Italy · City Tours

Venice in a Day Tour with Gondola Ride

6 Hours Round trip from Venice Moderate pace

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The journey

Trip highlights

01 Skip-the-line access to St. Mark’s Basilica
02 Guided visit to Doge’s Palace
03 Walk through Venice’s backstreets and canalside lanes
04 See Rialto Bridge and the lively Rialto District
05 30-minute gondola ride included
06 Small-group experience with a professional guide
07 Free time for lunch near St. Mark’s Square

See Venice’s most iconic sights in a single day with a guided walking tour that combines famous landmarks, quieter backstreets, and a classic gondola ride. With skip-the-line access to St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace, this experience is designed to help you make the most of your time while discovering the history, beauty, and atmosphere of the floating city.

Follow your guide from St. Mark’s Square through the canalside lanes toward Rialto, then enjoy a 30-minute gondola ride through Venice’s famed waterways. After a break for lunch, continue with a guided visit to Doge’s Palace, where grand halls, historic chambers, and the palace’s darker past bring Venice’s story to life.

See Venice’s most iconic sights in a single day with a guided walking tour that combines famous landmarks, quieter backstreets, and a classic gondola ride.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 6 Hours

Tour type Shared

Activity level Moderate

Accommodation Not included

Transport Not included

Wheelchair access No

City Venice

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

What to Expect

Kick off your Venice in a Day Tour in one of the most famous piazzas in all of Italy - St. Mark's Square. After meeting your guide, learn what the history of the iconic piazza. Dominating the square is St Mark's Basilica, also known as the “Church of Gold”. Learn all about the importance of this place of worship, when it was built and the impressive historical events the basilica witnessed.

St. Mark's is a sacred place - both men and women must cover their knees and shoulders. Otherwise, you may be refused entry to a portion of your tour. We understand the summers in Venice are hot - a great alternative is to bring a shawl/scarf/sweater with you. That way, you can cover your knees and shoulders when necessary.

Walk to Rialto Bridge

After visiting St Mark's, follow your local tour guide through the? back streets that line some of Venice's most romantic canals towards your next tour stop, the iconic Rialto Bridge. Learn about the stories behind the gorgeous and historic bridge before crossing it and entering one of the best neighborhoods in Venice - the Rialto District. The Rialto district is the first one in Venice, and one of the most lively.

A Romantic Gondola Ride

One thing you must do in the romantic city of Venice is ride a gondola boat. So, of course we included one on this tour. As the first section of your tour ends, your friendly English-speaking guide leaves you with a trusted gondolier for a scenic cruise down the famed canals of Venice. The gondola ride lasts for 30 minutes and is included in the price of the tour.

Free Time for Lunch

At the end of your gondola trip, you will exit near St. Mark's Square, right by where you started out. From here, grab a panino, a slice of pizza or enjoy some typical Venetian cicchetti with a glass of delicious vino (cost of lunch is not included in tour) After lunch, wait for your guide at the original meeting spot in preparation for one of Venice’s most sought-after experiences - Doge’s Palace.

Doge's Palace Tour

This is not a regular tour of the Doge's Palace. Skip the line and go behind the scenes to experience the darker side of Venice. Inside the Palace, visit historical offices and chambers.

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map — Round trip from Venice 1 city · 6 Hours

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

Gondola ride
Access to St. Mark's Basilica (valued at €12 per person)
Access to the Doge's Palace
Professional art historian guide
Small-group size, maximum 18 participants

What's Not Included

Food and drinks
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Know before you go

STROLLER OR PRAM ACCESSIBLE
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NEARBY
Afternoon meeting point: After the break, you will reconvene at the same meeting point for the second part of your tour. Please confirm the start time of the afternoon tour directly with our staff on the day of the tour, and please arrive at the meeting point 10 minutes before the tour begins.
All guests must supply their full name and date of birth that matches a valid ID at the time of the booking. Please note that a photo ID is required to visit the St. Marks Basilica. Name changes are not permitted.
Not wheelchair accessible
Since we will be entering a church, please make sure that your shoulders and knees are covered. Also, please refrain from bringing big back packs or bags, because they are not always allowed inside.
Not suitable for pets
Infants must not sit on laps
Infant seats unavailable
DRESS CODE: Entrance into any religious site requires a strict dress code. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. The Roman Guy will not be held responsible for refused entry due to unsuitable dress. • This is a full-day walking tour with a small portion held on a gondola. • You will have a one-hour break to grab a quick lunch after your first tour. Feel free to ask us ahead of time where to go or ask your guide at the end of the city portion of the tour. • For the second half of your day, you will meet your guide at the exact same meeting point (see tour details above), at 1:00 pm. • Please read our meeting point directions thoroughly in advance. It is the responsibility of all visitors to be at the meeting point 10 - 15 minutes before departure. Guests arriving after departure cannot be accommodated, & missed tours or tickets cannot be refunded. • Mandatory: Everyone is required to carry a copy of the identification page of their passports on all tours. A photo of the first page of your passport saved on your smartphone works as well. • The tours involve a fair amount of walking and sometimes stairs and uneven terrain; comfortable shoes are always recommended. • Depending on the size of your group, headphones may be used for some tours. In this case, headphones will be provided. You may use your own earphones if you wish. • We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any walking impairments that require special assistance on our group tours. We are also unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages on our group tours. • Some sites visited are not shaded and can be hot under the summer sun. We recommend bringing a hat, sunscreen and a bottle of water during the warmer months. • We will be subject to a security check at the entrance to all sites. Depending on the volume of visitors, we may have a short wait in the security line. • The museums, sites and monuments we visit on our tours are among the most popular in the world. Careful planning helps limit crowd exposure, but please be aware that some locations may be unavoidably busy during standard hours/high season. • TRG reserves the right to alter itineraries for reasons of safety, restoration, maintenance, adverse weather conditions or occasional events. • TRG runs tours rain or shine and no refunds will be issued due to inclement weather. In extreme weather conditions (i.e., flooding, hail storms, lightning storms, etc.) some areas may close down for safety purposes. • We will do everything within our power to ensure timings and itineraries are respected, however, due to issues beyond our control, timings and sites are subject to last minute changes on rare occasions.

Logistics