Join a Guided Venice Walking Tour & Discover Its Enchanting Secrets

Venice successful Northern Italy is often referred to arsenic the “City of Canals” oregon the “Queen of the Adriatic,” is dissimilar immoderate different spot connected Earth (no Venice successful Vegas is ne'er an option!)

While we’re not raving fans of Venice, we bash deliberation it should beryllium connected each traveler’s bucket list, simply due to the fact that it is truthful unsocial with a agelong past worthy learning about. 

One of the champion ways to spot mysterious Venice, is connected foot. While a Venice walking circuit doesn’t instrumentality you astir the full city, it does instrumentality you to the unmissable sites, and a fewer hidden gems, whilst simultaneously interacting with the locals and getting tips for visiting the city.

If you’re similar america and you’re lone visiting Venice for a time (that was much than capable for us) past you mightiness beryllium tempted by a walking circuit of Venice.

But is it worthy it? What bash you see? And which walking circuit enactment should I spell with? These are each fantabulous questions, which we volition beryllium answering below.

What is the champion mode to spot Venice?

Venice is not a immense metropolis and truthful the champion mode to spot it is connected foot. You could easy locomotion astir the main historical sites wrong an hour. If you necessitate nationalist proscription successful Venice, your champion stake is to hop connected a h2o taxi.

The Venice Walking Tour Itinerary

Nestled connected a clump of 118 tiny islands successful the Venetian Lagoon on the northeastern seashore of Italy, Venice’s chiseled quality is instantly apparent.

The city’s architecture, prevalent successful Gothic and Renaissance palaces, arsenic good arsenic iconic canals, and romanticist gondolas marque it a imagination destination for many. 

However, portion its intricate web of canals, alleyways, and bridges conceal hidden treasures waiting to beryllium discovered, it tin besides pb you to consciousness mislaid successful a maze of winding streets.

With a constricted clip for sightseeing, however bash you cognize however to acceptable it each in, not get lost, and acquisition its enchanting secrets?

If you’re wondering what a walking circuit acquisition of the floating metropolis is like, here’s wherever our 3 hr guided circuit took us:

Rialto Neighborhood: Venice’s First

Chiesa di San Giacomo di Rialto

We started our circuit extracurricular Chiesa di San Giacomo di Rialto, Venice’s archetypal religion and the metropolis began connected 25th March 421.

Legend has it that Venice began with the colonisation from the mainland trying to find a spot wherever they felt much protected from their rivals. The lagoon and marshlands provided them with that. 

After our instauration to the metropolis and tour, Paolo, our section circuit guide, guided america done this Rialto neighborhood, on the canal, and done the effect and rootlike markets and Rialto Fish Market, which closes astatine midday owed to the heat.

We didn’t get to spot the bustling Rialto marketplace that draws radical from each implicit Venice, but we got to acquisition its lingering smell! 

The section markets

It was a fantastic mode to commencement the circuit distant from the crowds and larn much astir Venetian beingness including its emotion for bully seafood and prosecco, which comes from Venice! Venice besides has its ain winery, which you tin enjoy connected this vino tasting tour!

On the mode to Rialto Bridge, we passed the souvenir shops connected the main street. I bought a beauteous pinkish scarf from present – retired of necessity -as Kalyra was wearing shorts, and knees and shoulders indispensable beryllium covered erstwhile entering St Mark’s Basilica – 1 of the champion stops connected our Venice waking tour.

In the past, these souvenir markets were filled with luxury products similar silk and spices arsenic Venice was a cardinal halt connected the abstraction trading routes, helping it to go an important economical planetary halfway successful 1300s and 1400s.

The Rialto Bridge

Rialto Bridge earlier 9am

No walking circuit of Venice would beryllium legit, if you did not locomotion implicit the oldest span crossed the Grand Canal. As a cardinal crossing point, it has ever played a captious relation successful the regular functioning of the Republic of Venice. 

In the mediate of the span are much souvenir shops which person been determination since its beginning.

The Rialto Bridge dates to the 12th period and was built arsenic a woody structure, but it collapsed doubly earlier they decided to reconstruct it successful the much reliable chromatic betwixt 1588 and 1591 by Antonio da Ponte.

Rialto Bridge astatine 3pm

The different presumption connected the Rialto Bridge

We stopped present concisely to marvel astatine the bridge’s architectural beauty, drawback our “I was present photo”, and ticker beingness spell by connected the Grand Canal. Paolo steered america implicit to the different broadside of the span – the little crowded broadside for a antithetic but conscionable arsenic enjoyable Grand Canal view. 

Wandering the Alleyways

A canal astatine each turn

With her tiny emblem to assistance america spot her done the crowds, Paolo zig zagged america done the quiescent squares and alleyways that susurration stories of the past. 

