Venice in a Day with St Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace & Gondola Ride

Explore the hidden beauty and fascinating history of Venice in one day on our small group tour.

Please note: Only the 8:30 AM tour includes entrance to St. Mark's Basilica. The 8:45 AM tour will see the Basilica from the outside. It is not possible to bring large backpacks on the tour.

Your day starts as all great days in Venice do: with a stroll through the quiet back streets and bustling markets of the city. You’ll meet one of our expert local guides and group of 20 guests maximum for an intimate guided stroll.

Starting early, we'll get to the Rialto Bridge before the crowds descend to admire its incredible marble architecture before moving on to the bustling Rialto market. The chefs and nonnas of the city are shopping for the day's freshest ingredients, so there's no better time for a stroll through the stalls. Your guide will introduce you to a few of our more unconventional ingredients and share how (and why) Venetian cuisine differs from the rest of Italy’s. At the market and throughout your Venice in a Day Tour, they’ll give you tips on what and where to eat while you’re in town.

Our tour continues into the atmospheric neighborhoods of the city, across countless bridges and quiet piazzas. Along the way, you’ll see the childhood home of Marco Polo, the Venetian merchant who first spoke of China; duck inside San Giovanni Gristosomo to see paintings by Venetian masters Bellini and Sebastiano del Piombo; and discover how the “Church of Miracles” got its name—plus so much more! We consciously take you away from the beaten track and to our favorite local spots so you get a taste of the real Venice as well as the big name attractions.

Enjoy a gondola ride along the Grand Canal and quieter back canals of Venice.

We couldn’t say we were covering the best of Venice in a day if we didn’t include a gondola ride on our tour. After your walking tour, you’ll meet a local Venetian gondolier and your group will be split into different gondolas (maximum five people per gondola) for a ride along the Grand Canal and into the quieter back canals of the city. Duck under little bridges, admire ornate palaces, and watch the world go by as you sit back and enjoy this quintessential Venetian moment. With independent Venice gondola rides costing around €80/hour, this half-hour ride, included in the price of your tour, is a bargain.

Discover the top two sights of Venice—St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace—on our skip-the-line tours.

We’ll give you a short break after your gondola ride and meet back at St. Mark’s Square for the next part of our adventure. If you book the 8:30 AM tour, you'll skip the line into St. Mark's Basilica as your guide points out the features of this incredible church. If you book the 8:45 AM tour, your guide will pause outside the Basilica to explain how its east-meets-west architecture came about and the shady means by which the relics of St. Mark came to rest here.

Our day doesn’t end there, though. With pre-reserved, skip-the-line tickets to the Doge’s Palace, we’ll walk straight inside. It’s here that you’ll feel the most benefit for having a local tour guide. Home to some of the city’s most impressive artworks and architecture, Palazzo Ducale is so much more than something pretty to look at. Although it certainly is that, it’s also the historic heart of Venice and a repository for the best stories, from Casanova’s prison break to the Duke whose face was dramatically blacked out of every portrait and painting.

With our expert guides on hand to tell you all the juicy details, plus small groups so you can easily ask all the questions you want, your Doge’s Palace tour is guaranteed to be a highlight of your Venice visit.

Please note that this description is an example and your experience may vary depending on the season, day of the week, and group size. Regardless of where your tour goes, you always have an excellent experience.