Feel the romance of a classic Venetian experience with a serenaded gondola ride through Venice’s famed canals, capped off by dinner or lunch at a renowned local eatery. Settle into a traditional gondola boat for a ride through the Grand Canal and some of the city’s smaller waterways, while onboard musicians provide a passionate soundtrack of Italian ballads. Savor an authentic Venetian meal at the top-rated Hostaria Ai Coristi Restaurant to conclude your enchanted evening or afternoon tour.

Venice gondola ride with serenade plus a meal
Share a ride on the Grand Canal and glide down smaller canals
Listen to a musician and a singer serenade you aboard one of eight gondolas in your flotilla
Enjoy a two-course lunch or dinner at Hostaria Ai Coristi Restaurant

What's Included

Shared Gondola Serenade ( approx. 30 minutes)
Meal (choice of two dishes) at Hostaria Ai Coristi Restaurant
Glass of house wine
Half bottle of mineral water
Coffee and/or Tea

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Departure & Return

Departure Point

Gondola Station - Santa Maria del Giglio, Campiello Traghetto, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Meeting Point: Gondola's stazio of Santa Maria del Giglio Square (next to the entrance of Hotel Gritti Palace)

Return Details

This activity will end right where it started.

What To Expect

The quintessential Venetian experience of a serenaded gondola ride is so beloved by visitors that tours are likely to sell out weeks in advance. Book ahead so you don’t miss out on the ride of a lifetime!

Choose from an afternoon or evening departure, and then make your way to the launch point near the Grand Canal. Climb aboard a traditional polished wooden gondola, which comfortably seats six passengers. These beautiful handcrafted vessels used to be one of the primary modes of transportation for Venetians centuries ago, and their craftsmanship is a time-honored tradition.

Settle in for the ride as your gondolier skillfully navigates the boat along Venice’s famous Grand Canal using a long wooden oar. Admire the historic homes, palazzos and cathedrals that line the canal as you travel along with a flotilla of several other gondolas. Head through some of the city’s smaller canals where you’ll pass under bridges and get a glimpse of quieter, charming backstreets. Adding to the enchanting atmosphere, a skilled opera singer and musician (usually an accordion or guitar player) will ride aboard one of the gondolas in your group and serenade you with classic Italian ballads.

At the end of your 35-minute ride, disembark at the picturesque Campo Santa Maria del Giglio and make your way through romantic alleyways to the nearby Hostaria Ai Coristi Restaurant. Savor a two-course meal including a fish or meat entrée served with house wine, water and coffee.

Please note: If you choose a 3:30 pm departure, your meal can be either lunch (served before the gondola ride between 12pm and 3pm) or dinner (enjoyed after the ride between 7pm and 9pm).

Gondola Station - Santa Maria del Giglio (Pass By)

During this Gondola Ride you will admire the beautiful Santa Maria della Salute Church, built in the 17th century as a votive offering for the city's deliverance from the black plague.

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute (Pass By)

pass by without stopping

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
The gondola holds a maximum of 6 passengers. Please note this is not a private gondola ride
Your Venice gondola ride provides a boat with a musician and singer for every eight gondolas in your flotilla
All passengers dine at the same restaurant for lunch or dinner. If you require a private table please request this at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

about cancellations

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Venice Gondola Ride and Serenade with Dinner?

A:The policies on face masks and attendee health are:

Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during Venice Gondola Ride and Serenade with Dinner?

A:The policies on sanitization are:

Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized

Q:What is the social distancing policy during Venice Gondola Ride and Serenade with Dinner?

A:The policy on social distancing is:

Social distancing enforced throughout experience

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

We had to keep asking people along the way which was more challenging being after 7pm and therefore dark.

I would have paid less if I did a private gondola ride.

I will start by saying that the people in charge of the gondola ride were very nice and helpful in telling us where to go for supper and the supper was fabulous!

Reviews

3.0

578 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers

Showing 1-10 of 578 reviews

Tour to avoid!

CHRISTOPHE_C, Jul 2021

Gondola serenade did not happen! those people did not care. reason: not enough people! Ridiculous! Don't book this tour. Regarding the restaurant part: it was ok. Not the best place but ok.

Miss leading and so not worth

nicola_b, Sep 2020

Rip off, not as described, ruined a very important birthday weekend Serenade, no they only serenade 1 party and that was the boat behind, I paid the same as them and thats not good enough Resturant was backstreet garden not even in premises, they miss lead and gave us the wrong cheaper menu. DONT BOOK IF U WANT TO BE MISLEAD AND FOBBED OFF RUINED AND IMPORTANT TRIP.- RUINED A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL

Gondola dream

Fianny_C, Feb 2020

Venice is so beautiful and the gondoler was really nice and funny, but they didn't have the serenade which was something I wanted for my mother.. Also the dinner was good but we had to ask the concierge at our hotel to call and find out what time and where was the dinner because there was no information on the voucher. Next time I would love to get the serenade while I ride the gondola and I would like to know ahead of time where is the Dinner and the time.

