in the world”, this is how the Canal Grande is known as. If you look around, what you will see is almost the same view that a 18th-century nobleman would have seen, and before him a Renaissance courtesan, and even before that, a merchant who lived in the Middle Ages.
Peggy Guggenheim Collection is one of the most important art collections in the world. Peggy Guggenheim, from New York, arrived in Venice in 1949 and began to satisfy her art addiction by buying this wonderful building where she put on display invaluable artworks for the whole world to see. The beautiful terrace you see is where Guggenheim sun-bathed regularly enjoying the view over the Canal Grande
The Gritti Palace got its name from the Gritti family, an old Venetian family, the most important member of which was Andrea Gritti,, the Doge of Venice in the Renaissance. Andrea Gritti led the Venetian armies against the League of Cambrai, consisting in France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, which wanted to stop Venice’s expansionist ambitions in France.
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.
Here, as you come into the Grand Canal you are opened to 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
We are a unique gallery where you can see and touch a real Venetian Gondola, the only place in Venice where you can have this experience. Discover how a Gondola is made, exploring every detail of this city icon. Get a 3D and VR Experiences: A Dive into the Past on board of the Gondola Immerse yourself in a unique experience thanks to our 3D and VR technology. We invite you to experience Venice as it once was, virtually strolling through its historic alleys, observing its monuments in their original glory, and feeling the authentic atmosphere of past eras. This experience will allow you to step into a book, to become part of the history you are reading.
This was a very nice experience. You get a brief history of the gondola as well as a nice 30 minute ride. You do share a gondola with others although we thankfully had a fun young couple join us which worked out well.
Low pressure way to book a gondola ride. Pre ride presentation was nice. Learned about history of Venice and gondolas. Would recommend booking rather than just jumping on a random ride.
The extra experience isn’t worth it. Just find one close by the grand canal and share the cost with another couple.
We loved out experience. We did go to the wrong meeting point and had to double back, because the directions were not clear.
A gondola ride has to be done when in Venice! We tried to just get on one at the canal, but the guy only accepted cash, so we booked this trip on the Viator app. This one included a little VR headset video at the start in on offsite location, then a 10-minute walk to the canal. Didn’t really need the headset intro or the extra walk, but it was fine. We were put on a gondola with two friendly university students, and from there on, the gondolier didn’t interact with us and just joked with his buddies passing by in other boats. Vaped while rowing us. The route was varied and being on the Grand Canal was very cool. About 30 minutes.
Viator uses local services and they screwed up our meeting place and kept us waiting. We ended up getting half the time for our gondola ride and now Viator refuses to give us a partial credit. They blamed the local tour office. Very bad customer service. Won’t use Viator again.
It is a trip in two portions, one virtual reality, which tells you the story of the gondolas and then the actual gondola ride are walking tour guide was very kind and sweet. Just keep in mind. The streets are very busy.
The gondola in itself is lovely, Venice is just gorgeous. But we received no commentary or guidance (despite the description) and there was also no “vr experience” at the end. Pretty expensive for a thirty minute ride with no indications of where we were…
A must do experience in Venice. Would have been nicer with a little more interaction with the Gondola driver. He never said 1 word to us. We tried....he talked mostly with other drivers going by. The ride was supposed to be 45 minutes. It lasted about 30 minutes. Could have caught a ride at stand for less money.
I booked this to make my life easy since I had never been to Venice. This tour delivered on that score. The virtual reality goggles used at the start of the tour were a bit different and actually got some of the people in our group dizzy. A movie might have been better, but a surround movie might be hard. I would have liked a little more time in a "museum atmosphere" to get a feeling for gondolas and the city itself; what we had was good, but too short. The gondola ride itself was as promised. Although my wife was displeased with her placement in the boat, as someone tall was seated directly in front of her. While it was convenient, there are gondolas available everywhere, and next time we would skip the tour and just stop at a boat anywhere.
The whisper system did not work well and guide was hard to understand. Those putting on the tour acted as though they were going through a routine and not really enjoying themselves which reflected on how the acted.
I’m not sure if this is a Viator problem, or the actual Gondola service providers. Finding the “where” is a HUGE problem! There are many service providers and a lot of them are not willing to help you navigate to find where you belong! They are crass and can be rude so prepare yourselves! It’s busy and I got messaging to go near a hotel that was actually closed for renovations and had no signage!!! It was horrible! We finally found our gondola service provider who initially could not find my name and they had to call and confirm. I made reservations almost 6 months in advance. My suggestion, don’t book through Viator. Go, take you some money and just pay for it onsite. Plan to wait in line. Have fun.
Tour guide was pushy. Needed to install app when we got there and the install didn’t work on all of my family’s phones.
The meeting point was difficult to find. I had to ask several other gondola operators as to where the Gondola Ride Experience meeting point was. It was have been helpful if the along with the address (which was confusing with the canals and bridges) the meeting point had said to go to an actual office. Past Viator excursions I've been on said to look for someone/something specific like a guide in a orange shirt. Read the FINE PRINT! I was allowed to book a ticket for 6 adults, but somewhere in the fine print it says that each gondola only holds a maximum of 5 adults so we had to split up into two gondolas. we were told the gondolas would be travelling together, but that did not happen. Before the ride we were shown an interesting history of the gondolas, but that's where the information stopped, The gondola driver told us nothing at all about where we were going nor any history unless we specifically asked them a question. The drivers talked primarily with other gondola drivers.
