Private 3 hrs Venice Tour: St Mark's, Walking tour & Boat tour
Venice, Italy
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Venice is bursting with attractions, making it tough to prioritize what to see. Ideal for first-time visitors, this three-hour tour showcases the best of Venice by foot and canal. Hear the history of St. Mark’s Square and Rialto Bridge from a guide, and visit St. Mark’s Basilica with a skip-the-line ticket to beat the long admission lines. Finish on a high note: a boat tour down the Grand Canal.
- Gain skip-the-line entry to St. Mark's Basilica and beat the crowds
- Learn about historical Venice from your guide: the perfect overview
- Tours are capped at only 16 travelers maximum
- Upgrade for a private tour experience and get a personalized touch
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
At a price that's right, this affordable combo tour shows off Venice's highlights by land and by water.
What's Included
- Professional English-speaking guide
- Best of Venice & St Marks' basilica (2 hours)
- Grand Canal boat tour (1 hour)
- Skip-the-line tickets to St. Mark's Basilica
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup or drop-off
- Food and drink, unless specified
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Giardini RealiP.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
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Start your "Venice in a day" tour with a guided walk to learn about the city’s key monuments. In St. Mark’s Square, hear the history behind legendary sights such as St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace prisons.
Admission lines at top Venice attractions are long and no more so than at St. Mark’s Basilica. Use your skip-the-line ticket to bypass the lines and step straight inside. Then admire the acclaimed mosaics that adorn the basilica’s interior as you explore with your guide.
From St. Mark’s Basilica, continue to Campo Santa Maria Formosa to admire from outside the stunning Renaissance church dedicated to the Holy Virgin and learn from your guide the meaning of "formosa".
Leave the tourist crowds behind, and follow your guide around the winding alleyways that form the backstreets of Hidden Venice and Castello district. Explore narrow passageways that cut between sun-bleached palazzos, and admire the bridges that cross the canals.
Pass through Campo Santa Maria Formosa to see its gothic palaces, and have your camera ready for Marco Polo’s House. Other sights include Calle del Paradiso, San Zulian, an age-old merchants warehouse and a wellhead, which many say is the city’s most beautiful.
Say goodbye to your guide at St Mark's Square, and make the most of some free time before your water taxi cruise along the Grand Canal.
As you glide down the waterway, listen to stories about the eye-catching palaces and churches that line your route, pass by Rialto bridge, and hear fun facts about the famous residents that have lived on the equally famous street. Continue on a tour of the smaller, lesser-seen canals. Hop back on to dry land to finish your experience in central Venice.
Please note: There is a break between the walking tour and Grand Canal boat tour, for you to spend time at leisure. The duration of this break varies depending on the season. Details of the exact meeting location and time for the Grand Canal Boat Tour are given by your meeting point assistant upon check-in for the first tour.
Admission lines at top Venice attractions are long and no more so than at St. Mark’s Basilica. Use your skip-the-line ticket to bypass the lines and step straight inside. Then admire the acclaimed mosaics that adorn the basilica’s interior as you explore with your guide.
From St. Mark’s Basilica, continue to Campo Santa Maria Formosa to admire from outside the stunning Renaissance church dedicated to the Holy Virgin and learn from your guide the meaning of "formosa".
Leave the tourist crowds behind, and follow your guide around the winding alleyways that form the backstreets of Hidden Venice and Castello district. Explore narrow passageways that cut between sun-bleached palazzos, and admire the bridges that cross the canals.
Pass through Campo Santa Maria Formosa to see its gothic palaces, and have your camera ready for Marco Polo’s House. Other sights include Calle del Paradiso, San Zulian, an age-old merchants warehouse and a wellhead, which many say is the city’s most beautiful.
Say goodbye to your guide at St Mark's Square, and make the most of some free time before your water taxi cruise along the Grand Canal.
As you glide down the waterway, listen to stories about the eye-catching palaces and churches that line your route, pass by Rialto bridge, and hear fun facts about the famous residents that have lived on the equally famous street. Continue on a tour of the smaller, lesser-seen canals. Hop back on to dry land to finish your experience in central Venice.
Please note: There is a break between the walking tour and Grand Canal boat tour, for you to spend time at leisure. The duration of this break varies depending on the season. Details of the exact meeting location and time for the Grand Canal Boat Tour are given by your meeting point assistant upon check-in for the first tour.
1
Piazza San Marco
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Basilica di San Marco
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Campo Santa Maria Formosa
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Calle del Paradiso (Pass By)
Ponte di Rialto (Pass By)
4
Canal Grande
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Castello (Pass By)
Cannaregio (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
- Tour is not suitable for people in wheelchairs or with walking difficulties as passengers are required to step down onto the boat when boarding. The variation of the level of tides can make the vessel unstable
- Occasionally the Basilica may be closed to the public (without prior notice) because of festivities, religious functions or high water. The guide will provide explanation from outside.
