Walking Tour, Frari Church & Gondola Ride
During this unusual walking tour, your official English speaking guide will take you to St. Mark's Square, but you'll also leave the crowds behind, wending your way through the typical narrow Venetian streets (calli) and squares (campielli). Stroll along picturesque lanes; gaze in the elegant windows of haute couture boutiques; watch as local artisans craft elaborate masks, precious jewels and whimsical toys; view tiny hidden churches, palaces and courtyards. Inside Frari Church, you'll see paintings and sculptures by Bellini, Tiziano and Canova. Next you'll step into a gondola and begin your romantic 30-minute ride along the Grand Canal and through the tiny side canals, enjoying the most evocative views of the city. As if in a dream, glide through the city's most secluded waterways, slipping under small bridges as you appreciate how totally unique this floating city is.
Your guide will meet you in St. Mark's Square for this tour, which lasts about two hours. Children under 2 years old pay nothing. Children 2 to 10 years old pay 80%.
| 2013 Prices |
| 1 person: |
|
333 Euro/person |
| 2 people: |
|
337 Euro/person |
| 3 people: |
|
341 Euro/person |
| 4 people: |
|
348 Euro/person |
| 5 people: |
|
349 Euro/person |
| 6 people: |
|
352 Euro/person |
| 7 people: |
|
505 Euro/person |
| 8 people: |
|
514 Euro/person |
| 9 people: |
|
522 Euro/person |
| 10 people: |
|
524 Euro/person |
|
Price includes private English-speaking guide, Frari entrance fee and gondola oarsman.
|
The Art Lover's Masterpieces of Venice
Meet your English-speaking guide and walk to Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, a gigantic Gothic church considered Venice's most important after St. Mark's. Some of its outstanding treasures are works by Titian and Bellini. Proceeding around the corner you'll come to the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, which houses an impressive and rich collection of art from the Italian Masters. A winding route of narrow streets and courtyards will lead you to the Ca' Rezzonico Palace, where you'll relax over a cup of coffee before stepping inside a resplendent Venetian palace that now houses the Museum of 18th-century Venice. Climb the grand ceremonial staircase leading to the first-floor ballroom, marvel at its remarkable ceiling fresco, then continue to the long gallery and other extravagant rooms. At the end of the visit, a motor-launch will be available at the Palace pontoon to take you through a short portion of the Grand Canal. Cruising through this section of the Grand Canal you will see Palazzo Grassi, the Accademia Bridge, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni (now home to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection), La Salute church and St. Mark's basin, before returning to the cruise dock.
Your guide will meet you you at the San Toma motor launch along the Grand Canal for this tour, which lasts three hours. The motor-launch holds 10 people at most. If your group is smaller than 7 people, public transportation will be used. Children under 2 years old pay nothing. Children 2 to 10 years old pay 80%.
| 2013 Prices |
1 person :
2 people:
3 people:
4 people:
5 people:
6 people:
7 people:
8 people:
9 people:
10 people:
|
|
478 Euro
533 Euro/group
582 Euro/group
632 Euro/group
684 Euro/group
732 Euro/group
851 Euro/group
885 Euro/group
919 Euro/group
954 Euro/group |
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Price includes private English-speaking guide, transportation and entrance fees to Frari, San Rocco and Ca' Rezzonico. |
Venetian Waterways
Step into your private motor-launch and travel with your English-speaking guide on a narrated tour through the Venetian canals and lagoon. You'll glide down the 2.3-mile inverted "S" of the Grand Canal, delighting as police and fire brigades zip by in their boats, grey customs boats make their rounds, tradesmen, deliverymen ply their services, wedding and funeral processions take place; seemingly the whole population of Venice is on the water. Cruise past Baroque and Renaissance palaces, some housing museums and exquisite private art collections. During the course of your exclusive ride through Venice, you'll stop to disembark and enjoy the atmosphere of a typical Venetian café. Coffee and traditional Venetian sweets will be served before you boat back to the cruise dock.
