• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

See the best of Venice—by land and water! From iconic highlights to secret corners only locals know, this tour shows you the real Venice. To top it all off, enjoy a private 1-hour gondola ride along the Grand Canal and hidden canals for the ultimate Venetian experience.

Destination

Venice, Italy

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

3 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

Deutsch, English, Italiano, Español, 日本語, العربية, Français

Included

• Private Guide
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Entrance to Attractions
• 1 hour Gondola Ride: Please note: the Gondola Ride needs to be paid in cash directly at the time of the tour (€220)

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 11 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 Cafe Florian - 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. City Highlights

   See from Basilica di San Marco, Marco Polo’s house, Rialto Bridge, and other landmarks and must-sees of the city. Your local host will take you to the main spots in town so you can get the perfect overview of what makes Venice so unique

4. Hidden Gems

   Along the way, your local host will show you treasures hidden in plain sight that only the locals know about. Get to know the city through a different perspective, the local way, and discover places and stories that not many tourists experience

5. Magical Storytelling

   Behind every landmark and every stop, there’s a story, and your local host is ready to tell it all. Get ready to listen to incredible stories, one-of-a-kind insights, and fun facts only a knowledgeable local would know!

6. Special Treat

   Follow your host to one of their favorite eateries for a snack or a drink beloved by the locals. Take a break and catch up with your new local friend and get the answers to all your travel questions

7. Gondola Ride

   Enjoy a one-hour private gondola ride along the iconic Grand Canal and through hidden waterways, soaking in Venice’s beauty from the water

8. 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

Dorothy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Elisabetta)

9 September 2025

Elisabetta was very responsive, on time and very knowledgeable. We really enjoyed her tour and learned a lot about Venetian history. She also added a couple of hidden gems that were delightful! At the end, she also gave us dinner recommendations that were great.Wonderful Experience!

Christine🇺🇸 United States

(About local Genny)

18 August 2025

Genny was a great guide. She did an amazing job of just not showing the known points of interest but also those off the beaten path while at the same time providing the history that led to the wonderful creation of Venice! Would highly recommend! Great Experience with Great Guide!

Randy and Jen🇺🇸 United States

(About local rocco)

3 July 2025

Rocco, was right on time for a very hot afternoon. Kept us in shade and told us amazing stories about popular and hidden spots in Venice. It was like having an afternoon with a professional historian, would highly recommend to everyone!Wonderul Hidden Gens Tour!

Linda🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Federica)

9 September 2025

Thank you Federica for a fun and informative tour. 4 Canadians with no knowledge of Venice were impressed with your knowledge. Federica is so knowledgeable!!

Jennifer 🇨🇦 Canada

(About local rocco)

5 September 2025

Rocco was a wonderful guide. He was extremely knowledgeable and informative in an interesting way. He was kind, funny and a pleasure to spend time with. Would highly recommend Roco for a tour of Basilica St Marc and the Doge Palace. Rocco was terrific

Richard

(About local Valerio)

18 August 2025

Valerio was a terrific guide who customized the experience for our small group and allowed us to see a great deal of Venice. In my view, absent a guide you will wander and not fully appreciate what you are seeing. Valerio was not only knowledgeable but managed to give us context and make all the arrangements necessary to see all of the important sites. He then gave us time on our own to explore but again providing the us the guidance as to how to get around and what to do and see. He was enormously helpful in arranging for great restaurants and ensuring we had great experiences there and the food at all of the establishments was excellent. I would highly advise using Valerio as he greatly enhanced our total experience both through his knowledge and making the arrangements to see a great deal of Venice and the islands of Murano and Burano. He also guide us to places to shop that were reputable. Venice is a marvelous city but crowded and absent someone to guide, would be, in my opinion, overwhelming. Valerio truly enhanced our entire experience and our entire little group was very appreciative of his knowledge and providing us an unforgettable experience. Outstanding experience

Eugen🇷🇴 Romania

(About local Genny)

14 August 2025

Genny was absolutely fantastic.Not only she knows everything about the place but she made the entire experience incredibly fun.Highly recommend!

Tiffany🇺🇸 United States

(About local Genny)

14 August 2025

Genny was an amazing tour guide! We did a walking food tour with her - her knowledge of the area was excellent and the food choices superb. It was a wonderful way for our family of four to learn about local Venetian culture and history. We tasted authentic Venetian food that we never would have sampled otherwise. It was the perfect way to kick off our time here in Venice. Genny was warm, interesting, funny and knowledgeable. Wouldn’t change a thing!Genny is the Best!!

