Semi-Private Venice Walking Tour with St Mark’s

LivTours’ Semi-Private Venice Walking Tour with St Mark’s takes you through this enchanting city’s main highlights and through the magnificent Basilica of St. Mark. Your semi-private group of six people maximum is guaranteed to be small, allowing for your introduction to Venice to be intimate and personal. This walking tour winds through Venice’s serene canals and charming bridges, stopping along the way to discover the major sites that seem to be hidden throughout. Capture the essence of this floating city by seeing and experiencing some of the 118 islands that Venice is built around.

You will experience the city’s most ancient church in Campo San Giacometto, to the neighborhood where Marco Polo grew up, and all the seemingly secret corners in between. Find yourself in awe, both inside and outside, of the ornately decorated and domed St. Mark’s Basilica. The Venice small group walking tour offers you a glimpse into Venice’s remarkable past and the opportunity to also experience its vibrant present. Your tour begins just as the morning sun starts to bring the city to life and locals gather fresh produce and seafood at the Rialto markets.

• Engage with your guide thanks to LivTours small group sizes - max six people
• Skip ahead of the line at St. Mark’s Basilica with our VIP privileged entry
• Experience Venice with our local expert guide who speaks your language
• Learn the stories and fascinating history behind the art & architecture of Venice
• Explore Venice’s labyrinth of footpaths, bridges, hidden churches and squares

Your LivTours’ Semi-Private Venice Walking Tour with Saint Mark’s begins in Campo San Giacometto, a charming square, once the heart of Venetian financial and political activity. Your small group of curious travelers will meet in front of the church of San Giacomo di Rialto, the oldest church in Venice! Learn about the amazing history of this small church built in 421 AD and about the miracle of its survival over the centuries. Admire Venice’s past while also observing modern Venetian daily life as people shop for their daily groceries in the bustling Rialto marketplace.

Just around the corner, your group will come across Venice’s most spectacular bridge, Ponte Rialto. Built in the 1580s, your guide will teach you about this bridge’s amazing story and the brilliance of its architectural design.  One of the most picturesque views of Venice’s Grand Canal and its boat traffic can be seen from the highest point on the Ponte Rialto. Snap a picture of this unusual morning commuter scene.

Onward through Venice’s characteristic labyrinth of small walkways, footbridges, and hidden corners, your guide will help you find your way as you turn corners and find yourself suddenly in quaint squares with churches and other noteworthy buildings. Listen to the incredible stories and delightful anecdotes about the influential families who both ruled over and contributed to the creation of this magical city.

Your group will continue to the heart of modern-day Venice, St. Mark’s Square. No guidebook nor picture can quite prepare you for the absolutely breathtaking architecture and imposing presence of St. Mark’s Basilica and the adjacent symbol of wealth and power, the Doge’s Palace. Even from the outside, these ornate, heavily adorned structures reveal the magnitude of Venice’s historical significance. Pre-arranged reservations allow your group to avoid waiting in long lines and go directly inside St. Mark’s Basilica. Once inside, you will be absolutely mesmerized by the golden glow of the mosaic tiles, detailed bronze statues, the painstakingly decorated domes, and colorful marble patterns across the floor.  It’s here inside the Basilica that the diverse art styles spanning across both time and culture are especially evident.

• Campo San Giacometto
• Church of San Giacomo di Rialto
• Rialto bridge
• Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo
• St Marks square
• The Grand Canal
• St Marks Basilica skip-the-line entrance

• Please note that tour starting times are subject to change based on ticket availability
• Places of worship have strict dress code requirements for entry. All participants are required to have shoulders and knees covered (no tank tops or short dresses) to enter.
• There is no photography allowed inside St Marks Basilica.

All LivTours Semi-Private Group Tours are limited to 6 guests per tour guide. Our commitment to maintaining our uniquely tiny group sizes can sometimes be a little tricky, mathematically speaking. For example, we want to ensure that traveling families and friends can tour together so on rare occasions we may add one or two guests in order to not split groups. On that same note, you may also find yourself on tour with less than six people! We thank you for your understanding and flexibility.

By selecting Choose Dates Later / Buy as Gift at booking, any tour can be purchased without fixed dates. This is the perfect option if you want to purchase your tour as a gift for a loved one, or if you are in the pre-planning phase of your vacation. After booking, you will receive a Travel Voucher Code and full instructions on how to schedule your tours when ready. Once your travel plans are confirmed, you can easily use the Travel Voucher Code on the LivTours website to formally schedule your tours. You can find out more here.