We could not find the location and didn’t compete the trip due to not a clear address
Well run Must do Magical tick box activity when in Venice Gondolas pristine Always book in advance Need 5 in one gondola unless specified
Hard to follow instructions , knew boat location but didnt’ know of audio guide . All worked out. More info on your tickets Hate to always search for info. Venice Tour office small and awning wasnt out. Green sign ! Close walk to boats :5
This was exactly what I expected, a great gondola ride thru small canals and then the grand canal He doesn’t sing and we knew that ahead of time. And the gondola part is only 30 mins which we knew but some people thought it was an hour. It was an hour with instructions and walking to the gondola Also you meet outside Venice tours but it says city tours on the instructions but they are the same, just confusing. Check in at Venice tours to get in line
DO NOT book this! It is absolutely not worth the cost. You are much better off waiting until you are in Venice and booking a gondola ride directly at one of the gondola stops. This “tour” was essentially just a walk to a gondola stop and provided almost no information or value. The only information we were given was that the water is 1.5 meters deep in some places. To make matters worse, you have to share the gondola with other people, and they arrange the seating so that you may not even be able to sit next to the person you came with. For what we paid, this was a complete waste of money. Skip this tour and book a gondola ride on your own once you’re in Venice for a cheaper and private experience.
It was very badly organised, difficult to get in the gondola. We were placed in the side and it was very uncomfortable with long legs. Not the experience we paid for!!!
Our meeting point "Campo San Gallo" Venuce Tours is an "office", which we found very difficult to locate. In the office was a VCR demo, than a walking tour to the boarding location.
The tour office was easy to find if you follow the instructions. Just walk in and show the friendly staff the booking and they will give you a group number. You will go on a gondola in a group of 5. We were first directed to do a virtual reality experience which I didn’t know was part of it (I must’ve not read that part) and that takes about 10 minutes of your time. It’s unique so I didn’t mind as much. Make sure you don’t just stand still and ensure you turn around to get the full VR experience. The lovely guide then walked us through the streets for 10 minutes telling us some history through the connected headphone they provide. I will say it was hard to hear what she was saying as the sound quality wasn’t the best. The gondola ride itself is about 12-15 minutes in a small loop. Worthwhile for the experience but if you want a soothing romantic ride don’t pick this one. I still enjoyed it.
We missed our reservation time the the company Viator booked with and honored our booking. How good is that?
Fun family experience. Venice Tours was very accommodating and answered all questions. A must do in Venice
Watch your step getting on and off the gondola. My sister almost fell getting off the gondola boat..
The description said 45min. The ride was less than 20min and the person that was controlling the boat was on his phone half the time or talking to other boats. Was not enjoyable at all. The sad part is what was vested in to get here.
We arrived timely for our ride celebrating my partners birthday and retirement and were standing 15-20m away from the group (which was not identified as our gondola ride- there were several similar groups in the same place). When we asked, we were told to stay then check in. We did as instructed but after a few minutes we approached the office- where we were then told we were 7 minutes late and would have to pay for another reservation. That we were stunned is an understatement. It was a shockingly poor response and we declined to pay more money for a ride we booked and attended timely. There were literally hundreds of people standing around looking for groups for gondola rides. So we didn't get the gondola ride and subsequently booked an entirely different tour- one that provided exceptional service. Making lemons out of lemonade worked out but i wouldn’t recommend this particular gondola ride experience.
Uninterested gondolier. Didn’t greet us, didn’t speak the entire trip except to other gondoliers. Didn’t point anything out to the passengers. The routes seem overcrowded. Tourist trap.
This was a horrible experience. First the gondola guy did not even speak to anyone on the boat. Not even a hello, how are you. Nothing. He was on FaceTime the entire ride which made it hard to even talk, then he would just yell at everyone around him. He never asked to take our photo, it was silence. There was parts where the boat was rocking back and forth and he was still on his phone. If you are wanting something relaxing and romantic, go with a company that has experience. We were on the water for maybe all of 12 mins. We did one small circle. It’s just false advertisement and not at all what we were hoping for. I would give it 0 stars if I could.
We really enjoy our sunset Gondola ride and shared it with 3 other people (not bad). We only wished our gondolier didn’t chat the entire time with the gondolier in front of us. It would have been better to listen to Italian music. Other than this, we throughly enjoyed it!
The directions and the timing is completely off. We were there waiting. And then when we finally got a hold of the company, they told us that we needed to go inside the building. That was not in the instructions. And then we lost the tour. They just said oh well
Pleasant and special to do in the area. Our experience only last 20 minutes though, not the "approximate" 45 minutes.
Thoroughly enjoyed the experience, shared with a lovely young couple. Unfortunately no interaction with the gondarlier person, too busy talking to his friends, and just racing along side each other which spoilt the experience, then had the cheek to ask for a tip.
