Waft by the beautiful sights of Venice on a 35-minute shared gondola ride and enjoy a serenade, too. Select an afternoon or evening trip, be welcomed aboard your six-passenger gondola by a traditionally dressed gondolier, and set off in a group of around eight gondolas, with a singer aboard one of the boats. Admire Palazzo Barberino and other romantic landmarks as your flotilla navigates the Grand Canal and smaller waterways, and soak up the dulcet melodies from the flotilla’s singer along the way!
Choose from one of four start times when you book and, on the day, make your own way to the gondola pier near Santa Maria del Giglio Square in central Venice. When you’re ready, be shown onto your shared gondola by a traditionally dressed gondolier. Each gondola seats six people, and your craft will be just one of a group of around eight gondolas that will cruise the canals together as a flotilla. A singer will board one of the gondolas in the flotilla and will serenade your group of shared gondolas as you waft along the waters. Sit back on your seat and soak up the gorgeous scenes as your gondola bobs along some of Venice’s prettiest waterways. Dip into romantic side canals and drift along a stretch of the Grand Canal past exquisite mansions and landmarks such as the Palazzo Barberino. Enjoy the dulcet tones and melodies of the singer traveling with your flotilla as the notes drift through the air around your gondola. Lose yourself in the Italian songs as you watch for top Venice attractions including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection museum, the stunning marble bridge designed by one of the finest Italian architects of the 16th century – Anthony da Ponte. After around 35 minutes of gliding along and around the Grand Canal, return to the start pier where your gondola ride finishes.
Too many gondolas in the group, Gondolier never say a word. No description of where we were going. Musicians were in another gondola far behind us, so we could not hear the music or the singer. Total ripoff, don't waste your money!
Review by: Susan R, June 2018
Exactly what you expect a gondola ride to be! Such a fun and romantic evening.
Review by: Emma Senecal, June 2018
This tour was shared with another couple strangers and the serenade was a little better than expected. However, there were so many gondola's and so little space that you really did not go anywhere on the ride or see anything.
Review by: louiselkghunter, June 2018
Have had gondola rides here in the past,and this was by far the worst one!!!!,.....i would give no stars but that was not an option.Total waste of money. All we did was bob up and down on the Grand canal,whilst waiting for others to fill the 6 boats.Then the 6 gondolas just sailed very slowly round the block.There was nothing to see and they could not have chosen a more dull set of canals! We were in the first gondola and the singer was in the last one,so you could hear no music at all....so much for being serenaded!!!!.......We shared the ride with 3 lovely American ladies,who were equally disappointed,as this was there first experience. Very disappointed as this was my Husband and daughters first experience of Venice. Would not ever book again,and it is actually easier and cheaper to go to the Gondolier station as most were 80-100 euros. Whole experience was over in 25 mins......disaster,and total waste of money.
Review by: Teresa C, June 2018
Do not book this tour! Total waste of money, I knew we would be in a convoy of 6 Gondolas and according to the website the man who was singing would be in boat number 3, wrong! he was in boat number ! and there was no way us at the end of the line could hear! The Grand Canal is a very busy water way , so much traffic going on...... To say I am upset is an understatement. This was booked as a surprise for my daughters 30 th birthday , I felt hugely let down, tried to complain once the sham of a ride was over but got arms waved me by the Italian man who was busy loading the next 6 boats. This is a special moment that I AM NEVER GOING TO GET BACK!
Review by: Vivian G, June 2018
This tour is a completely fraud! this is supposed to be the most romantic tour ever but is the complete opposite, it totally ruined our day in Venice, 1st we had to share a gondola with 4 other people we didn't know, 2nd my husband was seated in the opposite side from me so i couldn't even see him where is the romantic part of this? 3rd, we were the 1st gondola so we couldn't hear the person singing so no serenade for us 4th, our gondolier was on his phone the whole time, he didnt speak a word not even to introduce himself. 5th The ride was literally in and out of a canal, they dont take you anywhere important or show you anything, like i said our gondolier was more focus on his phone, for the money we paid for this tour we could have gotten 2 gondola rides just for ourselves, I contacted the tour company to tell them how dissatisfied I was and they didnt care.
