Venice Gondola Ride: 30-minute Classic Canal Experience

We did the small group tour - got to ride the gondola with one other couple. Look closely at the directions on where to meet : it says it on the bottom behind museum correr. We didn’t look all the way at first look and were a little confused. Learn from us! lol Otherwise romantic and beautiful!

The gondola ride was an awesome experience and the scenes throughout Venice from the perspective from the canals was storybook quality.

We were told by our hotel that if we left our hotel by 530 pm we would be good. Unfortunately, our water taxi was slow and we did not arrive to our check in until 630 instead of 615. Everyone was gone by then. I called support and they tried to reach the tour operator and nothing else was available for the evening. We requested a refund and was denied. Very disappointed.

Shared was not good. Go with another company that goes on the canal past Marco Polo theatre. This route was boring and gondola driver didn’t say 1 word. Boring.

Such a great experience! My family and I all loved spending our day island jumping. The tour guide was fantastic so friendly and informative. Would very much recommend.

Gondola ride was good but lady who led us to gondola ride was rude. My wife told her that she could not face backwards on gondola due to motion sickness but she got irritated when she reminded her before ride.

When you go to Venice, taking a gondola ride is a rite of passage! This was a lovely ride. We went through very quiet back canals where you could hear a pin drop. Our gondolier was adorable- Davide. He answered questions and posed for photos. He pointed out a spot called Maria Callas bridge near the Fenice when we were excited to see because we are both singers.

Exactly what we paid for/advertised! We were a party of 2 and paired with another party of 2!!! It was 30 minutes around, just the right amount of time!

There are no representatives present to help you find the tour. Nobody knew these people and it took 40 minutes of walking around Venice to find them. They had already gone just moments before and no one knew how to find them. I purchased this excursion many months ago and this was not the experience I am used to. Extremely disappointed with the lack of communication and clear instructions. Venice is not an easy place to navigate. I think there is a reason their price was so low.

If you go to Venice you have to do a gondola ride. It was easy and convenient to have it prebooked. The tour operators were helpful and knowledgeable

If you would like a gondola ride with zero interaction and the guy on the phone talking loudly the entire time then this is the activity for you! Completely ignored…. Not interactive at all. Not worth the money! Do something else!

Lovely experience! Touristy yes, worth the experience absolutely! It was such a calming and relaxing end to our day of walking and museum tours. There was singing along the canals that was beautiful.

very enjoyable experience. 30 min went too quickly. getting on and off the boat was made easy with the assistant of the young men helping.

Absolutely amazing experience. Breathtaking views and so much history and fun. Highly recommend! Guide was super friendly.

While the actual gondola ride was very good, the directions to get to the meeting place were very poor. We spent 45 minutes wandering around Venice trying to find the meeting place. We eventually found a small gondola ride side pasted to a building and it had a Viator symbol on it. We were scheduled for a 3 pm gondola ride; the Viator representative did not show up until 3:10 pm. Until she finally showed up, we were not certain that we were actually in the correct meeting spot. It was a very frustrating experience as one of us has a medical walking condition making for a very uncomfortable situation.

30 minutes is not enough time to enjoy the event. The cost is not reasonable to pay. Plus, the ambiance was disappointing based on the gondoliers talking back and forth to each other. Disappointed.

It was easy to find and a lot of fun. A great experience. It was fun to wave at people on the bridge as we passed by them.

First it was very hard and confusing to find the meet up place. Once we found them it was not very welcoming. The ride was nice but the driver chose to chat very loudly with either gondola drivers the whole trip. Not terribly relaxing.

We didn't make the tour. I think tbey packed up and closed earky. I had texted from the water taxi to say we were running to get there. Not sure if people were in our group or not but if there wasn't then I guess they felt they could lock up and leave

30 minutes flew by, in hindsight an hour ride would be ideal! We strolled through the canals and our driver hummed the entire time. It was a fun experience. We did get placed with another couple on the gondola, so if you’re looking for a private tour for just yourselves, this may not be the one. Overall we enjoyed it!

Everything they promised! Prompt, easy to find, quiet! Saw Grand Canal as well as several small canals! Had to change date and no problem!

It is not private. The canal is very crowded with other gondolas, like rush hour. If your goal is to say you did it, get a picture and see a little bit of Venice from the water, then it is fine.

You pick the ride up in a very easy location and everyone is helpful. But the Gondola driver was on his phone the whole journey which I think ruined the atmosphere of the ride. You go down some scenic routes and then onto the big canal and there’s lovely picturesque things to see it was a shame that he didn’t chat to us while we were on the Gonola or at least not be on his phone

Beautiful experience! We loved it. It was during golden hour and our guide was nice. Dont miss this while visiting Venice.

Exactly what you think of when you think of Venice. Wonderful unique experience. I would highly recommend this experience for everyone that visits Venice.

Rude driver , gave no info at all about the buildings. Would not let me turn in the chair to look I had to face the wall the whole way. I would not recommend

The view was amazing and staff was friendly. I didn’t like that we had to share a gondola with another couple. There was no singing or interaction with the man driving the gondola. There was no music and the trip itself just went too fast. I feel they should last an hour for that money. It’s still very romantic.

Early morning gondola ride. First time on a gondala and paid the higher price for convenience for a short stay and not queuing. Early morning may not be for everyone as the canals were busy with everyday activity not other tourists. However we enjoyed a glimpse of the preparation that goes in for the day. Gondolas being cleaned and prepped. Deliveries being made... Gondolar was cheerful and happy whistling songs and greeting others as he went. We enjoyed the experience. It was a relaxing, interesting ride.