The experience is misrepresented. You will not immediately ride in a gondola but be given an instruction on the history via VR headsets and then walk 10 - 15 minutes to a canal to queue for the actual ride. Actual ride time is 20 - 30 minutes.
Veronica, tour lead was very charming, very approachable, energetic. Thank you, V, for starting the tour on positive note! Loved the virtual reality, enjoyed the gondola information. Was excited to be on gondola- enjoyed being on the water. Was unable to access the map information- guess we needed headphones???? Gondoliers- wow. They were bored and irritated with tourists. Not a small or friendly word from any of them. I know they do this all the time- but it is our first time. Really need to be schooled on customer service! We tipped them- which i regret. I believe they are paid well!!! They scolded/yelled at other passengers.
Pretty good experience. Had a brief VR session that was informative. Short walk to gondolas & about 20-30 ride.
Our family of four took a gondola ride in Venice, and it was one of the highlights of our trip! Gliding through the quiet canals, under charming bridges and past beautiful old buildings, felt like stepping into a postcard. Our gondolier was friendly and skilled, pointed out interesting sights along the way, and made sure everyone was comfortable. The kids loved every minute, and it was a peaceful, memorable experience for the adults too. It's a classic Venice experience for a reason, and worth doing at least once. Highly recommend it for families!
The gondola ride was okay. Probably similar to any other gondola company in Venice. There are many. We sent several messages to the gondola company to get status of our activity as a storm had hit, no response & they also couldn’t be contacted via the phone number in the app, our hotel tried to call them also. We ventured over in the storm, dumb idea as I was robbed near the gondola stand. When we arrived they said you need to wait because the storm may get better however the day was ruined. They did honor our tickets the next day because of a conversation we had with one of their drivers. He was a positive moment in our frustration. The ride was nice, but not as I had expected. Happy I did it once. I would probably recommend another gondola company if asked by my friends.
This was a much more cost effective option than buying a gondola ride on the streets of Venice. Our tour guide was friendly and the ride itself was relaxing!
Excellent from start to finish , 100% recommended. Staff were excellent throughout and all made sure this was a complete experience from the initial meet , the introduction and history talk and the gondala ride itself
It’s definitely worth it! It’s not too pricey but it is a bit a short tho.
They promised 20 min of gondola history/ museum/ VR experience and charged for it. THAT WAS A LIE. They did not even say word about it till I asked and I was told to go and talk to the office. The gondola is shared by 4-5 peoples. The gondoliers provided no information. The guide spent 2 minutes at most pointing towards some buildings and islands. Overall, there is a major discrepancy between what they advertise and what they offer. Therefore, you may be better off booking your own gondola tour for less money compared to what you pay them
This was great but the listing is confusing. We booked a gondola ride for two ( private). Once I confirmed I got confirmation of a group gondola ride with the gondola gallery. It was too late to change it so we went along and it ended up being just the private gondola ride for two that we booked in the first place and no mention of a gallery which was fine. It’s just confusing that the title doesn’t match.
We purchased the “romantic experience”. Unfortunately, the route leading to the grand canal may not have shared this vibe, due to some construction along the way. However Andrea, our gondolier, made up for it with his singing, wit and knowledge.
The meeting point was difficult to find. The email and the app had two different locations, neither of which led to the proper spot. I had to ask a random person where it was. We waited almost 20 minutes past our start time to begin the walking portion of the tour. Then, we got to the gondolas and started the ride. There were 5 people in our boat which made it incredibly tight. I couldn’t sit comfortably at all, plus the weight distribution made it feel like you were going to tip into the water at any point. I wouldn’t recommend this experience, for the money we paid, we only got around 15-20 minutes in the water itself, which was disappointing because they tell you it should be approximately 30 minutes.
Great way to begin your time in Venice
I booked the English tour. Our guide's English was very good. The virtual reality tour was interesting. The gondolier's English was not. Therefore, we received no commentary while we were in the gondola which was very disappointing. The ride was nice.
directions to the pickup are horrible. the ride was a tourist trap. dont waste your money. The gondolier did nothing but shout back and forth with friends non stop the entire trip and said nothing to us the entire time. This is nothing but an expensive canoe ride.
Enjoyed the interactive information at the beginning of the tour. Sabine the tour guide was very knowledgeable. The gondola ride was pleasant, the only downside was that our gondalier never spoke to point out land marks, particularly the Rialto bridge. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable experience.
Poor experience, the ear piece to listen to the instructions from the guide was not fit for purpose the ear piece didn’t fit properly and kept falling off which didn’t really matter because the sound through the ear piece was crackly and you could hardly hear what she was saying. The VR history park of the experience - avoid! The VR headsets where awful the recordings were of poor quality this could be done so much better, poor effort I’m afraid. The gondala ride was also disappointing as we spent most of our time in the quieter canals which was the back of buildings so nothing to see or experience! The only positive was the last section for all of 10mins where we were taken out onto the main canal. If you want an enjoyable gondola experience pay the money and get a private one where the gondolier gives you a tour of some of the key sights and you learn something about he buildings you are viewing with some history.
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