Gondola rides in Venice: what they cost, where to board and how to choose

A gondola ride in Venice has a fixed price, set by the City of Venice: €90 for 30 minutes by day, from 09:00 to 19:00, and €110 for 35 minutes from 19:00. That’s the price for the whole boat, with up to five passengers, not per person. Knowing this before you reach the stand saves you the city’s most common haggle, and shows you straight away when it’s worth taking a private gondola and when a shared ride booked online makes more sense.

On this page you’ll find the official tariff with the sums by duration and group size, the stands to board from, a comparison of the private and shared rides sold on Tiqets, evening rides and serenades, the two-euro traghetti and the mistakes to avoid. All prices were checked at the last update and can change.

What it costs: the city tariff

The current tariff was approved by the city’s executive under resolution no. 89 and applies across the whole city, whichever stand you start from.

A few rules that matter:

• The price is per boat. Two people or five, the amount doesn’t change. A gondola takes at most five passengers; a larger group needs two.
• Other durations are pro rata. The city sets no fixed “supplement per extra 20 minutes”: a longer ride is calculated on time. By day that’s €3 a minute, so €60 per 20 minutes; in the evening about €3.14 a minute.
• The duration is approximate. Traffic, tide and weather can make the ride a few minutes longer or shorter, and the rules allow for it.
• The tariff must be displayed. Every stand must have a sign with the prices: if you can’t see it, ask.
• The price is updated. The tariff is revalued in line with the ISTAT inflation index every five years. The current level replaced the old €80 and €100 you’ll still see in some guides.

The city doesn’t sell rides and has no booking site: you book at the stand, by phoning the stand, or through agencies and platforms. The old website many people called the “official” gondola site is no longer online: be wary of anyone claiming to be the “official ticket office”.

Where to board: the stazi

The stazi are the gondoliers’ stands, with coloured mooring posts, a landing platform and often a small booth. According to the city there are about ten, each with a phone number for bookings: Danieli, Molo, Dogana, Trinità, Santa Maria del Giglio, San Tomà, San Beneto, Carbon, Santa Sofia and San Marcuola. The list comes from a summary of the city’s page, so check it on the spot; there are also other busy departure points, such as the Bacino Orseolo, behind the Procuratie on St Mark’s Square.

Where you start decides what you see.

• Molo and Danieli (St Mark’s). Right by the Bridge of Sighs and the Basin. The ride may go along the Rio di Palazzo, under the Bridge of Sighs, or head out into the Basin, where the water is choppier. This is the area with the longest waits and the most demand.
• Bacino Orseolo. Behind St Mark’s Square: rides through the inner canals towards La Fenice and then, often, a stretch of the Grand Canal.
• Santa Maria del Giglio and Trinità. On the Grand Canal towards the Salute: views of the basilica, Punta della Dogana and the palaces on the last stretch of the canal.
• San Tomà. Halfway along the Grand Canal, near the Frari: stretches both on the canal and in the quieter canals of San Polo.
• Carbon and Santa Sofia (Rialto). For the Rialto Bridge and the market stretch seen from the water.
• San Marcuola. Towards Cannaregio: a calmer stretch of canal, with less motorboat traffic.

If you want a specific route (the Grand Canal, the Bridge of Sighs, quiet side canals), ask the gondolier before boarding. You can’t do everything in 30 minutes: a ride usually combines a stretch of inner canals and a stretch of the Grand Canal.

Private or shared: the comparison

Alongside the private gondola from a stand there are shared rides, sold online at a per-person price: you board with other passengers and follow a set route. Here are the main options, with prices found on Tiqets and the official ones.

How to read the numbers.

• Alone or as a couple, the shared ride is cheaper: €35–41 each against €45 each (or €90 on your own) for a private daytime ride. In return you share the boat with strangers, have a fixed time and a pre-set route.
• With three or more, the private gondola from a stand wins: three shared seats at €39 come to €117, more than €90 for the whole gondola. With five, the private ride costs €18 each.
• The private ride booked on Tiqets costs €122, i.e. €32 more than the city tariff for the same time. The advantage is purely practical: time and meeting point fixed in advance, payment made, free cancellation until the day before. If you’re flexible, you’ll spend less at the stand. It also has the lowest rating in the group.
• The “classic” and “live commentary” shared rides include an introduction on land of about 20 minutes and entry to the Gondola Gallery, a small exhibition on how gondolas are built: allow nearly an hour in total. They are run by private operators, not by the city.
• The Bridge of Sighs ride is the cheapest and follows a route many private rides don’t guarantee. The Basin can be choppy, though: not the best choice if you get seasick.

There are also packages with a gondola inside a longer tour, such as the St Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace and gondola combo at €130 per person, with a guided visit and a 30-minute shared gondola ride. It has very few reviews: consider whether you really need the whole package, comparing it on our Venice passes page.

