Dorsoduro, Venice - Self-Guided Walking Tour

Highlights

  • Offline Mode: Download tours and listen without WiFi

  • Location Aware: GPS map allows you to enjoy the sites

  • Instagram Hotspots: We find the perfect picture spots

  • Enjoy a private experience in a COVID-19 safe environment

Summary

Enjoy the Art and Artichokes of Venice in this beautiful walk through Dorsoduro, the city's cultural and student district.

Tour info

Duration
50 minutes -
Group Size
Pricing (From)
Adult: (5-90 years)
£14.99
Commentary
English
Meeting Point

3246 Dorsoduro, Dorsoduro, Venezia, Veneto, 30123

Dropoff location

1 Dorsoduro, Dorsoduro, Venezia, Veneto, 30123

Why take this tour?

Discover the beautiful district of the Dorsoduro, Venice, in this immersive private audio tour! This neighbourhood is renowned for its universities, student activities, iconic architecture, secret treasures and fascinating history.

Narrated by a local historian, this Dorsoduro walk is all about quenching your thirst for art, food, crafts, gondolas, wine and the local experience of Venetians. Enjoy this walking guide as we roam around the stunning canals of Venice, tasting the neighbourhood's best wine and seeing its finest art. 

We’ll walk through the mesmerising Ca’ Foscari University, learn about the varieties of Italian wine at Enoteca Schiavi, stroll around Campo Santa Margherita, learn how gondolas are built at Squero di San Trovaso and admire the masterpieces of Veronese and Bellini at the Gallerie dell’Accademia.

Start the tour outside Ca’ Foscari University, a masterpiece of Venetian Gothic architecture that has sculpted the identity of Dorsoduro. Ever since 1868, Ca' Foscari palace has been home to Ca' Foscari University, an institution that has attracted artists, academics, merchants and students to the area.

Stroll into Campo Santa Margherita, a fantastic market square during the day and the perfect place to grab a drink by night. Head over to the Varoteri school, a strange building that has been the Headquarters of the local tanners and leather makers in the 1700s, then later a store for firewood, then a cinema and then in the 1930s, but it’s most bizarre incarnation was a centre of education for fascist mysticism!

Walk over Ponte dei Pugni (the Bridge of Fists) and into Campo San Barnaba to see its stunning church. Learn about Venice’s warring gangs and a couple of appearances the city has had in classic films. 

Weave down Ca'Macana as we learn about the beautiful craft of mask making. A mask is a sure-fire way to do whatever you want without it affecting your day-to-day business. It also meant every man and woman were equal… you could live as a prince for a night.

Poke your head inside Al Casin dei Nobili (the House of the Nobles), one of the best restaurants in the neighbourhood. Venice is, of course, known for its fish and seafood, dredged fresh from the lagoon and this restaurant works wonders with these ingredients. Linguini all vongole (fresh clams), or maybe a grilled seabream.

Stop by the waterside at Squero di San Trovaso, one of the working boatyards where Venice's famous gondolas are built before grabbing a bottle of vintage wine from the marvellous Cantine del Vino gia Schiavi.

Visit the Gallerie dell’Accademia, home to masterpieces from Veronese and Giorgione to Bellini and Carpaccio. There are six renaissance artists who absolutely defined Venice and its culture: Bellini, Veronese, Giorgione, Tintoretto, Titian and Carpaccio.

Learn about Peggy Guggenheim at her spectacular collection, featuring works from Picasso and Kandinsky to DuChamp and Dali.

Finish the tour at the majestic Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, Venice's plague church. This church was built after a terrible plague ravaged Venice, one of many waves that would come here: as a centre of trade, Venice was incredibly vulnerable. The city founded plague churches with the express desire to ask the Madonna to deliver us from this scourge where people died in their thousands. The most famous of which is this beautiful church right here.

The Vidi Guides experience is enriched with on-screen photos and videos. We also point out where to take the perfect Instagram photos during the tour, and include recommendations for food, drinks, and local attractions. Don't worry, none of our recommendations are sponsored - they are simply favourites of the locals who helped craft the experience.

Vidi Guides creates immersive audio experiences that are like podcasts. This is a self-guided audio tour that can be started or stopped at your own convenience. Download the Vidi Guides app & your  tour to explore the area independently and safely! Make sure to download your tour before your visit to streamline your trip!

What’s included?

  • Access to your self-guided audio tour

  • Audio tour provided by a local or historian

  • Offline Mode: Download tours in advance to listen without WiFi

  • Location Aware: GPS map allows you to enjoy sites, without getting lost

  • Instagram Hotspots: We find the spot for your perfect picture

  • Headphones and Mobile device

  • Casin dei Nobili Showroom Entrance Tickets (from £15)

  • Gallerie dell'Accademia Entrance Ticket (prices from £10)

  • Peggy Guggenheim Collection Entrance Ticket (prices from £10)

  • Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute Entrance Ticket (from £15)

Things to know

Before you book

  • This product is suitable for all ages

  • Do it at your own pace. This product is suitable for all fitness levels

  • English speaking Audio guide only

Before you go

  • You will need to bring your own mobile phone

  • You will need to bring your own headset/earphones

Covid Policy

  • Social distancing enforced throughout experience

This is a covid safe experience. Avoid the crowds and maintain social distancing with this independent tour.

Cancellation Policy

    Up to 24 hours before the beginning of the activity: full refund Less than 24 hours before the beginning of the activity or no-show: no refund

Redemption information

    This is not your ticket! You will receive a separate email with a link to your tour. From that email, please click 'Download Now', install the Vidi Guides app, create an account within the app and click 'GetMyTour'. The tour will then be ready for download within your profile section. You can start the tour whenever you like!


    Your voucher will be collected or scanned on redemption

About operator:

Too many people visit places without discovering anything about them. And we can’t let that happen.


We believe that the true essence of travelling lies in the joy of discovering the authentic face of cities, neighbourhood and cultural sites, and unlocking the many tales they hold.


With that spirit in our hearts, we started out in search of these stories hidden in the nooks and corners of Paris, London, Cambridge and Oxford's most iconic spots. We then dived into each place’s culture, history, and traditions by collaborating with historians, famous architects, photographers, street artists, and many more. What we ended up finding was a treasure trove of stories that we have meticulously tied together just for you!


But how to deliver this information? We didn’t want to create another Wikipedia, with people looking at their phones instead of the sites. And let’s face it, audioguides and headsets belong to the 20th century.. This is why we’ve created our own storytelling format. Podcast-style tours, enriched with photos and videos, that keep you wanting more.


Our goal is to create a form of travel that will make you truly discover the places you visit.

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