Best walking tour of Venice: main sights & secret spots known only by the locals

5.0 (one review) 3 hours Private tour

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Best walking tour of Venice: main sights & secret spots known only by the locals — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Best walking tour of Venice: main sights & secret spots known only by the locals, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

You will see the main Venetian sights: Piazza San Marco and San Polo, the old Rialto Bridge, depicted on thousands of postcards, Bridge of Sighs, the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista, the magnificent Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. Our guide will tell you the story of the foundation of the city, reveal the secrets of building of the palaces and will make you fall in love with Venice forever.

Meet your guide at your centrally located hotel in Venice.

The tour is intended for those who are in Venice for the first time and want to see its most famous places. You will walk along the picturesque streets, feel the unusual Venetian spirit, hear interesting legends and learn the history of the founding of the city on the water.

During the tour, you will also learn many interesting facts about gondolas, and finally, we will visit osteria and taste the variety of “chikketi” (traditional Venetian snacks).

Half-day Tours Private and Luxury Private Sightseeing Tours Walking Tours Ports of Call Tours City Tours Shore Excursions DSA non-compliant

At a glance

Duration: 3 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–8
Guide: English
Operated by: Uopera tours

Ages: Adults (0–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: All fees and taxes
Included: Pick-up
Included: Professional licensed guide

Not included

Not included: Entrance tickets
Not included: Food and drinks
Not included: Drop-off
Not included: Transportation

Itinerary

Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari

30 min Admission not included

The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, usually just called the Frari, is a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, Italy. One of the most prominent churches in the city, it has the status of a minor basilica. The church is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. The imposing edifice is built of brick, and is one of the city's three notable churches still mostly retaining their Venetian Gothic appearance. In common with many Franciscan churches, the exterior is rather plain, even on the front facade. The interior is notable for many very grand wall monuments to distinguished Venetians buried in the church, including a number of Doges and the painter Titian. Many of these are important works in the history of Venetian sculpture, and the many paintings include two large and important altarpieces by Titian, the Assumption of the Virgin on the high altar and the Pesaro Madonna.
Ponte dei Sospiri

30 min

The Bridge of Sighs (Italian: Ponte dei Sospiri, Venetian: Ponte de i Sospiri) is a bridge in Venice, Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone, has windows with stone bars, passes over the Rio di Palazzo, and connects the New Prison (Prigioni Nuove) to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace. It was designed by Antonio Contino, whose uncle Antonio da Ponte designed the Rialto Bridge, and it was built in 1600.
Campo San Polo

30 min

The Campo San Polo is the largest campo in Venice, Italy, the second largest Venetian public square after the Piazza San Marco. It is located in the Sestiere San Polo. Originally dedicated to grazing and agriculture, in 1493 it was entirely paved, a well being placed in the middle.
Piazza San Marco

30 min

Piazza San Marco often known in English as St Mark's Square is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as la Piazza ("the Square"). All other urban spaces in the city (except the Piazzetta and the Piazzale Roma) are called campi ("fields"). The Piazzetta ("little Piazza/Square") is an extension of the Piazza towards San Marco basin in its southeast corner. The two spaces together form the social, religious and political center of Venice.
Ponte di Rialto

30 min

The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Connecting the sestieri (districts) of San Marco and San Polo, it has been rebuilt several times since its first construction as a pontoon bridge in 1173, and is now a significant tourist attraction in the city.
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista di Venezia

30 min Admission not included

The Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista is a confraternity building located in the San Polo sestiere of the Italian city of Venice. Founded in the 13th century by a group of flagellants it was later to become one of the five Scuole Grandi of Venice. These organizations provided a variety of charitable functions in the city as well as becoming patrons of the arts. The Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista is notable for housing a relic of the true cross and for the series of paintings, it commissioned from a number of famous Venetian artists depicting Miracles of the Holy Cross. No longer in the school, these came into public ownership during the Napoleonic era and are now housed in the Gallerie dell'Accademia.