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(494)
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.
Roberta!!! what an amazing guide! She is very informative and gives the group little tit bits as you walk along the streets A reminder that if you want to go into the St Marx Basilica you will need to cover your shoulders and knees. Not advisable for families with toddlers
If I could provide a ZERO rating for this tour, I would. The option is not available. Avoid this tour at all cost!! In May, there were many labor strikes. It was all over the news (TV, radio). I received notification only 24-hours in advance that my train would not operate from Rome to Venice. It was impossible for me to go on this trip. When I called Viator (and messaged them), they were incredibly unprofessional and rude. Apparently, labor strikes in Europe are a common event so nobody cared. Ask yourself this: How can you cancel a tour package 4 days ahead of time for a refund if you only learn your train is canceled the day before you're supposed to visit Venice? That's impossible. There's no logic to this request. Not only did they refuse to refund me, the merchant was rude, and and then offered to charge me MORE $$$ to change the date of my reservation to another date when I was not in Italy. Imagine that? No thanks. I paid $128 for nothing and I have never visited Venice in my life. Now, I have no interest in ever seeing Venice at all.
Dear Bridgette, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're very sorry to hear that you were unable to travel to Venice due to the rail strikes and understand how frustrating and disappointing that situation must have been. Unfortunately, as your tour was due to depart the following day, your booking fell within our cancellation policy and we were unable to offer a refund. Whilst transport disruptions are outside of anyone's control, our cancellation terms are in place so that we can fairly manage the limited spaces on our tours. Rather than simply declining your request, we did offer the option to reschedule your booking for a later date, subject to our standard amendment fee. We're sorry that this wasn't a suitable solution given your travel plans. We sincerely regret that your trip was impacted by circumstances beyond anyone's control and that this experience has left you with such a negative impression. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback and wish you all the best in your future travels. Walks & Devour Tours.
This was a fabulous walking tour. Our guide Sara told us so much history about Venice. She was polite and friendly. I would highly recommend this tour!
We loved this tour. Sara speaks excellent English and is very knowledgeable regarding Venetian history and culture. We would gladly do this one again!