She shared those, but besides applicable tidbits similar wherever to chow down connected the champion section eats and however to navigate the maze-like metropolis streets are connected the paper too.

I enjoyed learning much astir Venetian beingness including the request to get astir connected ferries oregon gondolas to flight the 30 cardinal visitors a year, and their obligations to cleanable up the mess, including canine poo.

Venice has six districts, 3 connected 1 broadside of the Grand Canal and 3 connected the other. If you person much clip successful Venice, it’s worthy exploring to admit beingness successful Venice beyond the apical tourer attractions.

Marco Polo House

Our walking circuit took america to Marco Polo house

This continued arsenic we wandered the constrictive alleyways of Corte del Milion to sojourn the tract of Marco Polo’s location successful the 4th of San Giovanni Crisostomo. 

The celebrated explorer and merchant lived present for the past 25 years of his life, until January 1324. We learned a batch astir his beingness arsenic we stood successful this square.

The archetypal location unluckily burnt down successful 1596. All that remains is simply a large archway with a beauteous Veneto-Romanesque arched lintel and connected the foundations of this large house, successful 1678, the existent Malibran theatre was constructed.

Marco Polo canal

Some of the gondola rides volition walk by it. I did connected my archetypal sojourn to Venice, but our gondola thrust this clip did not. Our circuit proceeded connected the different broadside of the gathering for views from the canal.

Paolo told america a batch astir Marco Polo’s question life, which was 1 of my favorite parts of this walking tour.

Campo San Giovanni e Paolo

Santi Giovanni e Paolo

We winded done much alleyways, learning much astir Venetian beingness to the overmuch quieter Campo San Giovanni e Paolo, for an espresso break. 

In Venice campo is piazza, which means writer meadow. Each Island successful Venice has its ain campo serving the villages, and each campo has a religion named aft it, and a assemblage well. The villagers would physique tanks and capable them with soil to filter the brackish h2o into drinkable water.

It’s 1 of the largest squares successful Venice and is wherever you’ll find Santi Giovanni e Paolo, 1 of the largest churches successful the city. It’s named aft St John and Paul the protectors and has the presumption of a insignificant basilica. Twenty-five doges are buried here.

Espresso stop

In beforehand of the Scuola Grande di San Marco

Paolo besides told america much astir the Scuola Grande di San Marco infirmary connected the square, which utilized to beryllium the location for the brotherhood fraternity.

Here you tin wage €1.50 to usage the restrooms oregon bargain an espresso for the aforesaid terms oregon little and usage their facilities with it. #nobrainer

St Mark’s Basilica VIP Access

Now we’ve had our day espresso fix, it’s clip to stroll past the lines and into St. Mark’s Basilica, oregon Basilica di san Marco, with our pre-reserved skip-the-line tickets. 

Since we’d spent 3 weeks successful Europe already, we were much than blessed to sojourn St Mark’s Basilica connected this guided tour. It’s tiny capable that a speedy circuit is much than adequate, and with a usher nary clip volition beryllium wasted looking astatine things you don’t understand. 

I loved having an fantabulous usher constituent retired the astir cardinal features and sharing the Venetian past of Italy’s 2nd astir important religion to us. He was afloat of absorbing facts, anecdotes and accusation that you wouldn’t find successful the guidebooks.

St. Mark’s Basilica is different awe-inspiring Byzantine masterpiece, highlighting intricate aureate mosaics, gilded domes, and exquisite relics. Prepare to person your jaw conscionable the floor. 

It truly is worthy a visit, but determination was nary mode I wanted to hold successful enactment with astir different radical for hours waiting to get in. Skip the enactment with our Walks of Italy guided circuit was impressive.

We besides passed done St Mark’s Square, oregon Piazza san Marco, which was fractional taken implicit getting acceptable for an evening concert. To beryllium honest, I find St Mark’s Square precise underwhelming. As it’s unfastened and free, you tin sojourn it astatine immoderate clip connected your travel to Venice.

Let’s decorativeness with a Gondola Ride

You truly can’t travel to Venice and not bash a gondola ride. There are immoderate touristy attractions that conscionable person to beryllium done.

We finished our guided walking circuit with the 30-minute gondola ride. It was portion of the tour, which meant we could skip the lines! 

When you spot that some of the gondola rides are the aforesaid terms arsenic this three-hour walking tour, you tin recognize the worth of doing this circuit arsenic it’s included!

With conscionable a fistful of chap adventurers connected board, you’ll glide done the dreamy waterways, soaking successful the cityscape designed for this nonstop view. 

As we were a household of four, we had a gondola each to ourselves, which we truly appreciate. And since we were connected the day tour, we rode the gondola astatine the perfect clip – precocious day to aboriginal evening, conscionable arsenic the prima deed aureate hour. 

This is the clip erstwhile the Venetian architecture and quaint canals are awash successful aureate light, illuminating their finer details and intricate designs.

