If it’s your first time in Venice, see all the highlights of this magical city on a combination walking tour of Venice’s narrow streets and a boat tour on the Grand Canal. From Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square) to the Rialto Bridge, your informative guide will offer historical perspectives on this fascinating medieval city. Plus, you'll skip the long lines at St Mark's Basilica – there’s no need to waste time waiting in lines when you're on vacation!

Your comprehensive introduction to Venice begins near St Mark’s Square with a two-hour guided walking tour highlighting the city’s important monuments. Follow your guide to the famous piazza and learn the history behind its landmarks, including the Byzantine architectural heritage of St Mark's Basilica and the adjoining prisons of Doge's Palace.

Visit the famed basilica of St Mark's with skip-the-line admission, without having to stand in long queues! At the Scuola di San Marco, learn about the medieval trade schools of Venice that provided the foundations for the great mercantile empire of Venice.

Leaving the crowds behind, enter a labyrinth of narrow passageways, alleys and meandering canals punctuated by delicate bridges as you further explore the enchanting city with your guide. Explore the lively Campo Santa Maria Formosa with its outstanding Gothic palaces, and view Marco Polo's house as well as an old merchant's warehouse and the city’s most beautiful wellhead.

Complete your walking tour near the Rialto Bridge, and enjoy free time before your boat tour of the Grand Canal begins. (Depending on the season, your boat tour will start between 4:00pm and 5:00pm. Your guide will provide details of the exact meeting location and time after the walking tour.)

Next, enjoy a relaxing one-hour cruise along the Grand Canal of Venice via water taxi. Along the way you will learn the history of the stunning palaces and churches that line the famous canal, as well as hear anecdotes about the famous people who have resided on Venice's most important ‘street.’ During the second half of your boat tour, discover the minor canals of Venice and soak up the romantic atmosphere.

Please note: St Mark's Basilica is free of charge to enter and we guarantee that you'll skip any long lines as part of this tour. Venice is subject to flash floods and occasionally the Basilica is closed to the public (without notice) because of high water or festivities.

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Waft by the beautiful sights of Venice on a 30-minute shared gondola ride and enjoy a serenade, too. Select an afternoon or evening trip, be welcomed aboard your six-passenger gondola by a traditionally dressed gondolier, and set off in a group of around eight gondolas, with a singer aboard one of the boats. Admire Palazzo Barberino and other romantic landmarks as your flotilla navigates the Grand Canal and smaller waterways, and soak up the dulcet melodies from the flotilla’s singer along the way!

Choose from one of four start times when you book and, on the day, make your own way to the gondola pier near Santa Maria del Giglio Square in central Venice.
When you’re ready, be shown onto your shared gondola by a traditionally dressed gondolier. Each gondola seats six people, and your craft will be just one of a group of around eight gondolas that will cruise the canals together as a flotilla. A singer will board one of the gondolas in the flotilla and will serenade your group of shared gondolas as you waft along the waters.

Sit back on your seat and soak up the gorgeous scenes as your gondola bobs along some of Venice’s prettiest waterways. Dip into romantic side canals and drift along a stretch of the Grand Canal past exquisite mansions and landmarks such as the Palazzo Barberino.
Enjoy the dulcet tones and melodies of the singer traveling with your flotilla as the notes drift through the air around your gondola. Lose yourself in the Italian songs as you watch for top Venice attractions including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection museum, the stunning marble bridge designed by one of the finest Italian architects of the 16th century – Anthony da Ponte.

After around 30 minutes of gliding along and around the Grand Canal, return to the start pier where your gondola ride finishes.

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Explore three famous islands of the Venetian Lagoon – Murano, Torcello and Burano – on a half-day sightseeing excursion by motorboat. Accompanied by a local guide, you'll stop at a glass-blowing factory on Murano, visit Venice's first cathedral on the tranquil island of Torcello and shop for handcrafted lace on Burano. This morning or afternoon tour is a great introduction to the magical islands around the medieval city of Venice and its enclosed bay in the Adriatic Sea.

