Venice tours

To see a colourful and traditional side of Venice, take a guided boat trip tour of Murano and Burano islands. This four-hour boat tour travels along the Venetian Lagoon with designated stops and enough time to enjoy the small islands at your own leisure. In Murano, you can pay a visit to the workshops which display the skills of the impressive, traditional glassblowers, while in Burano you can appreciate the brightly-coloured houses, each small lagoon-side building a different shade from its neighbour. While you pass by the humdrum of activity and cute landscapes, your guide will explain the history and culture of the two spots.

The combo Doge’s Palace & St Mark’s Basilica tour is one of the best Venice tours to take, not only because it’s in the heart of the city, but because you get to skip the queue – and we all know how popular a place Venice can be. Led by an expert guide, you’ll be navigated through two iconic landmarks, the impressive Doge’s Palace domineering St Mark’s Basilica, and stroll along the equally popular St Mark’s Square. You’ll learn all about the Byzantine architecture of the Basilica, the dark history of Doge’s Palace and discover who is buried in the Basilica.

This is the tour for those who want to try everything on the menu but never have enough time. The four-hour walking tour around Rialto Market is not only great for lunch, but for passing by key sights as well as lesser-known areas. The Rialto Market sits by the Rialto Bridge and Grand Canal, and starts early every day (excluding Sundays) at around 7.30am, finishing around 1pm. Your guide will walk you through the market, explaining the history and lesser-known tasteful delights of Italian and Venetian food, with regular stop-offs at various vendors to try everything. Taste the traditional and unique snacks, including peoci (mussels), bigoli (pasta) and risotto.

It’s not difficult to be indecisive in Venice: what to see? Where to start? But jumping on (and off) a sightseeing boat tour that you get to stay in control of exactly what and how much you want to see, all while receiving a narrated guided tour all the time you’re on board. This type of tour is great for those looking to be flexible with their time and options, as there’s no rush to how long you spend in one place; the full tour takes two hours in total, but this is a great way to make a day (or longer) of your time in Venice, particularly if you want to get off at most stops.

Take in the gloomy mystery of the Doge’s Palace and Prison tour with your expert guide to lead the way. During the tour, your guide will lead you through the ornate public rooms of the Doge’s Palace, as you learn all about the powerful rulers who resided and took charge of the city. Alongside the impressive history, there’s Renaissance artwork to take in, some of which are masterpieces by the likes of Tintoretto. After seeing and learning as much about the Palace as possible, your tour moves onto the gloomy prison quarters, where you’ll find out more about the prisoners’ equally gloomy fates. Your tour ends by crossing the white-marble Bridge of Sighs, one of the most photographed spots in Venice – despite its depressing background.