Tours, sightseeing tours, activities & things to do | Viator.comVenice Gondola Ride and Serenade with Dinner
based on 80 reviews of Venice Gondola Ride and Serenade with Dinner
Read what other Viator.com travelers think about the Venice Gondola Ride and Serenade with Dinner. What they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved, it's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
I think that since not everyone takes the dinner that you should put those that have the dinner together in a boat. We had no idea where the restaurant was and directions from the crew would have been helpful. As it turned out one of the couples in our boat was having dinner and thought they knew where the restaurant was. When we got there the proprietor wanted our vouchers, but they had already been taken by the tour people. He let us eat there anyway, but it caused some concerns.
Reviewed by: Thomas S, United States, September 2008
Nice, but too many people on each gondola, should be limited to four. But it was a good deal for the money. Everyone was right about having a difficult time looking for the restaurant. But people were very friendly along the way and they help indicating were to go.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States, August 2008
The gondola ride and serenade was amazing! Well worth the price! The serenade made the gondola ride. The dinner wasn't great, the food was definitely not worth the price, and not enjoyable at all. We would have preferred to have dinner somewhere else after the amazing gondola ride.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, South Africa, August 2008
We absolutely loved the gondola ride. We shared the ride with 2 other couples which was just fine with us. It is definitely cheaper reserving on the internet than trying to negotiate a price there which can cost upwards to 150 euros after 800 pm. The dinner at Hostaria Ai Coristi was just OK. We would definitely recommend this to our friends.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, Canada, July 2008
The gondola ride and serenade was fantastic - DO NOT MISS IT! But the dinner was terrible. We were given the full menus when we sat down to our table and when we gave them our dinner vouchers, they took away our menus and gave us a set menu inside a plastic sheet which consisted of only a couple of choices. The service was terrible throwing forks and knives down on the table as was the food. It was like a 'Fawlty Towers' episode.
Reviewed by: John T, Australia, July 2008
It was enjoyable and something you have to do at least once, but if you want comfort and romance, you would need to pay to have the gondola to yourself; there are really only 2 comfy seats. It is worth finding the restaurant beforehand as it is a bit tucked away about 10 minutes' walk from the gondola dock.
Reviewed by: Jacqueline P, United Kingdom, June 2008
This was a great experience. It's not romantic, but it's a great gondola ride through the canals with music. The restaurant afterwards was very difficult to find, with no instructions or help provided by the Gondola people. The food was okay, but we did not get to order from the menu, it was a choice of two items. We were led to believe we could order from the menu, which was not true. Overall, it was a good experience and we met some lovely people.
Reviewed by: Charles B, Canada, June 2008
Very romantic trip. Well organised company, would do it again.
Reviewed by: Paul T, United Kingdom, June 2008
The gondola ride with serenade is a must, except for one gondolier who treats tourists like animals. We enjoyed the very moving music and scenery! Leave out the dinner afterwards, however. There's no one to welcome you after the ride, to ask who's reserved a dinner, nor to show you how to get to the restaurant or even give you the address. It took us twenty minutes walking and we had to ask the way from three different people. Make sure you have a second printout of your voucher for the restaurant, as the gondola people take your voucher. The meal was fine; a choice of two different dishes but no choice for the desert, semolina pudding! I definitely wouldn't recommend the dinner.
Reviewed by: Stephanie W, Luxembourg, May 2008
We enjoyed the gondola and serenade immensely and would recommend it without hesitation. We are planning to do it AGAIN. Even though we were amongst a flotilla of six gondolas standard practice in Venice it was a wonderful experience for everyone involved. However, we do NOT recommend dinner at Hostaria Ai Coristi. The menu presented to us was limited and cheap. The food quality was poor. The restaurant offers a 'tourist' menu to walk-in customers for 20 euros that is better than the one offered to Viator customers. Enjoy the gondola and serenade. Make your own restaurant selection - for instance, Vino Vino is just around the corner and is much better.
Reviewed by: Bill M, Canada, May 2008
The gondola ride was very nice...5 boats in our group. There was a little confusion about getting to the restaurant, but no big problem; an actual guide would've helped. But overall, a very pleasant evening...we made some new friends, too!
Reviewed by: Michael B, United States, April 2008
This trip was so naff but nevertheless was also enjoyable. When booking, it says "this is not a private trip, the gondolas hold a maximum of 6 people." This was incorrect as we had 13 people on our gondola, and a man and wife had to change places to even out the weight. I don't know why the dinner was incorporated, as there was no connection with the trip and we had to find our way there on our own. We did not get the choice off the menu; however, the food was good.
Reviewed by: Wilma M, United Kingdom, April 2008
If you are a romantic couple this may not be for you. If you want an amazing experience where you and a small fleet of gondolas gently cruise the Grand Canal with a guy who can really hold a tune and have a nice meal afterwards then do it. It is also a quite good value for money experience.
Reviewed by: John J, United Kingdom, October 2007
We enjoyed it thoroughly. It was an experience that should not be missed if you are going to Venice. It will live in our memory. A brilliant voice serenaded us accompanied by a competent accordionist. Thanks everybody, we had a good time.
Reviewed by: Niranjan S, Sri Lanka, September 2007
The gondola ride was wonderful. We were serenaded by a man with a beautiful tenor voice. Even though we weren't in the same gondola with him, we never had trouble hearing him since he sang with a microphone. Our problems started when we showed up for the dinner at the restaurant. We noticed other people having problems getting into the restaurant. They had used another company and the Maitre D' was not accepting them. There was quite an exchange of words between them. I then showed him our reservation for twelve, and he quite flippantly and rudely waved me away, saying he had no reservations for us! I didn't have our voucher, only our reservation numbers, so I returned to the gondola station and picked up our paperwork there. Meanwhile, my husband talked to the Maitre D' and calmed him down some. When I returned, we were told that our reservation had been recorded incorrectly by their staff. Six of us were written down for that night and the other six were written down for a completely different date! They then rushed to accommodate us, and we were treated very well by the staff. The food was fantastic, some of the best we ate in Italy, but it proved to be way too much for us to eat. We ended up having a nice evening, however, the Maitre D' stayed away from us and I never did get an apology for his rude behavior towards me.
Reviewed by: Lisa M, United States, July 2007
