What is the best time to take a gondola ride in Venice?

Grand old Venezia is one of the world’s unique cities, with its ornate architecture and murky canals making it a one-of-a-kind experience that anyone who finds themselves in Italy should try to visit!

Of course, any trip to Venice can’t be complete without the obligatory, somewhat tacky gondola ride. Whether you want to feel like a true romantic, get around a kitschy activity, get your bearings in this canal-laden town or channel your inner Madonna alla “Like a Version”, you’re bound to find yourself on board one of those old wooden boats at some stage of your journey…

And, given that it’s bound to happen, the best time to do it is in the morning, and for many reasons: your gondola pilot will be freshened up after a good night’s sleep, the canals won’t be so full and you won’t have any midday sun beaming down on you as you scramble for shade on a boat that provides nada.

And, hey, whilst it may seem like we are ragging on a good ‘ol gondola ride, we’re really just being cheeky, as the gondola ride is actually the ideal way to get acquainted with this stunning town as well as take in some of its most enchanting sites from afar.

So, given that you are, admit it, going to experience this cheekily quaint old Venetian tradition, you might as well do it at the best time of day!

St. Mark’s Square

You’ve seen St. Mark’s Square before, even if you haven’t yet seen it in person. This is because St. Mark’s Square appears to be featured in every non-Italian film to have been filmed in Italy from (duh) The Italian Job to Don’t Look Now and Moonraker (among many, many others).

The foggy, sometimes inundated piazza is famous for its luxurious architecture which comprises the famous basilica, Doge’s Palace, the Campanile and Museo Correr.

You will really want to meander around this square and it’s little wonder as to why – it’s simply stunning.

The Lido

Because of its grand place in global history you might be mistaken for thinking Venice central is quite massive. Well, it’s not, and the centre of town can be quite bustling, so much so that you might find yourself wanting to duck out to a place like the Lido: the charming stretch of bar, cafe and resort-lined shoreline that makes for the ideal hop away from the vibrant city centre…