Private legendary Venice tour
Venice's icons, at your pace
Destination
Venice, Italy
Duration
3 hours
Tour size
Max 10
Language
English
Overview
Walk through a thousand years of Venetian power, art, and political intrigue with your own private guide. Step past the crowds at St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace, and hear the stories of the Republic from a guide who's yours alone.
- •Step past the lines at St. Mark's Basilica and stand beneath 86,000 square feet of gold mosaic
- •Trace seven centuries of political scheming through the Doge's Palace, from its throne rooms to its courtrooms
- •Cross the Bridge of Sighs and walk the same corridor Venetian prisoners walked to their cells
- •Hear how Venetian merchants smuggled St. Mark's relics into the city in a barrel of pork
- •Stand in the cells where Casanova was held before his legendary rooftop escape
What's included
- Skip-the-line ticket for St. Mark's Basilica
- Pre-reserved ticket to the Doge's Palace
- Local English-speaking private guide
You will visit
- St. Mark's Basilica
- St. Mark’s Square
- Doge’s Palace (general access rooms)
- New Prisons
- Bridge of Sighs
- Bell Tower in St. Mark's Square (exterior)
- Marciana Library (exterior)
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What to expect
St. Mark's Square, where Venice put its power on display
Your tour begins in Piazza San Marco, the ceremonial heart of the Venetian Republic. Your guide will show you how the square was built to project Venetian dominance, from the Bell Tower that once guided ships into the lagoon to the Procuratie buildings where administrators oversaw trade routes stretching to Constantinople. The square was designed to stop visiting diplomats in their tracks, and a thousand years later the marble, the columns, and the open lagoon still do.
Inside St. Mark's Basilica, a church built to hold stolen treasure
Walk past the line and into St. Mark's Basilica with your private guide. The interior holds 86,000 square feet of golden mosaic, built up over centuries as Venice's wealth and influence grew. Your guide will walk you through the stories told across the ceilings and domes, from Old Testament narratives to scenes of Venetian conquest. At the altar, you'll see the Pala d'Oro, an altarpiece set with hundreds of emeralds, sapphires, and rubies gathered from across the Byzantine world.
"People rush through the Doge's Palace, but the courtrooms are where Venice comes alive. The trials, the conspiracies... I could talk about it for hours."
Marco,
WalksDevour guide
"There's a moment in St. Mark's when you look up and the gold catches the light. Everyone stops walking, every single time."
Alessandra,
WalksDevour guide
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Frequently asked questions
Our guides love answering your questions. Here are some things they'd like you to know before you arrive.
