Private gondola ride off the beaten path in Venice

I booked this as a birthday treat beforehand thinking it would save money and be a good experience. Viator overcharged, by law the gondolas are not allowed to charge more than €80 per 30 minute ride and there are signs everywhere to tell you this. We paid £130 through this website and got taken through an industrial part of Venice and the gondolier didn’t even talk to us. We could have had a nicer experience by booking when we were there and I was absolutely gutted. Have always thought highly of Viator but to overcharge that much for what it is I won’t be using again

takes you through some of the smaller channels, is very quite. Took our photo when finished. was great scenery

They were nearly 1 hour late, the gondola driver was on his mobile phone nearly the entire time and we found out that they were only charging 80 euro for a private gondola ride and we were charged $242 Australian which is approx 150 euro so nearly double. We would like a refund or at least half of the money back considering we’re were charged nearly double for a really crap service

We enjoyed our time on the ride. We went at 6pm and took our own wine and glasses. The ride was 30minutes and showed us areas we had not walked. Nice experience and memory.

We really enjoyed the gondola ride. We went at 6pm and the time was perfect. We took our own glasses and wine and enjoyed the views for the ride. It does last right at 30 minutes. We did not choose the singing tour, but enjoyed the quite, relaxing ride.

We had a really great experience!!! Highly recommended to all! It is definitely a must do in Venice.

Well organised and easy to find meeting place in Fondamenta Cossetti, our gondolier expertly steered us through some of the quieter narrow residential canals passing by the university and providing commentary and information about the history of the area. We could see the Ottoman influence in the architecture and it always helps to have such beautiful weather!

We were so lucky to be able to book with this gondala ride. While not on the grand canal we did get a variety of sites and a very thorough history of the city. Our gondaleer clearly loved his city and was so great at fitting us in despite the poor weather.

We have taken gondola rides on previous trips to Venice and they always seemed like “Disney-World Rides” - crowded, busy, noisy and impersonal. This time we wanted to find something better, so tried the “Off The Beaten Path” gondola ride. What a pleasant surprise and lovely experience. We were the only gondola on the canals we went down. It was peaceful, romantic, and relaxing. Our gondolier, Adamo, was wonderful, and enthusiastic about his gondola and profession. He taught us a lot about the gondolier business in Venice- very interesting. He also gave us a recommendation for a wonderful restaurant for dinner after our ride - Ristorante Ribot (which was nearby). Adamo said he and locals eat there. The food was delicious and the ambiance was perfect. (We seemed to be the only tourists dining there, which was great too.) The only problem with this tour is that it is so “off the beaten path” that it is very difficult to find. Its a long walk from St. Marks Square - but well worth the walk. Despite our maps, and trying to ask locals for help, we had a very hard time finding the meeting place from the location information on Viator. Viator needs to give better directions. The bridge they mention is not on maps. (Its near the bus station.) I highly recommend this tour and our gondolier, Adamo. I also recommend the restaurant he sent us to, Ristorante Ribot. I hope your experience is as magical as ours was.

We booked this for our first trip to Venice, we thought it would be better than waiting around in queues on the day. It was definitely worth it. The route was so peaceful and we saw a lovely and different part of Venice than we would not have seen on the usual tourist routes. It was also cheaper than usual gondola rides which amount to 80-100 euros on the regular tourist routes. The driver was very nice if a bit quiet, and when the ride came to an end one of the other drivers came offer and offered to take a picture of us which was really nice of them. Overall it was a great experience and I would thoroughly recommend it!