Henry

(About local Valerio)

13 August 2025

We met Valerio at the Murano Faro lighthouse with three other friendly participants. He began by providing an engaging historical overview before guiding us to an exclusive display of glass art and impressive chandeliers, showcasing the potential beyond vases and cups. Highlights included visiting a the Wave glas factory to watch authentic production (not a staged demo), followed by a lovely lampworking demo + workshop with Monica that contrasted nicely with our own technique background. Valerio also arranged a stop at the Effetre Murano factory we really wanted to see since we used to source our lamp working rods there and was super helpful with logistics before the trip and tips afterward. An awesome, memorable experience—highly recommended.Fantastic tour for glass lovers!

Bettina

(About local Roberto)

13 August 2025

Wir hatten eine sehr gute Zeit mit Roberto, hingen an seinen Lippen, wenn er uns vom alten Cannaregio erzählte. Und auch die Geschichte Venedigs und die dadurch entstandenen Veränderungen konnte er interessant vermitteln. Nicht zu vergessen sind die Einkehrmöglichkeiten, wo wir Venedig kulinarisch kennenlernten. Die Cicchetti und die dazu passenden Getränke, insbesondere der Spritz Select, gefielen uns sehr. Wir können Roberto sehr empfehlen. Bettina & Wolfgang aus HamburgRoberto ist ein Super-Guide

Katie, Bill and Lexie🇺🇸 United States

(About local Genny)

9 August 2025

Genny is a wonderful tour guide! We felt like we were with a family member. She was great and including our 8 year old - glass blowing was a hit. It was hot but she made it fun and had so many helpful recommendations- plus she was flexible with time! She is awesome! Perfect - like family

Antonio🇺🇸 United States

(About local Lucia Bondetti )

7 August 2025

Lucia was the most gracious, cheerful, knowledgeable guide tour ever!!!… You could not ask for a better one, more that a guide she treats you like an old cherished friend, always available and attentive of your needs, even before arriving to Venice and during yoir whole stay, she is always there for you, recommending places, making sure you find your way around and most importantly, that you enjoy Venice and learn about its amazing history at the same time… my whole family agreed that Lucia’s tour was the highlight of our trip to Venice, so, if you see her available do not hesitate… she is simply amazing!!!… Thank you so much Lucia!!!Simply Amazing!!!

Laurent🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Mina)

29 July 2025

He did a wonderful job. It was perfect Just perfect

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

Karl🇺🇸 United States

(About local Federica)

25 July 2025

Federica was fantastic, we were a family of 4 and she made the tour super interesting for my kids. Would highly recommend! Superb!

Sue🇺🇸 United States

(About local Lucia Bondetti )

23 July 2025

Lucia was a fantastic guide to Cannaregio and the Jewish ghetto. She clearly loves her city and she is extremely knowledgeable. We felt like we were visiting the neighborhood of a friend, getting to meet the people who live and work in the neighborhood and experience a completely different—and quieter!—side of Venice. We learned a lot. Lucia even helped us discover the perfect gift to bring home to our daughter. We will come back to Venice, and we will book with her again. Grazie mille, Lucia! A dopo!Wonderful afternoon in Cannaregio!

Charri

(About local Mina)

20 July 2025

Mina’s knowledge, friendliness and ability to tailor a tour to his group”s knowledge, age and capacities was much appreciated by our group. He is the best tour guide we have ever had in 30 years of travel 😊 we highly highly recommend Mina as a guide to Venice. Amazing experience

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

Stephanie🇺🇸 United States

(About local Elisabetta)

15 July 2025

Elisabetta met us where we were staying, the day we arrived in Venice. It was the perfect way to start our trip, we walked most of the city, learning bits of history along the way. We stopped at what became our favorite cafe of the trip - with the most delicious pastries and cappuccino. It felt like walking through the city with a friend, so relaxed and welcoming. Elisabetta gave us a wonderful restaurant recommendation, which ended up being one of our best meals on the trip. I feel like we hit the jackpot with Elisabetta, and couldn’t have asked for a better way to see Venice through a locals eyes. Our kids (10 & 8) enjoyed it, too! Thank you for such a great experience! Wonderful!

James🇱🇺 Luxembourg

(About local Mina)

13 July 2025

After being transferred to 3 different guides and them trying to negotiate a different time to what we requested, we were finally allocated Mina as our guide. And he did not disappoint!! He was incredibly knowledgeable, took us to all the popular tourist points but also took us down roads that were more local with less people. We tried some local food and he showed us where they sell the best Aperol! Thank you so much, Mina, for bringing Venice to life for me and my family!!

