A first-timer to Venice, or don’t know where to begin your explorations? Over the course of this small-group tour, experience many of the city’s top highlights: see the Rialto Bridge, visit St. Mark’s Square and St. Mark’s Basilica, and enjoy a relaxing gondola ride. You also explore areas of the city that many tour groups miss, from the sestiere of Cannaregio to the Rialto Fish Market.
Discover the magic of Venice on foot and by water on a combined walking tour and gondola ride. Explore the city center with a local guide, marvel at the inside of St. Mark’s Basilica, and then take a ride down the canals on the city’s famous mode of transport.
Meet near the Rialto Bridge and learn why it was initially considered a very bad idea to build it. Take a quick look at the Rialto Fish Market to learn about the long fishing history of the city and its famous cuisine. Get a couple of restaurant recommendations from your local guide!
Continue to the sestiere (district) of Cannaregio, home to some of the city’s hidden gems. Discover the house where Marco Polo once lived, and go to the unique Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli. See a remarkable statue by Verocchio on the Campo San Giovanni and Paolo, where you will also see a variety of typical Venetian architectural styles. Meander through hidden alleyways, and hear tales of the city’s past.
Learn what it is like to live on the island today as you walk to St. Mark’s Square. Look inside St. Mark’s Basilica for a better understanding of how Venice built a mercantile empire that once spanned the entire Mediterranean. Gaze at exquisite mosaics and other treasures inside and hear how the city begged, borrowed and stole to grow from a tiny island to one of the biggest powers in the medieval world.
Your guide will then leave you to enjoy a 30-minute (approximately) gondola ride with a professional gondolier. Limited to only 5 people per gondola, this experience will be both intimate and relaxing. Punt through the quieter canals of Venice as you relax and enjoy the city at its best!
Guide: English