Venice
2 hours
3:30 pm
9

Highlights

  • Escape the crowds on dry land and visit the top sights in Venice from the water, with a special stop at one of the city’s least-visited islands. Here, you'll have the opportunity to climb the bell tower for panoramic views.
  • Your luxury Venice boat tour will cruise the Grand Canal, passing the most important palaces, buildings, and bridges of the city, as well as the smaller back canals where you'll catch glimpses of everyday life.
  • This is our most intimate Venice tour, with only nine people per boat. You’ll find it easy to hear your guide while they tell you the fascinating stories behind the sights as you pass them from the water.

Preview the experience

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Tour description

Explore Venice in comfort from the water on a luxurious boat tour.

One of Venice’s best traditions is boating down the Grand Canal. The city's main waterway serves as a passage for ambulances, cargo vessels and gondolas, while its shores are lined with the most beautiful palaces and bridges. You'll see them all and soak up the atmosphere of the Grand Canal on our luxury Venice boat tour. As you pass each one, your guide will tell you the stories and anecdotes that make them so incredible, from the Ca' d’Oro and Ca' Pesaro palaces to the Rialto Bridge, Rialto Fish Market, and the Accademia Gallery.

From the water, you’ll see the Doge’s Palace, St. Mark's Basilica, and other beautiful palaces like never before. But you'll also explore the prettiest inner canals—Venice’s "backstreets"—to get a sense of how Venetians really live.

Admire the best view in Venice from the bell tower of San Giorgio Maggiore.

As your Venice boat tour draws to a close, you’ll have seen the most famous sights of Venice from the water. Your off-the-beaten-path experience wraps up with something quite special. Few visitors take the time to visit the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. That’s their loss and you’re about to find out why.

We’ll stop just across the water from St. Mark’s Square. Ever seen a postcard of the Doge’s Palace and Venice from across the water? This is where that iconic shot was taken! Your guide will lead you inside the stunning basilica for a tour of its art and architecture, then you’ll have the option to climb the bell tower (admission is included in the price of your tour and there is an elevator). We strongly advise that you do!

Stepping outside, you’ll be hit full force by a sweeping panoramic view over all of Venice. Trace the route of the Grand Canal, admire the dome of St. Mark’s Basilica and marvel at this incredible—and incredibly unique—corner of Italy. With your guide on hand to point out what’s what, you’ll get to grips with the city beneath your feet.

Small groups, a luxury boat, and an expert guide offer a truly VIP experience.

It’s the little details that really make this Venice boat tour. While riding a gondola is a fantastic experience, the Grand Canal is too busy and its current too strong to make any real progress. Instead, on this tour you'll cruise the canals in a luxury speedboat. You'll have the option to either sit inside and listen to your guide’s commentary, or stand outside snapping the best photos. With audio headsets for every guest, you won’t have a problem hearing your guide no matter where you choose to ride. What's more, with small groups of only nine people or less—the smallest of our Venice experiences—it'll be easy to interact with your guide and ask them all the questions you can think of.

Our Venice boat tour takes you away from the crowds to experience the best that the city has to offer, from the famous Rialto Bridge to the secret spots Venetians show to visiting friends. And with a local on hand to tell you the stories woven into the fabric of the Floating City, your experience will be as authentic as they come. You’ll return to dry land relaxed, refreshed and with tons of new knowledge and appreciation for this fascinating island city.

Sites visited

  • Grand Canal by private boat
  • St. Mark’s Square
  • Doge's Palace (exterior)
  • Bridge of Sighs (exterior)
  • Cemetery of San Michele (exterior)
  • Rialto Bridge
  • Rialto fish market (exterior)
  • Accademia Bridge
  • Palaces including the Ca' d’Oro and Ca' Pesaro (exterior)
  • Island and Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore including the San Giorgio Maggiore Bell Tower (optional)
  • Madonna dell'Orto Church (exterior)
  • Salute Church (exterior)

Included

Verified guest reviews

4.6 / 5
415 Customer Reviews
  1. Excellent

    316

  2. Great

    60

  3. Good

    21

  4. Average

    9

  5. Poor

    9

Pete

Oct 29, 2023

Disappointed that the Tower was closed (no fault of Walks) but our tour guide was outstanding - great positive, infectious personality with a tremendous amount of information. Small group (6) was also a huge plus compared to other tours.

Celine

Oct 20, 2023

Despite the weather and acqu’alta which prevented us from doing some parts of the tour, we had a fabulous time. Daria our guide was wonderful, so knowledgeable and clearly a local who loves her city, one of the best tour guides we have ever had. I was with my 87-year old, not very mobile, mother and Adriano the pilot was amazing with her, helping her into and off the boat. If you don’t have much time and really want to see the main sites of the city I highly recommend this tour.

Janice

Oct 06, 2023

All four of us agreed this was the highlight of our time in Venice! Thanks Barbara

Brian

Oct 02, 2023

Great way to see the most of the city all at once and learn the history with some great views.

Alyssa

Oct 02, 2023

This was the highlight of our time in Venice, we only had two days in the city before getting on a cruise. Venice was meant to be seen / navigated by boat and we loved every minute of this tour. We saw so many things we would have never seen if we were walking on foot. A very memorable experience and our juice, Jennifer was very knowledgeable and was a wonderful ambassador for the city of Venice. Don’t think about it any more, book this experience now!!

Know before you book

From $123
Free Cancellation