Getting around Venice by gondola Sharing a gondola is always a good solution to lower prices, although you can't transport as many people as in a water cab. A gondola can carry up to 6 people, including the gondoliere. You can find gondolas all over the city.

While both are boats, gondolas are not "taxis" in the modern sense; they are primarily luxury sightseeing vessels. A gondola ride is an expensive, traditional experience with fixed rates (currently around 90 Euros for 30 minutes) designed for tourists to see the city's hidden canals at a slow pace. If you are looking for a functional "taxi" to get from Point A to Point B quickly, you would use a Motoscafi (Water Taxi). These are sleek, motorized wooden speedboats that operate much like an Uber or a yellow cab; they are very fast and can take you directly to your hotel dock, but they are also quite pricey, often costing over 100 Euros for a short trip. For a budget-friendly version of a "shared taxi," Venice offers Traghetti. These are stripped-down gondolas used specifically to ferry people across the Grand Canal at points where there are no bridges. A Traghetto ride costs only a few Euros and lasts just a minute or two, providing a brief, authentic experience of standing in a gondola alongside locals without the high price tag of a private tour.