Gondola Lessons Venice

Another Venice Tip
Last week we featured a Venice tip from one of our regular contributors, Jennifer Dombrowski (@jdomb), who lives near Venice and knows the city like a local. Her tip last week was so popular that w’eve decided to run another, since it seems many readers are planning a trip to Venice (feel free to forward it). Here it is:

Tourist Trap: Gondola ride
The movies would have you believe that a gondola ride along Venice’s canals is incredibly romantic. You envision yourself gliding along a deserted canal as a gondolier in black-and-white stripes sings in Italian and you steal a kiss with your lover. The reality is that a gondola ride will run you around €80 for a 20-minute ride as your gondolier shouts back and forth with his gondolier friends in Italian, leaving you feeling like you’re on a packed ride at Disney World. And the singing? That will cost extra.

What to do instead: Learn to row your own Venetian gondola
Venice has only one rowing school for tourists, and Row Venice delivers an experience you’ll truly remember for a lifetime. Not only did I row my very own gondola along Venice’s beautiful canals, but I also got a history lesson and learned a lot of fun facts about being a gondolier! A two-hour lesson will cost €60 for singles, €40 per person for doubles, or €100 for a family (two adults and two children).
Check out more wisdom on the subject from Jennifer in her latest story, Venice’s Biggest Tourist Traps and How to Avoid Them.

 

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4 Comments On "Travel Tip of the Day: Avoid Venice's Biggest Tourist Trap"
  1. naoma foreman|

    Most of your suggestions are SUPER, but the one on the gondola was NOT!

    1. Richard Greaves|

      What happened at the gondola lesson that you didn’t like? We’re hanging here!

  2. sheilape|

    You’re kidding about picking up the magazines, etc. from the FLOOR of a plane (yuck) and putting them back in the pocket for the unsuspecting next traveler to handle? Try reading some of the info on the bacteria and viruses transmitted from the pocket, tray table and other ‘touchables’.

  3. VG|

    Hi, i was looking for a post about gondola, and i found this title little bit to much heavy for my idea. I mean “avoid Venice Biggest Tourist Trap”, yes the price is high if you go alone or with your partner. But if you book a tours you can share the price of the six sit available inside the gondola so 80/6 is not a big deal so everybody can try the experience of a gondola ride.

    Is also true, as you say the gondolier at least a song will be great he sing when people pay 80 euro for 35 minute ride.. but they don’t have too.

    Anyway i like your blog and how you write, i sow other post, my name si Davide, and i also have a blog and soon will be available in english, and next time you come to Venice i hope you’ll get a better experience. Ciao!

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