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Venice In a Day: Explore Basilica San Marco, Doges Palace & Unforgettable Gondola Ride
4.8
2,740 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.
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
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Ponte di Rialto - Begin the tour at ground level with a guided walk through the city’s most renowned and captivating attractions. Discover the Rialto Bridge and delve into Venice’s culinary traditions at the Rialto Fish Market. Along the journey, hear stories of notable Venetians like Marco Polo and learn about Venice’s origins and its remarkable…
- Ponte di Rialto - Begin the tour at ground level with a guided walk through the city’s most renowned and captivating attractions. Discover the Rialto Bridge and delve into Venice’s culinary traditions at the Rialto Fish Market. Along the journey, hear stories of notable Venetians like Marco Polo and learn about Venice’s origins and its remarkable survival.
- Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli - Sightseeing & Photo Stop
- Rialto Market - Sightseeing & Photo Stop
- Marco Polo’s House - Sightseeing & Photo Stop
- Canal Grande - Conclude the walking tour with a gondola ride, gliding along the Grand Canal and into the serene back canals of the city, accommodating up to 5 people per gondola.
- Venice - Take a break. Although not part of the tour, the guide will offer excellent suggestions for coffee and snacks.
- Basilica di San Marco - After a brief pause for a self-arranged snack, regroup at St. Mark’s Square. With pre-booked skip-the-line tickets, enter St. Mark’s Basilica to explore its magnificent history, architecture, and art with your guide. Enjoy close-up views of the exquisite gold mosaics with exclusive first-floor access.
- Doge’s Palace - Proceed to another of Venice’s premier attractions—the Doge’s Palace. Bypass the line with pre-booked tickets and benefit from an expert local guide as you explore council rooms, audience halls, and artworks by Veronese and Tintoretto.
- Bridge Of Sighs - Sightseeing & Photo Stop
What's Included
- Gondola Ride
- Skip-the-line ticket for St. Mark’s Basilica (8:15 AM and 8:30 AM only)
- Local English-speaking guide
- Pre-reserved ticket to the Doge’s Palace
- Expertly guided walking tour
- Headset
- Gondola Ride
- Skip-the-line ticket for St. Mark’s Basilica (8:15 AM and 8:30 AM only)
- Local English-speaking guide
- Pre-reserved ticket to the Doge’s Palace
- Expertly guided walking tour
- Headset
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
- Lunch
- 9:00 AM departure does NOT visit St. Mark’s Basilica
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
- Lunch
- 9:00 AM departure does NOT visit St. Mark’s Basilica
Additional Information
Visiting Venice for the first time? Make the most of your visit with a comprehensive full-day itinerary that covers all the city’s iconic sights. Begin by walking across the Rialto Bridge and exploring the bustling Rialto fish market. Then, enjoy a romantic gondola ride along the Grand Canal. Continue your journey with a visit to St. Mark’s Basilica to…
Visiting Venice for the first time? Make the most of your visit with a comprehensive full-day itinerary that covers all the city’s iconic sights. Begin by walking across the Rialto Bridge and exploring the bustling Rialto fish market. Then, enjoy a romantic gondola ride along the Grand Canal. Continue your journey with a visit to St. Mark’s Basilica to admire its breathtaking gold mosaics. Conclude your day with a skip-the-line entry to the magnificent Doge’s Palace. This small-group tour is capped at 20 participants, ensuring a personalized experience.
Venice Express - The 4-hour and 30-minute Express tour wraps up at 1:00 PM.
- Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments or with wheelchairs, or strollers.
- If access is restricted due to private events inside St. Mark’s Basilica and/or Doge’s Palace, we cannot be held responsible. This is a situation beyond our control. No refund will be issued.
- In case of unforeseen circumstances such as bad weather (heavy rain, strong wind, high tide) conditions that prevent the gondola ride from taking place or any operational or safety reasons beyond our control it may be substituted for another experience, but no refund will be provided.
- This tour is in English.
- This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty
Location
Campo S. Giacomo di Rialto, 255
Campo San Giacomo di Rialto
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour, your guide will be holding a green Walks sign. This tour meets outside the entrance of the Church of San Giacometto at Campo San Giacomo di Rialto 255, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(2740 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Donna_c
Feb 26, 2025
A day in Venice - Lots of history. Very interesting. Great getting a tour from a native Italian. Would definitely do it again. The gondola ride was beautiful.
Review provided by Viator
Nickolas_b
Feb 20, 2025
Interesting - We enjoyed it and learned a lot about Venice! Tour guy was knowledgeable and funny though could get irritated easily.
