• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

You’ve probably heard that Venice is well-known for its influence during the renaissance era, but do you know the stories and origin behind it? Or how much influence it has on the locals daily life? On this private city tour, you are in for a cultural treat!

Destination

Venice, Italy

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

2.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Italiano, Hrvatski, Српски, العربية, Deutsch, Español, Français, 中文, Русский

Included

• Private Guide
• 1 Local Tasting
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Tickets Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 15 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 Ruzzini Palace Hotel, Campo Santa Maria Formosa - 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. Culture of the City

   On this private tour, you’ll experience and discover Venice through its culture. Whether it’s focused on a tradition, a special part of town with a story to tell, cultural beliefs, or around a cultural activity that shaped the city into what it is - this tour will be a cultural awakening you can’t miss!

4. Renaissance era in Venice

   Your tour will focus on the renaissance era, a very important cultural subject in Venice. Thanks to your local host, you’ll learn and see how the renaissance era made an impact in Venice, making you experience the city from a different perspective.

5. Cultural Highlights

   As you deep dive into the subject of your tour, you’ll make stops to visit unique spots that will give you a full picture of the city. Visit San Marco Square, Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Paradise Arch, and more and see how these cultural highlights are part of the local life but have so much history behind them!

6. Storytelling Journey

   As you discover the cultural side of Venice, you’ll be able to embrace it thanks to the amazing stories and storytelling skills of your local host. Feel free to ask any questions and feel as if you are relieving history in the present time.

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

Joel🇺🇸 United States

(About local Romy)

16 May 2024

We had a great time learning all about her hometown of Venice from Romy. She brought an excellent perspective to the tour about the history of Venice and modern life there. Romy spoke English very well and was easy for us to understand. She responded well to our questions and gave us tips for enjoying the rest of our time there. Prior communication was quick and efficient, too. We'd recommend Romy as a guide without hesitation!Informative tour by a true local expert

james🇺🇸 United States

(About local Romy)

4 May 2024

We had a wonderful tour with Romy. She tailored the walk to our interests giving us an over of the influence of the Renaissance on Venetian art and architecture. Then, showed us many examples of each. She also gave us a helpful explanation of the significance and role of the state in Venice throughout its history. We will highly recommend Romy as a tour guide to all our friends considering a visit to Venice. Venetian Renaissance

Anne 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Romy)

9 December 2023

Our tour really was value for money. Romy's extensive knowledge of the history of Venice and the role of the Venetian Renaissance artists was so interesting. We visited numerous sites of interest and with our new found knowledge we were better able to plan the rest of our trip. Fascinating History and Value for Money

Sarah🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local rocco)

25 June 2023

I found out about withlocals when we visited Florence last year and I’ll now book a tour whenever I go somewhere new. Rocco was a great guide - knowledgeable, engaging and clearly loves his home city. We learned so much about the history of the city and also lots of ideas of what we would enjoy seeing during the rest of our stay. I feel that we only scratched the surface of Rocco’s knowledge! A really good experience - thank you!Walking tour with Rocco

Lynne🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Nicoletta)

15 March 2023

We spent a great morning with Nicoletta discovering so much of Venice that we had never seen on previous visits, real hidden gems. Her knowledge of Venetian history and architecture is very impressive. We even learned how to navigate our way through the labyrinthine streets of Venice - a little! She took time to ensure that our tour met our expectations even contacting us a few days before and sending us links and information after the tour. Excellent guide who we would highly recommend Knowledgeable and helpful

James🇺🇸 United States

(About local Romy)

11 October 2022

Romy, our host, was very passionate about the Venetian people and their history which made our tour so much more informative. Since we already had a tour of the Basilica and the Doge planned, Romy was able to take us to less touristy spots and learn so much about Venice’s incredible history. We were lucky in our selection of her and would hi recommend her to others. Venice a remarkable city in many respects

Mike🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marco)

8 September 2022

Marco is a wonderful tour guide! He is from Venice and incredibly knowledgeable about the history and culture of Venezia. He is fluent in a number of languages including Russian He has my highest recommendation Marco is the best!

Nicole🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Marco)

30 July 2022

We had a very interesting tour with Marco. He gave us a lot of insights about the history of Venice but also about how live is now in Venice. We saw some places away from the tourist spots 👍🏼History tour

Peter🇮🇪 Ireland

(About local Romy)

18 May 2022

We had a really wonderful and informative time with Romy. She took us through the city at a very relaxed pace but we were able to see a lot of fascinating areas and historic landmarks. She was able to answer all our questions and she made the whole tour very enjoyable.