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

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

david🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Roberto)

6 July 2025

1

Christiane🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Roberto)

29 June 2025

1

Ich hatte Roberto bereits zum zweiten Mal als Guide durch Dorsoduro gebucht - für Roberto kein Problem: Er hat für mich die Tour sehr abwechslungsreich mit einer Mischung aus bereits bekannten "Pfaden" und neuen Wegen gestaltet, an Details der ersten Tour angeknüpft, angereichert und ergänzt durch weitere sehr interessante Blickwinkel. Da ich regelmäßig in Venedig bin, interessiere ich mich auch für die Veränderungen, die in der Stadt passieren. Auch hier ist Roberto wirklich gut informiert und teilt dieses Wissen sehr gerne. Sehr empfehlenswert!

Dean🇺🇸 United States

(About local Genny)

27 June 2025

Genny is wonderful, very educational and kept our 14 and 16 year old interested .. she is the sweetest and just a Great tour guide!! Highly recommend!! Fun and Educational

Beate

(About local Roberto)

27 June 2025

1

Unsere Tour mit Roberto war ein absolutes Highlight unseres Aufenthaltes in Venedig.Schon von Beginn hat man gemerkt, mit wie viel Leidenschaft und Wissen er durch "seine" Stadt führt. Roberto spricht fließend deutsch und konnte jede Frage schnell beantworten. Er hat uns versteckte Ecken gezeigt, die man in keinem Reiseführer findet. Man merkt, daß er Venedig liebt. Vielen Dank Roberto, für diesen wunderbaren Einblick in die Seele der Stadt. Wir würden jederzeit wieder eine Tour mit dir machen. Absolute Empfehlung !!! Beate und HerbertUnvergessliche Tour mit Roberto

Olga🇺🇸 United States

(About local Federica)

23 June 2025

Federica gave our family an unforgettable scavenger-style tour of Venice! She was fantastic with our two kids—engaging and patient. Her creative approach made the city’s rich history come alive in a way that was both fun and educational. One of our kids was not excited to be in Venice until our tour with Federica. But we all walked away with big smiles, curious minds, and a newfound love for Venice, all thanks to her!

Erica

(About local rocco)

22 June 2025

Rocco was a great guide showing us the hidden areas of San Marco area of Venice. He was super flexible when we ran into some travel delays. Highly recommend!Knowledgeable and Accommodating Guide

Chuck🇺🇸 United States

(About local Genny)

22 June 2025

When we had a mixup with our originally scheduled guide, Genny stepped in for us at the last minute, and we are so glad she did! Sure, this isn't the cheapest way to see Venice, but our time was limited and we thought it was very worthwhile to have such a lovely personalized tour of just the parts of Venice we were most interested in, rather than waste a lot of precious time trying to figure it out on our own. Thank you, Genny!Excellent, personalized local flavor

Nicole🇸🇬 Singapore

(About local rocco)

21 June 2025

Great skip the line tour seeing and listening to Venetian history in a fun way. So much history

david🇩🇪 Germany

(About local rocco)

19 June 2025

Rocco's tour of St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace in Venice was very informative and enjoyable. His explanations of the artwork, architecture, and room functions of both the church and the palace were highly contextualized from the perspective of the Doges of Venice, which helped us to imagine life during the times of the Doges. We appreciated how he navigated our small group through the palace amongst larger tour groups—we always felt like we were getting a personal tour and not lost in a crowd. The Doges' Perspective

Barbara

(About local Mina)

18 June 2025

Mina was a very informative guide for the ducal palace and the basilica. I learned so much more than I expected and learned some wonderful stories about St. Peter and St. Marc. My background is art and architectural history so Mina was the perfect person to lead us through the 2 sites. Great morning with a fun and really interesting person.Wonderful morning

Mike🇸🇬 Singapore

(About local rocco)

16 June 2025

A Cool Tour For Both Kids & Adults

Valerie

(About local rocco)

15 June 2025

If you want to see Venice through the eyes of someone who truly understands its soul, book a tour with Rocco. His expertise, warmth, and enthusiasm make this iconic city even more magical. His insights into the political intrigue and the city’s legal system added a whole new dimension to the experience. Rocco’s expert storytelling made the glittering mosaics and intricate altars even more impressive. He shared fascinating details about the religious motifs and the basilica’s unique architectural blend of Gothic and Byzantine styles, ensuring we appreciated every detail. Five stars without hesitation! Definitely a trip highlight for us!Unforgettable and just perfect!

