Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice

Culture & history tours

See the beautiful attractions of Venice on a sightseeing tour with a local guide. Cross the network of canals using the small bridges and narrow lanes of the historic Rialto, San Marco and Cannaregio districts.  Discover the site of the old trade center from the days of the Venetian Empire. Pass the former home of the explorer Marco Polo and learn how he built trade agreements with China providing an important link between the East and West. See the impressive church of San Pantalon in the Dorsoduro district. Continue to the large Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, where the painter Titian is buried. Enter the narrow square of the Campo San Bartolomeo, and continue to the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, where 25 of the doges are buried. End on St. Mark's Square and admire St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace.

Visit Venice, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, discover it charm and learn about its history on this 2-hour walking tour. You will meet your guide in Dorsoduro and start exploring the city walking through its most famous districts, such as Rialto and Cannareggio, with its Jewish Ghetto. Cross Rialto Bridge, one of the main highlights of Venice, and reach the House of Marco Polo, the famous explorer. You will see the Church of San Giovanni e Paolo, where many doges, the people who ruled the city in the past, are buried, and the Basilica de' Frari, were the painter Titian lays to rest. The tour will end in Piazza San Marco, where you will admire the wonderful Basilica and Palazzo Ducale. Your guide will enrich your visit with unique descriptions, commentaries and anecdotes that will make this walking tour unforgettable.

Explore Venice through its narrow calli (alleys) and encounter countless bridges and picturesque squares at the heart of the city's social scene. Follow a professional guide on an unforgettable journey through the history of the "Serenissima" and discover famous sites and hidden gems. Get an animated description of majestic St. Mark’s Basilica in Piazza San Marco, and learn the function of the Doge's Palace. Hear about the ornate St. Mark's Clocktower and the 3 connected buildings of the Procuratie. Then, make your way to the Campo Santa Maria Formosa to see the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, where all of the city's doges were buried after the 15th century. Go to the Scuola Grande di San Marco (“Great School of Charity”) to hear about the "Captains of Fortune," and then head back through the San Marco sestiere (district) to see the Teatro Malibran. Stroll down the famous Mercerie, the historic heart of commercial life in the city and now one of the main shopping streets of Venice between the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco.

Enjoy an intimate, half-day food and culture tour of Venice, and see the major sights of “La Serenissima,” as well as some hidden treasures along the way. Visit osterias, trattorias, pastry shops and wine bars to sample the typical fare of the Veneto. Meet your guide close to the Rialto Bridge, and stroll through a market overflowing with fish, fruit and vegetables of every shape and color. Cross the Rialto Bridge to an interesting 18th-century osteria famous for its cicchetti (tapas-like snacks unique to Venice). Drink a toast of regional wines and prosecco, and savor bite-sized morsels bursting with regional flavors. Continue to the Campo San Bartolomeo to see Marco Polo’s house and the haunts of Casanova. Pass beautiful churches and hear wonderful trivia, such as the origins of the Bellini cocktail. Go to the Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo to enjoy an authentic tiramisu with coffee, and experience a Venetian specialty where the Italian coffee culture was born. As you search for olives, pillows of polenta, and mouthwateringly marinated seafood, your guide will provide suggestions on excursions for the rest of your time in Venice. Come with an appetite, as this food tour is a meal in itself!

Discover the magic of Venice on foot and by water with a combined walking tour and gondola ride. Explore the city center with a local guide, marvel at the inside of St. Mark’s Basilica, and then take a ride down the canals on the city’s famous mode of transport. Meet near the Rialto Bridge and learn why it was initially considered a very bad idea to build it. Take a quick look at the Rialto Fish Market to learn about the long fishing history of the city. Gain an insight into Venetian culinary tradition as well as some restaurant tips from your guide. Continue to the sestiere (district) of Cannaregio, home to some of the city’s hidden gems. See the house where Marco Polo once lived, visit the unique Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, and gaze at a remarkable statue by Verocchio on the Campo San Giovanni and Paolo. Admire a variety of Venetian architectural styles as you explore hidden alleyways. Take in the lively ambiance of St. Mark’s Square before stepping inside the breathtaking St. Mark’s Basilica. Discover how Venice built a mercantile empire that once spanned the entire Mediterranean as you marvel at exquisite mosaics and other treasures within. Hear about how the city begged, borrowed, and stole to grow from a tiny island to one of the biggest powers in the medieval world. Finally, say goodbye to your guide and climb aboard for a 30-minute (approximately) gondola ride. Limited to only 5 people per gondola, enjoy an intimate and relaxing experience as your gondolier gently navigates the canals. Punt through the quieter canals and savor every moment.

This combined tour will allow you to discover the most important historical places and buildings of Venice in two parts. From a centrally located meeting point, you will be led by a professional guide through the most characteristic places around the areas of St. Mark's Square and Castello. After this walk, you will enjoy a view of the city from the water on-board a gondola. The tour will start with a historical introduction in St. Marks’s Square, and its architectural delights, allowing you to discover the history of the Doge’s Palace, once the seat of the power for the Republic of Venice, and the surrounding buildings. Leaving the square, you will be guided into the residential Castello area, allowing you to discover this part of Venice in all of its elegance through its labyrinth of narrow alleys or calli, many bridges, winding canals and wide picturesque squares known as campi. Discover the Santa Maria Formosa Square, one of the largest squares in Venice with its church, named after its visitation of the Holy Virgin, the Saints Giovanni and Paolo Square where you will be able to admire the famous church, the resting place of several Doges and the equestrian monument of Bartolomeo Colleoni, an Italian mercenary captain. The former residence of Marco Polo, probably the most famous Venetian merchant, and the Malibran Theatre will also be part of the itinerary. After the walking tour, you will be accompanied to Saint Moisè Square, the landing stage of the famous Venetian transportation, the gondola. Relax aboard this historic vessel, enjoying the thrills of both the Grand Canal and minor canals. Admire Venice from this amazing point of view, witness its magnificent architecture and whilst gliding under its bridges, discover secret entrances to the elegant palaces and hidden corners. The gondola ride will not be a guided tour. This 2-hour combined tour will conclude in Campo San Moisè, a short walk from St. Mark’s Square.

