Private Best of Venice Walking Tour with St Mark's Basilica

Venice, Italy

2 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover St. Mark’s Basilica—one of Venice's best-known sights—all without the headache of long lines, thanks to this time-saving tour. Head to the front of the queue with your guide and step inside to admire the cathedral’s gold mosaics and embellished domes. Then, this two-in-one tour continues with a walk to other architectural highlights near St. Mark’s Square. As you go, learn about Venice’s history, and discover quieter backstreets that many visitors miss, too.

Upgrade for a private tour to make your sightseeing more personal
This Venice tour is ideal for first-time or time-pressed visitors
Prevent any hassle with pre-booked, skip-the-line St. Mark's tickts
Discover Venice sights and stories you'd miss if exploring alone

What's Included

Local English-speaking Professional guide
Skip-the-line tickets to St. Mark's Basilica
Radio Headsets when the group has more than 8 participants

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Giardini Reali
P.za San Marco, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Entrance to the Royal Gardens , on the waterfront of St Mark's Square - You'll meet Avventure Bellissime tour coordinator outside the gardens , in front of the wrought iron Gate holding a sign with the name of the tour and Avventure Bellissime logo written on it .

End point

St. Mark's Square
Piazza San Marco, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy

Itinerary

Get an insider’s perspective on the architectural wonders and historical legends of Venice on this time-saving tour. Meet your local guide near St. Mark’s Square for an introduction to the cultural and political forces that made Venice a medieval maritime force. Walk around the square as you learn the layout and history of highlights including the Doge’s Palace and the iconic bell tower.

Stop in front of St. Mark’s Basilica to appreciate its ornate, Italo-Byzantine exterior. Then, skip the long lines and head straight inside to marvel at the cathedral’s soaring domed ceiling and ornate altars. Nearly every surface glitters with the work of generations of Venetian goldsmiths, and even the marble floors are works of art, with intricate inlaid mosaics.

Next, wander along Venice’s narrow canals and through picturesque squares to admire hidden gems like Santa Maria Formosa church or the Calle Paradiso. Admire the Gothic and Renaissance architecture of some of the city’s lesser-known palaces, and learn about the daily lives of Venetian nobility.

Your tour concludes in St Mark's Square—an ideal spot to admire the wares of local artisans, grab an authentic bite at a local café, or continue exploring the city on your own.

Piazza San Marco

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Basilica di San Marco

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Campo Santa Maria Formosa

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Calle del Paradiso (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 3 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
Tour operates rain or shine
At certain times it may not be possible to enter to St Mark's Basilica due to religious functions taking place. These closures are beyond our control so no refunds or discounts will be issued
Large bags are not allowed into St Mark's Basilica
In case of high water, St Mark’s Basilica Skip the line entrance will remain closed

Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
To ensure safety and well-being of our guests the itinerary of the tour has been amended to follow the Covid-19 guidelines. Visits to St Mark's Basilica may be subject to restrictions. Depending on the situation on the day of the tour the itinerary may be amended to offer you the best experience possible.
Guaranteed skip-the-line entrance to St Mark's Basilica is compulsory from April to October due to high number of visitors. St Mark’s Basilica does not offer a fast entry service to anyone in other periods considered off peak season. No refund is due when skip-the-line reservation isn't required.
On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
ID Cards and Passports of all participants are mandatory to enter inside the St. Mark's Basilica.
Please provide the full names of all travelers when booking. Failure to present a voucher with all travelers’ full names at the ticket office prior to entry may result in denied entry to the attraction.
St. Mark’s Basilica tickets are priced at €12 per person
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 3 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.0

based on 1,063 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Venice walking tour

Susan_L, Mar 2025

It was a great walking tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable, and we appreciated the guide to St. Mark's Church and around Venice.

Great info throughout the...

Terry_F, Oct 2024

Great info throughout the tour. She was very passionate about her beautiful city and all its historical attractions.

Great way to learn

Mary_O, Oct 2024

This was a great way to learn about the city and its fabulous history. And get into St Mark’s - I cannot remember our tour guides name - but she was lovely, very informed and knowledgeable. Thanks for the great tour.

Great tour if you really want to learn about Venice!

Olga_R, Sep 2024

Our tour guide Donatella gave us a full tour of Venice in 2 hours! We learned so much that we wouldn’t have been able to figure out on our own even in 2 days. She even set us up with Venice a glass making tour because we mentioned it in a conversation! She made our one day trip a full experience!

Escape the heat

Gerard_H, Aug 2024

It is hard to say what we liked best. We found the entire tour enjoyable and informative. Our guide was friendly, charming and knowledgeable. We were pleased to be taken down relatively quiet streets amid the hot and crowded areas.

Interesting but could be longer in Basilica

Melanie_M, Jul 2024

Would prefer more time in Basilica. Could cut off a little of the walking portion. The part in the quieter streets is nice but didn’t need the last bit of busy streets with not much to see or mention. Guide was friendly helpful knowledgeable.

