Historical Heart of Venice Afternoon Tour with Gondola Ride

4.9 / 5 total 112 reviews

Duration: 3 hours

Tour ID: 2507

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

Languages offered on activity/tour: English, Spanish

Duration: 3 hours

Printed 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, Spanish

Easy 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 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

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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.

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Reviewed by Carol Ann

US November 16, 2017

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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.

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Reviewed by J Haugen

NL November 10, 2017

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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.

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Reviewed by P Jankiewicz

US November 06, 2017

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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.

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Reviewed by sue21

GB November 04, 2017

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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

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Reviewed by Andrea Lukáč

SK October 30, 2017

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WE HAD A WONDERFUL TOUR OF VENICE WITH AIDA. SHE WAS NOT ONLY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND INFORMATIVE, BUT VERY PATIENT AS WELL.

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Reviewed by Holly Albini

US October 30, 2017

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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.

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Reviewed by P Frisco

ES October 29, 2017

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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.

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Reviewed by Radovan Tóth

SK October 28, 2017

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the palace is amazing and learning more about it from the guide was worth it and the gondola was very good.

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Reviewed by Val756

US October 27, 2017

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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!

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Reviewed by Peter and Sally

GB October 26, 2017

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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.

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Reviewed by Heather McDowd

US October 15, 2017

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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.

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Reviewed by Colleen Hastings

NZ October 15, 2017

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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.

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Reviewed by Mario P

PT October 15, 2017

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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.

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Reviewed by Balduino4

PT October 15, 2017

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WE TOURED ST .MARKS AND DOGES PALACE AND THEN FINISHED OUR DAY WITH A BOAT RIDE. WONDERFUL TOUR, WOULD RECOMMEND TO ANYONE.

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Reviewed by R Sleiman

UA October 13, 2017

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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.

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Reviewed by Aryan Anand

IN October 09, 2017

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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.

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Reviewed by Gail and Stephen

US October 08, 2017

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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.

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Reviewed by Davina Jones

IE October 06, 2017

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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.