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Venice Tours
Classic 30-Minute Gondola Ride in Venice
3.5

Classic 30-Minute Gondola Ride in Venice

By Bucintoro Viaggi S.r.l.
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Sometimes, a classic tour is better than an original one. Take a classic guided gondola ride along the Grand Canal and watch for sights such as the Rialto Bridge, Campo Manin, and other popular Venice sights from its most iconic boat. Pass smaller canals and passageways not visible from the city’s narrows streets, a great introduction to Venice for travelers short on time.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 0-99, max of 25 per group
Duration: 25–30 minutes
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English, Italian
More

Highlights
  • Take a guided gondola ride through Venice's Grand Canal
  • See the city and its waterways from a unique perspective 
  • Get a quick intro to the city; ideal for day-trippers or travelers short on time
  • See the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge

  • 30-minute shared gondola ride
What's not included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Gratuities

Begin in central Venice, and make your way to the Canal Grande. Hop on a gondola shared with up to five people. Your gondolier takes you on a ride across different parts of central Venice, from the Canal Grande to minor canals that pass by Campo Manin and the Rialto Bridge. Meander along quiet, peaceful stretches while taking in waterside views. Pass alleys, side streets, and passageways not visible from streets or water taxis. Relax while you take part in one of Venice’s original pastimes. The tour finishes at Bacino Orseolo.

Start:
  • C8MQ+24 Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy
    Alilaguna ticket office is located at San Marco Giardinetti vaporetto stop, next to the Royal Garden Please don't look for Alilaguna office on Google maps. Strictly requested to be at the meeting point 15 minutes before the departure of the tour.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Near public transportation
    • Infants must sit on laps
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2495P37

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Not recommended for travelers with back problems
    • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
    • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
    • Most travelers can participate
    • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2495P37

