• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Step inside Venice’s most iconic church with a local expert and discover the golden splendor of St. Mark’s Basilica. From the dazzling Pala d’Oro to centuries-old mosaics and a stunning terrace view over St. Mark’s Square, this tour reveals hidden stories and sacred beauty at every turn. Skip the crowds and explore the basilica in a personal and unforgettable way.

Destination

Venice, Italy

Category

Skip The Line Tours

Duration

1.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

العربية, English, Italiano

Included

• Private guide
• Entrance ticket St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica Pala d’Oro & St. Mark’s Museum & Loggia dei Cavalli)
• All Withlocals tours are carbon neutral

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 Caffè Lavena - 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. Inside the St. Mark's Basilica

   Once you are inside, follow your local host’s insights as you check out the must-sees like Pala d'Oro and Mosaics & Symbolism, as well as the hidden gems that not many know about. Be part of an enriching tour that will satisfy your curiosity and answer all of your questions!

4. Keep Exploring

   After the time with your host is over, you can either stay inside the basilica and keep exploring by yourself or say goodbye outside the attraction where your host will point out other spots to explore in Venice

5. 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!

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

Vera🇸🇰 Slovakia

(About local rocco)

11 June 2025

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

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

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!!!

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

Lisa🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mina)

5 May 2025

Mina is a great guide. Very knowledgeable. Very personable. We highly recommend his tour.Great tour!

Cristina

(About local Lucia Bondetti )

4 May 2025

Il tour privato con Lucia è stato meraviglioso, siamo andati con un figlio din7 anni che si era svegliato alle 4 del mattina per prendere l’aereo a venezia, e durante tutta la sperienza con lucia è stato attivo senza dire sono stanco e super involve con tutto ciò che diceva lucia e la caccia del tesoro! Abbiamo imparato tanto, conosciuto grazie a lei la zona più bella di venezia e tutti i segreti! Lucia è una donna molto speciale che sa interagire tanto con adulti e bambini! se venite a visitare la città dovete fare per forza el tour con lei! sarà una esperienza bellissima per tutta la famiglia! non perdetevela! Lucia grazie mille, durante tutto il resto delle visita abbiamo trovato pisciabrague, altane…. e pensavamo a te! un forte abbraccio della familia spagnola molto alta! 😊Lucia e meravigliosa esperienza altretanto

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!

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!

heidimariebright

(About local Federico)

22 April 2025

We only had 8 hours to see and learn about Venice and our tour with Federico was perfect! The time was brief but perfect to entertain our 11 and 13 year olds. Highly recommended if you need a fun and quick overview while still allowing time to explore. Perfect for a day trip with tweens

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.

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!

Cameron🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mina)

24 March 2025

Our tour with Mina was an absolute highlight of our time in Venice! He made three hours fly by with his incredible depth of knowledge, engaging storytelling, and well-paced approach. Even our 16-year-old, who isn’t always easily impressed, said this was one of the best parts of the trip. Mina didn’t just provide facts; he truly brought the history of St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace to life in a way that was both fascinating and accessible. He answered every question we had with ease, kept the tour flowing perfectly, and even shared great local recommendations, including a fantastic lunch spot and where to find the best spritz. If you're looking for a tour that is insightful, well-structured, and genuinely enjoyable, Mina is the one to book. We couldn’t recommend him more highly!History & storytelling perfectly combined!