15. But There’s Always a Gondola Lite Alternative
Rather than paying the inflated tourist prices, opt for a quick traghetto ferry ride across the Grand Canal. It’s still a gondola, but just a shorter ride without the tour-guiding commentary or operatic accompaniment. This alternative doesn’t have the romance of cruising under the Bridge of Sighs or traversing the maze of backwater canals, but you do get a great view of the Grand Canal and some practical transportation across the water. At a €50 cents price-point you can probably afford to go back and forth a few times. Vaporetti water-buses are a speedier alternative for getting around the Grand Canal, but they don’t have an ounce of the magic that gondolas have.