Board a comfortable motorboat, departing from the Alilaguna pier in front of the Royal Gardens, and speed along the Venetian Lagoon to three islands famous for their handicrafts and architecture. You’ll cruise past the islands of San Giorgio Maggiore, San Servolo, San Lazzaro degli Armeni and Sant’Elena Gardens to Murano, divided into nine islets crossed by a wide canal. Known for its glassware shops and factories, Murano boasts a long and still-thriving tradition dating back to 1291, when glass artisans moved their kilns from the old city center.

Explore the island on foot and stop at a glass factory to watch a skilled glass blower create works of art. Learn from your guide about Murano’s wealth in the 15th and 16th centuries when the island was central to Europe’s glass making. View the magnificent splendor of Murano’s palaces and Veneto-Byzantine style churches, some with mosaics and ornamental motifs designed in the 12th century, and catch a glimpse of San Michele – Venice’s 19th-century cemetery – across the water. Before re-boarding the boat, you'll have time to visit a museum showcasing the world-famous Murano glass.

When you reach the island of Torcello – established between the 5th and 6th centuries and the earliest center of civilization in the Venetian Lagoon – you’ll see evidence of the island’s glorious past as it once flourished with ornate palaces and churches. First, view the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, founded in the 7th century. Your guide will also show you the excavated remains of the circular baptistery in the Church of Santa Fosca, which showcases a delightful portico and striking Byzantine interior.

Afterward, journey to the island of Burano and admire the picturesque fishermen's houses painted in bright pastel colors. In this miniature Venice, you’ll find the famous lace – abundant since the 16th century and once considered the most refined in Europe. Browse local shops and find lace on display at a museum dedicated to the craft of lace making before your guide returns you to Venice.

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Enjoy a walking tour of the city to discover its treasures nestled amid charming squares, bridges and narrow streets and then hop aboard a classic Venetian gondola boat. After exploring the Grand Canal and the smaller canals around the neighborhood of Fenice, soak up the charms of the romantic city while wandering through picturesque cobblestone alleyways and squares. Your knowledgeable guide will point out all the highlights of Venice from the area between Piazza San Marco to Rialto Bridge.

This walking tour is a perfect way to get to know Venice, both as a must-do introductory city tour for new visitors, as well as for anyone interested in the city’s history. After meeting your expert guide near St Mark’s Square, you'll take a leisurely stroll through the streets of Venice, learning about its colorful past through its most characteristic and iconic attractions along with its lesser-known sites.

The tour is composed of two parts and allows you to discover the lesser-known places of Venice and to try a means of transport found only in the city!
Starting with a walking tour of the city, you will explore the area around Piazza San Marco and Rialto Bridge. Learn about the top attractions and stop for photos in front of Venice's cultural centerpieces such as Teatro la Fenice, Scala del Bovolo and Rialto Bridge.
Your guide will determine the exact itinerary, depending on the day.

After your walking tour get ready to hop aboard a classic gondola boat (for up to 6 people) and enjoy a 35-minute ride through the famous Grand Canal (Salute area) as well as the smaller canals around the neighborhood of Fenice. As you glide along the Grand Canal, marvel at the glamorous bank-side palaces and churches and hear tales about how it became Venice's most important thoroughfare. The gondola ride ends by disembarking at Vallaresso Station in Dogana.

Please note: Venice walking tour does not include entry to the monuments

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See the top Venice attractions in a short space of time on this comprehensive Best of Venice walking tour! With an expert guide, see sights like Rialto Bridge and St Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco), and then enjoy a tour of St Mark's Basilica, to which you’ll have skip-the-line access.

If you want to see more, upgrade to include a Doge's Palace tour! Explore its opulent public rooms, see the Bridge of Sighs and learn about the doges, who ruled Venice in bygone times.

Your Venice walking tour starts at an iconic Venice attraction -- the elegant Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) -- a favorite sight for many and the oldest bridge in Venice. From this beautiful marble landmark you'll head off with your guide, listening to fascinating anecdotes and stories about the city as you walk.

