The Black Swan Gondola Company - Gondola Rides - San Marcos, California

Kristin F.

INCREDIBLE 🥹☺️🎉 We highly recommend. I took my whole family out! We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the peaceful lake and our incredibly experience Gondolier! He races in Venice and sang for us in Italian serenading our evening with an amazing voice. He educated us on the boats and was just a delight. Drew, the owner I can’t speak highly enough to either he helped me locate the dock and accommodate all my family’s needs, allowed us to bring snack and wine.

Great night! Must do in San Diego!

Michele B.

Fantastic experience! Timely and exactly as presented online / in the preparation video. Friendly and knowledgable. The sunset cruise was timed perfectly and provided excellent views. Would highly recommend to all.

Timar M.

I drove from Phoenix, Arizona with my Fiancée to visit Black Swan Gondola for to propose. Black Swan Gondola is the best. They made our experience super great and easy! The actual cruise had the best scenery I’ve ever seen in my life. Plus she said yes! my future wife loved it as well! The hospitality of the crew was second to none. And even when I needed to add on blankets after my reservation was already placed, Black Swan was more than happy and willing to help accommodate any changes I needed. Can’t recommend this place enough for a proposal or even just a date night.

Eric

Had an amazing experience! Fun date idea. Dylan did a phenomenal job. Was allowed to bring all sorts of snacks and drinks. It was about 50 min tour, which was plenty of time to see the sunset. Highly recommend.

RGK K.

Our friend surprised us with this and what a wonderful experience it was. We had drinks at the bar first and then started our gondola ride. Our gondolier was awesome and even sang for us. What a treat in the middle of San Diego. Also these are authentic gondolas that have been shipped in from Italy!! How cool is that.

Eleanore M.

Brought a friend from the east coast to do this with me and hands down was one of the best tourist experiences either of us has had. Gorgeous views, enjoyable education, and the best part was Capri (the most gorgeous and charismatic frenchie). This needs to be at the top of your list to see/experience if you visit San Diego.

Fallon K.

This was such a fun experience! You can bring food & drinks which make the experience even better. I went with a friend I hadn't seen in a while, and it was the perfect atmosphere to catch up while enjoying the views, food, and music. Highly recommend for ANY occasion!

Exuberant G.

100/10 If I could give more stars I would.

I found this company while I was on the wild search of how I could pop the big question to my fiancee after dating for over 8 years. I wanted the experience to be special just to show her how much I care and love her. My ultimate end goal was to get a photographer and videographer while doing this process, so the memories could last for a lifetime. I had originally planned two other ideas which did not fall through due to photographers being booked on that day, too many people in the area, or COVID-19 restrictions. I know now why those all failed and were led to this amazing place.

Then I found this Holy Grail called Black Swan Gondola that offered exactly what I was looking for plus more. I did some digging on their social media, which is extremely active, and saw the videos posted on their YouTube channel and fell in love while shedding a few tears watching other engagement videos. The location looked beautiful, and the theme seemed Intimate and Romantic.

I reached out for some details and left a message as I'm sure they currently had other clients for reservations. Drew called back the same day promptly and answered all my questions with ease. He then set me up for a reservation where I opted in for the "message in a bottle" engagement style with professionally edited photos and drone footage turned into a video of the moment. There were even some extra goodies such as a bouquet of roses for my fiancee, a charming necklace in the bottle /w the message, a thick blanket, and a fresh copy of the message after the amazing experience.

Before our arrival Drew was very discreet in his approach to contacting me so no surprises were ruined for that special day. We arrived on April 1st, 2022 which was also, my fiancee's birthday. We arrived a little early so he flagged me over and filled me in on the details then greeted himself to my fiancee after we talked. He was super warm, welcoming, and polite to my fiancee when he introduced himself. He suggested that we go to the Italian restaurant by the bar while they finished up on some final preparations which are located right next to the dock we pulled out from (but far enough away for those with significant others who have wondering eyes.)

My Fiancee still had no idea what was going on which was great! When the time came, Drew was our gondolier and made the experience all worthwhile. He handed her the roses and helped us on the gondola. He gave us some history lessons, talked about the area, black swans and birds, and possed for the random photos taken on our phones. Drew was alive and his vibe was astonishing. The whole experience lasted about one hour.

After It was all said and done, It could not have turned out any more perfect than it did. Drew and his staff were above and beyond what I expected. And the memory will last a lifetime. I 100% recommend this place to everyone no matter what the occasion is. It's a hidden gem in San Marcos and an experience that everyone should know about. Thank you guys once again and we will for sure be heading back in the future!