We will be making our first trip to Venice this July, our 20th anniversary. Conventional wisdom seems to be pass up the gondola ride as tacky, touristy and over-priced, and enjoy the Vaporetto instead. Do you agree? (Please no rude or sarcastic comments)

Hi Dan,<BR> The gondola ride is tacky, touristy and over-priced. <BR> Will you ever again spend your 20th anniversary in Venice?<BR> My wife says, &quot;Do it&quot;.

There are posts on here with advice on how to get the best price for a gondola ride. I've been to Venice twice, have never done it. I just heard the price and figured it wasn't worth it. I suppose if there are ways to get deals (which at the times I went i didn't know of), I would certainly be tempted. I actually really enjoy just watching them go by with the opera singing gondoliers on some of the smaller canals. Venice is great with or without a gondola ride.<BR>Enjoy!

I think you would be insane to pass up the gondola ride! We entered on a gondola at sunset and I will never forget that as long as I live. I hope you have booked a very, very nice hotel also -- a lot goes a short ways in Venice.

It's not tacky. It is touristy (but then it's clearly not the way locals get around so of course it's touristy... guess what, I don't take Cable Cars to work either!). It's a very small percentage of your vacation budget so do you want to come home and feel like you missed something you could have easily done? It's really quite memorable. I recommend a night time ride on the lesser canals.

There is a cheap way to get on a gondola. Along the Grand Canal, there are several places where gondolas provide a ferry from one side to the other because there are few bridges. You don't get to sit down, and the gondolier won't sing to you, but it costs next to nothing. Just look for signs to &quot;traghetto&quot; and join the queue.

Don't miss it. Four of us traveling together had planned to go after dinner. But we had a great conversation with another couple at the next table and invited them along. It was memorable and less expensive.

Thanks to the thundering hordes of Japanese day-trippers descending on Venice everyday, the price of a gondola ride had gone thru the roof. They line up 30 deep at the goldolier stations waving their EURO and their cameras. The price of a gondola ride is now pretty much fixed at 80 EURO for 45 minutes daytime and 150 EURO for evening. Unlike our past three thrips to Venice, the goldoliers do not have to approach tourists at the bridges hustling business. Why would they when there are lines of Japanese waiting for them on their return, willing to pay whatever to ride?

Gondoliers have to make a living while they can and it's not a year round job...so pay up if you want to go

no one else can answer this for you.<BR>HOw about decide when you get there.<BR>You'll see the gondolas here and there and decide if it is appealing or not. Having done it once, I will never repeat it, but that's me.<BR><BR>As I said on a similar thread today, you just have to keep in mind that it is a business, just like the horse drawn carriages here in New York. You are looking for a romantic experience, the gondolier is looking at his watch and wondering about the next fare.<BR>That doesn't necessarily mean you won't enjoy it. And think about how you will feel when you return home and your friends ask if you went on a gondola ride. Can you handle saying &quot;no.&quot;?

It is not tacky--it is the way Venetians used to get around, so what's tacky about getting a sense of that experience? I've never understood the &quot;touristy&quot; comment in relation to anything--it appears to apply to anything tourists do which would mean going to Europe is touristy, so don't go to Europe. Anyway, if you can afford it, it is a good way to get a different persepective on parts of the city you'll not see any other way. It is expensive, but gondolas are very expensive to buy and to maintain--and as pointed out it is highly seasonal. They must make their money in just a portion of the year. If you can afford it, go ahead--but don't go on the Grand Canal, that is better experienced on a vaporetto.

After you have read all of these good suggestions, keep them in mind, and when you get to Venice see what you want to do. <BR><BR>On an anniversary you should go for it, but negotiate and pick a starting point for the ride that is far from the crowds and look for a gondelier who looks simpatico. On my first trip we had a crabby man who wanted to get our ride over with as fast as possible.<BR>Years later we shopped around for one whom we &quot;clicked&quot; with, it made a big difference, we had alot of fun with him. <BR><BR>

Dan, Book the AMEX walking tour that includes a :30 gondola ride at the end.<BR>Good tour--you get your ride--and it is only about $29 per head.

<BR><BR>A vaporettos is a big, noisy, and fairly ugly water bus which runs in more open water, like the Grand Canal. But it's very cheap.<BR><BR>A gondola is a sleek, quiet, and beautifully-crafted boat which runs in the smaller canals. But it's very expensive. <BR><BR>By all means, take the vaporettos (a lot), but I'd also recommend taking one gondola ride just for the experience. If you want to make it a bit less expensive, you can always share a boat with other people but we happened to think it was worth the money to have it to ourselves.

Sandy -<BR><BR>Your comments regarding the Japanese are extremely racist. There are pushy, aggressive people of all nationalities, unfortunately. Including yours, it would appear.<BR><BR>Do you speak Japanese? If not, how do you know that these people are not of some other Asian origin? And what exactly is the point of mentioning their ethinicity? You could simply mention that there were pushy, aggressive people waving money at the gondoliers and leave it at that.<BR><BR>It never ceases to amaze me that people who travel to other countries can continue to be so narrow-minded.<BR><BR>Dan - you will enjoy Venice, whatever you decide.

I simply used the vaporetto for both transporation and touring during my two trips to Venice. Having said that... once I was traveling alone, and the other time with a non-romantic partner. So wait until you arrive and see what you think after looking at the setup. To celebrate a honeymoon or wedding anniversary, I say, hey do what ever you want ;-)

I didn't realize the Japanese had the money to flood Europe any longer. Who could blame them if they do? Venice is singular. Nothing on this or presumably any other planet is remotely like it. Dan, you must do the gondola ride and bring a bottle of champagne and two glasses (borrow from your hotel) and arrange for a dozen red roses for your wife, and she will love you madly for the next 20 years and tell the story 1000 times! I am jealous. Have a wonderful time and DO splurge on a hotel.

Thanks all. Allors, How do your arrange for the roses? Not sure how this works.

I have no idea either but your hotel will be glad to help you out, I am quite certain! Italians are romantics. Just ask them. You could probably plan a night or sunset ride for, say, your second day and speak with the hotel manager and ask him-her to arrange everything. If I were you, I would book a hotel on a canal to maximize the atmosphere. That would make the whole thing really easy. You sound like a very nice man and I am sure your hotel would be more than happy to help you.

We went to Europe for our anniversary last summer and Venice was one of our stops. We did go on the gondola ride and I loved it. We went at night for I think 80 Euros. I don't regret it at all. Have fun!