• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Take a walk off the beaten track, away from the tourist crowds, and see the real side of Venice. On this private tour, go beyond the classic route and explore Castello where you’ll experience a different Venice, like a local with a local by your side!

Destination

Venice, Italy

Category

Off The Beaten Track

Duration

2.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

Italiano, English, Deutsch, Español

Included

• Private Guide
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Entrance to Attractions
• the Venetian Arsenal is open Mon-Fri 08.00-15.00

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 5 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at In front of the church - Venice to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Off the Beaten Track

   Done with the main highlights of Venice? Check out Castello. Explore a lesser-known part of the city that will give you a more authentic feel of Venice. Check out Venetian Arsenal, Giardini della Marinaressa and more!

4. The Real Deal

   Let a local expert in the area you’ll visit show you their Venice from a different perspective - away from the tourist traps. See street art, cultural hot spots, local vendors, hangout spots, and historical gems, and embrace the vibe!

5. Personalized Recommendations

   Want to explore more of the area after the tour? Your host is happy to recommend their favorite eateries and where to take a break while wandering in this vibrant area

6. Unique Plan

   Depending on your host, this tour will be experienced based on their knowledge, passion, and expertise. Pick a host that matches your interests and see their city through their eyes!

7. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Jay & Juliet

(About local Adair)

27 July 2025

Excellent tour with Adair, we went to Murano and Burano, saw how the famous Murano glass is made, stopped for a lovely lunch in Burano whilst walking round the island. Adair is extremely knowledgeable and shows us various other islands as we went on the boats for the tour. Highly recommended Island Tour with Adair

David🇺🇸 United States

(About local Adair)

15 July 2025

We spent our first full day in Venice with Adair, and it was the perfect introduction to the city. She helped us get oriented, showing us both the must-see highlights and hidden local spots off the beaten path. Adair was warm, engaging, and made a real effort to include everyone in the conversation — from our 13-year-old daughter to our mother-in-law. She thoughtfully customized the tour to avoid bridges as much as possible, which was incredibly helpful since we had a wheelchair with us. (Yes, Venice is manageable with a wheelchair — especially if the person can handle steps and someone is available to carry the chair over bridges.) We couldn’t have asked for a better guide to start our time in Venice.Introduction to Venice

katy🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Adair)

12 July 2025

Adair is a very nice guide👌🏻 she takes the quiet roads and bridges. Finds the perfect spots to take nice pictures. Being an American who lives in Italy for 15 years she brings the best of both worlds! Hidden gems Venice

Sarah🇸🇪 Sweden

(About local Romy)

11 July 2025

Fantastic guide tour around Venice including the hidden gems. Now we finally got the picture of the daily life of Venetians through history as well as everything that happened in the area historically. Can strongly recommend Romy! Romy sure knows her history!!

Krystal🇺🇸 United States

(About local Valerio)

7 July 2025

We had a fantastic off-the-beaten-path tour of Venice with Valerio, guiding our mixed group that included kids and grandparents. He was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging, tailoring the experience to our pace and interests. Valerio kept the kids curious and entertained, answered all our questions with enthusiasm, and was more than happy to make extra stops when we needed. His patience, warmth, and sense of fun made the tour a highlight of our trip. Highly recommend!Great, family-friendly guide

Jody🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marzia)

5 July 2025

She was wonderful. She knew her facts , and was able to really get it across. She rocks!

kristen.hartman

(About local Elena )

3 July 2025

We had an absolutely fantastic experience on our tour with Elena. We wanted to better understand the history of this beautiful city. She was incredibly knowledgeable about everything past and present. She has lived in Venice her entire life so is able to share so much more from her personal experiences than you might learn on audio or group tours. Elena is warm and engaging. A real highlight of our time in this magical city. Thank you Elena!Fantastic Experience

Fran🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Elena )

2 July 2025

We had a fabulous morning with Elena. Saw the real Venice and learnt so much. Thank you!Passionate about her home..Venice

