Venice

Welcome to Venice Small Group Tour: Basilica San Marco & Gondola Ride

Badge of ExcellenceVenice, Italy

Welcome to Venice Small Group Walking Tour With Basilica San Maro and Gondola Ride

3 hours
Offered in: English

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Overview

Experience quintessential Venice on this walking tour, including a memorable gondola ride. See iconic landmarks like the Rialto Bridge and the House of Marco Polo; get a taste of local life at the Rialto Fish Market and explore historic neighborhoods like Cannaregio. Then, admire the palatial architecture of St. Mark’s Square, enter the magnificent St. Mark’s Basilica and soak up the scenery on a romantic gondola cruise. This small-group tour is limited for a personalized experience.

Guided walking tour of Venice, including St. Mark’s Basilica and gondola ride
Witness local life on a walking tour of Venice’s colorful neighborhoods and the Rialto markets
Cruise along the Grand Canal on a romantic gondola ride
Ideal introduction to Venice for first-time visitors or those short on time
Small-group tour ensures a personalized experience

What's Included

Local English-speaking guide
Expertly guided walking tour
Skip the line ticket for St. Mark's Basilica
Gondola Ride
Headset

Gratuities
Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
Guide (during gondola ride)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Campo S. Giacomo di Rialto, 255, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
At the central fountain of Campo San Giacomo di Rialto (Campo San Giacometto). Your guide will be holding a Walks sign.

End point

St. Mark's Square
Piazza San Marco, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
In St. Mark's Square.

What To Expect

Mercati di Rialto

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cannaregio

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Basilica di San Marco

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Bacino Orseolo

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
St. Mark's Basilica can be subject to unforeseen closures due to particular liturgical celebrations. In the case in which the basilica is closed, we will give you explanations from the outside.
Gondola rides can be subject to unforeseen closures due to the weather, an alternate activity will be provided in those circumstances
A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements

Backpacks are prohibited inside of St. Mark's Basilica
Rialto Market closed on Sunday
This tour runs rain or shine. However, occasionally St. Mark's Basilica is closed to the public, without previous notice, due to high tides or particular festivities. In these cases we endeavor to contact customers as soon as possible to arrange a suitable alternative.
After your 2-hour exploration of Venice, your guide drops you off at the Gondola Stand for a relaxing gondola ride. The guide will not be with you on the gondola.
Walks complies with all local government regulations. Please refer to Italy government guidelines for the most up to date information
On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Alyssa_H

Monica was an amazing tour guide!! The history of Venice was fascinating as we walked towards Saint Marco’s Square. The Gondola ride was also a nice touch- 10/10! We would highly recommend this tour to anyone who is visiting Venice!

Reviews

4.5

276 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 276 reviews

Terrible

ahrbeagle1, Apr 2024

We did not make the meeting place time due to our boat running late. I sent a message through the app 30 minutes prior, and never received any communication from anyone. We stood around the basilica searching for our tour group but we had no communication so we didn’t know who to look for and no gondola ride. $188 lost

Decent

Danielle_P, Apr 2024

Nice walking tour around Venice! The only downside was the gondola ride was great, but they have you go with other couples/groups and one couple got to sit together in the back with the good view, and the other couple had to sit, staggered across the boat, all paying the same price. The main reason I chose this tour was for a good gondola ride, but that kind of defeated the purpose.

Great tour

madelynn_l, Apr 2024

Our tour guide Elena was amazing. We learned a lot about Venice and loved the tour. Great details about the intracicies of Venice.

excelent experience

rafael_s, Apr 2024

The best tour in venice! Our guide the best ever! Very kind and know a lot. Also always looking for the needs of us. I travel with my parents and he wascvery comprehesive. 100% recomended

Venice at it’s best

Peggy_M, Apr 2024

Knows and shares history and traditions of Venice and has great recommendations of where to shop, eat, and really get to know Venice. Gondola ride was very pleasant and showed us the Grand Canal and lots of smaller waterways.

Excellent tour

darren_w, Apr 2024

Excellent way to experience the city of Venice at a relaxed pace, Nico was a really good tour guide, gondola ride was a perfect way to finish.

Amazing Tour!

Alyssa_H, Apr 2024

Superb

Sinead_M, Apr 2024

This was an excellent tour. Our tour guide, Monika, was superb. The tour gave a great overview of the city and included the basilica and a lovely gondola ride that included the Grand Canal. Definitely recommend.

Interesting stories

alexandria_s, Mar 2024

Our guide Elena was amazing and funny. As a local Venetian - she had many great background stories which made the walking guide very interesting.

Brilliant day

Charlie_H, Mar 2024

Elena was a great guide! Helped with all questions and taught us a lot about Venice. Gondala was great, very spacious and the guy even sang which topped it off for us

Great Tour for Families

Robert_M, Mar 2024

Alba, the tour guide, was very knowledgeable and created a great experience and atmosphere during the tour. The tour was very organized and easy going. Awesome Tour for families! Thank you Alba!

