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Venice-How to hire a gondola CHEAP!!

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Hire gondole cheap

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Hiring a gondola in Venice for a tourist is very expensive, let’s say exorbitant. Tariff is 120,000 LIT for 50 minutes and for 1 to 6 passengers. If you want to stay longer, just discuss with the gondolier about price and time. Now the “traghetto” is a traditional shuttle service still used by Venetians and rather unknown by the tourists. These are public gondolas shuttling from morning until evening over the Grand Canal for a miserable amount of liras. A good scheme that will allow the clever people among us, especially the broke ones, to be entitled to a gondola tour  (without the serenades for tourists I’m afraid),..Of course the embarkation is less luxurious as the promenade gondola, but it is at least authentic, black with its silvery prow. The crossing of the Canal, quite short, entitles you at least to take an amusing picture. Price: 700 LIT!!
You can find these traghetti in 10 different points along the Grand Canal. They are indicated on panels near the place and in the streets around from where they start. From North to South they connect the train station and fondamenta San Simeon Piccolo, the campo San Marcuola and Fondacho dei Turchi, the Ca’d’Oro and campo della Pescheria, campo San Silvestro (200 m south of Rialto) and fondamenta del Carbon, the Ca’Rezzonico and San Samuele, the church della Salute and campo Santa Maria Zobenico (also called del Giglio)
And since I decided to spoil you here are the unfindable schedules of the gondola traghetti services:
--Santa Lucia station 7.45 to 13.45 during the week, 8.45 to 13.30 on Sunday and festive days.
--San Marcuola 7.30 to 13.30 during the week, doesn’t run on Sunday and festive days.
--Santa Sofia 7.00 to 21.00 during the week. 7.30 to 19.00 on Sunday and festive days.
--Al Carbon 8.00 to 14.00. Doesn’t run on Sunday and festive days.
--San Toma 7.00 21.00 during the week. 8.00 to 20.00 on Sunday and festive days.
--San Samuele 8.40 to 13.15 during the week. Doesn’t run on Sunday and festive days.
--Santa Maria del Giglio 8.00 to 19.00 from March to October and 8.00 to 18.00 November to February.
--Dogano 9.00 to 12.30 and 14.00 to 18.00 in the summer. 9.00 to 12.00 and 14.00 to 18.00 in the winter.