Orla

(About local Elena )

26 June 2025

Our family of 5 (3 teenagers) had the pleasure of Elena's company for a couple of hours on our first day in Venice. She was such a great guide with a wealth of knowledge about Venice, it's history and the people. She told us lots of great stories that captured the kids attention. She was smart to limit the walking as it was the end of a long, hot day so we were all pretty tired. But we still got to see an area of Venice we would have never explored. Being from Venice, Elena has great insight into local life. For example, her family owns a gondola & she is teaching her own kids to operate it. If I ever get back to Venice I would love to take another tour with Elena - she should be first on your list of people to call too! Thank you so much for making out trip extra special!You want Elena to be your Venice guide

Sarah

(About local Giacomo)

19 June 2025

Giacomo is very knowledgeable about Venice and we enjoyed speaking with him. We visited two restaurants (one a Gelateria) and had great food/wine/gelato. He took it slow (we had just arrived and were tired), adjusting to what we needed. I recommend the tour!Interesting and Delicious Tour!

Ann

(About local Valerio)

5 June 2025

Our day with Valerio was amazing! After meeting at the local fish market, we went to his home on murano to prepare a meal. It was delicious and so fun to feel like a local. Our tour of murano included stops to learn about glass blowing. Our daughter got to make her own glass bead and then we toured a glass showroom which was beautiful. Don’t hesitate to book this memorable tour- Valerio is outstanding!Amazing Day

Susanne

(About local Adair)

5 June 2025

Adair was a wonderful guide who tailored the tour to our group. She is very insightful and we really liked to get her view on living in Venice. Her unique perspective on Venice greatly contributed to our enjoyment of our stay. Great tips and she hooked us on cicchetti!Great and very personal tour!

joel🇺🇸 United States

(About local Elena )

2 June 2025

Elena was amazing! Her knowledge of the history of the Jewish people in Venice was superb and she brought the past and present to light with her stories and her personal touch. We were all riveted the entire time. The best guide we could have hoped for (and we are discriminating)!!Even better than we could have hoped for!

Randy

(About local Marzia)

1 June 2025

Marzia showed us charming and beautiful locations on the islands we visited. The information was interesting and the tour of the glass factory was amazing - we would highly recommend this tour while visiting Venice.Wonderful tour

Graham🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marzia)

31 May 2025

as a true local marzia was engaging and informative she took us to a fantastic murano family gallery where we got to buy pieces directly from from the artist (an advantage marzia has of working in the trade) i suspect we could have done an amazing "other neigborhoods that tourists dont see" trip based on some of jer comments but we didnt have a extra day i would recommend everyone to spend time with marziaawesome (and made my wife happy)

Cornelia

(About local Valerio)

26 May 2025

Valerio macht den Spaziergang durch Canareggio und San Polo weit über die Brunetti-Informationen hinaus interessant. Wer weiß schon, wie die Hausnummern zustande kommen oder wo die Bestattungskirche aus dem Film "Wenn die Gondeln Trauer tragen" liegt? Die Restaurant Empfehlungen, die man noch zusätzlich bekommt, sind eine echte Empfehlung. Vielen Dank, Valerio!mehr als Brunetti ...

Sudharsan🇮🇳 India

(About local Adair)

18 May 2025

We were lucky to get an overview of Venice with Adair right on the first day. This helped is connect the dots when we did the indepth types of near by islands, St. marks/Doges palace and the various nooks and crannies. Recommend!History + Architecture + Personal stories

Mara

(About local Adair)

17 May 2025

Adair was absolutely wonderful and perfect for our stay in Venice. She led us through the city and we saw some much more than we could have imagined. She planned the best day and best fit for our family. She was so warm and friendly ... my family of 4 just adored her. Plus, she knows so many people - we were given extra special treatment on the tour. Book with Adair and it will be one of your favorite memories of your time in Venice. It was one of our most memorable in our 10 day tour of Italy!!!PERFECT DAY IN VENICE!!!