In the evening

From 19:00 the evening tariff applies: €110 for 35 minutes. It’s the most popular time for couples, with the palaces lit up and less motorboat traffic. In summer 19:00 is still broad daylight: if you want darkness, remember that sunset comes later and gondoliers work well into the evening. In winter, on the other hand, it’s already dark at 17:30 but the daytime tariff still applies until 19:00: that’s when a “night-time” gondola costs less.

The shared version on Tiqets, the Grand Canal evening ride at €42.90 per person, passes through quieter canals and a stretch of the Grand Canal, with an introduction and entry to the Gondola Gallery. It has a lower rating (3.6) and few reviews: for a couple looking for a romantic moment, a private gondola from the stand at €110 gives a different experience for €24 more in total.

Serenades and music

The city tariff doesn’t include music. A serenade, with a singer and an accordionist or guitarist on a nearby boat, is arranged and paid for separately. There are two ways:

• Private packages. Some gondoliers’ agencies sell a ride with a serenade already included; for example Gondolieri Travel, which grew out of the “Daniele Manin” gondoliers’ cooperative, offers “Gondola & Serenata” at €300 per private gondola, plus packages with prosecco (€200), cicchetti (€245) or dinner (€360). The plain ride starts at €113.
• Group serenades. Especially in summer, between St Mark’s and the Rialto, you’ll see small convoys of gondolas following a boat with musicians. They’re organised by agencies and private operators at their own prices: always ask for the total, gondola plus music, before booking.

If you want music just for yourselves, book ahead: there are few musicians and summer evenings are the most in demand.

The two-euro alternative: the traghetto

If your budget doesn’t stretch to €90, there’s still a way to get on a gondola: the traghetto da parada. It’s a simpler gondola, rowed by two gondoliers, that crosses the Grand Canal in a few minutes where there are no bridges. It costs €2 per person, in cash, and runs only in the daytime. The handiest for visitors is Santa Sofia–Pescaria, from the Strada Nova to the Rialto market; other active crossings are San Tomà, Santa Maria del Giglio and the Dogana, with hours that change often. The full list and tips are in our Rialto and Grand Canal guide.

It isn’t a sightseeing ride: it lasts two or three minutes, and you stand shoulder to shoulder with people going to do their shopping. But it’s the only way to be on a gondola in the middle of the Grand Canal for the price of a coffee.

Mistakes to avoid and tips

• Agree the price and duration before boarding. Especially if you want a particular route or a time other than 30 minutes. The tariff is the city’s: if you’re asked for more for the same time, point it out.
• Remember it’s per boat. “Ninety euros” doesn’t mean ninety each. If you’re quoted a “per person” price on a private gondola, ask for the total.
• Watch the clock. Boarding at 18:50 or at 19:05 makes a €20 difference, because the evening tariff starts at 19:00.
• Be wary of touts. Someone stopping you in the street far from a stand to sell “gondola tickets” isn’t a gondolier. Rides are taken at the stands or booked through known channels.
• Weather and tides. In strong wind, heavy rain, thick fog or very high water (when gondolas can’t pass under the bridges) rides may be suspended. Rides booked online usually offer a refund if the operator cancels: read the conditions of each product.
• Getting in and out. The gondolier gives you a hand and shows you where to sit: weight has to be spread to balance the boat. Don’t stand during the ride. For people with limited mobility, boarding from the platform means stepping onto a moving boat.
• Children. Welcome, and they count towards the maximum of five passengers. Keep little ones seated.
• Tipping. Not expected. A few euros if you enjoyed the ride are appreciated.
• Complaints. If something goes wrong (a price different from the tariff, a shortened ride), you can report it to the City of Venice by calling 041 041.

How a gondola is built

A gondola is about 11 metres long, flat-bottomed and asymmetrical: the left side is wider than the right, to offset the weight of the gondolier, who rows standing at the stern with a single oar resting in the forcola, the carved walnut oarlock. At the bow is the ferro, the metal comb that has become a symbol of the city. The black colour, according to tradition, goes back to the Republic’s laws limiting luxury on boats. Every gondola is built by hand in a squero, a traditional boatyard; one of the best known, the San Trovaso squero in Dorsoduro, can be seen from the canal-side path.

Being a gondolier is regulated by city licences and an exam: a gondolier isn’t a tour guide, though many are happy to tell you about the city. If you want help choosing the right route or comparing stands and operators in more detail, there’s a dedicated guide to gondola rides in Venice.

How to choose, depending on who you are

• A couple on a first visit. A private gondola from a stand, at sunset in winter (still the daytime tariff) or after 19:00 in summer. Ask for a stretch of the Grand Canal and a stretch of quiet side canals.
• Solo traveller. The €35 Bridge of Sighs shared ride or the €39 classic: less than half the price of a private ride.
• Family of four or five. Private from a stand, by day: €18–22.50 each, less than any shared ride.
• Minimum budget. The Santa Sofia–Pescaria traghetto for €2 and, for the Grand Canal, vaporetto line 1 for €9.50.
• If you want to understand what you’re seeing. The shared ride with live commentary (€39): the guide explains the palaces and the history, which the gondolier isn’t required to do.