Review by: ja32, May 2018
A little misleading if you don't pay close attention to the instructions, I had skimmed through them so just heads up about the following: Listen to songs from a singer on board one of the gondolas in your flotilla Our flotilla had 3 gondolas and one of them had the performer on it. We could still hear the music but I was a little disappointed at first. Overall, the ride was still a nice time. My suggestion to the company running it would be placing the gondola with the performer in front of the 2 other gondolas so we can hear better. The performing gondola was behind us.
Review by: Toni P, May 2018
This trip was a blast! Beautiful night, wonderful gondola ride, and music!
Review by: Cassandra B, May 2018
This gondola ride was truly an unforgettable experience! We were captivated by the serenade as we floated down narrow alley ways! When I return to Venice I will be sure to use this company again!
Review by: rachy337, April 2018
Was a lot of fun! Most of the other tours don't do the serenade and that made this feel more authentic. I enjoyed doing this in the evening and getting to see all the lights of the city. I wouldn't classify it as romantic, since you were with a group of about 6 people on the boat, but, it was still a fun time!
Review by: Erin D, April 2018
Too short for the money. Kind of lame.
Review by: rachel_G70, April 2018
The gondola with the singer was the last one and we did not have a chance to enjoy the full experience with lovely Venice. The crew and gondolier perform the really nice job to get us to and from gondola
Review by: Diane I, April 2018
great trip
Review by: Harminder S, April 2018
This tour beat my expectations handily! Excellent. The gondola singing was superb and lasted throughout the 30 minutes ride. What a beautiful experience.
Review by: Megan D, April 2018
You get what you pay for here. Definitely not romantic, but we enjoyed being out on the water. Our gondolier was texting (impressive that he didn’t hit anything, as his eyes never left the phone). The musicians in the other boat were talented and we loved the way the music echoed off the canals.
Review by: m_turturro, April 2018
Very disappointed. It had the potential to be an awesome experience. However, the people running it didnt make any effort to make it that way. Its like the guys working it were a bunch of crusty sailors that didnt want to be there. No smiles, no conversations. Im talking before, during and after the ride. With regards to the ride itself, we obviously knew that this was a 6 person excursion. We pictured 3 rows of two. Nope. If your the first 2 people on the gondola, you get the good seats in the back near the gondola guy. If youre not, you either sit in the middle facing your partner with your back facing the side of the boat seated on what is equivalent to a box with a flimsy pad in it. Or worse, if youre the last 2 getting on, one person sits near the middle and the other sits separated at the front of the boat. Bottom line, if youre not the first 2 on, the experience is anything but romantic and comfortable. Also, there is only one person singing and several gondolas riding near each other, so unless youre lucky enough to be that one boat, you dont feel like youre are be serenaded to.
Review by: Cheryl C, April 2018
We were in a caravan of 6 gondolas with 6 people in each one. it took a bit of time for everyone to get into their gondolas, one boat at a time. This used up some of our 30 minute ride. Unfortunately only the first driver sang so as we were in the last boat, we could not hear the serenading. Our driver was friendly, he spoke English, we enjoyed his insights on life and changes in Venice.
Review by: Roopesh S, April 2018
It was just a bit hard to find the place to go line up. Other than that it was great!
Review by: Mellieboo, April 2018
Nice gondola ride! We were a family of four so we had to share our gondola with a couple with was okay. Our gondola travelled in a group of about 5-6 gondolas together so don't expect this to be romantic at all. Also the singer is only on one of the gondolas and because our gondola was the last of the group, we hardly heard any of the serenade, which was a pity. However, right at the end of the circle around the narrow canals, our gondolier was nice enough to speed up and we could hear one song before we returned to the start point. The trip lasted less the the 30mins it said it would take it took only about 22 mins including getting on, waiting for other to get on and then getting back to the start so we spent more time waiting then actually being on the gondola. Next time would be nice if we actual completed the full 30mins.
Review by: Karen H, April 2018
This was a fun experience but there are so many places to get a gondola that there really isn't a reason to book early. Also, with this tour, you have to share the gondola with other people. Our gondolier was also loud and talking during the serenade.
Review by: Henry T, April 2018
To be honest, this was overpriced for the experience and there was no serenade. We were so disappointed with the experience that we later paid another gondolier to give us a ride on the actual Grande Canal near the Rialto Bridge.
Review by: Alex A, April 2018
The gondola experience at a reasonable price.
