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Ride a gondola through Venice's back canals

The gondolier never sits. He stands on a raised deck at the stern, one oar in the water, no rudder anywhere on the boat, and steers by twisting the blade like a fish's tail. Under the Ponte dei Pugni the canal narrows to less than the boat's width plus an armspan, and the turn arrives without warning, the prow swinging hard right while a moped idles on the bridge above. You duck. He doesn't. Do this after nine at night, when the water goes black and glassy and the only sound is the oar dipping, and you understand why Venetians insist a car would ruin the place.

Practical

Cost
$85–110 shared, official tariff
Best time
Best April–June or Sept–Oct; year-round possible, avoid summer midday heat
Difficulty
Easy
Time it takes
30 minutes by day, 35 minutes after 7pm (official municipal tariff)
What people get wrong
Booking through a hotel or agent, which adds a large markup on top of the fixed municipal tariff; going at midday, when routes are clogged with day-trip crowds and the light is flat.
With
One other person

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