Historical Heart of Venice Afternoon Tour with Gondola Ride
Overview
Go on a shared walking tour and discover the most important places in the historical heart of Venice.
A qualified guide will take you among the calli allowing you to explore the centre of the city.
Come back to St. Mark’s Square and visit the Doge’s Palace, the ancient seat of the Serenissima Republic and impressive palace of Gothic architecture.
Then enter the majestic Basilica, a real masterpiece of Byzantine art, and admire the beautiful golden mosaics and the marble inlay floor.
End your afternoon with a beautiful and charming shared gondola ride (up to 6 people for gondola), let the gondolier take you among the canals and be fascinated by the hidden corners of Venice from the water.
Highlights
- On a shared walking tour, discover the most important places in the historical heart of Venice
- Visit the Doge’s Palace, the ancient seat of the Serenissima Republic and impressive palace of Gothic architecture
- Enter the majestic St Mark's Basilica, a real masterpiece of Byzantine art, and admire the beautiful golden mosaics and the marble inlay floor.
- End your afternoon with a beautiful and charming shared gondola ride
Good to Know
Scheduling: Shared Tour
Languages offered on activity/tour: English, Spanish
Duration: 3 hours
Printed or Mobile Voucher Accepted
This tour is available Monday to Saturday at 14.00 from 1st April to 31st October 2019
Check-in is 15 minutes prior to the booked tour start time
This tour does not operate on Sunday
Min 2 – Max 15 people
Live Guide
English, SpanishEasy Cancellation
Cancel up to 1 day in advance for a full refund
Instant Confirmation
Cut-off Time
Available to be booked until 2 days before the tour starts. We reserve the option to confirm the tour or not due to availability.
Inclusions
- Qualified guide
- Entrance ticket to the Doge’s Palace and Saint Mark’s Basilica
- Gondola tour (shared)
Exclusions
- Hotels pickup/drop off
- Food and drinks
- Everything not mentioned in the (included) field
Meeting Point
In front of the Clock Tower in St. Mark’s Square at 14:00.
Please be sure to get there at least 15 minutes prior to tour starting time
Know Before You Go
- Please note that the gondola ride is shared with other people (up to 6 people per gondola)
- No refund will be accepted for no shows or late arrivals.
- The tour will take place also with rain, in the event of exceptional high tide or bad weather it might be cancelled and refund will be provided
Recent Photos of This Tour
Customer Reviews See all review >
- Excellent 5
- Very Good 4
- Average 3
- Poor 2
- Terrible 1
-
(111)
-
(2)
-
(0)
-
(0)
-
(0)
Excellent
4.9
Add new review
Reviewed by Müller7
CH April 08, 2018

Rating
Just recently returned from Venice and cannot recommend this walking/boat tour with Aida highly enough. She was engaging, very knowledgeable, spoke English beautifully, and just made Venice a special place to visit. If you want a real insight to the city in a short time, then this tour is for you.



- Comments (0)
- Photos (5)
Reviewed by Carol Ann
US November 16, 2017

Rating
It’s basically mandatory to do a small gondola tour if you are in Venice. Friends of ours had used this company before and enjoyed it. I have to say it was a great experience. Venice is a beautiful place to visit and although this tour is only 3 hours, we felt that we got a good overview of central Venice.
Reviewed by J Haugen
NL November 10, 2017

Rating
This is an absolute must do in this romantic city. My husband and I stayed in Venice for a few days and booked this tour online. It was simple and easy and the Doge’s Palace and St Mark's Basilica are absolutely stunning. We finished off with the gondola ride which is shared so try to get in first and overall we were very happy with this tour.



Reviewed by P Jankiewicz
US November 06, 2017

Rating
The trip started on time and we went straight into the Doge's Palace. Our guide Aide was very knowledgeable and happy to answer our questions. The walk covered all the main attractions but also a lot of less well known hidden attractions and really gave us a good feel of Venice. Of course the gondola ride was a must do and the highlight of our tour.
Reviewed by sue21
GB November 04, 2017

Rating
A must do in Venice it is worth every penny. This combined Saint Marks Basilica and Doge's Palace Tour with a ride in a Gondola are excellent. The history and culture of Venice is amazing and our guide was an excellent tour guide -very knowledgeable and friendly. A great experience and the Gondola ride was definitely one of the most romantic things to do. We both loved it and would pay the money again without hesitation if we were to go back.
Sue and Philip
Reviewed by Andrea Lukáč
SK October 30, 2017

Rating
WE HAD A WONDERFUL TOUR OF VENICE WITH AIDA. SHE WAS NOT ONLY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND INFORMATIVE, BUT VERY PATIENT AS WELL.
Reviewed by Holly Albini
US October 30, 2017