It was an ok experience. The guide just talked to his buddies on different boats the entire time and it was very annoying. Not that we needed him to talk to us but there was no communication and it was just obnoxious on our entire ride.

Nice Gondola ride through parts of Venice. One major concern. I originally booked this in January as a PRIVATE tour, but the operator changed it weeks later to a SHARED tour. By the time I realized it on their website, plans were already firm. They used the word AMENDED on the website and I checked what that meant. Which meant they changed it, but didn't bother to notify me. Nonetheless, it worked out fine even though the younger couple that shared the ride encroached on our space with all their selfies pictures.

Good experience . We liked that it went for 30 mins only . It was just right . Instructions of meeting places were easy to follow.

Not sure if we got a shortened version of this trip, but we just went down some little alleyway and then out into the grand Canal for about one minute and then turned around and went back down the alleyway. It was about a 20 minute ride and very disappointing. We just kept settling on boats and didn’t really see anything except for one alleyway that we went up and down for the entire ride. We had expected to be on the grand Canal and seeing some of the beautiful sites of Venice, but all we saw were the sides of buildings inside a tiny alleyway. We were on the grand Canal for less than 10 minutes and just to turn around and go back down the alley.

The tour company is amazing. They made sure we all stayed together and got us to our spot on time. A few of us missed a turn with them but got us right away. The ride was really nice as well. The only item they could improve on is to engage with the customer and not joke around so much with their co workers.

First, Venice is a confusing city to get around in. The streets aren’t very well marked. Give yourself extra time to find where you need to be. We enjoyed our gondola ride very much. It was very relaxing and the pilot did a great job.

Boatman was rude and unprofessional. Called customers unprofessional nicknames and was rude to elderly people struggling to get off the boat.

Nice 30 minute ride...wish I opted for a longer one. Beware when getting on the boat, there is nothing to hang on to and the lady in front of us face planted. I'd try to find a better more private option next time.

Meeting point doesn’t match up, too hard to find was 10 mins late and denied the ride. I will be requesting a refund.

It was a gondola ride once in a life time experience. The driver was rude, our ride was supposed to be 30 minutes but it was only 22 minutes. The seats were hard no cushions the other boats had cushions. We thought we had paid for a private ride but it wasn’t.

It was fantastic. However I paid for 6 tickets and 4 people did not make it due to illness and there was no offer of a reduced rate or refund

This was the first time we got screwed by Viator. We were at the meeting place and no Viator representative was there. We were directed to 3 other places each 1/4 mile away from each other and the. We were denied the service. Requested refund but was denied

It does take you down the canals and gives you a full experience of a gondola ride. However, they look to fill the gondola to max 5 people so you can be sitting with strangers. This does limit the romantic nature of the ride.

I have been waiting to take a gondola ride with my wife and this was finally my opportunity. The only part of the experience that was less than ideal was the check in. The ride, the company, and the whole experience was fantastic.

Directions were very unclear We walked around San Marco Square looking for the marked kiosk and was impossible to find. No one had heard of the Classic Gondola company when asked. When we finally stumbled upon the kiosk it was closed. When we asked the station next to it they had no idea what is was. The kiosk was not marked. We went back the next day to talk with operator. The person in the kiosk told us to come back at 2:45 to talk to operator. We got back to kiosk at 3;00 and the man in the kiosk was rude and told us we were late and to come back at 5:15 to talk to operator. We gave up at this point. If I could give a zero I would. Have requested a refund.

We really enjoyed it but I don’t think it was as long as advertised.. maybe we lost track of time.. seemed like way too fast.. I loved the fact that the ticket part was super clear, we had no problem getting to the location and we didn’t have to mess around w the negotiating part.

It was a beautiful, familiar and romantic experience at the same time, with a wonderful view and very good service.

What a fun and delicious evening! Cesarina Barbara explained and demonstrated the process to make pasta. She gave each of us a chance to be hands-on under her supervision. The food was delicious and her home was welcoming. We can't wait to make pasta in our own home! Highly recommend!

Shorter than advertised, and the boat guide never said a word to us. It was advertised that he would be telling us the history of the area throughout the ride, but that was not the case. If I were to do it again, I would choose a ride with a serenade. We passed someone on a ride like that, and it just seemed a lot more interactive.

Sadly it was an a terrible experience. The Gondola ride did not start on time and ran a few minutes late. Almost 20 minutes in our gondola operator was making small talk with the driver of the gondola behind him and was not paying attention when steering the gondola and it went crashing to the left side of a small bridge and he fell down in our gondola from the impact. My daughter was terrified because the gondola was tilting and he advised my 75 year old mother to move from her seat towards the front to steer the boat in the center. We ended up docking at the Traghetto 5 minutes early. Very disappointed and not the memories I had hoped for.

We were given two meeting points, we kept waiting in the first meeting point, no body turned up, we were 20 minutes before time at that first point. . We then telephoned the company the telephone no was not right, no body picked up the telephone. We then chatted with viator who kept referring to the morning tour then tried to justify they were right. We then rushed to the second point were we told that we were late and they refused to entertain us. We paid Viator 70 euros and paid the gondola company 110 euros It is not understood as to why there were two meeting points Viator should refund the money. Terribly disappointed.