Surprise the „birthday child“ with
a gondola ride
Your Exclusive Birthday Experience in Venice
Celebrate this special day with a package that combines perfection and Venetian tradition. We’ll take care of every detail so you can focus entirely on the moment.
The highlights of your package:
- Romance on the Water: A 30-minute private gondola ride through the historic center, including a trip along the magnificent Grand Canal.
- Professional Photography Services: An experienced photographer will accompany your cruise from the shore to discreetly capture the most beautiful moments in high quality for posterity.
- „Rain of Roses“: It's an unforgettable moment when real rose petals gently rain down on you as you cross a bridge.
- Stylish Indulgence: A bottle of premium Prosecco awaits you on board so you can toast to another year of life.
- Personalized Full Service: We won't leave you on your own. From the warm welcome at the meeting point to accompanying you to the gondola and saying goodbye, we'll be there for you personally.
- The big surprise: As a highlight, we'll display a banner on a bridge that can be seen from far away.
- Standard text: „Happy birthday!“
- Customization: Upon request, we can create a personalized banner for you with your own text.
Why Venice.com?
Trust the original. Venice.com is the pioneer behind this exclusive package. Our many years of experience and local network guarantee you a seamless experience and the professionalism that such an event deserves.
Description
Venice and its gondolas are the epitome of romance. The magic of a shared gondola ride is the height of romance. Surprise the „birthday child“ with a gondola ride. This surprise will be cherished forever.
You can count on our help with planning, preparation, and implementation.
The Process: Description
The boarding point is right in the heart of Venice, just a few steps from St. Mark's Square, or near the Rialto Bridge. Several gondoliers have formed a consortium here.
After boarding, you'll first need to get your bearings in the gondola.
You'll see for yourself that the whole thing is a bit of a shaky business.
Which way is front and which way is back?
Where is the gondolier?
That’s why, once you’ve boarded, the ride first takes you through quiet, romantic canals right in the heart of Venice. You and the „birthday child“ can start by enjoying the peaceful, dreamy gondola ride together at your own leisure.
Now here comes the big surprise!
Suddenly, the gondola turns left and heads toward a small bridge. There, a banner hangs with the message you’ve chosen. Now the moment of surprise has arrived. Now the „birthday child“ sees the banner with your personalized and heartfelt message. Of course, we’ll hang the banner for you. Please coordinate the message with us in advance.
Suggested text for the banner:
Hi Marlies,
Happy 50th birthday!
With love, Herbert
We’ll have the banner made, and it will be hung on the bridge just as your gondola passes underneath—timed perfectly for your ride. This way, you can surprise the „birthday person.“ If you’d like, we can also design a completely personalized message for you. Just let us know:
- The birthday child's name
- The occasion (e.g., birthday, anniversary, marriage proposal)
- Your Relationship with the Person
- The desired tone (e.g., romantic, humorous, solemn)
Then we’ll put together a customized proposal for you! If you’d like a banner with a personalized message, you’ll receive it after the ride as a unique souvenir to take home with you. This experience is sure to remain a cherished memory for everyone.
The Emotions
This surprise moment will remain etched in the honoree's memory forever.
He or she definitely didn't expect that. Surely your decision to go to Venice and take a gondola ride was already a surprise. The fact that this could be topped is beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. You don’t necessarily have to let the „birthday person“ know that you heard about this option online.
Just tell her that you searched for „birthday Venice“ on Google and that’s how you found us as the organizers.
The Surprise Within the Surprise
The „birthday child“ is still dazed by the first surprise—and already the surprises keep coming one after another. A gondola glides gently across the water when suddenly rose petals rain down on them both from the bridge. A surprise within a surprise—a scene straight out of a dream.
Have you ever experienced something like that?
Have rose petals ever been scattered on you—just like that, out of pure joy and love?
Is there a faint hope in your heart that someone will do exactly that for you one day?
Here's your chance!
The Grand Canal and its „O Sole Mio“
A short time later, the gondola turns into the Grand Canal. Behind you is the famous Rialto Bridge, and ahead of you, the setting sun is reflected in the water. Can you imagine anything more beautiful? You find yourself wishing that time would stand still right now and that the gondola ride would never end.