James

(About local Mattia)

18 December 2021

Mattia, was a true professional who tailored our day to our needs and wants. Nothing was ever to much trouble for Mattia and he took time to explain clearly what we wanted to know. Mattia was kind enough to purchase the tickets for us to a number of attractions as we did not have time to do so before leaving the UK. If you wish to experience this beautiful and passionate city with a guide that shows the same amount of passion, then there is no need to look any further.Passionate guide for a passionate city

Frederic🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Nicoletta)

10 October 2021

Great guide with lots of passion for the history of Venice and it’s hidden art treasures! Thank you for the tour

jennifer🇺🇸 United States

(About local Romy)

26 January 2020

pleasure to spend a few hours learning about Venice. it makes the city come alive. thanks very informative of the history of Venice

Simone

(About local Roko)

8 January 2020

Thank you Roko for all these interesting informations about venice. It was a pleasure to walk with you through this wonderful city. The result of sharing your advanced knowledge which us in such a kind and friendly way is that venice is now even more closer then ever to our heart. We can highly recommend doing the tour with you. Thanks again, Simone, Hannes, Felix & Lars Amazing afternoon with Roko

Diane

(About local Roko)

5 January 2020

Can not speak highly enough of Rokko. He was knowledgeable and personable. If you’re looking for a tour guide to show you around Venice, I would highly recommend Rokko.Excellent tour!

Annette🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Veronica)

13 July 2019

Wir (2 Erwachsene und 3 Jugendliche) haben bewusst die Rennaisance-Führung gewählt, weil dies auf den ersten Blick nicht unbedingt unserer Interessenlage entspricht. Welcher Jugendliche ist besonders interessiert an den unterschiedlichen Epochen der Baustile und Epochen? Wir wurden nicht enttäuscht: Veronica hat uns mit ihren kurzweiligen Erklärungen zu den Palazzi und Kirchen eins ums andere mal verblüfft und anhand zahlreicher Beispiele die Unterschiede und Besonderheiten erklärt. Nebenbei haben wir auch allgemeines über Venedig erfahren, von der Wasserversorgung bis zu den venezianischen Masken. Das Tiramisu-Tasting war auch sehr lecker. Vielen Dank für die schöne Führung!Kompetent, abwechslungsreich und überraschend

Nancy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mattia)

24 June 2019

Mattia did a great job of showing and explaining the highlights of the Accademia to our 2 teenage kids and ourselves. He is from Venice and loves his city so there were so many other interesting things he showed us. And he was very flexible with the tour, which I truly appreciated, showing us a Gondola building site instead of the Ca Rezzonico was the perfect idea as we easily visited it later. He also told us about the mask painting, which many people know about but I did not. He was so lively and fun and we all really enjoyed the 2 hours we spent with him. And he pointed us in the direction of a great little restaurant that was off the beaten path as well.A really great local guide, really knows and loves his city

DON🇺🇸 United States

(About local Romy)

8 April 2019

We had a wonderful tour with Romy! Even on a rainy day, she made the town of Venice Shine!! Her attentiveness to understanding of what we knew about Venice, or more importantly didn't know; and then customized the tour around that, made it awesome! Her knowledge of the history, people, buildings and churches of Venice is incredible. What we all marveled at, was her genuine excitement to share it with us. It was a great tour and the highlight of our trip to Venice. Guaranteed, when we go back to Venice, we will be setting something up with Romy!!!Great Tour with Romy!!!

Keena🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Roko)

23 February 2019

Roko exceeded all our expectations with his excellent approach to a tailor made private tour. He is patient, polite, with a good sense of humour, responsible, reliable and enjoys sharing his vast historic and artistic knowledge of a city he loves and knows inside out. He made the tour exciting, entertaining and fun both for my teenage daughter and myself adapting himself to our needs , wishes and personalities. Nothing was too much trouble. He took us to parts of Venice we would have never seen, as well as all the classic ones, and gave us lots of explanations as he pointed out the most important or unusual details, stories and facts. He is also quite a good photographer, so, don't hesitate in asking him to take some photos. We highly recommend him and would like to say a big thank you for helping us to have a wonderful stay in Venice!Roko Exceeded all our expectations!

