Water activity

Venice: Gondola Ride & Guided Tour of St. Mark's Basilica

3.9 / 5

28 reviews

Activity provider:VENICE TOURS S.R.L.
Water activity

Venice: Gondola Ride & Guided Tour of St. Mark's Basilica

Activity provider:VENICE TOURS S.R.L.
Save up to 20%

From US$ 93.70 US$ 74.96 per person

Discover the soul of Venice with a gondola ride on the Grand Canal followed by a guided tour of the magnificent Saint Mark’s Basilica.

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
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Covid-19 precautions
Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details.
Duration 1.5 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Skip the line through a separate entrance
Live tour guide
German, Spanish, Italian, English, French

Experience

Highlights
  • Marvel at the centuries-old gold mosaic of Saint Mark's Basilica
  • Browse through the fascinating relics of the Saint Mark Treasury
  • Listen to fascinating stories of Venice's early days as you ride a gondola
  • Discover the Grand Canal and the city's hidden corners in a convenient way
  • Gaze at La Fenice Theater, the Rialto Bridge, and the Accademia Bridge
Full description
Enjoy a guided tour through the Saint Mark's Basilica. The basilica is famous for its incredible solid gold mosaics. Skip the long line and enter the majestic church accompanied by an expert guide. Your guide will narrate the history of the Byzantine artwork and share its meaning. You'll also discover the Saint Mark Treasury, a magnificent collection of relics and precious items collected over the centuries. After the visit to Saint Mark's Basilica, glide along Venice's amazing Grand Canal on board of the gondola. During your gondola ride, you'll see Desdemona's House, Mozart's House, the worldwide-famous La Fenice Theatre, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Gritti Palace, the Salute Church, and several stunning Venetian palaces. The guide will narrate you the fascinating history of gondola and gondoliers. On board you will listen to all about the palaces, churches, and attractions around you. You will learn also tales known only by Venetians. Later, enjoy the audio guide with a digital map to discover the 5 districts of Venice with their best attractions and squares, day or night, on a self-guided tour. Listen to a narration of the city’s highlights, with more than 200 points of interest including the glorious La Fenice theater, Rialto Bridge, Jewish Ghetto, the Arsenale the majestic Accademia Bridge, and much more. Thanks to this app, discover the most secret and picturesque places of Venice known only by true Venetians.
Includes
  • Saint Mark's Basilica skip-the-line admission
  • Tour guide
  • Audio devices (for large groups only)
  • Shared gondola ride
  • Audio commentary on board
  • City exploration mobile app
Not suitable for
  • Wheelchair users

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Meeting point

2:15 PM St. Mark's Basilica Tour: Meet at the local tour provider's office in Campo San Gallo, beside San Marco Square. (With the Basilica of San Marco behind you, stay on the right side of the square and go under the arches. Find Olivetti Museum, turn right, walk under the archways, cross the little bridge, and find Campo San Gallo.) 5:15 PM gondola ride: Meet at Calle Larga de l'Ascension, St. Mark’s Square, in front of the post office. The meeting point is at the brown wooden newsstand with the yellow sign that says Meeting Point. Please be at the meeting point 15 minutes before the departure time. Please consider the time between the activities.

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Important information

What to bring

  • Comfortable shoes

Not allowed

  • Pets
  • Smoking
  • Luggage or large bags

Know before you go

  • Shoulders and knees must be covered regardless of gender when visiting the basilica
  • You will receive the audio guide with a digital map via e-mail. You must download it on your mobile phone
  • The tour does not operate in case of exceptional high tide or when religious functions are taking place in the basilica. In cases where cancellation is necessary, your tour will be rescheduled or the cost will be refunded

Customer reviews

Overall rating

3.9 /5

based on 28 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.5/5
  • Transportation
    3.9/5
  • Service
    4/5
  • Organization
    4/5

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Star rating:

The guided tour of St Marks Basilica was good, the guide was very good. The Gondola ride was enjoyable. The organisation of the trip was a bit chaotic. We were taken from the tour office to another booth to get the tour tickets where we waited for the guide. Once the guided tour finished we had no instructions on what to do for the Gondola ride or times for it. It worked out OK in the end.

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April 5, 2023

Product ID: 221601