By the way: Venice’s registry office is located here on the left bank of the canal…
With a little luck, there will be another gondola with music and a singer ahead of or behind you. You can hear him singing „O Sole Mio,“ „Volare,“ or „Che sara“ from far away through the canals. Of course, you can also book music and a singer for your own gondola. Almost anything you can imagine is possible.
Optimal Timing
The timing of the gondola ride is precise and perfectly planned. After boarding, you’ll first have a moment of tranquility. Then comes the surprise—your congratulatory message. This happens after about 5 minutes.
So it's neither too early nor too late, which means you still have plenty of time ahead of you to make the gondola ride a truly special moment in your life.
The Most Beautiful of All Routes
We've selected one of the most beautiful gondola routes through Venice for you. Right in the heart of Venice. Of course, the popular Grand Canal is also part of the route.
The gondola ride on the Grand Canal is timed so that you can leisurely enjoy the special atmosphere and Venetian charm—without being exposed for too long to the unpleasant diesel fumes from the vaporetti or the sometimes rough waves on the canal.
Incidentally, like our other customers, you’ll especially enjoy and take in the ride through the quiet, idyllic canals and under the many small bridges.
Attention – 2 docking stations
The gondola tour is guaranteed to take you through Venice’s historic center. However, depending on the gondolier’s schedule, the tour will either start and end at St. Mark’s Square or on the Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge. You’ll receive an email in advance letting you know where the boarding and disembarking points are for your tour.
Reliable Support
You can count on our expert support and experience. After all, this is meant to be the most beautiful moment of your relationship so far. Here at Venice.com, you’ll also find the perfect hotel that meets your individual needs and fits your budget.
One week to prepare
The photo shows the bridge with the banner. Copyright: Engelbert Steinbach
Some customers know exactly what they want: they book the ride, send us the text they want on the banner right away, pay immediately—and we take care of the order right away. Within a few days, everything is organized and ready for the big moment.
Some customers are still unsure when making a reservation—both regarding the desired date and time of the gondola ride and the text for the banner. In such cases, there is often a lengthy email exchange, which results in valuable time being lost.
Please note that we cannot place an order for your custom banner until payment has been received. The print shop in Venice then needs a few days to produce and ship the banner. Unfortunately, this timeline is unavoidable and has been an integral part of the production process for many years.
We therefore ask for your understanding and recommend that you place your order well in advance to avoid any potential delays.
Although we keep trying to speed up the process, this bottleneck persists. Until now, it has almost always been possible to get an appointment with us and a free gondola.
The Best Time of Day—The Best Light
Every gondola ride in Venice inevitably takes you through narrow, winding, and romantic-looking canals—barely two meters wide, lined with houses that rise up to three stories high. The later the evening, the darker the scene becomes. And as darkness falls, the cameras’ automatic settings kick in: the aperture opens wider, and the shutter speeds slow down.
But these technical adjustments come with their own challenges: a wider aperture reduces the depth of field—the background becomes blurred, and the image takes on a softer appearance. At the same time, a longer exposure time increases the risk of camera shake, especially when photographing moving subjects or if your hand is unsteady.
The later it gets, the worse the picture quality.
We therefore strongly advise you not to start your trip too late. Here in Venice, it gets dark at the same time as it does where you live. So use the lighting conditions where you live as a guide.
Sunset
It's best to plan the time of your gondola ride with the sunset in mind.
To that end, the website www.sonnenverlauf.de The following information for Venice:
Dec. 21 – 4:30:34 p.m.
Jan. 21 – 5:02:19 p.m.
February 21 – 5:46:53 p.m.
March 21 – 6:24:53 p.m.
April 21 – 8:04:57 p.m.
May 21 – 8:41:37 p.m.
June 21 – 9:03:13 p.m.
July 21 – 8:51:17 p.m.
August 21 – 8:08:13 p.m.
September 21 – 7:10:21 p.m.
October 21 – 6:15:13 p.m.
Nov. 21 – 4:35:23 p.m.
And please keep in mind: by that time, it's already too dark to take good pictures!
The Weather
Gondola rides in any weather—even when it rains
Our gondolas operate year-round—come rain or shine. If it rains during your scheduled ride, you have the following options:
- A Ride Despite the Rain: Enjoy the ride as planned. An umbrella or a rain poncho will keep you dry and comfortable.
