Venice Highlights Tour: St. Mark's Basilica & Gondola Ride

Experience the best of Venice on a private day tour with skip-the-line access to top attractions and a memorable gondola ride. Explore Saint Mark’s Square, visit Saint Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, and discover hidden gems like the Rialto Bridge and Marco Polo’s house.

Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Piazza San Marco - Your experience of Venice begins in the iconic St Mark’s square where you will also meet your guide.
  • Basilica di San Marco - Next, skip the long lines and enter this beautiful and ornate basilica as your guide provides you with anecdotes of its history.
  • Doge’s Palace - Next make your way to the Doge’s Palace again…
What's Included
  • Priority access to St Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace
  • Exclusive private gondola ride
  • Guided tour with a local expert
What's Not Included
  • food and drinks
  • gratuities (optional)
Additional Information

Embark on a special excursion of Venice with a personal specialist guide, and fully experience this extraordinary city and its main attractions. Start in the Saint Mark’s Square for a brilliant view of Saint Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, the personal sanctuary of the Venetian dukes until the 1800s. Enjoy exclusive entry, and bypass the long…

Location
Chiesa di San Giacomo di Rialto
Campo San Giacomo di Rialto
In front of Chiesa di San Giacomo in Campo San Giacomo di Rialto. Your guide will be holding a LivTours sign.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(63 Ratings)
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Nedat63
Nov 6, 2024
Great Venice Tour - Wonderful way to see the best of Venice and the stunning insides of St. Mark's and Doge's Palace! Our tour guide Tullia and her incredible detailed knowledge of the city made our tour exactly what we were looking for despite a little rain!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lolopires
Oct 21, 2024
Skipping lines = Money well spent! - My mother & I had a great time and our guide Marie was wonderful. We would highly recommend this tour to anyone looking to see the most popular sites and skipping the long lines were well worth it.
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Tiffany_m
Oct 12, 2024
Great tour with a great tour guide. - This was a great tour with an exceptional tour guide. She did a great job personalizing the tour. We strolled thru the fish market and learned about the fresh fish and produce as a bonus.
Review provided by Viator
Frank_n
Oct 12, 2024
Great tour when you have limited time - The gondola ride. Great tour guide. She knew the history and the culture. She was very pleasant. Thanks
Review provided by Viator
Marianne_w
Sep 29, 2024
AMAZING - Edi was AMAZING! She was so informative and really immersed us in the history of Venice!! Would highly recommend this tour!!
Review provided by Viator
Lisa_j
Sep 10, 2024
A perfect tour - This tour is a must ! Chiara was a fantastic guide so knowledgeable and fun to spend time with & skipping the lines was a blessing . Finished off with an iconic gondola ride - if you want to do Venice in 4 hours this is the tour for you. Do it in the morning to avoid heat & crowds
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Michael_o
Aug 11, 2024
Venice in a Day - Great tour! Our tour guide was wonderful and we learned so much about Venice from her. My fiance and I had a private Venice in a day tour. Would highly recommend.
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Scott
Aug 10, 2024
Great way to see and understand Venice. This is a must if you visit this wonderful place. - Roberta was a fantastic guide. She left no stone unturned. Took great care to answer all of our questions. Was very interesting as well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sherrie_f
Aug 4, 2024
Truly was the best of Venice! - Had a wonderful although hot and humid tour in Venice. Pamela did an amazing job balancing sites, crowds and heat. She had a seventh sense in how to find shortest lines, best pictures of our group and pleasant coming off areas. With only two days to spend Bernadette and Pamela were top. guides and we will return to the states with much love and appreciation of Venice.
Review provided by Viator
Christiane
Sep 25, 2024
3.5 stars - needs better communication & time management, esp inside Basilica - 3.5 stars. We were expecting better for a private tour that cost so much. Nima, our guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable, and provided ready access to St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. Unfortunately, he spoke quietly with a strong accent, so it was difficult. The huge crowds didn’t help. We also felt rushed. While we enjoyed the fish market near the Rialto bridge and wandering around St. Mark’s Square, we would have enjoyed lingering longer in St Mark’s Basilica, understanding the story behind the four horses (and having them pointed out) and discussing other artworks. We found the frequently used (here and by other Venetian guides) practice of asking if we knew the answer to certain questions condescending and patronizing. Our tour started at 9AM and Nima left us at 12:30-1:00PM, with instructions to meet “Mike” at 2PM at Danieli’s Gondolas. We had a bite of lunch and did so, expecting Mike to continue the tour. However, Mike just confirmed our 2PM gondola ride and sent us off with the gondaliere (really cute guy 😁 but not very communicative). On the whole, I would have preferred four separate tours, with opportunities to linger after the tour guide departs: (1) a very early morning tour (7:30AM - 1 hour) of the Rialto Bridge and fish market; (2) a 9:00AM meeting inside St. Mark’s Square with first admittance (9:30AM?) to St. Mark’s Basilica; (3) an 11:30AM tour of the Doge’s Palace; and (4) an afternoon (3:00 or 4:00PM) or early evening gondola ride.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $208
up to 15 guests
2 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).