Worst experience ever! Be aware.

ToniMarie_B, Feb 2024

DO NOT TAKE THIS TOUR. There are many others to choose from, so please do not choose this one. I wish I could give this 0 stars. We were so disappointed. There was a severe lack of communication on the tour guides part. They say if you need help contact your tour guide. Our tour was at 10am and I started reaching out to our guide at 8:30am and never received a response from them. So I reached out to Viator support, they kept giving us a number of the guide that did not work. They told us the guide would wait, but when we arrived the guide was not there. We were hoping that maybe we could still meet up with the tour already in route but we heard nothing. We will be disputing the charge! Worst experience ever!!!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Dear ToniMarie, We sincerely apologize for the disappointment you experienced during your Welcome to Venice Small Group Tour with us. We deeply regret any inconvenience caused by the lack of communication and the subsequent issues you encountered. We want to clarify that our tours have strict starting times to ensure that the itinerary is followed efficiently and that all participants have a seamless experience. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate late arrivals, and we apologize if this policy was not clear during the booking process. We would like to highlight that our customer care team is available to assist guests over the phone in real-time. In situations where you were unable to reach your guide, contacting our customer care team could have provided you with immediate assistance and guidance. Please contact us at feedback@walks.org with your booking details and any additional information about your experience. Our team will work diligently to address your concerns and provide a suitable resolution. We hope to have the opportunity to make amends and provide you with a positive experience in the future. Kind regards, Jhonas. Walks and Devour Tours.

Terrible

katie_t, Feb 2024

Terrible directions and could not find where we was going, even the locals was confused. Will not refund our money even though we walked for 1 hour and a half on the rain. No help at all!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Dear katie, We are genuinely sorry to hear about your disappointing experience with the Welcome to Venice Small Group Tour: Basilica San Marco & Gondola Ride. We want to address your concerns. We understand the challenges you faced with directions and apologize for any confusion. Our vouchers include Google Maps, a picture of the meeting point, and a contact number for assistance, all aimed at ensuring a smooth experience. We regret that these measures did not meet your expectations. We would like to investigate this matter further to understand the circumstances and ensure such issues are rectified. Please reach out to us at feedback@walks.org with more details about your tour, and our team will promptly assist in resolving the situation. Thank you for your understanding. Kind regards, Jhonas. Walks and Devour Tours.

Absolutely fun day out!

Krystal_S, Jan 2024

It was a pleasant surprise that Susan used to live in the UK. Our tour group was small so it made for a better experience. She shared alot of knowledge that we didn't know even though we had done a few other tours whilst in Venice. It was good to be able to go to the Basilica and have the space to walk around and also get additional info. The tour was topped off with a gondola ride that was great fun. Highly recommend Susan

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Dear Krystal_S, Thank you for your wonderful feedback! It's great to hear that Susan's background and knowledge added to your tour experience and that having a small group made it even better. Exploring the Basilica and having the space to walk around while receiving additional information sounds like a fantastic opportunity. We appreciate your recommendation of Susan and are thrilled that you had such a memorable time in Venice! Warm wishes, Andrii Walks & Devour Tours

Great experience! Definitely worth it!!!

Randy_K, Jan 2024

Great time! Friendly, experienced, professional boat person. Answered all our questions and explained some brief history and details. Definitely recommend this adventure!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Dear Randy, We really appreciate your compliments for our guide. It's great to know that they managed to give satisfying answers to all of your questions and meet your expectations. Ensuring our guests have a fulfilling and informative experience is our top priority! We will be glad to see you again in the future. Kindly, Andrii Walks & Devour Tours

Great tour

Huaiyu_C, Jan 2024

The tour guide is knowledgeable and shared great stories about Venice. She is very patient to answer all of our questions. She also managed the time properly. We learned a lot in this tour.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Dear Huaiyu_C, We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us. It's thrilling to know that our guide provided you with a great journey around Venice and shared a ton of fascinating information that was to your liking! We are excited to see you again in the future. Warm wishes, Andrii Walks & Devour Tours

Wonderful introduction to Venice

627y6h795k, Dec 2023

Matt was fantastic and had great local history and insights. We went back to places he recommended away from the tourist traps and they were all spot on. Definitely worth the money.

Wonderful!

Matthew_S, Dec 2023

Our tour guide, Alessandro T., was amazing! He mad the tour very enjoyable and entertaining. We saw so many great things! 10/10 recommend!

Wonderful way to experience Venice!

DeAnna_K, Dec 2023

Eleonora was awesome. She gave very thorough information and has a clear love for Venice. The tour itself was very comprehensive and gave a great introduction to Venice. Would recommend!

Great Venice Tour

RochelleSlater, Dec 2023

Our group of 6 enjoyed the tour very much. Martina was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed her company.

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