When I saw the faux gondolas at the Venetian casino in Macau and Vegas, I couldn't help but wonder how is it like to ride the actual gondola in Venice. My dream came true when my family decided to spend the holidays in Italy. Each of us was excited about the gondola ride. I thought the fare in Vegas and Macau was steep. Apparently, the same applies in the real thing. We saved up for this trip and so we indulged ourselves in a romantic gondola ride.

It's true that the queue was quite long. We waited nevertheless.

The experience was quite surreal. I loved it and my family enjoyed it as well.  

Our Venice getaway wouldn't be complete without taking a trip to Venice's main water thoroughfare. We took the waterbus to take us around. As we passed by the dated buildings left and right, we couldn't help but admire the old buildings. It was like a trip down memory lane. It was very romantic and on that day we took the trip, the sun was up and shining. The weather was just perfect.

Other ways to cruise the canal include barges, gondola and small kayak. 

If you're going to Italy, you have to go and see the Grand Canal. It is one of the most beautiful sights in the country and many people come here to experience its beauty.

It was my first time to see the Grand Canal. When me and my gal went there, there were tons of people who had the same idea. At first, it was annoying to see all these tourists and locals standing on the bridge, looking down at the water.  But when you start watching the gondolas slowly making their way to the Canal, you can't help but get excited to see all those people having a great time riding the gondolas.

We enjoyed watching kayakers and the gondolas floating on the water. Though we wanted to try it out, the huge number of people lining up to ride through the waters, we changed our mind. We opted to just stand on the bridge and watch.

From what we've heard and saw, the best way to experience the Grand Canal is to: ride the gondolas, use a kayak, and ride the gondola taxis. For us, just being on the bridge, marveling at the view on that cool, sunny day was an experience itself.