Walking tour of Venice with gondola ride and breakfast

This small group guided walking tour will make you discover in a short few hours the artistic and historical heart of the city of Venice. A full immersion between art, culture and all the taste of traditional cuisine. Romantic, gothic and mysterious, Venice is a place of inspiration for anyone who experiences it.

Breakfast in Venice

Your small group tour of Venice will begin when you meet your expert guide at one of the historic cafes in the center. Ready to answer all your questions and curiosities, it will introduce you to local history, culture and traditions. In the meantime, you can enjoy an excellent coffee or cappuccino together with a wide selection of excellent desserts. The best way to inaugurate a journey through time in the name of wonder.

Piazza San Marco and the historic buildings

Recharged and ready to go, you will venture into the intricate network of calli, bridges and rughette that create the dense texture of the city, admiring surprising glimpses of Renaissance and Gothic palaces that have hosted some of the most illustrious characters in history or have been chosen by important Hollywood directors as a set for their movies. You will reach Piazza San Marco, the heart of Venice, where the homonymous Basilica and Palazzo Ducale are located. The palace was used in the past as residence of the Doge - the highest office of the Serenissima Republic - as Court office and prison. Their majesty will leave you speechless. The Basilica, material and spiritual heritage of Byzantium, was built with the specific purpose of housing the relics of San Marco. Completed in 1094, over time it has been partially rebuilt several times due to multiple fires that have damaged different parts. It is enriched with marbles and works of art transported from Constantinople following its conquest. Nicknamed the Golden Church, it represented an evident symbol of the prosperity, power and wealth of the Serenissima. Extremely rich in detail, it is an important example of the fusion of Gothic and Byzantine styles. A few steps away you will find the famous Bridge of Sighs which connects the Doge's Palace and the prisons with a double passage. Tradition has it that the bridge served as a passage for inmates who from the dungeons had to reach the offices of the State Inquisitors to be judged. The sighs, therefore, were those of the prisoners waiting to know their destiny who crossed the bridge in a state of mind afflicted by the prospect of never seeing the external world again. 
During the walking tour, you will have some stops in traditional shops for tasting local delicacies. 

Admire Venice from the water aboard a traditional gondola

After such an exciting visit, it's time to catch your breath and enjoy a half-hour ride on a typical lagoon boat: the private gondola led by an expert gondolier. Used for centuries because they are fast and easy to handle and therefore suitable for narrow spaces, these boats seem to have come out of another time. Let yourself be lulled by the slow and cadenced rhythm of the oar and you will have the opportunity to observe Venice from a privileged point of view, namely the water. Nose up you will cross the famous canals discovering a different city. Your eyes will be filled with the colors of the houses overlooking the water and you will get lost in the mystical, mysterious and eternal spirit of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. This walking tour through the heart of Venice will allow you to experience the city like an authentic Venetian. Between gothic, romanticism, traditional cuisine and anecdotes you will get lost in the daily spectacle offered by the Serenissima as in a timeless film.

More tours of Venice

Discover the best of Venice with the tour of St. Mark's Basilica with access to the terraces and Doge's Palace. If you want to skip the gondola ride, book the option of the walking tour with traditional tastings.