    From
    $41.71
    per adult
    Select date and travelers

    Similar experiences

    Itinerary
    • C8MQ+24 Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy
      Alilaguna ticket office is located at San Marco Giardinetti vaporetto stop, next to the Royal Garden Please don't look for Alilaguna office on Google maps. Strictly requested to be at the meeting point 15 minutes before the departure of the tour.
    • 1
      Ride along the famous Grand Canal
      Pass by
      Ponte di Rialto
      Campo Manin
      Hard Rock Cafe
      Gondola Danieli
    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Bucintoro Viaggi S.r.l.
      2,900
      Venice, Veneto, Italy
      Joined in February 2011
    • marthagM9393QV
      0 contributions
      3.0 of 5 bubbles
      Sell sell sell, no time to explore.
      It’s a bit frustrating because they essentially trap you in the store, which is part of the selling tactic in Murano. As a result, you don’t really get a chance to explore the town. On the other islands, it’s also difficult to explore due to time constraints. It would probably be better to visit on your own schedule. Additionally, they don’t provide much explanation; you only get information while you’re on the boat, and the sound quality is quite poor.
      Written December 3, 2024
    • Joaquim12345678
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Nice tour
      The walking tour took us through the city’s charming streets, with fascinating insights into Venice’s history and culture. The gondola ride was the highlight, offering a unique and peaceful way to see the canals. Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly, but I wish the tour had included a bit more time for exploring on our own. Overall, it’s a wonderful way to experience the magic of Venice, and I highly recommend it! 4 stars!
      Written December 2, 2024
    • Tuindorp
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Venice highlight
      Excellent tour and guide/crew ,amazing value and experience. Each island is unique. Recommend in order to see the lagoon and it's so different from busy Venice.
      Written December 1, 2024
    • Leigh M
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great trip to the islands
      The boat trip to the glass foundry and the islands was great. The historic towns beautiful and captivating - a most enjoyable experience!
      Written November 29, 2024
    • Graham L
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      More time needed
      Murano glass works excellent. Torcello needed more time to explore. Burano good but more time would've allowed for coffee / snack.
      Written November 27, 2024
    • tranminhanhv
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing tour
      The experience was great. I managed to see all the most important things on the island. The guide was really kind and helpful.
      Written November 24, 2024
    • Maomaoi63
      0 contributions
      2.0 of 5 bubbles
      Tourists can't really experience the beauty of this opera house. I don't recommend it!
      Tourists can hardly see anything except a public box. I think it's not just the ticket price. Tourists can't really experience the beauty of this opera house. It's much worse than what I experienced in the opera houses in Barcelona or Vienna. I don't recommend it!
      Written November 24, 2024
    • laurabeth67
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Good half day experience.
      The half day trip was great with kids. Approx 45-50 minutes per island. Easy to find the ticket office and exchange the voucher for the tickets, all ran on time. Only slight problem was the microphone wasn’t working brilliant on the boat so hard to hear the commentary.
      Written November 24, 2024
    • Leslie H
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Exploring Outside of Venice
      It was nice to get out on the water and learn a little more abt the islands from the tour guide. The first stop in Murano was interesting b/c you get to watch the glass blowers make a couple pieces of art. That was interesting. The other islands were also nice. There is no tour guide on the islands w/ you. You’re left to wander on your own and they tell you where to go. Each stop is 50 min.
      Written November 22, 2024
    • T3167XNcolleenb
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great day out
      Loved this tour, all three islands had something special to offer. Guide was very informative and allowed sufficient time on each island for sight seeing, coffee, shopping and a glass of wine in the sun.
      Written November 13, 2024
    • WarrenDC
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Do it!
      A good way to see all four islands. You'll get 50mins on each island - and that's just right! You'll get time to try Cicchetti on each island or even a full lunch on the second island. Be on time at the dock! You'll feel the passive wrath of your fellow passengers if you're late
      Written November 13, 2024
    • DayTrip414848
      0 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      Injured on the water taxi
      I booked this company through Expedia to get to the city from the airport. The captain who helped me descend from the boat pulled my arm so strongly that I now have torn ligaments on my rotator cuff. I am in physical therapy as a result. When I contacted the Bucintoro's customer service in Venice, not only did he deny that he had ever touched me, but he blamed my son, who helped me after the captain had pulled on my arm 2 times. The company refused to take any responsibility.
      Written November 13, 2024
    • jackhsu1
      0 contributions
      2.0 of 5 bubbles
      Not worth it
      Very poor tour that basically just take you from one island to another and between island with very little time. Minimum amount of guide. Not recommended. You will be better off just get your own ticket between islands.
      Written November 12, 2024
    • M9632OAmaryc
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      I highly recommend this gentle paced excursion! Just the right amount of time on the water and at each island stop.
      We enjoyed great weather which helped make the trip on water most enjoyable! Loved the glass blowing demonstration. The area buildings were cheery and colourful —each island owning their own individuality. Food was casual and good. The pidgeons were slightly annoying but the tables were constantly cleaned as some of the birds were landing.
      Written November 11, 2024
    • Christopher A
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      A snippet of the other islands around the Venice Laguna
      All 3 destinations were great. Boat always left on time. Visits were not too long - enough to take a hint of all the 3 places. Great to plan another activity for after the trip. Guide was very friendly and informative.
      Written November 11, 2024
    See all 2,900 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

    Popular mentions

    3.5
    3.5 of 5 bubbles388 reviews
    Excellent
    128
    Very good
    93
    Average
    74
    Poor
    46
    Terrible
    47

    These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
    This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.

    jrI5014DM
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mar 2023 • Couples
    Easy to find meeting place, guide met us and boarded gondola really close to meeting point. Myself and husband and one other English couple in our gondola. It’s a slow circle round the close by canals but we knew and expected that and it was just a nice way to see the city from a different perspective and have the gondola experience without the hefty price tag
    Written March 6, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Mareike C
    1 contribution
    1.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jul 2023 • Couples
    Unfortunately, contrary to the good reviews, this trip was a complete rip-off! Despite a fixed time slot, we had to wait a long time, had a smoking and grumpy gondolier and the trip only took 15 minutes plus 5 minutes with other gondolas waiting to "park".

    Contrary to the description, we didn't even see the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge in the distance, but only took a small - but fortunately beautiful - tour through narrow streets (with many other gondolas too).

    A complaint at the ticket counter was dismissed with a polite apology.

    Now that you've gotten to know Venice a little, I would recommend that everyone commute on the public night ferries for a small fee.
    Google
    Written August 1, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Bangoe
    248 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jul 2023 • Couples
    I had been worried about the gondola ride for quite a while as I have read all he horror stories of "traffic jam" with the gondolas on the busy canals. And we saw a fair bit of them when we walked around Venice during daytime

    The day we planned our gondola ride we went to a spot that I had been recommend would have a very nice route for the ride. Were chocked to learn when we arrived that they were fully booked for the rest of the day. Oops. What to do?

