Gondolas?
Apr 16th, 2009, 02:16 PM
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Gondolas?
Is it best to buy before hand $58 USD or wait to get to Venice and negotiate. Seems better to wait esp not knowing weather for the particular night. Viator website, good??? or not.
Do you tip gondola "person" after ride?
Any other "must dos" while in Venice other than shops, St. Mark's Square, Mulano Glass.
Going in mid October 2009
Do you tip gondola "person" after ride?
Any other "must dos" while in Venice other than shops, St. Mark's Square, Mulano Glass.
Going in mid October 2009
Apr 16th, 2009, 02:36 PM
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You might take a look at my sort of trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...st-verbose.cfm
It's a written ramble around Venice. We did heaps in Venice (but did not go to Murano). Oh, we did not take a ride in a gondola - the traghettos ar better value!
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...st-verbose.cfm
It's a written ramble around Venice. We did heaps in Venice (but did not go to Murano). Oh, we did not take a ride in a gondola - the traghettos ar better value!
Apr 16th, 2009, 03:32 PM
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Remember you can never really get lost in Venice.
Go to Burano(it is my favorite of the islands)
Take a stroll to and around Piazza Sta Margharita(sp?)
You will see every day Venice life up close
Try to remember how you feel when you first see Venice
Go to the bar (outside) at the Danieli. The view is spectacular. The drinks are expensive. But the view is the bargain.
Go to Burano(it is my favorite of the islands)
Take a stroll to and around Piazza Sta Margharita(sp?)
You will see every day Venice life up close
Try to remember how you feel when you first see Venice
Go to the bar (outside) at the Danieli. The view is spectacular. The drinks are expensive. But the view is the bargain.
Apr 16th, 2009, 07:07 PM
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I found the cost of traghettos to be .40€, is that right? That can't be right.
Also, where is best place to exchange money, airport before we leave, local bank, wait until in Italy.
D.
Also, where is best place to exchange money, airport before we leave, local bank, wait until in Italy.
D.
Apr 16th, 2009, 07:26 PM
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Gondolas have a list price of 80 Euro for the first 40 minutes, plus 40 Euro for each additional 20 minutes. Charge may increase with additional passengers – I’m not sure. But traghettos, which cross the Grand Canal, cost 50 cents each way, and can save a lot of walking. It is de rigeur to stand up, and when embarking, walk to the farthest end of the gondola, and turn around. Dogs travel free – the Golden Retriever on the Ca’ Rezonnico traghetto yesterday seemed to enjoy the voyage, but then, they are water dogs.
We never changed money - just used a Visa card to hit the ATM's. There was a limit of 250 Euro per withdrawal. There are ATM's everywhere.
We never changed money - just used a Visa card to hit the ATM's. There was a limit of 250 Euro per withdrawal. There are ATM's everywhere.
Apr 16th, 2009, 07:36 PM
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Dawn: The Viator thing is probably a group gondola trip. There will be three or four gondolas, some corny but pleasant music, and people with you that you don't know. For 58 USD it is reasonable for one person, but probably not two or more.
A private gondola ride is expensive. If you want a tour type ride, I would suggest booking that when you are in Venice and can judge the weather for yourself. One place that this can be done is in the tourist office near P. San Marco. With your back to the Grand Canal, walk to the left until you come to very weird, noncharacteristic modern cube of building that is the tourist office on the waterfront. There you can book a great many things, get information, and buy the Chorus Pass, if you're interested in that.
Springing for a gondola ride sort of depends on who you're with, and how much you want to do it. On our honeymoon, we went twice. On subsequent trips, not at all.
I don't know if everyone tips the gondolier. I remember that we did. I will leave it up to someone else to tell you how much to tip.
However, I would definetly tip per person on one of those group gondola trips (example: if there were three of us, I might tip 5 euro per person, as there are musicians in the train of gondolas, as well as the gondoliers). Love that phrase, gondola person. ;-)
A private gondola ride is expensive. If you want a tour type ride, I would suggest booking that when you are in Venice and can judge the weather for yourself. One place that this can be done is in the tourist office near P. San Marco. With your back to the Grand Canal, walk to the left until you come to very weird, noncharacteristic modern cube of building that is the tourist office on the waterfront. There you can book a great many things, get information, and buy the Chorus Pass, if you're interested in that.
Springing for a gondola ride sort of depends on who you're with, and how much you want to do it. On our honeymoon, we went twice. On subsequent trips, not at all.
I don't know if everyone tips the gondolier. I remember that we did. I will leave it up to someone else to tell you how much to tip.
