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Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice

Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice: Our most recommended tours and activities

Venice: Sightseeing Tour with a Local Guide

1. Venice: Sightseeing Tour with a Local Guide

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.

Rialto Market Food and Wine Lunchtime Tour of Venice

2. Rialto Market Food and Wine Lunchtime Tour of Venice

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!

90-Minute Walking Tour of Venice

3. 90-Minute Walking Tour of Venice

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.

Venice: Walking Tour & Gondola Ride

4. Venice: Walking Tour & Gondola Ride

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.

Venice: Morning Walking Tour

5. Venice: Morning Walking Tour

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.

Venice: Small Group Walking Tour and Gondola Ride

6. Venice: Small Group Walking Tour and Gondola Ride

Discover the magic of Venice on foot and by water on 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 and its famous cuisine. Get a couple of restaurant recommendations from your local guide! Continue to the sestiere (district) of Cannaregio, home to some of the city’s hidden gems. Discover the house where Marco Polo once lived, and go to the unique Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli. See a remarkable statue by Verocchio on the Campo San Giovanni and Paolo, where you will also see a variety of typical Venetian architectural styles. Meander through hidden alleyways, and hear tales of the city’s past. Learn what it is like to live on the island today as you walk to St. Mark’s Square. Look inside St. Mark’s Basilica for a better understanding of how Venice built a mercantile empire that once spanned the entire Mediterranean. Gaze at exquisite mosaics and other treasures inside and hear how the city begged, borrowed and stole to grow from a tiny island to one of the biggest powers in the medieval world. Your guide will then leave you to enjoy a 30-minute (approximately) gondola ride with a professional gondolier. Limited to only 5 people per gondola, this experience will be both intimate and relaxing. Punt through the quieter canals of Venice as you relax and enjoy the city at its best!

Venice: Private Ghost Tour and Gondola Ride

7. Venice: Private Ghost Tour and Gondola Ride

Venture into the darker side of Venice on a private ghost tour after dark, and hear stories from its bloody past as you creep down dank alleys that still fire the imagination. Meet your guide in the shadows of the church of San Giacomo di Rialto, before walking to the Rialto Bridge. They will take you through a mass of spooky alleys, telling of the spirits that lurk in hidden doorways along the way. Learn about the ghosts of the Campo della Fava. Go to Marco Polo’s house and hear about his Chinese wife. Visit San Gallo, site of one of the most terrible murders in the history of the city, and where the famous sculptor Antonio Canova died. If that’s not enough to get your heart racing, take a 30-minute gondola ride through the network of silent canals. Keep your nerve as the only noise you hope to hear will be the sound of paddles touching water… Your guide will continue to spook you as you sail under the Bridge of Sighs, where captured criminals took their final walk. Cruise into the Campiello Querini, and see the Bell Tower in Santa Maria Formosa, designed to scare off the Devil. End at Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, where the ghost of the Doge continues to haunt the city to this day!

Venice: St Mark's Square Walking Tour & Gondola Ride

8. Venice: St Mark's Square Walking Tour & Gondola Ride

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 on the Grand Canal, towards the Salute Church, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. See some of the stunning Venetian palaces that run along the canal like Mozart’s house, Gritti Hotel, and many others. Pass by Punta de la Dogana before making your way back to the start point in front of Campo San Moisè. Enjoy commentary on your gondola tour by downloading the mobile App onto your phone. 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.

Venice: Crafts and Legends Walking Tour

9. Venice: Crafts and Legends Walking Tour

Learn about the legends and historic craftworks of Venice on a guided walking tour. Marvel at artisan products including the Venetian mask. Meet your guide in the square of San Bartolomio. First, discover the oldest Venetian recipe for hot chocolate, its origin and where you can taste it in the city. Enter the narrow side streets to uncover the history and production techniques of one of the most iconic and famous fashion accessories in Venice: the Venetian mask. See two workshops that still practice the intricate techniques of mosaics and "Venetian paper". Discover how Venice was built and the place where a Venetian girl, according to legend, saved her fellow citizens from certain death by painting the Virgin Mary. Hear even more legends and learn about how coffee arrived in Venice giving birth to the first coffeehouses in Europe .

Venice: 1.5-Hour Walking Tour

10. Venice: 1.5-Hour Walking Tour

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.

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What people are saying about Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice

Overall rating

4.7 / 5

based on 1,416 reviews

This tour was very informative, and we covered a decent amount of ground as well. When you know the history and circumstances that surround these special sites it just makes them more interesting than just seeing a location.

The walking guide was so impressive. Her knowledge of Venice and enthusiasm for her history was wonderful. She was engaging, friendly and easily swapped between the languages spoken in the group. 5 Stars.

Carolina was a perfect guide through the streets of Venice: friendly, enthusiastic and informative. The tour was a great blend of less popular, hidden places and the most famous tourist attractions.

This tour was fantastic. Denise was amazing. She is so passionate about Venice, very knowledgeable, and funny! I really enjoyed the tour and I highly recommend booking it.

Very good Well worth taking the time and learning the history of Venice