When you visit Venice you would be remiss to forgo a ride in a Gondola (especially if you were there with a significant other!). A gondola is more than just a glorified canoe as I overheard an unimpressed Australian suggest the last time I was in Venice. A gondola is a flat-bottomed rowing boat specially designed for the cramped conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It remains stable even in the wake of high speed motor boats.It is important to be prepared to negotiate for a fair price with the gondolier or else you'll end up paying 40 or 50 euro for a 20 minute ride. When negotiating, a sucessful tactic to employ is to negotiate til you reach the lowest possible quoted price for a ride which will usually be 35 -40 euros for 25 - 30 minutes. At that point, walk away and within 3 to 5 steps that same gondolier or possibly another will stop you and offer a lower rate. To which you will reply and counter by producing 30 euros from your pocket, stating that this is the only cash you have on you and you will only accept a 30 minute ride for this price. If you wish to go even longer or have a higher budget you can make another offer during the trip when the initially negotiated time is about to expire.
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