Your
guide will meet you at the San Toma motor launch along the Grand Canal for this tour, which lasts two hours. Children under 2 years old pay nothing. Children 2 to 10 years old pay 80%.
| 2013 Prices |
| 1 person: |
|
484 Euro |
| 2 people: |
|
488 Euro/group |
| 3 people: |
|
494 Euro/group |
| 4 people: |
|
496 Euro/group |
| 5 people: |
|
503 Euro/group |
| 6 people: |
|
510 Euro/group |
| 7 people: |
|
511 Euro/group |
| 8 people: |
|
514 Euro/group |
| 9 people: |
|
544 Euro/group |
| 10 people: |
|
576 Euro/group |
|
Price includes private English-speaking guide, boat transportation and a snack. |
Jewish History & The World's First Ghetto
The word "ghetto," and the concept associated with it, actually originated in 16th-century Venice, when the Great Council ordered that all Jews be confined to a small island. They were not allowed out of the ghetto after sunset, they were forced to wear distinctive clothing, and they were barred from most professions save medicine. In time the word came to designate any kind of poor neighborhood, but in Venice the Jews were mostly affluent; they were certainly highly educated and indeed, the study of Torah and Talmud flourished between the closed walls of their synagogues so that ironically, rather than destroy Jewish culture, the ghetto actually helped it to blossom and grow.
For this fascinating cultural experience, you will meet your specialized guide near Santa Lucia Train Station and walk past the Baroque Church of Santa Maria degli Scalzi (1660-1680), the Church of San Geremia (built by Carlo Corbellini in the mid 18th century), and one of Venice’s most imposing palaces, Palazzo Labia. After you cross the Cannaregio Canal and tour this most authentic Venetian district, you'll come to the heart of the ghetto, where limited space forced the inhabitants to add 5th, 6th and even 7th floors to their buildings. It is inside these 16th-century "skyscrapers" that each ethnic group of Jews had its scola or synagogue, usually on the top floor. You'll visit three of these hideaways, which were not only repositories of theology but also veritable treasure troves, filled with priceless objects, some of which you'll see when your guide bids you farewell at the Museo Ebraico. The museum comprises two areas, one devoted to the cycle of Jewish festivities and objects used for liturgy, the other focusing on the history of Venetian Jews. There is even a 200-year-old Sukkah. You can visit the museum on your own, or by joining the museum's guided tour.
This walking tour lasts three hours. We do not recommend it late on Friday afternoon or on Saturdays when almost all shops and sites in the ghetto are closed. Children under 2 years old pay nothing; children 2 to 10 years old pay 80%. The synagogues are normally on the top floor, reached by several flights of stairs. The museum is open June 1-September 30th 10:00 am - 7:00 pm; October 1-May 31 10:00 am - 5:30 pm. Guided tours in English start at 10:30 and continue every hour on the half hour until 5:30 in summer, 4:30 in winter. Synagogue and museum tickets are included in the price of this tour; the guided tour costs 6 Euro/person paid at the museum.
| 2013 Prices |
| 1 person: |
|
326 Euro |
| 2 people: |
|
340 Euro/group |
| 3 people: |
|
351 Euro/group |
| 4 people: |
|
364 Euro/group |
| 5 people: |
|
376 Euro/group |
| 6 people: |
|
416 Euro/group |
| 7 people: |
|
440 Euro/group |
| 8 people: |
|
447 Euro/group |
| 9 people: |
|
442 Euro/group |
| 10 people: |
|
450 Euro/group |
|
Price includes private English-speaking walking tour guide specialized in Jewish history, as well as entrance fees. |
Boat Excursion to the Lagoon Islands
To
experience something completely different from Venice, travel by boat to the island of Murano, where you will see a glass-blowing demonstration at one of the ancient factories. Then proceed to our favourite island, Burano, whose fairy-tale canals are lined with brilliantly painted houses that seem to vie with each other for your attention. Walk the quiet streets, admire the intricate lacework for which Burano's ladies are renowned, step into the massive cathedral whose belltower leans almost as precipitously as Pisa's. Your last stop is Torcello, the island which actually predates Venice itself. Stroll past the few dwellings to explore the mystical cathedral, covered with exquisite 12th- and 13th-century mosaics.
