My husband, my parents and I will be visiting Venice in May we will be there 2 nights, I would like to get some information on the gondola rides.
Is there a set price per person or per ride, what time of the day is better and also where should we start our ride. This is my first time there and have no idea where to start. If there is other information you would like to share I will appreciate it.

thank you

You can negotiate directly with the gondolier. It will depend on the length of the trip, if it is at night or day, and if your gondolier is friendly, (singing, talking, joking). Definitely wait until you see someone smiling and joking and then approach. The last thing you want to pay good money for is a cranky gondolier. Most are wonderful but I've seen a few cranky ones! I would say for 4 people, for a daytime trip of 30-45 minutes, you should expect to pay at least $100 euro. (that is for everyone, not person). The night time trips are more costly, but not that much, and it really is magical to ride the canals at night. IMHO!

I both love the idea of a gondola ride and am both, at the same time fearful.

What the heck lives in that water???

Try and find a gondolier who sings....it sounds sooo beautiful!

For the best prices, I would think you should get away from San Marco. You can find gondoliers in other places, too, although I can't be more specific as I have never been in a gondola. You can also visit the workshop in Dorsoduro, which is interesting. I believe there is an American who is one of the gondola makers in the city now.

When in Venice....you gotta do a gondola ride. It is required.

One other tip: We found a shop near St Marks that manufactures duplicates of the horses that you see on the gondolas. Great souviner that we took home with us.

Private gondola rides generally cost in the 70-100 euro range for 45-50 minutes. It depends on the time of day, demand, where you are in the city, how the gondolier feels that day, whether or not the gondolier likes you, and your bargaining skills.

Given that a gondola costs upwards of 20,000-25,000 euro, has to be maintained, and they don't get much (or zero) business for a large chunk of the year, the prices aren't particularly outrageous.

thank you all for your advice

Tribi,
you'll all have a grand time. It is really lovely to just glide through and listen to all the sounds of Venice. I always take a gondola ride in Venice. I'd rather skip dinner for a few nights than miss a gondola ride! They are worth the money!

We've taken them twice, and our favorite was an early morning trip, though I guess that you should check the water level and not go when the water is too low. We found an absolutely lovely gondolier behind St. Marks (walking toward the canal) right by Albergo San Marco. The second time we went to the huge lineup near where we stayed (Locanda Orseolo) and we also lucked into another nice chap. But as said above, there are a few cranky pants.

I personally can skip the accordion music and singers, who are often shared among 2-3 gondolas as that adds to the expense.

Price wise they are similar but I agree that you may get a better deal away from the logjam near St. Ms.

But ABSOLUTELY, don't leave Venice without a gondola ride!

We paid 80 euros for a gondola ride last March. There were four of us, but they charge the same whether there are 1 or 4 of you. Our ride was just under an hour and we went so that when we were returning back the sun was setting. Beautiful! We picked ours up near the Locanda Orseolo. Definitely a must do!!

We took our gondola ride at dusk. The lighting was gorgeous. I highly recommend that time of day. It was a lifetime memory!

Can't remember what we paid, but we did bargain. We didn't want a long round trip tour, but wanted to go to a restaurant. It was magic getting to the restaurant at the Gritti by gondola in the evening, then dining on the terrace.

Hi

Here's the official rates - http://www.gondolavenezia.it/storia_tariffe.asp?Pag=43.

Hope this helps