Review by: kay, April 2018
The Gondola Ride is a very touristy thing, but you really can't do Venice without it. The serenade experience is great if you know upfront what you are getting. The reviews I read before booking made it very clear that this was not a romantic/private ride with a singer on your boat. You travel in a group of about 4 gondolas, only one of which has the actual singer and accordion player on it they were pretty good and all the boats are able to listen. The other thing to know is that you may not have your gondola to yourself as they can accommodate about 6 people. We were a family of 4 and I felt bad for the honeymooners placed with us as it was clear they had no idea that they weren't going to be on a private gondola. I would recommend the experience for a group/families....not for a romantic serenade.
Review by: Mariela H, March 2018
Muchas góndolas, un solo cantante al q no se le escuchaba casi nada porq estaba muy lejos y los gondoleros hablaban entre ellos._br/_ Fue una vuelta de la cuadra y ya ..._br/_ Pérdida total del dinero!
Review by: Ying-Chen L, March 2018
I traveled alone and booked this trip way in advance. I arrived at the pier on time in the line up. When it was my turn to get on the Gondola the guy put me on the side and asked me to wait, I guess most people come in pair and they didn't want to put me in any of those gondola since I will just make them left one spot unoccupied. After waiting for about 5 minutes all the gondola left already so they asked me to follow a guy down the street to catch one of the gondola that already left but happened to have one seat unoccupied. So by the time I actually got on the gondola it was like 3:45 already, and the gondola went back to the pier at 4:00 sharp. 35 minutes tour? Not even close for me.
Review by: lewpl, December 2017
Expensive considering no introductory commentary was given on important landmarks that we saw along the way. The fabric/cushions on the gondola we sat on were worn out too
Review by: Adam, December 2017
Borderline scam.. _br/_ Firstly 6 gondolas shared one singer i.e. 6 boats rowing closely together with only 1 boat containing a singer _br/_ Secondly, we had 6 passengers on our gondola instead of a maximum of 4 as promised in the tour.
Review by: Constance T M, December 2017
I booked 5 tours through Viator during our trip in Italy, this was the only disappointment. I loved the Gondola Ride and Serenade. But the guy who runs it has quite an ego and a very loud mouth! He talked loudly the entire time either one his phone or to the handlers and must have thought we all wanted to hear him...so it was not romantic and we couldn't hear the guy singing. Plus, this fella wasn't even in my boat!! We had a total of about 7 Gondolas and people kept telling him to sssshhh! He never got the message. Additionally, it does take a while to load all the boats and unload them so plan accordingly.
Review by: duartechristina7, December 2017
From our meeting spot, we had to walk through crazy crowds in order to meet up with the person who would be serenading us, our gondolier seemed kind of grumpy and became even more grumpy when I tried to sit next to my husband on the gondola... I guess they needed him to sit at the front of the gondola ride in order to keep it steady, so it was a little less romantic for us and he didn't really get to enjoy the same view of Venice that we did from the front of the boat he was facing me and the 2 other couples that were also on the gondola ride. The man serenading us was on the boat behind us, we could still hear the songs he was singing and his voice was AMAZING but definitely didn't expect him to be on a different gondola. If you're travelling with a group, this is a GREAT deal, if you're looking for more of an intimate, romantic ride, be ready to fork out the cash! :
Review by: Kimberly K, December 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Christina B, November 2017
Though getting to hear a singing goldolier was quite the romantic Experience, this tour is quite short and not as intimate as one would hope as you’re part of a floatilla with several other gondolas. Kind of pricey but definitely smarter that booking on the spot. 3/5 Stars.
Review by: sanjeev s, November 2017
We rode on a flotilla of six gondolas, with a lovely serenade through the narrow canals of Venice. Long line to get on the gondola, but a lovely ride, with no haggling over price. Make sure you arrive early to insure you board at the scheduled time.
Review by: Robert B, November 2017
Awesome!
Review by: paul r, November 2017
a massive rip off and waste of time and money, better off taking your own gondola instead of sharing it with 2 other couples and being part of 10 gondolas group with the accordian and singer in only one of the gondolas, was the worst experience of Europe
Review by: Joanne M, November 2017
This was supposed to be a Serenading Gondola Ride and was not. We were at the end of a group of about 6 gondolas and sounded like the first 3 were singing. Since we were way at the end, we could not hear them. We asked our driver and he said he doesn't sing. We were in a group of 4 and the ride was unsteady and we weren't sure if we were going to tip over or not. Getting in and out was very difficult. I feel if our 'driver' didn't sing he should have been put with the non-singing group of gondoliers. We paid extra for the experience and didn't get what we paid for. The location was very difficult to find where we were to get on for this ride. I would not pay the extra for the serenading or do this again.
