The ultimate appeal to romantics is a gondola ride with a singing gondolier. Although it can be a bit more expensive than a taxi ride in the Big Apple, how can you compare the two? Sit back and snuggle up in a red velvet-cushioned gondola, and let the gondolier paddle you slowly through quiet side canals, under traditional historic bridges like the Bridge of Sighs and the Rialto. Let your eyes soak in the 16^th and 17^th century architettura veneziana of the palazzi lining the Canale Grande.

As you gently bob up and down on the wakes of passing boats, let the gondolier tell you stories about Marco Polo, where to eat the best Venetian food or how to cut an extraordinary deal with a local merchant. You will have one more experience to tell your grandchildren someday.