- A delay of a few hours: Depending on the weather forecast, you can start your trip earlier or later on the same day.
- Rescheduling to another day: You have the option of scheduling your trip a day earlier or later—depending on the weather.
- Cancellation within the specified time frame: If you decide not to take the ride, you can cancel it by the deadline.
What Our Customers Say
Yvonne K:
Unfortunately, it took me a while to find the time to reply to your email.
Regarding the feedback: The gondola ride was a dream.
It was even more beautiful than we expected, and all of our fellow travelers were thrilled.
It was the perfect gift, especially for the birthday boy.
The surprise of the poster—and then the shower of roses—brought me to tears.
The icing on the cake was the CD with the wonderful photos.
That way, even those who weren't there were impressed.
We have no complaints and were completely satisfied.
Even before that, you were always friendly and helped us with all our questions.
I can therefore highly recommend this offer.
Dear Ms. Holzinger,
Thank you very much for your follow-up: everything was just perfect.
My wife had, until we arrived at the
At the gondoliers' landing stage, they had no idea what was in store for them.
Getting in touch with Ms. Antonella was easy,
She arranged the gondola ride perfectly and
took some wonderful pictures of us while we were driving.
When we got home three days later
The CD with the photos had already been mailed.
Once again, it was a great experience; I'd do it all over again exactly the same way.
Please give Ms. Antonella our best regards again.
Best regards,
Engelbert S.
Dear Ms. Holzinger,
My wife and I don't want to miss the chance to
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to you and your team.
Everything went wonderfully, down to the last detail, and the gondola ride was fantastic.
Warm regards also to Ms. Antonella, who did a great job coordinating everything on site.
We will definitely use your services again.
Sincerely,
Claudia and H.
Dear Team,
Thank you so much for this wonderful gondola ride.
Everything went off without a hitch. A big shout-out to the photographer, too,
who was such a wonderful companion to us. Full marks.
We look forward to receiving the CD with the photos.
Sincerely,
Saskia L.
Dear Ms. Holzinger,
The gondola ride we booked, complete with a surprise, was a huge success.
She helped make the short trip to Venice a reality for
to make it an unforgettable experience for the recipient.
Everything went really well, and the weather was great that day, too.
Thank you very much.
We will definitely recommend your website to others.
Sincerely,
Sat.
Dear Team,
Thank you so much for this wonderful gondola ride.
Everything went off without a hitch. A big shout-out to the photographer, too,
who was such a wonderful companion to us. Full marks.
We look forward to receiving the CD with the photos.
Sincerely,
Saskia L.
Included in the base price: One bottle of Prosecco
A Pleasant Ride on the Gondola—Completely Legal with Venice.com
Gondoliers are still prohibited from selling bottles of Prosecco to their guests.
But here at Venedig.com, we have special permission: we’re allowed to give you a bottle of premium Prosecco to take along on your trip—for that special moment on the water.
Important: For safety reasons, glass cups are still prohibited.
That's why you'll receive two handy plastic cups with your bottle—so you can toast in style and without a care in the world.
Prices
The price of €210 includes the following services:
- The gondola ride lasts about 30 minutes—and we guarantee: you'll be the only ones on board!
- Rose petals raining down on you from a bridge.
- A bottle of Prosecco.
- Photos from the entire tour on a CD, which will be mailed to you.
- Our standard banner with the inscription:
Congratulations
For your birthday.
Note: This banner will remain in our possession after the ride.
- Organization
- On-site support
- Assistance with Boarding the Gondola
- Accompaniment on land for taking photos
Final price: €210.00 (for all services listed above)
Note on Ordering Custom Banners:
If you would like a banner with a personalized message, the company in Venice charges an additional fee of €60.00 for custom production.
You will be given your personalized banner after the ride, and you can then take it home with you.
The Gondoliers' Surcharges
€20.00 surcharge for a gondola ride starting at 6:00 p.m.
€170.00 surcharge for a gondola ride with a musician and singer in your gondola
€195.00 surcharge for a gondola ride with a musician and singer in your gondola starting at 7:00 p.m.
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