Essential Venice – 2 hrs walking tour

Essential Venice Tour with all the major highlights visited

Discover Venice on foot from St. Mark’s Square to Rialto Bridge and enjoy a gondola ride to end. Join this small group or private tour if you only have a single day or maximizing your time from a cruise ship.

Start your tour at the famous St. Mark’s Square and start getting to know the city and its origins. See the most renowned public space in the city and, learn about its historical, social and political importance. Explore the splendid St. Mark’s Basilica from outside and its connection with the Doge’s Palace.

Hear the story behind the Roman bronze statues of the Horses of Saint Mark. Then, escape the thronging crowds that fill St Mark’s Square and dive down lesser-known alleyways to emerge in peaceful piazza lined with faded grandeur. Start an eye-popping plethora of marble palazzos, golden mosaics, grand basilicas, Venetian frescoes, and priceless paintings that will stay in your memory forever.

Listen to snippets of history and interesting stories about this romantic “City of Bridges.” Continue to different sestieri (districts), meet some of Venice’s influential rulers, see evidence of its maritime past, and discover the prestigious role of the all-important procurators of San Marco.

Learn about the origins of Venetian masks that are still worn at Carnevale, understand how the Bridge of Sighs got its name, and stand spellbound before some of the world’s most outstanding ecclesiastical artworks.

This ultimate guided tour of Venice also includes the chance to rest your feet on a 30-minute gondola tour – the pinnacle of any visit to Venice. Ask your guide for the best option and they will help you organize the tickets once you decide which journey you will take. There are many options and you may consider sharing the cost with your fellow travelers.

Leave your guide with enough information to understand the layout of the city, and some practical tips to use for the rest of our stay in Venice.