Venice Walking Tour & Grand Canal Gondola Ride

Venice has been developing as a city since the beginning of the 1st century AD. The city known by many epithets including ‘La Serenissima’ or the serene one has seen several invasions and victories. The city was the wealthiest in all of Europe at one point in time has been defined by the Renaissance period especially. People come from across the world to catch a glimpse of the iconic floating city.

Venice is a vehicular free zone, you could enter the city via car or train but you won’t get too far! Venice is built across 118 islands with over 400 bridges across 150 canals, exclusively designed only to be explored through boat and foot. This is why it’s the perfect destination for a walking tour. Its cobblestone paths and charming bridges make for a pretty picture. And the gondolas are the icons of Venice, no trip to Venice can be complete without a ride on a gondola!

This combo tour will take you through the remarkable historic parts of the city with a local guide and journey through the Grand Canal in a Gondola Ride. It will save time and let you capture the spirit of Venice at a go!

Your walking tour with a local and experienced guide begins at Piazza San Marcos and will be in the language of your choice. San Marco or St. Mark’s Square has several places of interest with rich history behind them including the Basilica San Marco, Piazzetta dei Leoncini, Clock Tower and Procuratie Vecchie. After admiring the imposing piazza you will head to the Santa Maria Formosa, a Renaissance style church with a wonderful façade. You learn why the church is named after Formosa and many other legends associated with it.

From here you will head to another square, the Campo SS. Giovanni e Paolo with an impressive Gothic church. You will be crossing several bridges and canals on this short walk giving you ample opportunity to experience the Venetian way of life. The pollution free streets are a welcome change from the buzzing cities back home and take you back to a golden era. You will also see other landmarks like the great Italian explorer-merchant Marco Polo’s house, the Great School of Charity and Malibran Theatre.

You will now head back towards St. Mark’s Square through the Mercerie, the main shopping street that connects Rialto to San Marco. Rialto is the main commercial area of Venice and also has the Rialto Bridge which was one of the oldest bridges in Venice.

After reaching San Marco, you will head to the gondola landing stage to start your gondola ride. Your guide will bid you goodbye here and you will move on for a pleasant ride along the canals of Venice. The gondola ride will showcase landmarks that you didn’t see on your walking tour. You will catch a glimpse of Desdemona’s House, Mozart’s House and the iconic La Fenice Theatre as you pass through the Rio De Le Ostreghe.

From here you will meet the Grand Canal from where you can view the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. The gondola ride will pass in front of the Salute Church from where you can catch a panoramic view of St. Giorgio’s Island, the Bell Tower of Saint Mark’s and Doge’s palace rounding off your entire trip through Venice on both foot and water.