Venice · HIDDEN VENICE TOURS
The Venice the day-trippers never reach: the sestieri beyond San Marco, the bacari with no menu, the courtyards behind unmarked doors. These 15 small-group tours are built to lose the crowds, priced and timed, with a note on how much walking each really means.
Offbeat Rialto Bridge and San Marco walk with Casanova and Scala Contarini del Bovolo, plus an optional 30-minute gondola ride.
“Valentina was a great guide. The early start avoided the crowds. Adding the Gondola trip made it so easy. We weren't rushed. A great tour company!”
Walk from Cannaregio’s quiet streets to Rialto Bridge, with ghetto history, Tintoretto art stops, and a small-group local guide for about $47.
“Sebastiano Was great, really knowledgeable, funny and relatable ( well to my family with 4 boys ranging from 18 years to 26 years) Loved being off the beaten track Only critique - could have started walking a little sooner and we stopped for a long time on history of ghetto Which was interesting but we were tired after arriving so early in the morning so moving was essential after 2 hours sleep Keep walking and talking”
Glide Venice’s canals in a private gondola, from quiet backstreets to Rialto and St Mark’s, with a trained gondolier guiding your route.
“Thanks so much we enjoyed the ride and I believe and hour is perfect amount of time to really see Venice”
Walk Venice’s hidden piazzas and palaces with a fun guide, then glide on a gondola through canals. 2 hours, from $71.
“Elena was an absolutely amazing tour guide. As we sailed on the Laguna she gave us tons of information about the surrounding islands. She was incredibly friendly and knowledgable and made our experience 10% better! The experience itself was fantastic, we saw the glass making in action and then had an hour to walk around Murano and explore. The same with Burano (but saw lace handcrafted!) the streets and houses were beyond pretty and we had an amazing time. Thank you again Elena for being so friendly!”
Private gondola in Venice with an expert English-speaking gondolier, off-the-main-canal route, and Grand Canal views in 30 to 120 minutes.
“We showed up at 3:10pm for a 3:30 appointment. No one was there working the Gondolas. A couple from Australia that had a 3pm appt was also there waiting. They contacted Viator with no luck. I te t at 3:17pm and emailed at 3:27 pm. We finally left at 3:40. Finally reached Viator thru email after requesting a refund and they said that the tour company said we never showed. That’s a LIE. I submitted the texts and email time stamps and they still won’t give me a refund. I went back to the gondola stand at 4:45 a surprise, the gondlier was there. I confronted him, he said he…”
Glide Venice’s quiet canals on a 90-minute electric boat ride. Small group, guided storytelling, and photo-friendly hidden waterways.
“Fantastic. Our guided was extremely knowledgeable and very friendly. Wonderful experience. Strongly recommend.”
A small-group Venice walking tour with skip-the-line access to Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica, plus Bovolo Stairs and quieter canals.
“Worst guided tour I’ve ever taken. No lunch brake and only toured the doge palace…tour ended after 2 hours. Our guide Christina knew nothing about the second half even after I asked her about the Basilica tour. They ruined our vacation.”
Join a small group Venice tapas and wine walking tour for cichetti at local bacari, three wine tastings, and local stories.
“The tour was great. It was lovely to be with a small group, and the guide (Barbara) was super friendly and knowledgeable, and it really felt like we were all going around together with a friend.”
A private 2-hour Venice walk through Rialto Market and San Polo with wine and cicchetti, plus stories tied to the Grand Canal.
“A excellent tour recommend to everyone that is visiting Venice”
A 2-hour San Marco Venice walking tour with a live guide, photo stops like Scala Contarini del Bovolo, plus an app for 100+ more sights.
“visite très très instructive du point de vue histoire de l'art, architecture et politique. le guide était passionné et passionnant !”
A 3-hour private Venice tour with a local guide, Doge’s Palace plus church stops, and a local drink tasting included.
“Wonderful, knowledgeable, friendly guide. Family had a great time learning some of the treasured secrets of Venice.”
Small-group cichetti and three local wines at two bacari, with a 4 pm walk through quieter Venice back streets off the tourist track.
“Lots of fun. Got to try lots of different tapas and wine. Guide was friendly and engaging. Would recommend”
A 90-minute Venice night walk with Valerio, photographing baroque facades, Cannaregio lanes, and a quieter St Mark’s Square. English.
“We were extremely excited to go on this tour after reading the other reviews. But it started off a little shaky when the tour guide made the comment that “oh there you are, yeah, Americans are always late”. Actually, we weren’t late we were just standing on the wrong side of the patio because his instructions were weird. The places we went to were literally of no interest. Why go look inside the hospital building, granted you can see the gold gilded walls) why go look at a very small corridor between two buildings. Again not a hidden gem in my mind.. This tour didn’t reveal hidden gems and secret…”
Private Venice tour that escapes crowds, starts in Dorsoduro, and delivers a San Giorgio Maggiore view plus quieter local squares.
“It was a pleasant surprise when Nicolo used his boat to take us around the canals of Venice. We thoroughly enjoyed it”
Follow Casanova through Venice Carnival, learn mask secrets and 17th-century costumes, and finish with cappuccino and frittelle.
“The tourguide is fantastic The tour show you the ”real Venice” not just touristtraps”
From the Basilica to the far lagoon — every experience, ranked.