- 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
- In case of high water, St Mark’s Basilica Skip-the-line entrance will remain closed
- 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 16 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
Reviews
4.2
based on 3,372 reviews
Andrea_F, Nov 2024
Really great day out the square was flooded but the guide still made the trip fun and informative some really interesting facts
Ronald_S, Oct 2024
Beautiful venue. Fairly good guide but had to hear using whispers since hers was not working well. Lovrf water ride
Krista_h, Oct 2024
Arriana was very friendly and accommodating to our group. The boat and chuch tours were interesting.
Denton_K, Aug 2024
This was our first trip to Venice, and with only two days to tour, we opted for the Venice in 1 Day: St Mark's Basilica, Walking & Boat Tour. Our Guide, Christina Pigozzo, is a local native of Venice, and gave us a very detailed tour of St. Mark's Basilica and square, the local area, a skyline view, and a fantastic boat tour. Overall a very professional, worthwhile, and affordable tour by an incredible guide with extensive knowledge! Highly recommend!
Cheryl_H, Apr 2024
This was a wonderful tour of beautiful sites with a knowledge Tour Guide. Our Guide was local and has done tours for 24 years. We learned so much from her. It was worth every $$.
Stacy_E, Apr 2024
Great overview of the city and history. Loved the boat tour. Awe-inspired by the church. Guide did a great job keeping my 11 year old engaged and have great tips for us to make our train back to Florence in time. Highly recommend.
Emily_P, Aug 2023
My husband did a day trip to Venice and only had a few hours in the city. This was a good way to get an understanding of the history of Venice. The tour was interesting and our guide was lovely and very knowledgeable. Our group size wasn’t big enough to have the gondola ride included however, we were told beforehand and given a refund for that portion of the tour. I feel like if we had been able to go on the gondola ride it would have made the experience feel complete.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Dear Client,
I'm happy you've enjoyed the walking tour and sorry that the grand canal did not operate that day due to lack of participants.
Kind Regards
Monica
John_E, Oct 2022
If you want to do more than just wander the streets and take a gondola ride, this is a great option. Our guide was very knowledgeable, pleasant, professional, and had a good sense of humor. She adapted the tour to our specific group and provided us with valuable advice for navigating the streets and waterways. There were times and places where it would have been nice to have headsets so we could hear better. That would be our only suggestion for improvement.
TomandTammy_F, Aug 2022
Tour guide was so sweet and accommodated us with a private tour of the city and water taxi trip in and out of the grand canal seeing unique spots not listed in this description. St. Mark basilica was special and very sacred.
Paul_B, May 2022
Grand Canal cruise was in a boat that is used also as a water taxi which is closed in and unable to take photos or move around. Cramped space. Walking tour was good but also too many shops being pointed out during the trip. Use of communication system was excellent.
Response from Host, May 2022
Dear Client,
Thank you for your feedback. In regards to the boat tour, these are the type of water transportation allowed down the grand canal and therefore the only ones that can be used to touring Venice city center Grand Canal and minor canals. Generally it accomodates confortably 8 people , 4 in the front and 4 in the back and that's why we limit our tour to 8 people. As for the walking tour, I really would have liked some more information about the fact that the guide was pointing too many shops. Part of the traditions in Venice include many artifacts made in the city and it's part of an introductory tour also mentioning, when passing by, some of the specialties and artisanal artifacts that are specific of the city visited.
Yours sincerely, Monica
Tim_S, Nov 2021
Adriana was a knowledgeable local who provided a great introduction to the city. She helped us to add on to our experience based on our interest.
Response from Host, Nov 2021
Dear Tim,
Thank you so much for your 5 star review of our tour. I have already forwarded your comments to our expert guide Adriana. A guided tour is definitely the best way to explore Venice and all its treasures. Thank you for touring with us!
Kind regards,
Aleksandra
Sales Manager @ Avventure Bellissime
Rafael_M, Aug 2021
Our guide never arrived. We called multiple times and received a voicemail. We messaged and got NO response. Several other tour guides passed us and we asked and they said we were at the right spot. We arrived at 1:40—the time was set for 1:45 for a 2 PM tour; we waited until 230. No one ever came. It was over $400. Sure hope to get this money refunded. We did several tours with another company and they were all excellent.