Start the tour in the historical heart of Venice with a morning promenade from Saint Mark’s Square to some of the most important monuments in Venice. See Santa Maria Formosa, the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, known as the Venetian Pantheon, and much more. Learn about the amazing history of these monuments from your professional guide. Pass through the main shopping street, until you reach Rialto Bridge. Stroll through the typical markets which were once the commercial center of Europe. Continue your experience with a gondola ride discovering Venice from a unique angle: glide under the Bridge of Sighs into the magical San Marco Basin and greet the charming San Giorgio Island. A dream journey awaits! Enjoy commentary on your gondola tour by downloading the mobile app. The App will provide audio commentary to explain all about the magnificent palaces and attractions around you. Later, enjoy the audio guide with digital map to discover the five districts of Venice and their best attractions and squares, day or night, on a self-guided tour. Listen to the automatic audio 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, you will also enjoy the most secret and picturesque places of Venice known only by true Venetians.

Starting in St. Mark’s Square, this atmospheric walking tour will whisk you away from the crowded streets into the treasure filled pockets of the Castello area. A qualified guide will walk you through the hidden squares, winding canals and historical buildings providing you with a perfect introduction to the origins, symbols, traditions, architecture and life in present day Venice. The tour will start with a historical introduction of St. Marks’s Square and its architectural delights, allowing you to discover the history of the majestic St. Mark’s Basilica, the illustrious Doge’s Palace, once the seat of the power of the Republic of Venice, and the extraordinary, Renaissance clock tower. Leaving the square, you will be guided into the residential Castello area, allowing you to discover this part of Venice in all of its elegance, through its labyrinth of narrow alleys known as calli, its many bridges, winding canals and wide picturesque squares called campi. Discover campo Santa Maria Formosa and campo San Giovanni & Paolo, with its stunning Basilica, where the doges of Venice were buried. At the end of your walking tour, come back with your local guide in San Marco's square passing through the Mercerie, the shopping connection street between Rialto and San Marco.

The tour will start at the San Marco Column. You can see for yourself why people consider this square to be the most beautiful drawing room in the world once you go there. A brief historical overview of the largest maritime empire in the Mediterranean Sea will be provided in the guide. The guide will point out some of the most well-known buildings in this square as you move on with the tour. The St. Mark's Basilica, the cathedral church of Venice, will be unveiled to you in this square. This building is the city's iconic symbol with its Byzantine-style cupolas, golden mosaics, and priceless bronze and gold horses imported from Constantinople. The exterior of the church was designed in a severe Gothic style, as the tour guide will explain. The Doge's Palace, another monument located in St. Mark's square, is the next thing you'll see after passing the Cathedral. Here, the tour guide will explain to you the history of this stunning palace, the fire that occurred there, as well as the layout and architectural design of this magnificent structure. Then proceed on foot to the Campanile (Bell Tower), Venice's tallest structure, which once served as a lighthouse for ships. You will continue your tour of Campo SS. Giovanni e Paolo, home to the Pantheon of Venice, the biggest church in the city. The tour guide will show you the church's stunning sculpture-designed exterior. The Scuola Grande di San Marco ("Great School of Charity"), Venice's most prominent and exquisitely decorated structure, is located just a short distance from the church. The tour guide will go over the significance of this building to the Venetians and its importance to them. The house of Marco Polo, a famous traveler and author, is one of the hidden gems you'll find as you meander through Venice's streets and pretty alleys while crossing over tiny bridges. When your tour guide describes the place's historical significance and the contributions the man who once lived there made to the world, it's difficult not to feel a sense of awe. You won't stop there; the guide will lead you to Mercerie, the busiest and most well-known shopping street in Venice. This former hub of the city's commerce is located between San Marco Square and the Rialto Bridge. After passing the Rialto bridge, proceed along the grand canal to the Teatro La Fenice, the most renowned and well-known theater in Italy. Here, you can read the legend of a mythical phoenix that the people of Venice have long told. On your way back to St. Mark's Square, stop by the external, gothic Scala Contarini del Bovolo later. Your walking tour will come to an end at this point after a pleasant two hours of walking without feeling overwhelmed or tired because you have learned about the city's perfect blend of art, architecture, and history as well as its priceless artistic heritage.

Explore the incomparable architecture of Venice on a 90-minute walking tour of its major highlights, and discover a few hidden gems along the way. Departing from the spectacular St. Mark’s Square, dominated by the Basilica of San Marco, head off after a brief introduction to admire some of the most beautiful architecture in Venice. An experienced guide will escort you through the streets recalling the millennia of the Serenissima Republic as you walk from Piazza San Marco to Santa Maria Formosa and the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, referred to as the "Pantheon of Venice.” Pass the charitable Scuole Grandi (Great Schools of Venice) and hear about the heroic deeds of the famed Captains of Fortune. Discover where Marco Polo lived and worked in Venice, and admire the Teatro Malibran, one of the city’s most historic opera houses, where ancient and modern history meet at a wonderful corner of Venice Return to San Marco through the Mercerie, providing a vital connection between the Rialto and San Marco, and now the main shopping street in Venice, which you are free to explore at the end of your tour. Access Saint Mark's Basilica with our Skip the Line ticket.