Debbie

(About local Romy)

13 May 2025

Romy was a great guide. We have traveled all over the world for 40 years. Our best guide yet. If you are traveling this far, make the trip worth it. Let Venice come alive—this city deserves your attention. Romy’s makes the Venice tourists don’t get

Edgaras🇱🇹 Lithuania

(About local Elena )

13 May 2025

We had an amazing time with Elena, escaped from all the touristic streets, and explore different part of Venice.Different experience

Angela🇺🇸 United States

(About local Adair)

13 May 2025

Adair was just a wonderful guide for us. Attentive, personable and full of information. It was so helpful to understand the formation of Venice and how each area has evolved. We stopped for chichetti and now our favorite spritz 'Select'. We all shared little bits of info and she shared many stories of her own and of well known Venetians. It was a fabulous afternoon and we are so glad to have had her show us Venice!Fabulous tour! A

gabriel🇺🇸 United States

(About local Adair)

9 May 2025

Went to Murano and Burano. Adair gave insights into the glass blowing industry as well as the lace. Saw many examples of the two and was amazed. This was our second day with Adair ( done on purpose) and she delivered. Would highly recommend and would definitely use again.Island hoppers

gabriel🇺🇸 United States

(About local Adair)

9 May 2025

Adair was very knowledgeable and kept the conversation interesting. Buildings are just that without some history (fish market). She adjusted to the members of our group (78 to 15 months of age) very nicely. Would use her again without a second thought.Not disappointed

Kerry

(About local Giacomo)

3 May 2025

We recently had the pleasure of joining a food tour with a local in Venice, and it was truly one of the highlights of our trip. Giacomo was not only incredibly knowledgeable about the city’s history and culture but also passionate about its culinary traditions. We visited several hidden gems and every stop featured something delicious. We especially loved learning the stories behind each dish and how they connect to Venetian life. Giacomo made us feel like locals, introducing us to places we never would’ve found on our own. It felt more like exploring with a friend than being on a tour. If you're looking to experience Venice through its food and meet a truly passionate local, I highly recommend this tour!Amazing Food Tour Experience in Venice!

Travis

(About local Adair)

1 May 2025

Our tour with Adair was absolutely fantastic! She covered all the major highlights and shared some of Venice's hidden secrets. We highly recommend her!Perfect!

Tom

(About local Marzia)

1 May 2025

Marza gave us a great tour our the islands of Marano, Burano and Mazzorbo. Marza communicated very well before and during the tour. She knows the area very well and has much experience in the Marano glass industry. She surprised us with a water taxi ride back to Venice rather than fighting the crowds on the public boats. Highly recommend this tour, ask for Marza!!Great Tour

cczg6gvypf

(About local Valerio)

30 April 2025

Jeder der überlegt, ob sich ein Private Guide lohnt, möchte ich sagen: Auf jeden Fall!! Man darf Venedig von einer ganz anderen Seite erleben. Wenn man möchte, ganz entspannt fernab der Touristenmassen. Venedig ist eben nicht nur Dogenpalast und Markusplatz! Wunderbare Zeit in Venedig, danke Valerio!

Tanya🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Adair)

29 April 2025

A huge shout out to Adair for taking us on a 2hour magical Venetian walking tour. We had a blast! A great afternoon adventure!

William🇺🇸 United States

(About local Adair)

29 April 2025

I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed the food and the experience with Adair. As an American living in Venice, we related so much to her. She loves it there and was able to give us such an interesting perspective on life in Italy, especially in Venice. This tour was so worth it.Best Way To Experience Venice

HENRYK🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Valerio)

27 April 2025

I am a big fan of Inspector Brunetti, the Venetian policeman created by Dona Leon. A friend enthused about the "Brunetti" tour presented by Valerio in Venice. We hired Valerio and embarked on the expensive two hour tour (over two days unfortunately). We walked by five relevant sites and enjoyed espresso at Brunetti's local coffee bar. From my friend's enthusiasm, I had expected more from the tour. Perhaps, we didn't get the full tour?Inspector Brunetti tour