Pass Marco Polo's house, and hear tales of this popular Venetian explorer and his seafaring adventures. You'll walk through lively Venice squares, including Campo San Luca and Campo SS Giovanni Paolo, and see locals going about their daily business shadowed by the city’s historic structures of varying architectural styles.

Next visit St Mark's Square, a highlight of any trip to Venice. As you stroll around this must-see square, you'll see Doge's Palace with its distinctive, white-limestone facade. Giancomo Casanova, Venice's legendary lover, was once held captive in the palace’s prison.

Continue to St Mark's Basilica, a place of worship that's often considered the finest example of Byzantine architecture in the world. Skip the long lines outside the basilica for a rare tour of its second level and terraces. Be sure to bring your camera to capture views of the bustling piazza below!

Upgrade to a small-group tour (3-hour duration and 2pm start):
Keen to see all these Venice sights in a small-group of no more than 10 people, and enjoy a Grand Canal water taxi ride? Then upgrade and hop aboard a luxury water taxi and see the delights of Venice's Grand Canal on a 1-hour sightseeing tour. Follow this with a small-group walking tour, seeing all the sights listed in the standard tour plus Bovolo Staircase and Goldoni Theatre.

Upgrade to include a tour of Doge's Palace:
More time to spend? Upgrade to include a 1.5-tour of Doge's Palace. Enjoy skip-the-line access and a guided tour of the palace's ornately decorated public rooms. See incredible Renaissance art, including ceiling frescos by Tintoretto and the Veronese masterpiece Virtues of the Republic. As you walk through the Trial Chambers of the Council of Ten, see the corner of the room where accusations of treachery were passed to the secret service. Your Doge's Palace tour ends at the palace's Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri), named to signify prisoners’ weary sighs as they caught their last sight of beautiful Venice.

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Escape the city and spend a day in the Dolomite Mountains on a full-day trip from Venice! With an expert driver-guide to tell you all about the region, you’ll see two of the area’s finest lakes, Lake Santa Caterina and Lake Misurina, headed up by the heart-stopping Tre Cime di Lavaredo peaks. Enjoy lunch in a traditional ‘trattoria’ (own expense), soak up the scenery on a bracing mountain walk, and then enjoy free time to explore the chic ski resort town of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Numbers are limited to 8 on this small-group tour, ensuring you’ll see the best of the Dolomites with personalized attention from your driver-guide.

Meet your driver-guide in central Venice and then leave the city by luxury minivan, traveling north through the Veneto countryside and into the Sesto region in the Dolomite Mountains. Stop for a coffee (own expense) in Pieve di Cadore, a gorgeous little village known for being the birthplace of the Renaissance painter Titian, and then continue to Lake Santa Caterina.

Stretch your legs on a quick stroll, admiring the lakeside scenery, and then continue by coach to Lake Misurina -- known as the ‘Pearl of the Dolomites.’ Have your camera poised, ready to capture breathtaking shots of the lake against the backdrop of Tre Cime di Lavaredo – the Dolomite’s three distinctive peaks. Travel toward the peaks by coach, stopping at a vantage point to soak up the serene mountain views.

Rest at a local trattoria for lunch (own expense), and then choose to either take a walk or stay at the restaurant and relax. If you opt to do the walk, follow your driver-guide's explanations and walk along one of the gentler mountain trails to see more of the area’s sublime scenery, as well as its mountain flora and fauna.

Leave the foothills of Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the afternoon and travel by minivan  to the swanky ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo, where affluent Italians go not just to ski, but to see and be seen. Stop for photos at a panoramic viewpoint and drink in views of the bustling town encircled by towering mountains.

Enjoy free time in Cortina to do as little or as much as you want. Perhaps browse its elegant boutiques, or visit one of the street-side cafés for a coffee (own expense). Meet your driver-guide back at the pre-arranged time, and return to Venice, passing the peaks of the Dolomite bathed in the late-afternoon sun. Your tour finishes at the start point in the early evening.

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