Venice: 30-Min Gondola Ride on the Grand Canal with Local Guide

We had booked a 1 hour gondola private tour. It started late and a bit more than 30‘ later the gondolier was about to enter the initial meant departure point. When reminding that we had booked a full hour the guide told the gondolier that I was insisting to continue and then proposed to bring us to the point we actually were boarded. The guide was not at all amuzed and when arriving still largely before the full hour she ran away to the meeting point without even informing, saying goodbye aso. We never had such a weird situation with a guide. The tour itself was good, it is nice to discover Venice through the canals. The gondolier was friendly and his gondola very nice. The tour is though best for 2 people who sit at the back of the gondola and since the guide is sitting on the chair and there are 2 small benches left which are not confortable at all. It could have been a really nice experience if we would not have felt cheated.

Une une de balade était idéal. La guide était une personne super qui a répondu à toutes nos diverses questions. Mais pour ce qui est de l’ensemble de l’histoire de Venise, c’était décevant. Un guide doit raconter, et ici ce n’était pas le cas. Nous avons payé très cher pour une balade avec une personne superbe mais qui nous a accompagné et non instruit.

We are so glad we did the 1 hour versus 30 minute gondola ride, we definitely could have stayed out longer! It is definitely worth getting out on the water to be able to see the city from a different perspective. Yes, there are cheaper/shorter trips if you just want a quick experience of it/for the 'gram, but this particular tour you get information on various building landmarks and information on how Venetians lived and traded back in the day.