Carlotta🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

(About local Genny)

14 June 2025

We had a fantastic experience with Genny in Venice! She was incredibly knowledgeable and flexible, helped us skip the lines, and made the entire tour engaging and fun. What really stood out was how kind and thoughtful she was with our daughter—she made the history come alive and truly tailored the experience for her. Highly recommended, especially for families!Wonderful family tour with Genny

Jennifer L🇺🇸 United States

(About local Federico)

14 June 2025

Federico provided my 19 year old daughter and I with an outstanding personalized tour of the Basilica and Palace. He shared the history and stories associated with this two locations to make the tour enjoyable, educational, and memorable. I highly recommend private tours with Federico. It’s saves you precious vacation time and makes the Basilica and Doge’s Palace approachable and understandable without feeling overwhelmed. Jennifer L. K. (United States)Dont miss this tour with Federico!

Jill🇺🇸 United States

(About local Elisabetta)

14 June 2025

We had a marvelous tour with Elizabetta. She was knowledgeable, friendly and so helpful. We toured St Mark’s cathedral and the Doge palace. She included the perfect amount of facts and information. She went above and beyond helping to answer a phone call and translate information for us. Elizabetta was the best

Barbara

(About local Genny)

13 June 2025

Our group of five toured Venice with Genny. She was amazing! She took us through so many places that we would never have found and made the experience come alive with her knowledge of each area. We did not just have a guide for the day, we made a friend. The best guide ever!

Vera🇸🇰 Slovakia

(About local rocco)

11 June 2025

It was a great pleasure to have tour with Rocco! Very interesting, oriented and flexible guide!

Philipp🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Roberto)

8 June 2025

1

Wir hatten eine großartige Tour mit Roberto durch das authentische Venedig abseits der Touristenmassen. Besonders gefallen hat uns der Einblick in das ruhigere Viertel Dorsoduro mit seinen charmanten Gassen und versteckten Ecken. Roberto hat uns mit spannenden Fakten, interessanten Geschichten und einem echten lokalen Blick auf die Stadt begeistert. Er ist sehr gut auf unsere Wünsche eingegangen und hat die Tour ganz auf uns abgestimmt. Eine tolle Möglichkeit, Venedig einmal von einer anderen Seite kennenzulernen - absolut empfehlenswert!Tolle Tour - abseits des Bekannten

Mark🇺🇸 United States

(About local Lucia Bondetti )

6 June 2025

Lucia is a warm, knowledgeable and organized guide who tailored our tour to our requests. Her energy and enthusiasm made for a wonderful way to see major sites in beautiful Venezia.A beautiful experience

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!

Erin🇺🇸 United States

(About local Federico)

2 June 2025

Federico was a great tour guide for Venice! We have two kids ages 14 and 10 and they were interested and engaged in the tour. Federico kept the tour interesting and funny! He brought us to an amazing gelato place and gave us great ideas for after the tour. The 4 of us really enjoyed the day and learned so much. After The tour both of our kids said how much they loved the tour and that Federico was by far the best tour guide we have ever had! Fantastic tour of Venice!

Graham🇺🇸 United States

(About local Federico)

28 May 2025

Federico was amazingly knowledgeable and entertaining and the palace and st marks visits were so much better with a guide) My only question was why we stood in line for 40 minutes listening to the history of Venice (which was super informative) when we could have paid a little extra for skip the line tickets and spent more time walking in the area for a history tour (unless of course that isn’t how skip the line works) Fun and informative

Tyler

(About local Roberto)

26 May 2025

We had a great tour with Roberto. As a local he was able to give great insights and avoid the main tourist areas. Great way to explore Venice

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 ...

Heidi

(About local Roberto)

23 May 2025

Roberto accommodated us 2 days after our originally scheduled tour, as we arrived a day later than expected. The tour he provided was interesting, but could probably be completed in 2 hours. Roberto is an intelligent person who does have a working knowledge of several languages, but I would not say that most English speakers would be able to absorb all of what he says during a tour. We certainly liked learning about his native city and enjoyed his sense of humor too. The only reason we are providing this level of detail is because the cost of the tour was considerable and we would have appreciated knowing exactly what the pluses and minuses might have e been. We truly appreciated Robeto’s flexibilty.

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!!!