Your
guide will meet you at the St. Mark's waterfront for this tour, which lasts five hours. Children under 2 years old pay nothing. Children 2 to 10 years old pay 80%.
| 2013 Prices |
| 1 person: |
|
802 Euro |
| 2 people: |
|
809 Euro/group |
| 3 people: |
|
813 Euro/group |
| 4 people: |
|
820 Euro/group |
| 5 people: |
|
827 Euro/group |
| 6 people: |
|
829 Euro/group |
| 7 people: |
|
856 Euro/group |
| 8 people: |
|
885 Euro/group |
| 9 people: |
|
913 Euro/group |
| 10 people: |
|
939 Euro/group |
|
Price includes private English-speaking guide, boat transportation and entrance fee at Torcello church.
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Venice & The Lagoon Islands by Boat
For the best of Venice and its islands, step into your private reserved motor-launch and enjoy a panoramic tour of St. Mark's Basin. Your English-speaking guide will explain the most important buildings and monuments of this picturesque and totally unique city. You'll stop at the Island of San Giorgio for a panoramic view of Venice and a visit to this landmark Palladian church. Next it's on to the island of Murano, where you will see a glass-blowing demonstration at one of the ancient factories. Then proceed to our favorite island, Burano, whose fairy-tale canals are lined with brilliantly painted houses that seem to vie with each other for your attention. Walk the quiet streets, admire the intricate lacework for which Burano's ladies are renowned, step into the massive cathedral whose belltower leans almost as precipitously as Pisa's. At one of the local bars, you'll taste a typical Venetian snack, called cicchetto in Venetian dialect. From Burano, your boat will take you through the northern part of the Lagoon to the Cannaregio district, where you'll have a walking tour of the ancient Jewish quarter, where the term "ghetto" was coined.
Your
guide will meet you at the St. Mark's waterfront for this tour, which lasts six hours. Children under 2 years old pay nothing. Children 2 to 10 years old pay 80%.
| 2013 Prices |
| 1 person: |
|
967 Euro |
| 2 people: |
|
984 Euro/group |
| 3 people: |
|
989 Euro/group |
| 4 people: |
|
999 Euro/group |
| 5 people: |
|
1008 Euro/group |
| 6 people: |
|
1014 Euro/group |
| 7 people: |
|
1045 Euro/group |
| 8 people: |
|
1045 Euro/group |
| 9 people: |
|
1079 Euro/group |
| 10 people: |
|
1109 Euro/group |
|
Price includes private English-speaking guide, boat transportation and snack on Burano. If there is time to go to the top of the San Giorgio belltower, it costs 3 Euro/person extra paid in cash.
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Torcello & San Francesco by Boat
For
those who have already visited Murano and Burano, here is the true connoisseur's tour. Step into your private reserved motor-launch and take off across the lagoon to the Island of Torcello, where you will visit to the oldest Basilica of Venice, the 7th-century church of Santa Maria Assunta, which boasts exquisite Byzantine wall mosaics. Afterwards, continue by boat to the island of St. Francis of the Desert, a real oasis of peace in the middle of the Venetian Lagoon. The island is very ancient, dating back to the Roman Empire. The second half of the island's name goes back to the early 1400s, when the island was abandoned for more than 20 years because of the insalubrious state of the lagoon. Two centuries earlier, in 1220, St. Francis landed there with an anonymous companion on his return from the East. As narrated by St. Bonaventura in the Legenda Maior, the future saint was greeted by the joyful singing of the swallows. An English-speaking friar will lead you on a once-in-a-lifetime guided visit to the gardens and cloisters of the church before you boat back to Venice.
Your
guide will meet you at the St. Mark's waterfront for this tour, which lasts four hours and is available every day except Monday. Children under 2 years old pay nothing. Children 2 to 10 years old pay 80%.
| 2013 Prices |
| 1 person: |
|
711 Euro |
| 2 people: |
|
717 Euro/group |
| 3 people: |
|
725 Euro/group |
| 4 people: |
|
730 Euro/group |
| 5 people: |
|
742 Euro/group |
| 6 people: |
|
751 Euro/group |
| 7 people: |
|
781 Euro/group |
| 8 people: |
|
798 Euro/group |
| 9 people: |
|
829 Euro/group |
| 10 people: |
|
854 Euro/group |
|
Price includes private English-speaking guide, boat transportation and entrance fee on Torcello. |