1 traveler found this review helpful

The scenery is beautiful.

Claudia_A, Feb 2020

There was no dinner. I tried to ask, but they were so rude. There was no serenade on our ride. The only reason I’m giving it 2 stars, is because the scenery was beautiful. I do not recommend. It only lasted 30 mins.

Disappointing and rather Difficult

Getaway656973, Oct 2019

Customer service by the gondoliers was very poor. They didn’t really interact with us at all on the gondola ride. The gondola was constantly on a precarious tilt and my husband and I felt very uncomfortable and felt like we were going to slide into the water. The serenade was disappointing and it certainly didn’t feel like a romantic ride. There was no liaison or direction from anyone as to how to get from the gondola ride to the restaurant. We had to keep asking people along the way which was more challenging being after 7pm and therefore dark. The restaurant meal was pretty average and the customer service was not warm. Definitely not worth the money we paid for it.

Some good, some not so much.

doug_m, Oct 2019

The gondola ride is 6 people to a boat, and only the two that get the back seat are comfortable. The singer is in one boat, and while your all together, you can hear and enjoy him. Once you get into the canals, it depends on how close you are to his boat. We were the last boat, so not much to hear. However, the hotel we had the privilege to eat at, Hostaria Ai Coristi Restaurant, amazing. The perfect example of an old Italian restaurant. Food was wonderful, and our server, Anna, we wanted to adopt and take home with us. Then there is the wall of wine, that no one has touched for 70 years. Well, you have to see it. So Gondola ride, so so, our dinner, OMG.

The Video Is Copletely Misleading!

dannydelray, Oct 2019

I, like most others here with bad reviews find this the only way to punish Viator and the gondola company for the misleading offer. THEY NEED TO CHANGE THAT VIDEO TO SHOW WHAT THE RIDE REALLY IS. 4-6 PEOPLE PACKED IN A LITTLE ROCKY GONDOLA WITH ONE SINGER AND MUSCIAN IN THE FRONT OF THE LINE OF 8-10 GONDOLAS. How I wish I could get my money back and honestly, this was the only low point of our entire vacation to Italy - It was our first time there and my wife was looking so forward to a romantic gondola ride. This IS NOT that! I would strongly recommend getting no gondola rides through Viator. Even after finally finding the evasive restaurant, the food sucked but the service was pleasant. Veal Marsala with 2 mushrooms and a watery gravy. Yuck! My advice - Beautiful gondolas and great restaurants are are all over at every turn in Venice. Gondolas cost around 80 Euros. Do the math - this tour is deceiving, the video misleading and the tour - not worth it. :(

Really disappointing

wanderingfree09, Aug 2019

You have to read the small print!! This was and is sold as a serenade ride in a gondola followed by dinner. What it actually turns out to be is a group of boats.. the luck of the draw on whether your boat has the entertainers in it. You then feel like supporting cast members in someone else's journey. Following this you have to find the restaurant yourself somewhere else. This is not a tour. Its 2 separate activities. My advise book a gondola ride separately....when you get to Venice.

Musical gondolas

Lisa_M, Jun 2019

This was so much fun! The accordion player and the singer were like two Italian Uncles entertaining us! The experience was fantastic! I would recommend this experience!

False advertising

Lee_A, Jun 2019

Not really a serenade. 7 gondolas with singer on one. I would have been fine with 3 gondolas and singer on one. Could barely Hear the singer and gondola drivers talked to each other most of the time. Dinner at the Hostaria Ai Coristi was good with great service. Bottom line is book gondola in Venice live so you know what your getting.

Bad experience with Gondola ride in Venice

Khalid_K, Oct 2018

When we arrived at Gondola place to be seated, they put us with two other couples. I told Gondola person, it supposed to be only two of us, not with two other couples, they did not care.Bad experience.

Read the fine print on this one. You...

KELLY P, Oct 2018

Read the fine print on this one. You are better off getting a gondola when you get there. We arrived 20 minutes early as instructed and stood in a very long line of people all booked on the 6:30 gondola ride. We missed the first set of boats and didn't get on until 7:20. By then it was already dark. There were 4 of us and we shared the boat with another couple - so six total. There are not even 6 seats. One couple gets the best seat by the gondolier. My husband and I faced each other with interwoven knees on little stools and we are short. My sister had a stool in front of us and her husband sat on the wood part of the front of the boat. Our gondolier did not serenade us. At the very end of the boat ride somewhere way behind us somebody was singing who we could barely hear. We were so close to the couple next to us they spilled a whole glass of red wine on my husband's white pants. It definitely isn't the romantic gondola ride you envision having in Venice.

