Here you can browse through my blog posts prior to February 2022. Currently I'm sharing my travel experiences, candid opinions, and what's on my mind solely on my Facebook page. — Rick
While we all pride ourselves in getting away from the tourist clichés, as a tour operator I’m also excited about maximizing the classic experiences — even if they are touristy. And in Venice, one of those is a glassblowing demonstration.
Any tour group is welcome to climb the stairs from St. Mark’s Square to watch a mesmerizing demonstration, which is always followed by an entertaining 10-minute sales pitch in the showroom. As many guides live for the sales kickbacks to supplement their income, most tour companies really push this and similar shopping experiences (like diamond polishing in Amsterdam). But our tours accept no kickbacks for the shopping our tour members do, and anyone buying anything here gets the standard 20 percent guides’ kickback discounted off their sales price. That way, as we explain to our groups, you’re only paying double what you should be… rather than triple.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
As I personally experience every hour of our flagship Best of Europe in 21 Days Tour, I’m debating each point of our itinerary with our guide. Adding musicians to the gondola ride adds about €10 cost per person to the ride. As our four gondolas gathered together on the Grand Canal with the floodlit Rialto Bridge behind us and we enjoyed a romantic little concert, it was clear to me that this was an experience well worth the time and money. And I was happy to pay a bit extra for the shared serenade.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
Another Venice cliché, which I absolutely love, is the gondola ride. Sure, it’s expensive (about $160 for a 50-minute ride). But the cost (and romance) can be split by up to six people. While Venice is crowded, the gondoliers’ Venice is a parallel world of dreamy tranquility as your vessel slices through the city’s watery magic, providing a timeless, almost trance-like experience.
The route you take is determined by how much you pay (two options: €80 for 30 minutes or €120 for 50 minutes) and where you pick up your gondola. A highlight of any ride picked up near St. Mark’s Square, of course, is gliding under the famous Bridge of Sighs.As you’ll be in the care of one person, it’s important to choose a gondolier whose personality you enjoy. He’ll likely give a brief commentary if you like. I like to talk with several gondoliers before choosing my captain for the romantic little voyage.The gondoliers generally pass their treasured license to work on the Venetian canals down from generation to generation. Some of them chat with each other and smoke as they pole you sloppily through the standard route. Others — like the one we chose — are charming and expertly give you an experience that, while pricey, I consider a very good value.At the end of our ride, we passed a family who flashed my guidebook. Only then did our gondolier find out what I do for a living.
When you get the perfect storm of Sirocco wind, a full moon, a high tide, and high barometric pressure, Venice floods. And St. Mark’s Square is the first place where the water invades. One of my magic moments in Venice is to be on this glorious square after dark during a flood.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
My Best of Europe in 21 Days tour has left Austria and crossed through the Alps to Italy. Our first stop: Venice. During some of my free time, I’m taking the opportunity to spruce up my guidebooks. And organizing our travel information on Venice is one of my favorite challenges. Even after a lifetime of visits, this magical city of canals remains one of the great thrills of European travel.
It often seems that the city of Venice has abandoned itself to tourism. The resident population is shrinking, and those remaining have turned old buildings into various kinds of hotels — some slick and modern… others old and funky. A big part of my work is finding good-value hotels to recommend in my guidebooks. Here, from the top of a friendly little B&B, I can imagine calling this room home, stepping out onto my balcony, and enjoying the view of the back lanes and canals of this great city.Each year, as Venice sinks and the sea rises, floods are more common. The lowest part of the city — St. Mark’s Square — floods first. And tonight, it became a delightful reflecting pond.You know you’re eating in a characteristic place that’s a good value when you share a rustic table with gondoliers in their striped shirts. This is exactly the kind of eatery I seek out for my guidebooks.
![Each year, as Venice sinks and the sea rises, floods are more common. [Flooded St Mark moors]The lowest part of the city — St. Mark's Square — floods first. And tonight, it became a delightful reflecting pond.](https://blog.ricksteves.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/flooded-st-marks-basilica-venice.jpg)
