Essential Venice - Daily Group Tours
Four essential Venice itineraries that will save you time and make sure you don't miss a thing. If you enjoy small group tours these are the ones for you because they have a maximum of only ten people, sometimes even fewer. And you never have to queue!
1. Piazza San Marco + the Doge's Palace + St Mark's Basilica
A small group tour that in two hours gives you the keys to understand and appreciate Venice and the rich political, historical and artistic trajectory that took her from city to empire (and back again) in a span of 1100 years.
Starting from Piazza San Marco – the “finest drawing room in Europe”, as Napoleon called it – you will hear all about the most famous square in Italy, as well as the campanile, the clock tower, and the celebrated Venetian caffès, before being taken inside the Palazzo, the official home of Venice's Chief of State, the Doge, and the seat of power. The original fortification was built in the 9th century and its evolution as the incredible palace we see today was apparent by the 13th century. It is an architectural wonder in itself, and showcases the extraordinary talents of Sansovino, Titan, Tintoretto, Veronese amongst many others.
You will see the Golden Staircase and the Doge's apartments as well as the fabulous institutional rooms where the Venetian nobles gathered to deliberate on the events that helped shape much of European culture. Here, as well, Venice's favoured artist sons glorified the city in enormous paintings framed in 24 carat gold leaf, including Tintoretto's vast 25 metre masterpiece “Paradise”.
We'll cross the Bridge of Sighs and explore the escape-proof stone prisons before re-emerging to enjoy the glorious open courtyard and savour one last glimpse of Sansovino's “Giant's Staircase”.
From here we will skip the line and go straight into St Mark's Basilica to marvel at its treasures, including the 8,000 square metres of luminous 24-carat gold mosaics, some dating from the 11th century. Every surface not covered in precious marble is encrusted with the riches accumulated by the Venetian empire over centuries. In pride of place is the priceless Pala d'Oro, only ever turned to face the public on special feast days.
We'll finish our tour on the terrace overlooking the piazza to enjoy the view of a lifetime next to the famous Quadriga – four life size bronze horses, copies of the 2,000 year-old originals, which arrived in Venice in 1204 and now safely housed inside the Basilica.
TIME: Mon-Sat 9.30am, Sun 3pm (duration 2 hours)
COST: € 86 per person (includes all tickets and entrance fees)
MEETING POINT: to be advised with confirmation of booking
Expert guide leading a small group never larger than 10 people
Booking essential
To book or for more information, please email Andrea : andrea@italywithus.com
2. The Magnificence of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco and Frari Church
This small group tour is a bold Venetian art blockbuster – except we get to see the work of the greatest masters in the history of art in the original places for which they were commissioned – locations extraordinary in themselves – pure Venetian delight.
Over two art-packed hours we savour the work of the world's greatest and influential artists situated within the breathtaking architectural treasures for which it was commissioned.
We begin with Frari Church, the illustrious Venetian gothic masterpiece commissioned in the 11th century and finished in the 13th. We'll see how it has been enriched and embellished over the last 700 years with monuments, sculptures, paintings and carvings that demonstrate the progression of art and craftsmanship from Gothic to Renaissance and beyond.
Amongst the many highlights you'll see arguably the most famous Madonna in art history, “The Assumption”, Titian's unquestionable masterpiece that dominates even this huge space. In addition we'll show you the exquisite triptych by Bellini tucked way in the sacristy and Donatello's John the Baptist sculpture, his only work in Venice, as well as the staggering monumental memorials to Venetian nobles and artists. We'll walk you through the glorious carved choir stalls created by by Marco Cozzi and dating from 1468, each one inlaid with precious woods depicting individual scenes that are a triumph of craftsmanship.
From here we'll visit the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, the home of the richest of Venice's lay Confraternities dedicated to helping the less fortunate of the city by following the example of their patron saint, San Rocco. We'll hear how the organisation gained prestige and, funded by wealthy citizens, made its headquarters a showpiece second to none. Scuola Grande di San Rocco is a Renaissance powerhouse. It is impossible to exaggerate the splendour of the place, from its vast decorated entry hall to the monumental staircase, to the breathtaking inlaid marble floors, the amazing wooden sculptures by Francesco Pianta to the crowning glory of the upper floor – the massive cycle of masterpieces painted by Jacopo Tintoretto over a period of 25 years, a stunning, almost unbelievable achievement that is recognised as the “Sistine Chapel of Venice”. You'll see it all and have time to savour it to your heart's content.
