Gondola Rides - A Ripoff?
By lazywalt99
@lazywalt99 (177)
United States
February 20, 2007 9:47pm CST
My immediate (and extended) family travelled to Venice, Italy for the first time earlier this summer. There were a total of 12 of us in the group. All I had heard for quite some time through friends, the media, etc, was that the gondola rides on the Venice canals were a "must do" when in Venice. However, I, along with the rest of my family, were disappointed in the gondola rides. For starters, the rides were short and weren't very scenic. They were also expensive ($100 for 15 minutes for 6 of us was the CHEAPEST I could find), and I found the "drivers" to be very rude towards us (given that we're Americans and he evidently despised Americans), which I found humorous considering American tourists contribute a bulk of his income.
I was also anticipating the gondola driver to sing, wear the gondola hat, etc. to enhance the experience, however this was not the case. He wore a plain striped shirt, was very grim-faced, and didn't speak a word of English (evidently not Italian either, as he didn't utter a peep to us the entire time!).
1 response
@urbangirl (1456)
• Australia
21 Feb 07
$17 per person is not bad, although I do remember I probably paid around $20 for a 1/2 hour ride and I shared the gondola with two American girls.
I can't really say for sure why your gondalier seemed grim - I remember our gondolalier being quite flirtatious although he couldn't speak much English.
I don't think of experiences like that as a rip off - I expect high prices in touristy areas like Venice. Venice is one of the most expensive cities to live - so much so that young people actually have to move out of the city because they can't afford to buy a house or live there.
@lazywalt99 (177)
• United States
21 Feb 07
Very good points, but the $17 per person was after negotiating for 2 days (we were there for a week).
It was originally around $30 for 15 minutes, per person.
I loved Italy, I was just thoroughly disappointed with Venice. Perhaps it was just a bad time of the year.
@urbangirl (1456)
• Australia
21 Feb 07
You negotiated for 2 days???? Wow - we got our price after one of the girls (who was a student) said that it was too expensive for her. We all wanted to go together so we said kindly we'll think about it, then left but the guy came after us and gave us the final price and we said yes. I don't like to haggle so I kind of felt embarassed by the whole thing and found it surprising to turn away from an experience like that simply because of price.
I remember the Venice accomodation being VERY expensive compared to other Italian cities but you know, for me it was worth it. Had an amazing time there. I don't tend to remember exact prices unless something was totally outrageous, just relative expense (which city was more expensive than the other, etc).
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