Response from Host, Aug 2021
Dear Rafael,
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused. Due to a still relatively low season for tourism and a slow restart of international travel our tours are not scheduled to operate on Sundays and our office was closed on that day. As soon as we saw your message on Monday morning we immediately sent you the following reply (see below) - did you receive it?:
Due to a technical error the system allowed you to book however the tour was not scheduled to operate on 1st Aug. A full refund has already been processed to you. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Rest assured the full refund has been processed to you on Monday morning and you will have certainly received it by now. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience, it was an unfortunate technical bug which we have now corrected. We remain at disposal for any assistance.
Kind regards,
Aleksandra
Sales Manager
Pascal_B, Oct 2020
The tour gave us a great introduction to the city on our first day in Venice and it helped us choose what to visit in the following days. As the St Mark's Basilica cannot be entered due to Corona regulations, our guide Cristina took us to some other very nice spots instead. For us it was just the right amount of explanations, walking, and breaks. I'd recommend the tour to anyone who visits Venice the first time.
Liam_M, Feb 2020
Our tour guides had wonderful
Knowledge about the city; they were personable, humorous and had excellent English! We booked the tour on our first day and it really provided us with a secure grasp of the culture, heritage and layout of the city. The canal boat tour was glorious!
Niusha_M, Feb 2020
Good tour, nice guides and provided a great overview of city history. I would have lived to visit a couple of more sites in the city given the price.
Denise_J, Feb 2020
Francesco was our tour guide. Being a Venetian native, he was able to share information that he knew first hand. The Bascilica was amazing and the boat tour a blast. I highly recommend both and ask for Francesco... you won’t be disappointed!
SOFIA_V, Dec 2019
our guide Christina, knew everything about her city and was really enthusiastic giving us all the information
Also the boat tour was great
However the price was rather high
Roger_T, Dec 2019
Very enjoyable tour, Knowledgeable tour guide (Christina). Would recommend to anyone visiting Venice. Have used Viator before in other locations and have never had any issues. Good value.
Ann-Marie232019, Nov 2019
Both guides had a wealth of knowledge and were very pleasant and accommodating.
I suggest seeing Venice via foot and boat as you get two very different perspectives.
Nomad47072333976, Nov 2019
Great experience! I had a good time! Staff was very nice and friendly! I will book again! I really like Venice!
raybX8724FP, Nov 2019
Very boring tour. Guide was not informative and stood outside St. Mark's for a long time in the heat with boring explanations. Boat tour was ok but not great.
Response from Host, Nov 2019
Dear Client ,
Thank you for your feedback. I'm sorry to hear you found our guide boring and I can not object a personal point of view . I can only say that we've been operating our Venice tours for about 20 years and that overall iur tours and guides have met the appreciation of many travellers . Our main goal is to deliver quality experiences to our guests .
Kindest Regards
Monica
164drc, Oct 2019
Utterly spectacular, informative, all-day walking and boat trip to parts of Venice we've never even seen before. Totally worth the money.
Carlos D, Oct 2019
1.- First part "Venice Tour with St Mark’s Basilica" was average.
2.- "Grand Canal Boat tour" was excellent, lady acting as a tour guide was very enthusiast, she knows Venice very well, explained us every detail clearly. My wife and I were there on September 27th 2019 in the afternoon tour. I wrote the name of the woman, but lost the paper, the only thing I remember is that she live around and looks like an actress some kind of Jennifer Aniston.
3.- You need a Sign that let your client to locate you easy. It was very stressful to find you, I was in the place 1 hour before.
Carole_F, Oct 2019
Our Tour Guide was excellent. She moved at a steady pace - we weren't rushed nor bored. It was good to have a few hours between the walking tour and the boat ride. Would highly recommend.
Greg_K, Oct 2019
Very good tours. Great information during walking tour. Walking tour and boat tour separated by 3 hours with walking tour ending about 15 minutes from boat tour location. It would have been helpful to know that in advance. Guide on boat tour was a bit hard to understand. Heavy Italian accent and not a great sound system.
Jean_H, Oct 2019
Guides were very good but tour was short for the cost. It could be because walking through the busy streets takes a lot of time some days.
Response from Host, Oct 2019
Dear Client ,
Thnak you for your feedback and I'm glad you've enjoyed the tour with our guides . I can not understand your comment about being short , as the morning tour lasts 2 hrs and the boat tour 1 hr . I'd be interested in understanding better what you mean by "being short ".
Kindest Regards
Monica
pgtronda, Oct 2019
This tour was very interesting. We had a different guide for the walking tour than the grand canal tour, but both guides were good.
Alicia_C, Oct 2019
The tour was very good and informative. Boat tour could have been right after tour so that it could have been a restful time instead of waiting time in between
L2918PNharrys, Oct 2019
Tour guide was comprehensive and knowledgeable of the history and informative facts of the church and area.
Sue G, Oct 2019
We had a great guide for our walking tour, and afterwards went on the boat trip......AMAZING! Would definitely recommend
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