Venice In a Day: Explore Basilica San Marco, Doges Palace & Unforgettable Gondola Ride
4.8
1,907 Ratings
Venezia
Experience the best of Venice in just one day! Explore the iconic Basilica San Marco, visit the majestic Doges Palace, and take a romantic gondola ride along the Grand Canal. Limited to 20 people for a personalized experience.
Duration: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Ponte di Rialto - Your tour starts at ground level with a guided walking tour of the city’s most famous and most interesting sights. See the Rialto Bridge and learn about Venice’s food culture at the Rialto Fish Market. Along the way hear tales of famous Venetians like Marco Polo as well as how Venice came to be—and how it survived against the odds.
  • Canal Grande - As your walking tour ends, take a gondola ride and cruise along the Grand Canal and into the quieter back canals of the city with a maximum of 5 people per vessel.
  • Venice - Pause for a break. While it’s not included in the tour, your guide will share plenty of great recommendations on where to grab a coffee and a snack.
  • Basilica di San Marco - After the break, reconvene at St. Mark’s Square and enter St. Mark’s Basilica to explore its stunning history, architecture, and art with your guide.
  • Doge’s Palace - Then it’s on to Venice’s other top sight—the Doge’s Palace. Skip the line with pre-reserved tickets and enjoy the benefit of having an expert local guide as you navigate council rooms, audience halls, and masterpieces by Veronese and Tintoretto.
What's Included
  • Gondola Ride
  • Skip-the-line St. Mark’s Basilica access
  • Local English-speaking guide
  • Pre-reserved entry to Doge’s Palace
  • Headset for tour clarity
  • Expert-guided walking tour
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Is this your maiden visit to Venice? Make the most of your stay with a packed day of iconic must-sees. Take a peaceful walk over the Rialto Bridge, and peruse the bustling Rialto fish market. Afterward, board a traditional gondola for a picturesque voyage down the Grand Canal. Subsequently, gain entry to St. Mark’s Basilica and marvel at the breathtaking gold mosaics within. Lastly, take advantage of your skip-the-line ticket to the majestic Doge’s Palace. This boutique tour groups are capped at 20 participants for an intimate experience.

  • St. Mark’s Basilica can be subject to unforeseen closures due to particular liturgical celebrations. In the case in which the basilica is closed, we will give you explanations from the outside.
  • Please note that lunch is not included on this tour. We have allowed time for you to eat lunch between the AM and PM tours. Your guide will give you recommendations and tell you where to meet after lunch but please be aware that it is your responsibility to arrive at the meeting point in time for your PM tour.
  • The prisons and the armory of the Doge’s Palace are not wheelchair-accessible, as a result of which we cannot accommodate wheelchairs on this tour.
  • This tour runs rain or shine. However, please note that the gondola ride cannot operate during heavy rain or high tides. In this case we will provide an alternative itinerary.
  • Walks complies with all local government regulations. Please refer to Italy government guidelines for the most up to date information
Location
Campo S. Giacomo di Rialto, 255
Campo San Giacomo di Rialto
At the central fountain of Campo San Giacomo di Rialto (Campo San Giacometto). Your guide will be holding a Walks sign.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(1907 Ratings)
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Sherryl_r
May 31, 2024
Wonderful Venice - Mose was great! He was so knowledgeable about Venice. I'm glad I decided to book a tour with Walks, we learned a lot from him.
Review provided by Viator
Rona_c
May 31, 2024
Excellent day - Our guide Martina was amazing- she was knowledgeable and personable. Wonderful walking tour of Venice. Fun gondola ride, sufficient free time for shopping and lunch. Skip the line at Doge’s palace was awesome. Perfect day!
Review provided by Viator
Suzanne_m
May 31, 2024
A must do - It was good. It rained during the gondola ride but it was still nice. The palace tour could have been shorter but overall it was nice.
Review provided by Viator
William_e
May 31, 2024
Venice tour with Martina - Martina our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and provided a great and memorable tour. She took her time to answer everyone’s questions. She provided suggestions for places to eat. She even quickly got to know our names and remembered where we were from.
Review provided by Viator
Cruiser46921493594
May 31, 2024
Outstanding Venice Guide - We had an outstanding guide who was very knowledgeable. He was fun and kept everything interesting while providing us with wonderful information about Venice.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
M8776slrachell
May 31, 2024
Highly recommend! - This trip was perfect, covering all of the highlights if you have limited time in Venice. Our guide Alessondra was so passionate about Venice and very knowledgeable, with a degree in history. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patricia_b
May 30, 2024
A plethora of information! - Walking the city and learning so many interesting details about the history of the places we visited. the guide was incredibly knowledgeable and very entertaining.
Review provided by Viator
Bruce_d
May 30, 2024
Very informative - Our tour guide was very informative and easy to understand. The tour was very longe and covered many of the sites.
Review provided by Viator
Susan_s
May 30, 2024
Venice in a day - We were In Venice for such a short time we decided this would be the ideal choice for us. We enjoyed the tour of the city and the gondola ride!
Review provided by Viator
Carla_h
May 30, 2024
Excellent! - Our tour guide, Nicoletta, made this a wonderful experience for us, and we could feel her pride as a Venetian as she shared the incredible and rich history of this beautiful city. The tour was very informative, well spaced, organized, and so much to see and enjoy. It offered a variety of experiences for visitors and we would highly recommend it as a comprehensive tour of the city and important historical sites.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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