Gondola Dogana Vallaresso — Attraction in Venice

I had a very disappointing gondola experience at the Gondola Dogana Vallaresso stop in Venice. We arrived around 10:30 AM and were told by the man managing the gondolas that it was fully booked and we’d have to wait an hour. We were eager to experience it and said we were happy to wait and wanted to book for one hour later. He said “okay, wait a moment,” and we stood aside.

Over the next 20+ minutes, we watched as he continued to organize tour groups who had just arrived to go ahead of us, while we were still waiting for our booking. He kept telling us he might be able to get us on a gondola in 5 minutes, which gave us hope, but then suddenly told us to follow another person to a different dock. However, we specifically chose this location and didn’t want to be taken elsewhere where we’d lose control over the route or experience, so we returned to talk to him.

By then it was already 10:55 AM. When we expressed again that we wanted to start our gondola ride from this point, his attitude completely changed. He now said we’d have to wait until 12:00. We were willing to wait one hour from 10:30 as discussed, but now he was asking us to wait 1.5 hours in total—just because he told us to “wait a moment” and wasted our time. When we tried to reason with him, he became extremely rude and aggressive.

What made the situation even worse is that there was no separate lane or process for tour groups vs. independent travelers. As independent tourists, we felt completely ignored and pushed aside while large tour groups (in our case, two Chinese tour groups) were continuously prioritized. This setup is extremely unfair and unwelcoming for individual travelers.

When I took out my phone to record his behavior, he threatened to throw my phone into the sea. This happened in front of many other tourists, and he didn’t care at all. It felt like he didn’t need customers and was abusing his power over tourists who had no other choice.

To make matters worse, when we tried to discuss the situation further, he completely ignored us and retreated into the office, saying “whatever, you can leave, you’re not getting a gondola ride at 11:30.” His behavior was extremely disrespectful and bullying.

In the end, we took a water taxi from Piazza San Marco to the Accademia Bridge. We spent fewer euros, didn’t have to wait at all, and enjoyed the same beautiful views — there were gondolas there too.

This experience ruined my morning and left me feeling angry and disrespected. Avoid this station and this man at all costs. The lack of organization, unfair treatment toward individual travelers, and outright hostility are unacceptable. I will be sharing this experience online to help others avoid wasting their time and ruining their...

A travesty; the main consolation being that it only lasted 30 minutes. We spent almost as long waiting for the ride to start with nowhere to sit whatsoever. When we got on, the man rowing the boat shouted at one of the people I was with for taking a little longer to get on the ride she paid for due to her sprained ankle and once we sat down to say the seats were uncomfortable would be an understatement.

The boats felt cheap and brittle, instead of proper chairs there were small stools with flat "pillows" which hurt to sit on, mounted horse statues were on the gondola which were always on the brink of falling off; someone was yelled at every so often for touching them, that's just how brittle they were. On the topic of yelling, the tour guide seemed to do little but that; telling us about the odd building nearby maybe twice throughout the trip while spending most of the time shouting at random bystanders or even customers who paid a pretty considerable sum of money just to be there.

The canals stunk, seriously: I've been in sewers that smell better and if I didn't have my mask on me I think I might've fainted which truth be told isn't their fault, it didn't make the experience much better though.

To conclude it's almost €35 to ride along what is essentially an overground sewer on a boat that felt as it was moments away from falling apart at any given moment while a man yells at pretty much everyone he sees, including the customers.

I would imagine throwing your money into the Grand Canal is a better use of it than this...

Gondola Dogana-Valares is a gondola lift in Venice, Italy, connecting the Dogana di Mare (Customs House) to the Valares district. Here's some detailed information about the gondola:

Location: Starting point: Dogana di Mare (Customs House), Venice Ending point: Valares district, Venice Length: approximately 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) Duration: around 5-7 minutes Frequency: gondolas run every 10-15 minutes Capacity: 6-8 passengers per gondola Operating hours: 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM (subject to change) Tickets: One-way ticket: around €5-6 Return ticket: around €10-12 Features: Panoramic views of the Venice lagoon and city Comfortable, enclosed gondolas with seating Accessible for people with mobility impairments Purpose: Connects the Dogana di Mare to the Valares district, providing an alternative to traditional water buses Offers a unique and scenic way to experience Venice's beauty

The Gondola Dogana-Valares is a convenient and picturesque way to travel between these two Venice districts, offering stunning views of the...