TIME: Every day 2pm (duration 2 hours)
COST: € 78 each (includes all tickets and entry fees)
MEETING POINT: to be advised with confirmation of booking
Expert guide leading a small group never larger than 10 people
Booking essential
To book or for more information, please email Andrea : andrea@italywithus.com
3. The Morning Passeggiata – the San Marco-Rialto Loop
On this delightful stroll you'll soak up the atmosphere of Venice in all her splendour in a comfortably small group, discovering places you might not otherwise have found or locating the ones you always wanted to see.
We meet in the always buzzing Piazza San Marco and hear why it has always been so significant to the Venetian city republic. Then we set off on a backstreets odyssey that will keep the crowds at bay and allow us to get a sense of Venice as the living city the locals know intimately.
Following the narrow calli (Venetian streets, some no wider than your shoulders) we'll cross bridges and canals and emerge into campos (Venetian squares) that for centuries have been the focus of life in the local neighbourhoods.
We'll see how the urban landscape has evolved over the centuries and learn how to identify the various periods of her architectural history. Among the treasures we'll be passing, the byzantine splendour of San Marco, the gothic glory of the Church of San Giovanni & Paolo, the Renaissance purity of Santa Maria Formosa, the jewel box that is the Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli.
We'll cross the beautiful Rialto Bridge, unchanged since 1590, and explore the Rialto markets, the traditional business hub of the city and still the vibrant destination of Venetian housewives to get the best produce for today's lunch.
Returning via Rialto Bridge we'll pause to enjoy the view up the Grand Canal then make our way along the Merceria – by tradition the shopping high street of Venice – that has been the main commercial artery to the heart of government since the city was born.
Arriving back in Piazza San Marco, you'll be in time to hear the caffè orchestras getting into the swing for visitors tempted to stop for lunch or while away an hour watching the ever-changing spectacle that makes the Piazza the heart of the Venice.
TIME: Every day 9.30 (duration 2 hours)
COST: € 70 per person
MEETING POINT: to be advised with confirmation of booking
Expert guide leading a small group never larger than 10 people
Booking essential
To book or for more information, please email Andrea : andrea@italywithus.com
4. The Grand Canal and its Fabulous Palazzos
So fantastic it shouldn't exist, the Grand Canal has been taking people's breath away for centuries. Now its your turn to enjoy the world's most beautiful street from the comfort of a private boat in a very small group with your own special guide
Departing from the San Mark's Basin, our tiny group of no more than eight people will set off with our private boat and driver for our first breathtaking glimpse of the the Doge's Palace, the Campanile, the Clock Tower and of course the cupolas of St Mark's – from the water – just as it would have been seen by kings and princes arriving to pay a call on the Doge.
We'll take a detour and explore some of the inner canals and see Venetian houses up close from the water perspective for which they were designed. We'll glide past the magnificent front doors of everyday homes and magnificent palaces – always built to open directly onto the water – and you will appreciate the fundamental difference between Venice and any other city.
Travelling onwards through the winding canals we'll emerge into the open lagoon, the broad expanse of water that has protected Venice for a thousand years. On a clear day it appears to stretch all the way to the Dolomites.
By now you will be ready for the main show – the Grand Canal. We'll travel at a stately pace to match the stunning setting so you can enjoy the passing parade of dazzling urban magnificence unequalled in the known universe.
Palace after palace waits to impress you and each has a story to tell. The exquisite, gothic Ca' d'Oro, for example, is so called because it was decorated with pure gold. There's Peggy Guggenheim's house, or Palazzo Barbaro where Henry James wrote his masterpieces, or Palazzo Mocenigo, home to Lord Byron... It is a very long list and you will have your own favourite.
By the time you have cruised this extraordinary stretch of water, passing underneath the Rialto Bridge and arriving back at Piazza San Marco, you will know that you have truly been to Venice.
TIME: Every day: 5pm (duration 1hour)
COST: € 95 per person (includes boat and driver)
MEETING POINT: to be advised with confirmation of booking
Expert guide leading a small group never larger than 8 people
Booking essential
To book or for more information, please email Andrea : andrea@italywithus.com
Tours every day at the stated hours, rain or shine. Italy With Us must always reserve the right to vary or adjust itineraries slightly, particularly in unforeseen considerations dictated by our institutional partners, weather conditions or by circumstances outside of our control.