Evelyn🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Valerio)

27 April 2025

Valerio hat mich unterhaltsam und charmant durch diesen mir nicht bekannten Teil Venedigs geführt . Er hat mir alle Facetten , Kultur, Geschichte, Religion und Kulinarik näher gebracht, sowie alte Filme, die da gedreht wurden wieder aus meinem Gedächtnis geholt. DORSODURO ENTDECKEN

Mary🇺🇸 United States

(About local Adair)

26 April 2025

We spent a couple days with Adair and couldn’t have had a better time! One day was a walking tour of Venice, the other was an island hopping tour. Both were a lot of fun, very informative and got to experience things that I don’t think we could have, had we been on our own. In Venice we took in all the historical attractions as well as experience the local food, the gondole (not gondola!) a spritz! The second day island hopping to Murano, Burano and Mazzorbo. So much fun and each island so different than the other. The behind the scenes at the glass factory, inside look at lace being hand stitched, both were incredible. Adair also helped us by booking transportation, reservations, and gave recommendations, very helpful. Adair was a lot of fun and was really very easy and comfortable to spend that much time with!Great time with Adair!

Andre🇸🇪 Sweden

(About local Elena )

22 April 2025

We had a marvellous afternoon with Elena. She is friendly, enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable about both history and general life in Venice. I have been to Venice at least twenty times before, but I learned so much new about Venice from Elena. I will definitely book another tour with her when I come back to Venice (which I certainly will). An enthusiastic storyteller

Jacqui🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Adair)

18 April 2025

Adair was friendly and helpful sharing loads of tips on places to visit and eat for the rest of our trip. We had a great couple of hours with her and enjoyed the food and drink on offer. She also showed us a great wee place to see the Rialto Bridge away from all the crowds. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her as your guide. Enjoyable afternoon with a great guide

DOMINIQUE🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Adair)

15 April 2025

Here's a suggestion for an enthusiastic and positive review for Adair in English: --- Review for Adair - Our Guide in Venice ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We recently had a fantastic culinary tour of Venice with Adair as our personal guide, and it was an unforgettable experience! Adair introduced us to the hidden gems of this beautiful city, complete with the tastiest snacks and delicious drinks. From the very beginning, she perfectly understood what we were looking for and ensured that we got to know the real Venice. Her rich knowledge of the city's history added an extra layer to our tour. Thanks to her handy tips, we made the most of our visit! What made this experience even better was Adair's wonderful sense of humor. She made us feel completely at ease, which made the tour even more enjoyable. We wholeheartedly recommend Adair to anyone looking to explore Venice. Don't hesitate to book her – you won't regret it! Dominique & Sven So much more than we expected.

Tonya

(About local Adair)

14 April 2025

Adair was a wonderful guide. She tailor made a tour for our family in Venice. Adair was patient with our group of very mixed ages and interests and made sure that we got to do all the things we had wanted to do in Venice and more. Adair was helpful and caring and knew a lot about Venice. I would definitely recommend her as a guide for your tours in Venice.

Svetlana

(About local Marzia)

9 April 2025

Marzia made my birthday special! She gave us an insider’s view of Venice and shared her love, worries, and family memories. Everything was clear and engaging—even for my teenage children. So happy with the walk!Memorable walk

Clare

(About local Giacomo)

31 March 2025

Very good food tour even in extenuating circumstances where there was a football match on the same afternoon, as well as a tall ship in near St Marks Square, so a couple of the usual places he might have taken us were completely full. His knowledge of Venice and places to go were really good and helpful. Thank you for a good tour. Excellent food tour

Gregory🇺🇸 United States

(About local Adair)

30 March 2025

Adair went above and beyond for us! Adair was so helpful before and throughout our trip. The tours were fantastic, don’t book anyone else! Super flexible and worked perfect with my kids. Grqzie Adair!Adair is the best!