Barry🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Romy)

11 February 2019

As a first time user of Withlocals I wasn't sure what to expect. But I was very happy because Romy was a superb guide, and her personality and knowledge was first class. She tailored the tour for our needs, and explained the history and a selection of the sights. There was nothing that Romy did not know. She was very friendly and explained everything to us in a way we could comprehend. We spent about 3 and a half hours with Romy, and it was excellent value for money. I would highly recommend Romy. Amazing tour guide

Joe🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Roko)

5 January 2019

Roko took us on an amazing 4 hour adventure. There were only two of us in our party and we started in San Marco plaza. Roko suggested we explore some lesser known gems in Venice and boy did we discover a world hidden surprises. Our 4 hours went too fast and we were hungry for more. It was wonderful to let down our guard as Roko earned our trust quickly as he guided us on this journey. Roko has a vast knowledge and a detailed history of nearly everything we explored. We will book him again when we return. Roko knows the hidden gems

Anya

(About local Roko)

5 January 2019

Too I was super wonderful. Took us to some not so well known but beautiful places. We spent 4 hours with him, he even indulged us and let us stop for a quick lunch. He is very sweet and super knowledgeable about the area. He let us walk at our own pace and kept us entertained the entire day. Highly recommend you do a tour with him!Fantastic!

Ali🇸🇬 Singapore

(About local Romy)

23 November 2018

Excellent and very knowledgeable.Venetian Renaissance Tour & St. Marco Basilica Skip the Line

Emily

(About local Lucia)

16 October 2018

My husband and I were very lucky and got to have Lucia to ourselves! Lucia was an incredible tour guide- she's passionate about Venice and was able to teach us the history and culture in a way that was unforgettable; she's highly knowledgeable. At the end of our Italy trip my husband and I both agreed that this was the best tour guide/tour we have ever experienced. Lucia was great about showing us what was important in Venice and guided us through areas where the locals were and not really packed with tourists. She was also able to recommend places with authentic Venetian food and how to spot more of the ""tourist trap"" places. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone traveling to Venice. I don't think words can adequately express how magnificent of an experience this was.An INCREDIBLE Experience!

Rich

(About local Roko)

16 October 2018

Roko was very responsive whenever I had questions. His knowledge and his ability for explaining things in a simple way is what makes him special. He is also a good conversationalist and spending time with him was enjoyable. He planned an interesting tour, and I highly recommend some time with him.Venetian Renaissance Tour & St. Marco Basilica Skip the Line

Lauren

(About local Veronica)

16 October 2018

What a great tour. Veronica was one of the best guide we have ever had on a tour. She was knowledgeable about the food, the neighborhoods and the hidden insights. She had a great personality too!Venetian Renaissance Tour & St. Marco Basilica Skip the Line

Alice

(About local Mattia)

16 October 2018

The guide was terrific, he gave us a lot of information and me the tour super pleasant.Venetian Renaissance Tour & St. Marco Basilica Skip the Line

Mitchell

(About local Mattia)

16 October 2018

Mattia was excellent, the tour was well thought out!Venetian Renaissance Tour & St. Marco Basilica Skip the Line

Sonia

(About local Mattia)

16 October 2018

Mattia was fantastic, he was so passionate and informative. He made the tour insightful, fun and engaging.Venetian Renaissance Tour & St. Marco Basilica Skip the Line

Blair

(About local Emanuele)

16 October 2018

Our guide Emanuele was tremendous - a real treat getting to spend with the day with a local Venecian!Rennaisance tour

Suzanne

(About local Emanuele)

16 October 2018

Both Bernie and I wanted to thank you for the wonderful tour you gave us during our stay in Venice! Your passion and love for Venice were infectious. We quickly became enamored with this very special city. Venice is truly a magical city and you did a GREAT job on our tour. Thank you for making our stay so wonderful :) Rennaisance tour

Himanshu

(About local Romy)

15 October 2018

Romy was an amazing tour guide. She is so passionate about the history of Venice that you can't help getting totally absorbed in it. She is extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. She takes the extra effort to explain things and goes out of her way to answer any question we may have. The tours themselves were really excellent but it was Romy who made things come alive. We really enjoyed both tours and really are so lucky that we had Romy as our guide. I highly reccomend her- she was terrific!Rennaisance tour

Karl

(About local Romy)

15 October 2018

This is an in depth guided tour of two very elaborate structures, not a quick overview. Our guide, Romy, was extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and authentic. She was easy to understand yet wonderfully Italian. The amount of artwork and decoration in the palace is amazing, comparable to Versailles, and the site is largely a celebration of the impressively durable republic of Venice. We really loved the experience, thank you!St.Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace

Bianca🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Emanuele)

15 October 2018

Emanuele is a young and talented guide, he took us on a full experience of Venice and we had a great time exploring the less crowded places, hidden paths and the true charm and beauty of Venice!Rennaisance tour

Bianca🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Alvise)

15 October 2018

Alvise is super energetic, good vibe and very experienced with touring in Venice. We totally recommend him as a guide and friend in Venice.Rennaisance tour

Anna

(About local Roberto)

8 March 2025

Roberto weiß einfach alles über die Stadt und hat die Tour unsere Bedürfnissen angepasst. Wirklich tolle Erfahrung! Sehr sympatischer und erfahrener Guide

Irma🇪🇸 Spain

(About local Emanuele)

4 March 2025

Ha sido fantástico conocer Venecia con Emanuele! Nos ha enseñado todos los rincones y explicado toda la historia y mil curiosidades. Súper recomendable sin dudarlo! Gracias Emanuele :) Fantastico!

r6fkjpj4nr🇺🇸 United States

(About local Elisabetta)

3 March 2025

We really enjoyed our time with Elisabetta. It was exactly as expected and even more. She is kind and knowledgeable guide Learned so much!!!

