Gondola Stations in Venice: Where to Get a Gondola Ride 2026
Updated October 27, 2026
You get a gondola ride in Venice at a gondola station (stazio): a pier where licensed gondoliers wait for passengers. The City of Venice lists ten official gondola stations: Danieli, Molo, Dogana, Trinità, Santa Maria del Giglio, San Tomà, San Beneto, Carbon, Santa Sofia and San Marcuola. Every one charges the same official fare, €90 for about 30 minutes from 09:00 to 19:00 and €110 for about 35 minutes from 19:00, for the whole boat and a maximum of five passengers; longer rides are priced in proportion. So choose a station by where it is and which canals it reaches, not by price. Below are the stations ranked by how useful they are to a first-time visitor, with their Google Maps ratings as read in October 2026, plus three busy stands that are not on the city list. The city's gondola page also gives a phone number for each official station if you want to book ahead.
- #1
Molo (St Mark's waterfront)
The closest official station to St Marks Square.
On the waterfront by the Piazzetta, where the Piazza opens onto the San Marco basin. Rides head out past the Doge's Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs on the Rio di Palazzo is close by. Its Google Maps profile, listed as a traghetto and gondola station, is rated 4.0 from 338 reviews. It is the easiest station to find and also the most exposed to the open water of the basin.
- #2
Bacino Orseolo (behind the Piazza)
Rows of gondolas in a basin off St Marks Square.
A small basin just off the north-west corner of St Marks Square where many gondolas tie up, with direct access to the back canals of San Marco. It is not one of the ten names on the city list, but its Google Maps profile is rated 4.4 from 561 reviews, among the best of the central stands. The official fare applies to any licensed gondolier; confirm the price and the length of the ride before you board.
- #3
Trinità and San Moisè (Calle Larga XXII Marzo)
Five minutes west of the Piazza, quick to the Grand Canal.
The official Trinità station is on Campo San Moisè; its Google Maps profile is rated 4.1 from 105 reviews. A few steps away, the stand on Calle Larga XXII Marzo by the Hotel Bauer, rated 4.1 from 276 reviews, is the meeting point for one private 30-minute Grand Canal ride sold online at about $155 per boat (rated 4.1 from 648 reviews). Rides from here reach the mouth of the Grand Canal, opposite the Salute and the Guggenheim, in a few minutes.
- #4
Danieli (Riva degli Schiavoni)
The station for the Bridge of Sighs.
On the Riva degli Schiavoni in Castello, in front of the Hotel Danieli, just east of the Bridge of Sighs. Its Google Maps profile is rated 3.8 from 337 reviews, one of the lower scores of the central stations. A private Bridge of Sighs ride that meets here costs about $218 per boat and is rated 4.7, but from only 22 reviews. See our Bridge of Sighs gondola ride page.
- #5
San Tomà (San Polo)
The best-rated busy station, on the middle of the Grand Canal.
At the end of Calle del Traghetto o Ca' Garzon in San Polo, halfway between the Rialto and the Accademia bridge. It runs both full rides and a traghetto crossing of the Grand Canal (€2 for tourists). Its Google Maps profile is rated 4.5 from 565 reviews, the best score among the official stations we could match on Google Maps. A good choice if you are visiting the Frari or staying west of the Rialto.
- #6
Santa Sofia (Cannaregio)
Gondola station and €2 traghetto by the Ca' d'Oro.
On Campo Santa Sofia in Cannaregio, next to the Ca' d'Oro, facing the Rialto market across the Grand Canal. It is one of the city's official stations and a traghetto crossing; its Google Maps profile is rated 4.3 from 520 reviews. Rides from here can reach the quiet canals of Cannaregio as well as the Rialto bend. Traghetto hours change, so check on the day.
- #7
Carbon (Riva del Carbon, Rialto)
The official station beside the Rialto Bridge.
On the Riva del Carbon, on the San Marco bank just south of the Rialto Bridge; one tour listing places it in front of the Coop supermarket at number 4174. Rides here start on the busiest bend of the Grand Canal. A private ride that leaves from this station and lists the Rialto Bridge and the Ca' d'Oro costs about $291 per boat and is rated 4.3 from 192 reviews, well above the official €90 day fare for the same boat.
- #8
Santa Maria del Giglio (San Marco)
A Grand Canal station by the Giglio vaporetto stop.
On the Grand Canal by Campo Santa Maria del Giglio, west of St Marks Square, near the Giglio vaporetto stop. It is an official gondola station and a traghetto point. Its Google Maps profile is rated only 3.3 from 388 reviews, the lowest score of the busy central stations, so agree the price and the ride length before you step in.
- #9
Dogana (Calle Vallaresso)
By the San Marco Vallaresso vaporetto stop.
A Google Maps profile named Gondola Dogana Vallaresso sits at the end of Calle Vallaresso, by the San Marco Vallaresso water-bus stop and facing the Punta della Dogana across the water, rated 3.9 from 182 reviews. Handy if you arrive by vaporetto, with the Grand Canal mouth on one side and the San Marco basin on the other.
- #10
San Marcuola and San Beneto
Two official stations away from the main crowds.
San Marcuola is an official station named after the San Marcuola area on the Cannaregio bank of the Grand Canal, where vaporetto Line 1 also stops. San Beneto is an official station in the San Marco district. Neither had a Google Maps profile we could match with confidence, so we do not quote a rating; the city's gondola page lists a phone number for each. The fare is the same official tariff as everywhere else.
- #11
Fondamenta Cossetti (Piazzale Roma)
The stand for arrivals by bus or car.
A wooden Servizio Gondole stand on the Fondamenta Cossetti in Santa Croce, a short walk from the Piazzale Roma bus station. It is not on the city's list of ten. It is the meeting point of a private hidden-canals ride sold online at about $178 per boat and rated 4.3 from 1,204 reviews, whose listed route runs south into Dorsoduro past Santa Maria dei Carmini. See the Santa Croce guide.
Frequently asked questions
Where do you get a gondola ride in Venice?
At a gondola station (stazio). The City of Venice lists ten official ones: Danieli, Molo, Dogana, Trinità, Santa Maria del Giglio, San Tomà, San Beneto, Carbon, Santa Sofia and San Marcuola.
Do all gondola stations charge the same price?
Yes. The official fare is €90 for about 30 minutes from 09:00 to 19:00 and €110 for about 35 minutes from 19:00, per gondola, at every station. Longer rides are priced in proportion.
Which gondola station is closest to St Marks Square?
Molo, on the waterfront by the Piazzetta. Bacino Orseolo, Trinità on Campo San Moisè and Danieli on the Riva degli Schiavoni are all a few minutes' walk away.
How many people fit in a gondola?
The city's official rules allow a maximum of five passengers per gondola, and the fare covers the whole boat.
Can I book a gondola station in advance?
Yes. The City of Venice gondola page lists a phone number for each official station. You can also book a ride online at a set price in dollars: shared rides cost less per person, private ones usually more per boat than the official fare.
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