Top Venice City Tours - page 2

We had a very nice time, Ester was lovely & catered the tour to suit our interests, we stopped for a coffee along the way. We went to areas that we wouldn’t have gone to, some of which were less crowded, she was knowledgeable about the area so that was great. Two hours was enough for us but you can go for a longer time if you prefer

Contrary to most other tour operators who cancelled their tours on me due to low demand amid the January lull, Lucia was gracious enough to dignify me with a one-on-one experience of the former ghetto. Highlights included a hidden, beautifully tranquil public park, a fantastic illustrator's studio who specializes in beguilingly colourful and wonderfully evocative scenes of Venetian Jewish life in times past (and present), as well as of course the atmospheric main square of the quarter commemorating the imprisonment, deportation and eventual massacring of a large number of Venetian Jews, as well as the everyday heroism of those unassuming record keepers and bureaucrats who by torching the census data and church records ensured that most managed to stay undetected. Lucia managed to nail the tone perfectly in my opinion to convey what had happened with both the required gravity as well as joie de vivre. She was also just very genial and generous with her tips and recommendations and took care to check up on me even several days later. Among all the gaudiness of the carnival and general tourist trade a markedly grounding, nourishing experience!

If you want to skip the crowds and see the real Venice, request Zahra. Our 3-hour tour was perfectly paced and full of surprises. Meeting the artists at Ca' del Sol was a unique highlight—the craftsmanship of their masks and costumes is world-class. Between the history, the authentic gelato, and the amazing truffle shop, this was a great experience from start to finish.