Review provided by Viator
Lisa_r
Feb 17, 2025
Our tour guide. Arianna,... - Our tour guide. Arianna, was friendly and knowledgeable. We really enjoyed the day. Would highly recommend it.
Review provided by Viator
Davida_a
Feb 16, 2025
Our tour guide was... - Our tour guide was fantastic. She kept us moving and engaged. I think we would have preferred not having the 1.5 hour break and just went straight through and finish a bit earlier.
Review provided by Viator
Anthonyba3910nb
Feb 16, 2025
Murano & Burano - Excellent all round experience Frankie was a brilliant tour guide very friendly and informative would highly recommend this trip
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisa_z
Feb 13, 2025
Long tour but so... - Long tour but so informative. Be prepared to wear good sneakers. Tour guide did a great job. Radio earpiece was so helpful.
Review provided by Viator
Busola_t
Feb 23, 2025
Fascinating history told... - Fascinating history told by a charismatic and engaging tour guide, Guilano. Many thanks to him and the team.
Review provided by Viator
Kjkaletini_d
Feb 21, 2025
This was VERY good for... - This was VERY good for the money, my niece loved the gondala ride, the basilica and palace were stunning. The only issue we had was the tour guide, extremely knowledgeable cant fault her there but she didn't really talk to the whole group. She seemed to concentrate only with the people in the front of the group (usually about 4people, and then only about 2 people at a time) and she didn't stop and talk directly to the group, was just walking and talking, but again she walking with the 4people, not kind of leading it. In the end me and my niece just stayed within the group but trailed at the end to experience and see more of what we was interested in, as she was also fast paced.
There was a chance to go in the shop at the Douge palace as this was the end of the tour within the palace, and you could even go around. We was not made aware of the gift shop for the basilica was IN the basilica, so once we had left the dogue palace, we went to find the basilica gift shop only to find out from the security guard that it is IN the basilica therefore we couldn't re-enter.
But again...this was 100 worth it for the money.
Review provided by Viator
Hannah_e
Feb 14, 2025
Good tour, but needs some refining - Whilst overall we had a good experience on this tour in terms of the sights we saw and the activities included - it could use some refining to enhance the overall experience. Some of the issues may depend on the time of year and the specific group you’re with.
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, and his passion for Venice was evident. That said, he often spoke at length about certain topics, which resulted in the tour running over time. It was very cold in the morning, and too much time was spent in the fish market area, where we were left standing around listening to the guide while getting colder. People expressed that they weren’t interested in the fish market, but we didn’t move on. The extended talks, combined with a delayed schedule, led to a rushed break (only 5 minutes) and a stressful transition to the gondola rides. This seemed to stem from the guide’s enthusiasm, though the group did ask a lot of questions.
The gondola ride was a definite highlight and was very well-organized—just show up and hop on!
In the afternoon, the guide spent a lot of time at the Doge’s Palace, and once again, time management was an issue. This meant we didn’t have time for a break in the afternoon. On a 6+ hour tour, a chance to pause and digest the information is important, but we rushed through the Basilica in like 10 mins, which was unfortunate because the guide clearly knew a lot about it. By that point, we were already overwhelmed with information.
The Good:
1. Extremely knowledgeable and passionate guide.
2. You see all the main sights of Venice in one day, which gives you a great overview of the city.
3. Skip-the-line access, making everything easy and efficient.
4. The gondola ride was a highlight and well-organized.
Areas for Improvement:
1. A brief introduction at the start would be beneficial, so the guide can tailor the tour to the group’s interests and avoid focusing on things people are less interested in. It would also allow people to get to know each other
2. Time management is crucial. A better awareness of timing would ensure that key moments that are highlights of Venice aren’t rushed.
3. A better balance in the information provided—pauses or breaks would help with absorption and prevent information overload.
4. Coordinating with a local restaurant for a longer break would improve the experience, offering a chance for guests to recharge and socialize.
While the tour had some fantastic moments, we believe it would benefit from better pacing, more attention to the comfort of the group, and a few adjustments to the structure. If you’re prepared for a lot of information and limited downtime, we would still recommend it, but with a few adjustments, it could be a truly awesome experience
Review provided by Viator
Is1d0ra
Feb 20, 2025
Not for me but for others perfect - Super educational we had a fantastic tour guide a lady with blonde hair I forgot her name. Im only rating this 3 because me and my mum had to stop the tour from how hot it was. It was way too fast paced for us . We did enjoy the gondola ride and we learned so much. If you are into educational fast paced tours this is the one for you !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