Rating
My husband and I went to Venice for our 40th wedding anniversary. This was our first trip to Venice and tour included, Saint Marcos Basilica and Doge’s Palace. We really enjoyed walking through all of the narrow side streets and the guide was very knowledgable. As the group was small (8 people) we all felt that we had individual attention. The gondola ride was so romantic, even for an old couple like us. This tour was the highlight of our weekend in Venice and I would recommend it if you are visiting this city.
Reviewed by P Frisco
ES October 29, 2017

Rating
Grazie Aida was fantastic! What a delightful, passionate, and extremely knowledgeable guide! We toured all the iconic Venice buildings and venues and she provided great insight into the culture, architecture, and history of the city.
Reviewed by Radovan Tóth
SK October 28, 2017

Rating
the palace is amazing and learning more about it from the guide was worth it and the gondola was very good.
Reviewed by Val756
US October 27, 2017

Rating
Our guide was outstanding - passionate with real local knowledge and a very pleasant young lady. The tour was well worth the time and money if you are on a short break and want to take in as much as Venice’s centre in one day. Our gondola driver was very knowledgeable and did a great job at not only pointing out landmarks to us but also was able to answer a lot of our questions as-well it was just one of those experiences where you feel like you're in a movie!
Reviewed by Peter and Sally
GB October 26, 2017

Rating
Reasonable, reliable and so helpful, from booking to visiting. A tour that is well worth doing if you are in Venice. Even though the gondola rides are expensive, I feel that you cannot come to Venice and not try one. The walk and seeing the Basilica and palace were perfect. We did not feel rushed and our guide allowed for older members of the group to keep up. Thank you from Peter and Sally.
Reviewed by Heather McDowd
US October 15, 2017

Rating
Our walking tour of Venice with Anna was an absolute joy. So much to see and appreciate. She did a marvelous job in explaining the history of Venice, pointing out so many interesting sights and telling us so many facts. Doing the tour at the start of our break really set us up for a wonderful trip as Anna also offered us excellent guidance on how we could best spend the rest of our time. It was good that this was a small group tour and we never felt like we were being herded about like cattle.
Reviewed by Colleen Hastings
NZ October 15, 2017

Rating
We would highly recommend this company as well as the guide. We booked the tour online before leaving New Zealand and were a little worried. We did not have to worry. The meeting point was easy to find and our guide explained the history of Venice in an easy way. Having two young children, the time of this tour was perfect. The highlight for us all was the Gondola ride, which is something you only do once in a lifetime.
Reviewed by Mario P
PT October 15, 2017

Rating
The gondola ride is fun, allows you to see Venice from a different perspective and the Basilica and Doges palace are just magical. The guide was very informative and answered all of our questions. A lovely day out.
Reviewed by Balduino4
PT October 15, 2017

Rating
WE TOURED ST .MARKS AND DOGES PALACE AND THEN FINISHED OUR DAY WITH A BOAT RIDE. WONDERFUL TOUR, WOULD RECOMMEND TO ANYONE.
Reviewed by R Sleiman
UA October 13, 2017

Rating
IT WAS INTERESTING GOING THROUGH ALL THE SITES INCLUDING BASILICA SAN MARCO AND DODGES PALACE. THE GONDOLA WAS VERY MUCH FUN AS WELL. THANK YOU.
Reviewed by Aryan Anand
IN October 09, 2017

Rating
I would just like to let you know how much we enjoyed this tour. Our guide made it all the more enjoyable with his entertaining and knowledgeable dialogue and has inspired me to learn more.
Reviewed by Gail and Stephen
US October 08, 2017

Rating
Experiencing Venice through the eyes of someone that can inform you about all the famous and not so famous sites along your way is highly recommended. The fact that you don’t have to queue up in order to enter the sites is also a bonus. The lines to get in to San Marcus Church were huge, but with a guide, you can walk straight in. The gondola ride has always been on my list of ‘must do’s’. We loved going through all the narrow canals and taking in all Venice’s history.
Reviewed by Davina Jones
IE October 06, 2017

Rating
This was our very first trip to Venice and we decided to book this tour. It was very useful to have an experienced guide share their knowledge with us, especially on the historical significance of the Basilica and Doge’s Palace. Our two teenage children enjoyed the tour and learned a great deal from it. I think for everyone the highlight has to be sailing in a gondola on the canal. This is a tour that is worth its money and we highly recommend it.
Reviewed by Emmerich31
DE October 04, 2017

Rating
Our guide was an excellent tour guide - easy going, knowledgeable and fun – a very nice time.