Taking a gondola thrust successful Venice is similar stepping into a dream. As you drift on the city’s labyrinthine canals, you’ll beryllium transported backmost to a clip of romance and elegance.

Is a Guided Walking Tour of Venice Worth It?

We urge joining a guided circuit of Venice, similar we did with Walks of Italy. They person assorted circuit options to spot each the sights and more.

The longer I question (and with kids), particularly present to destinations similar Europe that person specified a affluent history, the much I spot the worth successful guided tours.

It allows maine the accidental to power disconnected from being mum and caput circuit guide, and link a small deeper to the destination, the city’s past and culture. Otherwise, it gets mislaid successful a oversea of complaints, bored brains, bushed feet, assemblage hustle, and endless navigation. 

Marco Polo House Venice

Even if you person much than a time successful Venice, a guided circuit is simply a large mode to orient yourself to the metropolis and observe places you privation to instrumentality to for a deeper look, and a much lingering Venice experience. Just inquire your section usher to archer you immoderate of those hidden secrets! 

If you’re acceptable to dive into the enchanting vibes of Venice without getting mislaid successful a oversea of maps, this is the circuit for you. In conscionable 3 hours, you’ll spell from being a tourer to a Venice insider, each acknowledgment to your section guide’s passionateness and know-how.

We joined the Welcome to Venice: Walking Tour, St Mark’s Basilica & Gondola Ride tour arsenic guests of Walks of Italy (but nether nary work to constitute this post).

We besides did a guided walking circuit successful Florence with Walks of Italy and food and vino circuit successful Florence, a street nutrient circuit of Rome, and Montmartre nutrient circuit successful Paris with their sister institution Devour Tours and recovered some companies and tours to beryllium professional, informative, and enjoyable.

Local Venetian Tour Guide

One happening I emotion astir Walks of Italy is that each circuit their nonrecreational guides are section – either calved and bred – oregon person lived determination for immoderate time. They besides often person creation and past degrees truthful are profoundly knowledgeable astir the country they are guiding you through. 

Our section usher Paola has lived successful Venice for implicit 2 decades and was precise passionate and good versed successful Venetian civilization and mode of life.

Listening to Paola picture mundane beingness successful Venice was the archetypal clip I understood wherefore radical would unrecorded present and conflict the never-ending menace (and reality) of encroaching flood waters. (not excessively notation the never-ending tourists!)

She was kind, gentle, and attentive, answering each questions and keeping america astatine a gentle gait but making definite we didn’t miss anything. 

Unfortunately, we did person immoderate tourists behaving severely connected our tour. I’ve done hundreds of tours astir the world, and this was the lone clip I’ve experienced specified embarrassing behavior.

It was a acquisition for my girls to spot this and admit their ain respectful behaviour but to recognize the value of considering others. 

It’s important for you to cognize this behaviour is NOT normal, is successful nary mode indicative of the Walks of Italy tour and did not spoil it.

What it is indicative of is the classy mode Paola handled it. She was steadfast and nonstop and artfully knew what behaviors to disregard and which ones to address. Everyone other connected the circuit spoke truthful highly of her due to the fact that of it and had deeper gratitude for her.

Other Venice Tour Options with Walks of Italy

Doge’s Palace

Walks of Italy person different options for guided tours of Venice. We wanted to articulation their Venice Boat Tour with Grand Canal & Clock Tower Climb but it was sold out. So beryllium definite to publication successful advance!

As we enjoyed our Europe nutrient tours truthful much, and Venice has a unsocial and delicious nutrient scene, their Cicchetti, Food & Wine Tour astatine sunset would beryllium a highlight!

With much clip successful Venice, you whitethorn privation to flight the crowds with this enchanting time travel to Venice’s lesser-visited outer islands, specified arsenic the Island of Murano & Burano, implicit with an exclusive vino tasting and backstage glassblowing objection from maestro glassmakers.

Final Thoughts connected a Walking Tour of Venice

Happy being guided astir Venice

With its enchanting labyrinth of waterways, historical architecture, affluent taste heritage, and iconic landmarks, Venice has captured the imaginations of travelers for centuries. 

Taking this guided walking circuit of Venice volition let you to flip those maps speech and effortlessly research Venice and signifier a deeper transportation to its history, culture, and radical 1 quirky alley and majestic span astatine a time!

Wondering what other to bash with the remainder of your time successful Venice? We person you covered: Check retired our one-day itinerary of Venice with a fewer hidden nutrient spots, and our astonishing favourite tour. We besides person a station sharing the top things to bash successful Venice and tips for visiting Doge’s Palace.

And portion you are successful this region, you must sojourn Verona. We stayed successful Verona and traveled to Venice for the day. Many radical bash it the different mode around, but for me, Verona has my heart. It’s a charming and romanticist Italian municipality with much abstraction and less crowds than Venice.