However, I would definetly tip per person on one of those group gondola trips (example: if there were three of us, I might tip 5 euro per person, as there are musicians in the train of gondolas, as well as the gondoliers). Love that phrase, gondola person. ;-)
Apr 16th, 2009, 07:53 PM
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Dawn - we didn't do the Gondolas - too expensive for us. We did the vaporetto line #1 for our Grand Canal Cruise that goes from the Piazza Roma to St. Mark's Square, using the audio tour from Rick Steves. He has free audiotours that you can download into your Ipod. Check it out: http://www.ricksteves.com/news/trave..._downloads.htm
Definitely need to cruise the Grand Canal as the view of Venice is different from the Grand Canal than the backstreets.
Definitely need to cruise the Grand Canal as the view of Venice is different from the Grand Canal than the backstreets.
Apr 16th, 2009, 08:44 PM
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On Gondolas.
A gondola is 14 metres long, and fully laden will displace some 800 kilos. You see them drifting along the canals, sometimes in a fleet of half a dozen, with a gentleman playing a piano accordion – surely the Devil’s instrument – possibly with a tenor who should go and find another job, ideally at the oil refinery at Marghera. The gondoliers make their way rather lazily up the smaller canals, an occasional stroke with the oar, cigarette in hand, or maybe texting on the mobile phone. I saw one reading “il Gazzettino” as he rowed a party of tourists. The occasional kick to a brick wall to keep the craft on course. The occasional song – I particularly liked one version of “Whisky, whisky, always makes me tipsy”. He had a party of Japanese on board – it’s possible they thought he was doing some G&S, maybe from “The Mikado”. True. And this time, the truth to everyone.
But then I saw a couple of gondoliers, getting somewhere in a hurry, and it was a different sight. Think about a guy in a straw hat and striped shirt, making the gondola fairly rip along, the port gunwale barely six inches from the wall, really bending their backs. That’s when you can really see their skill, when there are no passengers on board, and it’s something to witness. Ballet in a 36 foot craft weighing half a ton.
A gondola is 14 metres long, and fully laden will displace some 800 kilos. You see them drifting along the canals, sometimes in a fleet of half a dozen, with a gentleman playing a piano accordion – surely the Devil’s instrument – possibly with a tenor who should go and find another job, ideally at the oil refinery at Marghera. The gondoliers make their way rather lazily up the smaller canals, an occasional stroke with the oar, cigarette in hand, or maybe texting on the mobile phone. I saw one reading “il Gazzettino” as he rowed a party of tourists. The occasional kick to a brick wall to keep the craft on course. The occasional song – I particularly liked one version of “Whisky, whisky, always makes me tipsy”. He had a party of Japanese on board – it’s possible they thought he was doing some G&S, maybe from “The Mikado”. True. And this time, the truth to everyone.
But then I saw a couple of gondoliers, getting somewhere in a hurry, and it was a different sight. Think about a guy in a straw hat and striped shirt, making the gondola fairly rip along, the port gunwale barely six inches from the wall, really bending their backs. That’s when you can really see their skill, when there are no passengers on board, and it’s something to witness. Ballet in a 36 foot craft weighing half a ton.
Apr 16th, 2009, 10:39 PM
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we asked for a singing gondolier when we stayed at the Danieli and negotiated the price thru the hotel doorman. Picked us up at the "curb" of the hotel and had great history tour to boot along with champagne--tip? absolutely!
Apr 17th, 2009, 04:47 AM
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Hi Dawn,
If you must take a gondola ride, negotiate a price after you get there.
Your group rate will get you a large gondola with a group of strangers.
You do not want to exchange money in Venice. Leave your USD in your checking account.
Charge everything chargeable and get cash from an ATM with your ATM card.
Some people like to exchange about $100 at the departure airport. This will cost you about $5 more than if you do it upon arrival.
Enjoy your visit.
If you must take a gondola ride, negotiate a price after you get there.
Your group rate will get you a large gondola with a group of strangers.
You do not want to exchange money in Venice. Leave your USD in your checking account.
Charge everything chargeable and get cash from an ATM with your ATM card.
Some people like to exchange about $100 at the departure airport. This will cost you about $5 more than if you do it upon arrival.
Enjoy your visit.
Apr 17th, 2009, 06:33 AM
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Yes, you definitely need some cash -- euros, not dollars. For small restaurants, a gelato, a coffee, small purchases. You can get euros ahead of time in the US, but the cheapest thing to do is get them from ATMs in Italy as you go. Check out what your bank charges for a withdrawal in foreign money. Our credit union charges only the system 1 percent.
Apr 17th, 2009, 07:06 AM
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The traghetti (plural of traghetto, Italian for "ferry") cross the grand canal at several places. The fare is, I'm sure, less than a euro. You stand for the few seconds it takes to get from one side of the canal to the other. It's by far the cheapest way of getting on a gondola.
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