Your LivTours’ Venice Night Walking Tour starts in one of Venice’s most quaint squares in front of the city’s most ancient church, San Giacomo di Rialto. First built in 421 A.C., this incredible site features a well-preserved gothic portico and an oversized 15th-century clock on the facade. Listen to the wonderful stories of Venice’s origins and of how this very special church came to be built.
Your small group will be guided through Venice’s labyrinth of picturesque footbridges and winding walkways that connect its islands. Venice is a beauty to behold by day but you will find that during the calm and quiet of the evening hours, all of the intricate details hidden throughout the cityscape start to emerge. Take in the panoramic views of the city and Grand Canal from the highest point of the remarkable Ponte Rialto. Watch the gondolas with their glowing lamps as they pass underneath. Your guide will explain the history of this important bridge and its unique architectural design and redesigns throughout the centuries.
After traveling by foot through centuries of art, history, and culture, your group will find itself in the modern-day heart of the city, St Mark’s Square. By night, this grand square is quite surreal, with its many arches, the imposing Doge’s Palace, bell tower, and the breathtaking Byzantine architecture of St. Mark’s Basilica.
Your Night Tour of Venice includes an exclusive entry after hours inside St. Mark’s Basilica where LivTours groups and guides will be entirely alone, aside from Basilica staff. Admire the absolutely stunning mosaics inside as they shimmer and seemingly glow in the evening light. Discover the details and meanings behind every work of art inside as you wander through the empty Basilica. Take this unique opportunity to study all the details that are normally obscured by tour crowds, from the wavy marble floors from centuries of seasonal flooding to the brilliant, gem-covered Pala d’Oro altarpiece. Your visit includes an extra special visit below the church into St. Mark’s crypts – a holy area that is normally not accessible. This experience is one that cannot be missed!