Review by: David B, November 2017
This was definitely a highlight of our trip to Venice. I would definitely recommend an evening gondola trip as the temperature in the atmosphere made for a lovely evening. The music was good and not overdone and our gondola driver was friendly and knowledgeable.
Review by: Daniel B, November 2017
Good experience. Was a simple quick trip that ticked the box.
Review by: Ruderico S, November 2017
The gondola ride is getting old with the volume of tourist in the water and the no of people they place in a boat. It just doesn't create the mood anymore. Probably best rent your own gondola early in the morning without the tourist. It will cost the same.
Review by: Susan A, November 2017
Lots of fun. Short trip, but the singer and accordion player added to the experience. People were taking pictures of the floatial from the bridges.
Review by: Mahina D, November 2017
It was a must do, so we did. I would actually just go on your own, no need to do it as a tour. Also, I think I would have liked it better in the daytime or at least before the sun sets.
Review by: reidy184, November 2017
From the pics and video of what was shown we thought we had a shared gondola with our own singer. There was 4 gondolas with the singer being on the second one. _br/_ Couldn’t hear well as I had to sit facing the the back towards others and couldn’t sit next to my partner due to the seat placement
Review by: eavilez11, November 2017
It was very unprofessional. Gondola drivers were arguing with each other and ours crashed a few times with buildings, parked boats, and other gondola in our group. Then our driver calls someone to complain about situation and this was all while we were on our ride. I wish we could get our money back.
Review by: Cleo A S, November 2017
The company who ran this in Venice were not very helpful or friendly when your lining up instead quite rude, talking to each other in Italian and making fun/ commenting on the tourists waiting to board. I was with my Italian boyfriend so he understood them. The tour boarded a little late and didn't actually leave the dock until almost 20 minutes into the time so you were only actually going through Venice for about 20 minutes on the gondola. Guides were not all dressed in the standard attire so a little disappointed... Our guide however was informative in a little history and story telling which improved my opinion of the experience. I would recommend hiring your own gondola for an hour with four or so people only costing 60 euros in the day or 80 euros at night. Better value for your money and more time on a gondola looking at Venice from the water.
Review by: icano, November 2017
I loved this experience. WIsh they tell you in advance you are also going to be taking the tour w/ other people, but overall it was a great experience. Finding the location took us a little while but thankfully we made it in time. The guy running the place wasn't too nice although the gondoliers was super fun and took a few selfies w/ us! This is a must do!
Review by: claudia q, November 2017
Our gondola was shared by 2 other couples, and I did not get to sit next to my hubby on our honeymoon. :_br/_ Also, our gondolier did not sing, and didn't even smile. We were wondering why he was so unhappy. _br/_ It was a fleet of 5 or so gondolas, though, and the last one did have on it an accordion player, which we could kinda hear. _br/_ So, it was ok. I guess we got our photo opp, but next time, I'll do this via independent agents on location.
Review by: Deireann S, November 2017
The staff at the meeting point were not organized. Multiple people were allowed to cut the line based on their attractiveness and flirting with one of the gondoliers, which I found to be very inappropriate. There was a group of 6 boats and only one with music. Since my boat was in front I could not hear anything. We also had a gondolier in training steering our boat so it was a fairly bumpy ride, but I was more disappointed in the professional Gondolier on our boat yelling at the trainee the entire time. I definitely recommend a gondola ride with serenade in Venice because you get to see the city in a different way and it truly is beautiful, but maybe with a different company.
Review by: Frieda M, November 2017
We had a great boatman and what I thought was going to be a short hokey tourist ride turned out to be thoroughly enjoyable.
Review by: Frieda M, November 2017
What I thought would be a short, touristy ride turned out to be quite enjoyable and gave us a great perspective of the city. We had an adorable boatman who joked and sang to us the whole time.
Review by: Pauldine F, November 2017
A little too short and very little to see....however the serenade was lovely!!
Review by: DALE H, November 2017
It was great to see the city at night and experience the serenade. Relaxing and romantic
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