{"id":316,"date":"2023-04-13T09:52:01","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T08:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/walks.friday.ie\/?p=316"},"modified":"2026-11-01T11:16:17","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T11:16:17","slug":"venice-gondola-tradition-tips-advice-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/venice-gondola-tradition-tips-advice-italy","title":{"rendered":"The Real Reason the Gondola is a Symbol of Venice & How to Take One"},"content":{"rendered":"

When they go to Venice, nearly every tourist wants to do one thing: ride a gondola. It’s romantic, it’s iconic, and, like throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain, it seems like something you just have <\/em>to do!<\/p>\n\"Rialto\n

That said, taking a gondola can be expensive. The city rate starts at 80 euros for 40 minutes (100 euros after 7pm)\u2014and that price is mandated by the city, so don’t expect to pay less. It’s also, of course, shamelessly touristy. If you see Venetians using a gondola, it’s likely for one of two reasons: a wedding or a funeral.<\/p>\n

Still, we’d hardly pooh-pooh a gondola ride. The boats are beautiful, the experience romantic, and it’s true that the best way to see Venice’s gorgeous palaces is from the canal. And if you take a gondola ride, you’re participating not just in a sliver of authentic Venetian history… but also in a prime example of the changes that happening to Venice in general.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

What do we mean? Well, when gondolas first appeared back in the 11th century, they were an essential mode of transport. Many were used as shuttles, taking people back and forth across the canals. Others had more ostentatious purposes: They’d be owned by upper-class families to roam the waters and, of course, to show off their own status. By the 16th century, more than 10,000 gondolas roamed Venice’s canals.<\/p>\n

Today, it’s a bit different. Only a few hundred gondolas are left in the city. Almost none have private owners. And 99 percent of the time, when you see a gondola, the only Venetian in it is\u2014maybe\u2014the gondolier. And that, of course, is a microcosm of what’s happening to Venice in general. The population has fallen from 120,000 residents in 1980… to just 60,000 today, if that. And the population is still in decline. Meanwhile, some 15 million tourists visit each year. That’s 25o tourists per each Venetian resident. So if there are more out-of-towners than locals, that’s not just true of gondolas.<\/p>\n

The steepness of the gondola prices, too, is an echo of what’s going on in the city at large. Venice’s prices for real estate, food, and other necessities have soared over the past few decades (yes, even while the population is decreasing).<\/p>\n

And modern life is taking its toll on both the city and its gondolas, too. The wake from the powerboats that now cruise the canals, for example, actually speeds up Venice\u2019s deterioration: Those ceaseless waves hitting Venice\u2019s delicate, 500-year-old palazzi <\/em>and churches, day after day, are damaging the cement and stones that hold the structures together. That same wake damages the gondolas; studies show that all those constant waves reduce a gondola\u2019s life from 40 years to about 10.<\/p>\n

(Curious what it’s like to be a modern Venetian? Don’t miss our video of what it’s like to live on the canals of Venice today!).
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