Venice Tour: Skip-Line St Mark’s & Gondola Ride
Description
A first-timer to Venice, or don’t know where to begin your explorations? Over the course of this tour, experience many of the city’s top highlights. See the Rialto Bridge, fish market, historic mansions, and a quirky bookshop on a city walk before admiring the shimmering gold mosaics inside St. Mark’s Basilica. Plus enjoy a relaxing gondola ride and explore areas of the city that many tour groups miss. If you're short on time or want an introduction to Venice in just 2.5 hours, select the Welcome to Venice Express option at time of booking. Note: This option does not include a gondola ride.
Tour Options
Itinerary
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 your walking tour to discover some of the city’s hidden gems. You'll learn what it is like to live on the island today as you meander through hidden alleyways. 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.
Pause to admire a unique mansion that belonged to a powerful Venetian family.
You'll learn what it is like to live on the island today as you meander through hidden alleyways, stopping along the way at a quirky Venetian bookstore with a stunning canal view and friendly resident cats. Your guide will wait outside, allowing you few minutes inside to explore on your own.
With pre-reserved entry, you’ll bypass the often long lines and head inside this extraordinary church. Your expert guide will bring the basilica to life—revealing how its unique blend of eastern and western design came to be, uncovering the dramatic story of how St. Mark’s relics arrived in Venice, and helping you appreciate the shimmering gold mosaics that make this place unlike anywhere else in the 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! Note: the Welcome to Venice Express option does not include a gondola ride.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments or with wheelchairs, or strollers.
- The Rialto Fish Market is closed on Sundays.
- This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
- Large bags, trolleys and backpacks cannot be accommodated on this tour.
- During times of high tides, flooding, or heavy rain, the gondola ride may be substituted for another experience.
- The full names of all participants must be provided at the time of booking and must match the names on the ID/Passport. Name changes are not permitted.
- Please note that a photo ID is required to visit the St. Marks Basilica. Failure to bring an ID can result in the security staff refusing your entrance to the monument.
- St. Mark’s Basilica can be subject to closures due to particular liturgical celebrations, especially during major religious holidays such as Easter or Christmas. In the event that the Basilica is closed, explanations will be provided from the outside.
- Please note: This tour offers multiple options. Take a moment to choose the one that best suits your interests.
Reviews(499)
The tour was great, we enjoyed our time with Pamela, she was very knowledgeable!
We had a fantastic introduction to Venice with our tour guide Filipe. Not only did he have impeccable comedic timing but also answered every question I had wondered about Venice upon arrival. 10/10 would recommend if you want to see beauty, hear about the historical significance, fun facts, pop culture references and a good laugh while you stroll through the streets of Venice.
Phillipo was outstanding. Funny, knowledgeable, entertaining.
Great tour, guide (Phillip) was excellent. Ear piece didn’t stay put and was annoying.
Alessandro "alex" was our tour guide. Very educated and informative. He kept the tour moving and was animated and obviously loves his home of Venice. He offered to take our family pictures throughout the tour. The Gondola ride at the end was a nice ending to the tour. Remember to have some money to tip your tour guide and the Gondola ride separately.
Our tour guide was very informative and kind! She allowed us to take breaks and go into shoppes if wanted. The St. Marks basilica tour was also amazing. It was a wonderful tour and highly recommend.
Sara was wonderful! A great insight into the making of Venice and Venetian culture - we had a great time ☺️
Great tour guide and perfect length for a day trip to see what Venice has to offer.
Excellent and humorous walking tour with historical, architectural, and cultural tidbits cleverly explained by Philippo. Gondola ride provided a new perspective on the city life after learning so much about it.
Filippo was an outstanding guide! He was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of Venice and shared it in a way that was both engaging and easy to follow. He also has a fantastic sense of humor, which made the tour fun from start to finish. It was the perfect balance of learning and entertainment, and I would highly recommend his walking tour to anyone visiting Venice.