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!

Mason🇺🇸 United States

(About local Lucia)

26 February 2025

Lucia was an excellent guide. She is very knowledgeable as well as fun, enthusiastic and professional. We had fun exploring and learning about these important Venetian landmarks. Thanks Lucia!Palazzo Ducale and St. Marks Basilica

Margaret

(About local Valentina)

25 February 2025

my husband and our two teenagers were only in Venice for less than 24 hours, so we're looking for a walking tour that would give us a nice overview of the city. Valentina worked with us to devise an itinerary that fit in the things we most wanted to see. she was super knowledgeable and very kind and engaging--helping us with dinner reservations and making many other recommendations for what to do with our limited time on our own. Highly recommend her!Great overview of Venice with Valentina!

Unknown

(About local Roko)

24 February 2025

We had a wonderful half day tour in Venice with Roko. He is super knowledgeable and interesting, bringing history to life and injecting humor into the many sights and cultural treasures in Venice. We avoided crowds while getting to explore some off-the-beaten path destinations, as well as major monuments, like San Marco. Roko kept us fully entertained with his command of history and his obvious personal appreciation for the art and history throughout the city. He pointed out many small, but interesting details that most tourists, will no doubt, miss. I highly recommend Roko!Roko is the man in Venice!

Alex

(About local Valentina)

24 February 2025

Valentina was wonderful! I was looking for a romantic experience to share with my girlfriend and Valentina went the extra mile to help me make that happen. I told her that my goal was to finish the tour with an unforgettable proposal and she helped me make that happen by organizing a photographer and a romantic, private, gondola ride at the end - complete with serenade from the gondolier! The tour was focused on a less crowded area of town which was really appreciated and she included lots of little historical bits of information and folklore about some of the things we saw. Valentina is very accommodating, flexible, and seems to really enjoy what she does. I have no problems at all recommending her!Wonderful Romance Tour of Venice!

Renee

(About local Valentina)

23 February 2025

Thank you Valentina for a lovely afternoon full of interesting facts and spectacular scenery. It was a pleasure meeting you and wandering around Venice. Spectacular!

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

David🇫🇷 France

(About local Valentina)

22 February 2025

Valentina a su transmettre ses connaissances de la basilique et du palais, en nous captivant. C'est une jeune femme très sympathique et très compétente. Nous recommandons vivement ses services pour profiter à fond de la visite.Parfaite maîtrise de son sujet

David🇫🇷 France

(About local Nicoletta)

22 February 2025

Nous avons passé un très bon moment avec Nicole, qui nous a non seulement fait découvrir Murano, Burano et Mazzorbo mais nous a permis de bénéficier de son regard sur Venise. Grâce à elle, nous avons notamment pu admirer Venise depuis le rooftop de la Fondation Tedeschi et pour ça, vraiment merci ! Un moment en très bonne compagnieAmoureuse de sa ville

Jane

(About local Valentina)

17 February 2025

Valentina agreed to meet us at our hotel and arrived promptly. She gave us an interesting and informed tour of several of the main areas of Venice and indicated other areas we might want to visit during our stay. The 3 hours past really quickly but gave us a great grounding for the rest of our stay. Many thanks Valentina!Great 3 hour tour

Diane

(About local Lucia)

16 February 2025

For 3 Jewish women, this was a highlight of our trip to Venice. Lucia told the story of the ghettos and ghetto experience so personally, complete with family photos. It is necessary to tell our story, but Lucia's tour will be meaningful to non-Jewish visitors too. The experience is a first-hand view through the eyes of a Venice local. Below is a question about Price-value rating. This is not your typical tour experience, and in my opinion, worth every dollar, eruo or shekel.Passionate Lucia

Unknown

(About local Roberto)

10 February 2025

Roberto hat uns als waschechter Venezianer mit viel Wissen und Engagement abseits der Touristenpfade durch Dorsoduro geführt. Auch kulinarische Empfehlungen kamen hierbei nicht zu kurz. Eine sehr lohnenswerte Veranstaltung. Sehr lohnenswerte Führung