Response from Host, Jul 2024

Dear Client, thank you for your feedback. The time in the Basilica is limited due to Basilica restrictions that impose no more than 15 minutes inside, to allow all visitors to enter it. This is the reason for it cannot be extended. The only way to stay longer in the Basilica is to take a private tour for a Full experience. In this way you have all the time to visit all parts of it. Kind regards Avventure Bellissime

Loved it!!

Heather_R, Jun 2024

Loved our guide and this experience! Highly recommend!!! Learned a lot about Venice and saw the best of the city!

Worth the money

diane_n, Jun 2024

Tour of St. Marks Basilica. Skip the line tickets were totally worth it and the guide was very knowledgable

Wonderful stories and history.

Carl_L, May 2024

Francesca was our tour guide and she was excellent. She spoke into a microphone that wirelessly connected to earphones that she gave us. She was attentive to making sure we could hear her as we traveled through the busy Venice streets. She filled in our journey with wonderful stories and history lessons.

Fantastic tour, exceeded expectations

sandie2607, May 2024

Amazing guide, great pace and Alisandro’s knowledge was fab, learnt so much about Venice. Would highly recommend this tour, exceeded our expectations.

Highly recommend this tour

Ildiko_B, May 2024

We had a very interesting tour full of details. Our Guide was very knowledgeable and huge fun. Inspite of the pouring rain she kept smiling and entertaining us.

Excellent Guide

Melissa_S, May 2024

Amazing tour guide! She was full of energy and I appreciated the timing of the St. Marks. Our guide was very knowledgeable.

Venice walk

charles_v, May 2024

Guide was sweet. Terrible weather obviously affected enjoyment. Got to learn a lot around San Marco. Church visit really short, maybe 10-15 minutes.

Perfect way to see the Basilica

Anonymous, Jan 2024

Our guide Christina was great and was very informative about the city, not just the basilica and showed us some nice quiet parts around Venice. Skip the line tickets was great given the wet weather! Highly recommended

Great overview of Venice history

Dawn_S, Oct 2023

Very happy we booked this tour. Meeting location was easy to find and skipping the line at St Mark’s was the way to go! Guide was very knowledgable, funny and did a great job keeping our small group together despite the weekend crowds. Learned a lot about the history of Venice!

Perfect walking tour

Hanna_T, Oct 2023

Amazing walking tour! Lots of history and the guide was very knowledgeable! Highly recommend doing this while in Venice!

Lara was very friendly...

Vicki_C, Oct 2023

Lara was very friendly and knowledgeable. I wish we had another hour walking tour with her. Loved it!

Great tour!

JANET_M, Oct 2023

Great tour, guide was very knowledgeable and gave detailed and interesting historical information at each site.

Good to get away from the...

Sally_d, Oct 2023

Good to get away from the crowds into the quieter streets and learn more about the history of Venice.

A beautiful Basilica and great tour

Charles_R, Sep 2023

Purchased the guided walking tour, our guide was very knowledgeable, and very informative. She took us to many landmarks and churches, and gave us plenty of time to take pictures. St Marks was a beautiful building and church, lots of religious paintings and statues.

Basilica

Irma_P, Sep 2023

The inside of San Marco Basilica and information. It is a unique basilica in the world. Qqqqqwwwwwwerrttttyyuuiiiiooooiiuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuygfcvvvbbbbnnbvcxcxxxxxx

Best Venice walking tour

Olive_B, Sep 2023

Christina was fantastic. She was so knowledgeable and we learned so much from her. We throughly enjoyed the tour. A must if you are going to Venice!

Amazing tour

Diego_G, Aug 2023

Our guide Lucia was AMAZING!!! She really knows the history of the city and put everything we saw in context of why it was the way it was. We really enjoyed her tour and loved the places we visited!!!

Walking tour with Andrea

Kelly_G, Aug 2023

Andrea was an excellent tour guide! We saw many sites and learned about the history and some engineering facts of Venice. Is was clear that Andrea loves and respects his gorgeous city!

we were vey late as our...

Guido_S, Jul 2023

we were vey late as our boat trip took much longer than we thought but they were still able to accommodate us. Our host was great and took us to places we would never had found on our own.

Fabulous tour of St.Marks Basilica

Philip_S, Jul 2023

Excellent guide offering unique historical & architectural insights to St Marks Basilica & the surrounding area.

Amazing

gerard_m, Jul 2023

The guide was so happy and loves Venice amazing tour and information was so good even my daughter loved it

We loved learning about...

emcdangelo, Jul 2023

We loved learning about the history of Venice and San Marco piazza. Our guide was knowledgeable and informative.

Nice tour and great guide!!!

Daniela_M, May 2023

Amazing guide super funny and knowleageble. Told the stories in a ludic way and we had lots of laughs. We learned a lot and enjoyed the moment.

Great tour

Wendy_J, May 2023

Great guide. Knowledge and very entertaining. Of course San Marco is magnificent. The walking tour afterwards was interesting and not the typical tourist spots.