To go on a rowing boat along the canals of Venice and explore the city from the water is a unique experience for a tourist and it is one of the most fascinating and romantic ways to discover the city. Rowing without the noise of the motor through the canals and the 'rii' you will know a very different Venice to the one you find walking through the 'calli', 'corti' and 'campielli'. On holiday in Venice, it's worth experiencing both, by taking at least one trip in the famous gondola.

The gondola has a very fascinating history, starting in the 11th century. The term was declared for the first time in a decree of doge Vitale Falier in 1094. The gondola has evolved over centuries and the one we see nowadays is the result of a long process of adaptation to the special needs of Venice's shallow and sharply angled canals.

The gondola was born as a private means of transport for rich people, but then, thanks to it's great manoeuvrability, it became the most important means of transporting people. Ten thousand gondolas operated on the canals of sixteenth-century Venice.
Over the past few centuries more and more canals have been filled in (hence the term Rio Tera') and today Venice is really a pedestrian city. The present appearance only dates from the beginning of the 19th century.
The gondola (apart from those in service as traghetti) has become a tourist activity and no-one uses gondolas as a form of transport.

The skill involved is one of the reasons why a gondola trip isn't cheap. The official fare for a daytime standard tour (50 minutes) is Euro 73,00 , maximum 6 people per gondola. For each additional 25 minutes Euro 37,00.
From 8pm to 8am standard tour Euro 91,00 and for each additional 25 minutes Euro 47,00. You can, however, request a different route or another type of tour, and in this case, it's better to agree the price in advance.

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