Tours, sightseeing tours, activities & things to do | Viator.comVenice Gondola Ride and Serenade with Dinner
based on 89 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.
Loved the Gondola Serenade! It was like a dream! A must do if you are in Venice. Unfortunately the restaurant left a lot to be desired, stated 4 course dinner on receipt, restaurant agreed but when we ordered we were told no only 2 courses and then dessert and we were embarrassed in front of everyone! Not a nice ending to a beautiful trip!
Reviewed by: Deborah G, Belgium, May 2007
We had a great time.
Reviewed by: Wendy M, United States of America, April 2007
The gondola ride and dinner were both excellent. My only complaint would be the glitch in the smooth transition between the tour and dinner. After the tour, obtaining the voucher needed for dinner from the gondola operator was a less than seamless process. I wish I had printed two vouchers to have one for each activity. The tour itself was breathtakingly beautiful and the restaurant wonderful.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States of America, November 2006
This package was a great experience! The dinner after the gondola ride was incredible. It was some of the best food we had in Italy. The only downside is that this is not a private ride. You have six people in each gondola, and you might not be sitting right next to the person you are with (but you will be in the same gondola). Still, floating down the Grand Canal while being serenaded at sunset makes for wonderful memories. Definitely a must-do.
Reviewed by: Brian E, United States of America, September 2006
We really loved the gondola serenade, but I think we lucked out because people were randomly getting into the gondolas and we just happened to board the one that had the accordion player and singer. All the other gondolas followed alongside us.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States of America, August 2006
The gondola ride was excellent. The dinner was fair, dessert was excellent!
Reviewed by: Hal B, United States of America, August 2006
This was money well spent. The 7:30pm ride afforded us a beautiful sunset while still being able to see the homes and canals. Don't expect your own gondolier to serenade. They usually have one singer/musician that is shared among several boats. The canals are narrow and the singer's voice carries fine. The dinner at Ristoraunte Giglio was very good. Not the usual tour fare. Our gondolier was rude but we chose to ignore him and focus on the beautiful city and canals.
Reviewed by: Marie G, United States of America, August 2006
Nice trip, worth doing.
Reviewed by: Gaynor C, United Kingdom, August 2006
The Gondola ride and serenade was great. The restaurant's food could have been better. Also, when we were there, another large loud tour group was in the restaurant.
Reviewed by: Jason W, Canada, July 2009
Gondola ride was great, but the dinner is a fraud. Worthless tourist restaurant full of a group of Chinese tourists.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, Greece, July 2009
The gondola never entered into any small canals. The entire trip was on the Grand Canal which did not meet expectations nor the description provided on the website which states "Glide down small canals and into the Grand Canal". We rode with the singer and accordion player and neither said a word to us, nor did the gondolier. They were pretty much doing just doing their job and wishing it was over with. However, the restaurant served an enjoyable meal with a friendly staff.
Reviewed by: Thomas B, United States of America, June 2009
The gondola ride was great, and the musicians were fantastic, but the dinner deal was not only problematic but not worth the money. After the gondola ride, we asked if we could have our printed confirmation back for the restaurant. The gondolier said that the restaurant would have our reservation and that we did not need the confirmation. Well, this was not so. The restaurant said they needed to see our confirmation, so we had to walk back to the gondola station, where they were not very helpful. They mentioned having problems with Viator. They could not make a copy of the confirmation to give to us. After 30 minutes, one of the gondoliers went to a nearby hotel to make a copy. Eventually, we made it to the restaurant and got seated at 9:30 pm. But service was slow, and they served other guests who got seated after us first. Our menu selection was limited; we could not order from the regular menu. The food was fairly good, but we could have done better at another restaurant. Take my advice and do the gondola ride, but don't get the package with the dinner included. There are many restaurants to choose from within walking distance of the gondolas, and you can do better for the price of the included dinner.
Reviewed by: Nicolaas P, United States of America, November 2008
We had a very bad experience. We got lost and took a different vaporetto, so we arrived 10 minutes late. The man that attended us was very rude, so we lost the gondola, BUT he was willing to take us on the ride if we paid him again. The restaurant was very good, and the food and the attendance were excellent. It was a little hard getting to the restaurant. Viator should give a map on how to get there, we had to call on our cell phones and get explanations.
Reviewed by: Maria Eugenia O, Colombia, October 2008
The gondola ride was good, but it was kind of cold out. The dinner was at a nice place but a little hard to find. As for the food, it was not worth it, but we really didn't care for much of the food over there.
Reviewed by: Lance R, United States of America, September 2008
The group gondola ride was really fun. Most of the people got onto the group boat, but there were then 6 of us crammed into a smaller boat. We were lucky because we got the comfy seats, but the other 4 people on our boat weren't so pleased with their seating. We also signed up for the dinner and had a terrible time finding the restaurant, like all restaurants in Venice. We found it, and we were the only people that had signed up for the dinner, so it was just the 2 of us! Well, it turned out to be really fun anyway, and the food was very good. Even though it turned out good, I think that I should have been informed that there were no other people signed up for the group dinner and then we wouldn't have bothered either.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, Canada, September 2008