Lana

(About local Adair)

15 March 2025

Adair was highly knowledgeable about the culture and food in Venice. We had a Beautiful day touring with her. It was like we had been friends forever. Thank you for making his birthday extra special. I would recommend Adair for any tour! Grazie!!!Amazing Day in Venice with Adair!!

Jonathan

(About local Adair)

14 March 2025

Adiar was an absolutely fantastic tour guide! Our family's recent trip to Venice was made truly memorable thanks to her expertise and enthusiasm. She possessed a remarkable depth of knowledge about the city's history, particularly regarding the intricate architecture that makes Venice so unique. Adiar's explanations were engaging and easy to understand, even for our younger family members. Beyond the historical insights, Adiar also took the time to point out some delightful local spots to grab a quick snack, which was a welcome treat. Her recommendations were spot-on, and we felt like we were experiencing the authentic flavors of Venice. Adiar's warm and friendly demeanor made the tour a truly enjoyable experience for everyone in our family. She was patient, attentive, and clearly passionate about sharing her love for Venice. We couldn't have asked for a better guide, and we highly recommend Adiar to anyone looking for a comprehensive and delightful tour of Venice. She truly made our experience perfect!Amazing time in Venezia

Dominic🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Valerio)

3 March 2025

Danke Valerio10

Karen

(About local Romy)

2 March 2025

Romy’s tour was really great! It was a perfect introduction to our 2 days in Venice with our 2 young adult children. She explained the history of Venice and showed us all of the highlights. She even pointed out some of her favorite spots which we revisited on our own. I would highly recommend Romy as a tour guide!!!Romy is great!

David🇫🇷 France

(About local Valerio)

22 February 2025

Nous avons passé un excellent moment avec Valerio, passionné limite enflammé par Venise. Il connaît les endroits et l'histoire de sa ville et a su transmettre son ethousiasme. Il nous a montré les différentes facettes de la cité, des ambiances contrastées de foule et de calme, des lieux atypiques. Plein de bons conseils. Merci Valerio !Le vrai vénitien, amoureux de sa ville

Edward🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marzia)

14 February 2025

These are just a few of the words to describe our experience with Marzia. If you want to understand the world of the Venetians, the heritage, the culture, the art, Marzia is the perfect choice. Warm, Engrossing, Extremely knowledgeable

Denise

(About local Adair)

9 February 2025

With so many food options available in Venice, I wanted to have someone guide me through the street food options. Adair certainly managed that plus more. She weaved snippets of history into our conversations whilst savouring a variety of foods. Adair made navigating the alleyways look easy and we probably needed her the next day when revisiting one of the cafes! Venice can be overwhelming with food options but that can be made easier when in Adair’s capable hands. Thankyou for providing a great memory of this magical city.Flavours of Venice

Luca

(About local Marzia)

6 February 2025

christina.zielinski

(About local Adair)

2 February 2025

We had a great tour with Adair, she was very knowledgeable about history and local gems as well. She had a great energy levelGreat tour

Patrick

(About local Marzia)

27 January 2025

We spent a wonderful Sunday morning strolling around Dorsoduro with Marzia. She met us off the boat, bought us coffee and then we walked around in the peace and quiet learning about the area and Venice itself. There were some history lessons, cautionary tales, insights about Venice today and lots of smiles. Marzia was charming and if I lived in Venice, we’d go for walks all the time - so you should definitely go for a walk with Marzia too if you have the opportunity!A lovely, charismatic Sunday stroll

Tiel

(About local Elena )

23 January 2025

Our day trip with passionate Venetian Elena was so much more than we had hoped for. The visit to Burano and Murano were fantastic and so fascinating. What really made the day was Elena’s friendliness and stories about life as proud and passionate Venetian. We learnt so much about Elena’s wonderful city. Thank you so much. Much more than Murano