    We walked around to try to find a gondola at another stop. We found a small lonely stop, without customers, but also without gondolas. But we decided to hang around there and wait for someone to turn up. Finally one came, but was booked, but later one more came and we got our ride after an one hour wait in total.

    But this turned out to be a great option. On our route we were alone and didn't see any other gondolas. And the gondolier told us many interesting fact during the trip.

    It's good to know that the price for a 30 minute ride is fixed and unnegotiable, so no need to waste time running around to try to bargain.

    Overall we found the tour well worth the money.
    Written August 6, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Jenni L
    Nottingham, UK565 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Feb 2020
    A must-do in Venice! I've now done one in the day and one at night and I'd highly recommend a night-time ride. Very romantic and they give you a blanket to stay warm. They are expensive but you can't go to Venice and not do a Gondola ride. Definitely worth paying for your own (around €80) rather than doing a tour with other people. Not worth paying for the extended version they offer though (upwards of €100) as it's enough to just do the standard version.
    Written August 18, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Dear jenniaimee, thank you for taking some of your time to write this review. We love to read our clients’ feedbacks! We are delighted to read that you enjoyed our Gondola Ride: We really think that it is a once in a lifetime experience and we are glad to have rubbed it off from your bucket list! Thank you for choosing Bucintoro Viaggi during your stay in Venice, Best regards,
    Written August 25, 2020
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Jenna C
    Sunbury, Australia36 contributions
    1.0 of 5 bubbles
    Not really worth it. You have to wait for ages in a huge long long to board. Not what you expect when you book tickets ahead. I recommend walking around the less populated tourist areas as there are heaps of operators just waiting to welcome you on for about the same price with no line.
    Written June 28, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Dream562455
    Williamston, MI5 contributions
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    Gondola ride ticket and guide attendants were extremely rude and focused on jamming 5 people in a gondola and didn’t care who they were putting in the ride with you. Gondola driver did not utter one word the entire ride. Regretted not hiring a gondola driver who owned his own gondola. Those gondola drivers provided music and were more passionate about their profession. Do not waste your money on this tour!
    Written June 29, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Pinck11
    Charleston, SC175 contributions
    1.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jul 2021
    Don't waste your time or money on this! We ended up being late and missed this ride, but when we arrived there was an entire fleet of gondolas ready to take us out and they were all MUCH cheaper than this expereince.

    Also, when I booked this I specifically looked for a godonal that could take 6, turns out they can't take more than 5 in one trip so not sure what we would have done if we arrived on time anyways.

    SKIP THIS and head to the gondoal stand about 40 ft to the left of the Alilaguna Ticket Office (which is in front of the Royal Gardens near St. Mark's Square) instead. This will ensure a private expereince anyways.
    Written August 3, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Donna H
    8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We read earlier reviews and didn’t book just approached a Gondoliere directly. He quoted us the standard 80 euro fee and was available immediately. Our trip lasted 25-30 minutes and he pointed out many places of interest and told us lots about the history of Venice. Would definitely recommend.
    Written April 14, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Annie Y
    2 contributions
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    Disorganized, the tour meeting place is not clearly indicated and took a while to find. Then they made us walk from the meeting place another 10 min to the gondola departure area. They had gathered 50 people and there were no gondolas ready for us at all. Waited another 15 minutes to actually get on the gondola around 330 pm (we were booked for 3 pm). Everyone else got on even later.
    Written August 28, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Maddie
    Kent, UK1 contribution
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    We got there at 4:45 to collect the tickets as instructed to and there turned out to be a big crowd of people who also had gondolas booked for 5pm at the same time as us, which meant we had to wait until 5:20 to actually get on a gondola despite it being booked for 5pm. There were still people behind us when we got on, so they had to wait even longer. The ride was nice while it lasted but was very short - it lasted only 20 minutes despite the fact that the booking said it would be 30 minutes. Wouldn’t book again.
    Written August 10, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Showing results 1-10 of 284
    *Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

    Classic 30-Minute Gondola Ride in Venice provided by Bucintoro Viaggi S.r.l.

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