See all the top sights of Venice with this exclusive, semi-private tour, limited to only 10 people or less per group. With commentary tailored by an expert, English-speaking guide to suit your group, you’ll learn more about Venice in just a few hours than many visitors do on an entire trip.
And with such small group sizes, your guide will have more time to answer questions and tailor the pace of the tour to suit you. Our tour starts on the Grand Canal, the city’s main waterway which snakes its way past no less than 50 palaces, six churches, four bridges and two open-air markets.[readmore]We’ll take to the water for a tour of all these wonderful sights, which your guide will point out and explain as you pass. Although many visitors opt to travel the Grand Canal by gondola, this wide and hectic waterway is much better suited to the water taxis we use, which allow us to move quickly and easily along the canal without losing the intimacy of a smaller vessel. A visit to the Rialto Bridge is a highlight of this journey and, although we visit the bridge on our walking tour too, it is from the water that it really shines.
Back on dry land we’ll head straight for the main attraction, to be sure that you have plenty of time to take it all in. St. Mark’s Basilica took 800 years to build with relics and monuments inside bought (or stolen) from all over Europe and Asia. Even St. Mark’s remains eventually ended up here (albeit through dubious means) when Crusaders stole them from Egypt. The queues here can be long but no worries, we have Skip the Line Access! Your guide will take you inside this cavernous space for an extended tour, pointing out mosaics that date all the way back to the 11th century and beautiful artworks. Then it’s up to the second floor for some stolen time inside this busy basilica. The terraces of St. Mark’s Basilica are worth a visit in their own right, not to mention the incredible views they offer over bustling Piazza San Marco below.
After our tour of St. Mark’s Basilica and Piazza San Marco, we’ll set out on a walking tour past some of the best-known sights of Venice, along with some unlikely favorites. We spent a lot of hours traversing the city, trying to get the right balance of major landmarks and picturesque corners and discovered that much of the joy of visiting Venice is in the journey, walking from one spot to another through quiet residential streets and along canals. Our Venice walking tour will take you on such a journey - visiting Marco Polo’s house to hear about the Venetian son who went to sea one day and came back with stories of China; Campo SS Giovanni Paolo with its mix of architecture from so many ages; and the famous Bridge of Sighs. As you move from one spot to another, your guide will entertain you with stories of Venice, from informative tales about how the city has stayed afloat so long, to the whispers of scandal that make Venice such a captivating city. They’ll also point out features and buildings that you may never have noticed on your own.
A visit to the Rialto Bridge, an incredible marble structure that cost Venice a small fortune to build but was certainly worth every penny, is a highlight of this journey, and here our walking part ends. Now it is time to take a seat on the water taxi, and enjoy the beauty of the city. Our tour continues with a cruise the Grand Canal, the city’s main waterway which snakes its way past no less than 50 palaces, six churches, four bridges and two open-air markets. Although many visitors opt to travel the Grand Canal by gondola, this wide and hectic waterway is much better suited to the water taxis we use, which allow us to move quickly and easily along the canal without losing the intimacy of a smaller vessel.
Your tour will end at the famous Rialto Bridge, an incredible marble structure that cost Venice a small fortune to build but was certainly worth every penny. And there you have it – in only a few hours you have seen the very best of Venice from three entirely different perspectives – water, land and even air from the terraces of St. Mark’s Basilica. And all without having to wait in line or jostling to see within a big tour group!
UPGRADE: Feeling inspired by the Doge’s Palace? Add our Doge’s Palace Secret Itineraries tour to your itinerary and see the palace in the most exclusive way possible. We’ll see areas of the Doge’s Palace normally closed to the general public – like the cell from which Casanova escaped and the prison’s torture chamber. Unlike most Secret Itineraries tours, we also include a visit of the main areas of the Doge’s Palace, giving you the opportunity to walk through the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ at your own pace after the tour has ended.
Read morePlease be at the meeting point 15 minutes before departure. Guests arriving after departure cannot be accommodated, and missed tours or tickets cannot be refunded
We strongly suggest that you avoid bringing large purses, bags, or backpacks on your tour
This tour involves a fair amount of walking, comfortable shoes are recommended
We recommend that customers who are not familiar with Venice give themselves ample time to find meeting points
We recommend bringing a hat, sunscreen and a bottle of water in warm weather
Entrance into religious sites requires a strict dress code. Knees and shoulders must be covered for both men and women
We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any impairments requiring special assistance