School me. I'd like to take the atypical romantic gondola ride with my wife. Is it wise to book ahead? Is sunset the ideal time? Is there a website, service or particular route that stands out? We're going in April.<BR><BR>Thanks in advance?

Do you mean the ski gondala at Vail?

I think spike was talking about the mountain bike gondola in Moab, Utah for which you don't need reservations.

I would suggest an evening ride, and I think sunset or a little after is perfect. You won't need a reservation; just find a gondola, and ask the price. My husband was able to barter a little, and made sure the gondolier (sp?) would sing and take some small side canals before we hired him. It was great, and I am envious that you have that ahead of you. It is a beautiful experience.

never a shortage of gondola's. sunset is perfect. april weather can be glorious or horrid or....... a sunny late morning is better than a cold sunset.. 45 minutes + - should not cost more than 75 euro. find one with an accordian player. very romantic.

I've been to Venice 4 times and so far have not taken a gondola ride. Our last visit in 2000 was 2 weeks we spent in my favorite city in the world, Venice and we *almost* did the gondola thing but didn't cause of the price. Now I'm not married anymore and I must say *I regret* having not done it! My ex is fluent in Italian and a real chatter so he spoke to many locals when we've been there and I will mention the tips they told him about the gondolas:<BR>DON'T take the gondolas from the grand canal as they are the most expensive and the least scenic. It costs far less to use a gondola that leaves from a smaller canal (you find them just by walking around). And it's always less expensive to ride one in the daytime than at night. If you want a cheap short gondola ride use a vaporetto which just crosses some main canals in the same type boat. For example from Piazzale Roma or Tonchetto, vaporetto No. 1 crisscrosses the Grand Canal en route to San Marco and the Lido for about $1.50. It's short though..about 1 minute so not very romantic. <BR><BR> Our hotel room had windows that opened over 2 smaller canals that intersected there and when we were in the room we could watch the gondolas go by right below and sometimes there was music. One of my favorite memories of all the times I've been in Venice was one night when we walked for hours in the evening around many areas of Venice. We stopped on a small bridge near the Opera and in the distance at times we could hear men singing. It seemed to be coming closer so we waited, and the music slowly got louder until we saw a gondola approaching with a violin player accompanying the singer as they entertained the Japanese, which invariably were the passengers. The music then slowly faded further and further away in the dark and distance....as haunting as Venice itself is.<BR>

Good for you for wanting to do the gondola ride. Many people think it is too corny or trite, so don't do it because they are too cool. We were in Florence before we went to Venice, and were having dinner in a small restaurant. We struck up a conversation with an American gentleman who travels to Italy often. When we told him we were going to Venice, he made us promise that we would take a gondola ride, and that he would refund us the price if we were disappointed. Needless to say, we were not disappointed, but he convinced us to do it!

I usually travel alone. On my last trip to Venice, I took a gondola ride just at the basin of San Marco. The gondoliers there were a bit older and relaxed. I was the only one and negotiated the fare with him in advance -- since I spoke Italian -- but these gondoliers are so used to tourists in their city, they can speak English as well. The gondolier was very kind and he took me through a lot of the more remote canals in Castello, then up to Rialto and even stopped when I asked him to go slower so I could take photographs (N.B.: you can discuss with him where you want to go; nothing is written in stone). Then up to Rialto and down the Canal Grande back to San Marco. The total trip lasted well over an hour -- he was very friendly to me and as he rowed pointed out some interesting buildings and folklore I wouldn't have learned in a guidebook. Perhaps he could tell I was very interested in the architecture and palazzi and that broke down a lot of barriers. Just do it even if you have to share with others in order to bring the price down.

A lot of folks, including Rick Steeves, advise you not to take the gondolas because it is too &quot;touristy&quot; and too expensive. Instead, they recommend taking the traghetti boats. Hogwash! When I think of Venice I think of gondolas and fortunately when we were in Venice this summer we were able to take a gondola ride. There were 36 out of 42 people on our tour who wanted the gondola ride so instead of $100+ we each paid $25 and it was worth every minute. It was magical as we had an accordion player and singer for our group of 7 gondolas. The price usually goeas up after dark and/or if you want a singer. I believe you can get a group rate from the American Express Office as well. This was the highlight of our marvelous vacation in Italy. Don't miss it folks!!! Enjoy

Up to six people can ride in a regular size Gondola. Not the larger ones for groups or the new &quot;fake&quot; style. <BR><BR>Get people together and go for 10 euro each. Do it several times, it's that much fun. <BR><BR>Sunset is good on the larger canal, but in the smaller interior canals it can be very dark and impossible to take nice photos.

High tide and low tide are not the best times for a gondola voyage--try to time it somewhere between the extremes.