Row Venice review: learning to row the Venetian way

Most visitors watch Venice’s boats from a fondamenta or from the seat of a gondola. Row Venice does the opposite: it stands you at the stern of a wooden boat and teaches you to drive it with a single oar, the way Venetians have for centuries. It is physical, slow and very local, far from the St Mark’s crowds, which makes it one of the more unusual things you can book in the city.

This review covers who is behind it, which lessons it sells and at what price, how booking, payment and cancellation work, what we like and what to watch out for. All prices are those published on Row Venice’s website at the time of our update and may change.

Who Row Venice are

Row Venice is a Srl Sportiva Dilettantistica, an Italian non-profit amateur sports company. It describes itself as an all-women organisation of expert Venetian rowers and athletes, who teach visitors to row with the stated aim of keeping the tradition alive and sustaining the city. The website does not give a founding year or the names and qualifications of the instructors, so we do not report them.

Voga alla veneta is the traditional rowing style of the lagoon: you stand up, facing the direction of travel, and push an oar resting in the forcola, the carved wooden oarlock. It is the same technique gondoliers and the historic regattas use. Row Venice teaches it on a batela, a hand-built traditional boat it describes as stable and comfortable: the boats are wide and deep, and the FAQ promises you will stay dry.

What it sells in Venice: lessons and prices

The price is almost always per boat, not per person, just as with a gondola. The standard boats take up to four learners plus the instructor; for groups of five there is a larger batela, or two boats are used.

Some useful sums. With four people, the Classic lesson works out at €37.50 each for 80 minutes on the water with an instructor; with two it is €50 each. For comparison, a private daytime gondola has a municipal fare of €90 per boat for 30 minutes, and you don’t row (details in our gondola guide). The Cicchetto Row for two comes to €132.50 per person with food and drinks included: it is a food experience as much as a lesson. The Grand Canal Row can only be booked in the evening slot or on Sundays and public holidays.

For groups of 10 or more, Row Venice charges €45 per person, paid on the website once the date is confirmed.

How booking works and where to meet

Booking is online only, at rowvenice.org, at least 24 hours ahead. The FAQ recommends booking more than two months ahead for holiday periods, as there are few boats. Groups of up to nine pay in full when booking; cash on the day is not accepted. Row Venice also sells gift vouchers.

The meeting point is in Cannaregio, on the fondamenta by the Sacca de la Misericordia boat marina, in the north of the sestiere. The website suggests searching for “Row Venice” on Google Maps or Apple Maps, or using the what3words address on its page. It is a residential area, a few minutes from the Madonna dell’Orto church and the canal-side bacari; if you want to pair the lesson with a walk, our guide to Cannaregio and the Ghetto has ideas.

The instructor waits 30 minutes at the meeting point. Arrive late and your lesson is shorter; after half an hour it is forfeited and not refundable.

Cancellation, changes and bad weather

The rules are clear but not lenient, so read them before paying:

• Cancel 48 hours or more ahead: refund minus a €25 per boat fee.
• Cancel within 48 hours, or no-show: no refund.
• Change of date: free from your account up to 24 hours before; after that you contact support, and in the last 4 hours a change costs €60.
• Bad weather: in heavy rain or winds above 20 km/h the lesson does not run. Row Venice tries to reschedule; if it cannot, it refunds the price minus a €5 fee. Light rain, the terms point out, often clears within half an hour and the lesson goes ahead.

Languages and support

The website is in English and Italian, and the lessons are designed for an international audience; no other languages are listed, so ask before booking if you need one. You can reach Row Venice on WhatsApp (+39 344 7900 576), by email at info@rowvenice.org or through the website chat.

What we like

• It is real rowing, not a sightseeing ride. You row, with an instructor beside you, and by the end you know what a forcola is and why Venetian boats move the way they do.
• Fair per-boat pricing. With three or four people the cost per head is low for 80 minutes on the water with a dedicated instructor.
• A quiet area. North Cannaregio has calmer canals than those around St Mark’s, which suits beginners.
• Open to many. Young children are welcome (under 4 free), and the FAQ says a folding wheelchair fits in the boat, provided you can board on your own.
• Non-profit. The money goes to a sports association tied to the rowing tradition.

What to watch out for

• Firm penalties. €25 per boat even when you cancel in time, no refund inside 48 hours, €60 to move a lesson at the last minute.
• Limited places. Few boats, and holiday dates are in demand: book early.
• Some agility needed. Getting in and out of a low boat, standing and changing position is not for everyone.
• No cash. Payment is online only.
• Missing information. The website gives no founding year and no instructor qualifications.

Who it is for

Row Venice is ideal if you have been to Venice before and want to see it from a new angle, for families with curious children, for couples looking for something other than the usual gondola and for anyone who likes sport. It suits you less if you want a relaxing guided ride with commentary on the palaces: a gondola or a boat tour is better for that.

Alternatives

• Gondola. If you would rather be rowed than row, the municipal fare and shared rides are explained in our gondola guide, and our review of Gondolieri Travel covers private rides you can book in advance.
• Kayak. If you want to paddle out into the lagoon too, Venice Kayak runs canal tours and trips to Burano, with stricter requirements (you must swim and have some paddling experience).
• More ideas. Our things to do in Venice page groups activities by time and budget.

Verdict

Row Venice sells something few others in Venice do: the chance to actually row Venetian-style, with an expert instructor, on a traditional boat in a quiet corner of the city. The per-boat prices are reasonable, especially for three or four, and the rules are written clearly. The downsides are the cancellation penalties and limited availability. If it appeals, book well ahead and choose a date with some weather margin.

Disclosure: we have no commercial relationship with Row Venice and earn no commission on its lessons. The button at the top opens walking tours on GetYourGuide, where we do earn a commission; Row Venice can only be booked on its own website.