Night Seranade Gondola ride

Ibis_S, Oct 2018

Do not go on this Gondola Serenade scam!!!! We arrived early were first in line. Many employees looking sick and tired or working smoking, talking and having a good time. People would approach them asking about where to go for the 7:30 pm ride very Rudely pointed to a long line on the side. When we finally were asked for our tickets and pointed to a Gondola. We were boarded like cattle and told to sit. Looked like their were about 6 Gondolas, we were the first out then the others followed. Had 1- singer in on the 4th Gondola singing to just the Gondolas behind us. The tour was roughly 20 minutes they went around in a circle and it was over. I had purchased Gondola and dinner when we arrived I asked what about the dinner was pointed again very rudely to make a right. Fortunately I put the address on my GPS and arrived. The restaurant was the best part. The food was very good and the friendliness of the staff. Would never use this company again but would definitely eat at the restaurant.Stay away!!!!!!!!!

This was an awesome evening, the...

Ramg66, Sep 2018

This was an awesome evening, the Gondola ride was very nice, the restaurant was tricky to find but once we arrived we were welcomed with smiles and were treated very very well, unlike some of the other reviews they were nice and service was superb. It was a night to remember. Highly recommend this tour.

The actual ride is about 15 minutes...

Kari_V, Aug 2018

The actual ride is about 15 minutes or less. Unless you are lucky enough to have teh serenade in your gondola you will NOT hear him. Place were the meal was set up when you present the voucher very limited menu. SAVE your money do not do this. Alot of money for what you get.

Pack the tourists in

Eve_F, Aug 2018

I gave this 3 stars only because Viator would not allow you to submit with anything less. I would not recommend this tour. They packed 7 gondolas with 6 people in each one and in only one they had a person serenading. The rest followed and we listened. Also our gondoliers were talking in Italian amongst each other consistently. The dinner later was ok. But the portions were very small and no dessert. Very disappointing for the amount charged. I would have paid less if I did a private gondola ride.

Venice Gondola/Dinner

Richard_B, Aug 2018

I will start by saying that the people in charge of the gondola ride were very nice and helpful in telling us where to go for supper and the supper was fabulous! The gondola ride itself was not what I expected. We were packed in with six of us sharing the ride. The serenade was one of the six or eight boats and we couldn’t hear it for most of the ride. It also lasted shorter than what was stated.

Gondola ride

Eric_G, Jul 2018

It was the best way to see Venice. We had the good luck of having the accordion player and singer in our gondola, it was so much fun. They had amazing personalities and really entertained us. We then had a very romantic dinner and the dinner was delicious. It was delicious and was not a limited menu which was also nice. Our only complaint was that we got lost finding the restaurant. In the future, a map provided to the patrons would be nice so people don't get lost finding the restaurant.

Not at all what was promised. We...

William_T, Jun 2018

Not at all what was promised. We arrived at the meeting point and found a line to the Gondolas, looked for our tour contact and was eventually told we could ride the gondola with our printed voucher, so we stood in line, about 20 minutes and were put on a gondola, we were in dress clothes and they filled the gondola to the point we had to sit on the steps. Thankfully we rode the gondola earlier in the day on another Viator tour and thoroughly enjoyed it, because this would have soured us on Venice. We were the lead gondola and somewhere about 6 gondolas back there was music, but we could only hear it when we were on the Grand Canal in a straight line because we were so far ahead of the music we would loose it. This was about a 20 minute gondola ride, exactly what you get for 40 Euros for a family of 4 if you walk up, stand in line and pay the Gondola. After the Gondola ride we asked about dinner and no one seemed to know where to go or anything about it. I called the company on the voucher and the number was disconnected. We never found the restaurant and ended up eating at another wonderful restaurant. Don't waste your money on this tour.

The Venice Gondola Ride and Serenade...

John_C, Jun 2018

The Venice Gondola Ride and Serenade was the highlight of our Venice vacation! The 5 stars are for the Gondola ride with Serenade ONLY...NOT the dinner. When we arrived at the restaurant after the gondola ride, we presented our Viator voucher receipt to the manager/waiter. He was rude, very skeptical and accused us of giving him a Fake receipt. He wanted the voucher which the gondola ride operator had already taken PRIOR the gondola ride. He was extremely unpleasant, making us feel as though we were there for a free meal even though we paid for it several months prior when we booked this event. The waiter claimed I never received an Email from Viator about you/this reservation. After bickering with him, he finally decided to seat us. The food was fair, nothing that we would ever return to with all of the many wonderful restaurants in Venice. While eating, another couple entered the restaurant, and we witnessed the same cold reception and accusation of a Fake receipt, when they also presented their post gondola ride receipt voucher. He gave them such a difficult time, the young girl was almost reduced to tears. We intervened on their behalf and the waiter finally relented and decided to seat them as well. Viator should NOT USE the current restaurant, HOSTARIA AI CORISTI, for dinner with this tour. STOP using a restaurant that appears to be failing based on the lack of patrons inside and outside when most of the other restaurants were filled to capacity, low quality of food, and waiter/manager rude, ungrateful, and almost ruined our wonderful experience. The serenade gondola ride was great, the professional singer and musician we had was wonderful...book the other tour WITHOUT the dinner!! It is less expensive and you will not regret it.

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Questions?

Product code: 2495TOUR6

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