Are you planning your Europe cruise tours? Enjoy the best of Venice from Cruise Port! You will explore the most romantic city with your private guide. Immerse yourself in its intriguing history, admiring the gothic palaces and crossing the numerous bridges on canals. Known as “the floating city,” Venice consists of 118 tiny islands, with houses built on top of over a million wooden stakes. Rialto Bridge, St. Mark’s Square, the unique Basilica, and all the characteristic alleyways and squares (calli and campielli) will amaze you. Sailing aboard a private boat, you will leave the most magnificent waterway in the world to explore the major islands, Murano, and Burano.
The Best of Venice from Cruise Port includes:
- Pick up and drop off at the shuttle arrival point
- 3 hours Professional guide for the Venice walking tour
- Private water taxi for the Islands’ Tour
- COVID 19 safety measures: face mask is not required but still recommended in crowded places.
Not Included
- half an hour Gondola ride (€ 80,00 each gondola – 5 passengers per gondola)
- Bovolo Staircase (€ 7,00 per person)
- Admission tickets to St. Mark Basilica (€ 6,00 per person) on request and according to availability
- Private Port transfers
- lunch ( you will have half an hour lunch break to taste typical snacks)
- full day guide on request
Pick up details
Departure depends on your arrival in Venice and is customizable. We will meet you at the shuttle’s arrival point. Your private guide will accompany you to discover the city, bring you to the restaurant at the end of the walking tour, and point out the pier where you will meet your private boat driver after lunch. The guide or the driver will stay at the agreed time, holding a sign with your name.
At the end of the island tour, the guide or the driver will accompany you to the shuttle pick-up point.
On request, we can quote a private transfer. In this case, kindly share your ship’s details.
Remember to cover your shoulders and knees before entering the Basilica, and only small backpacks and bags and folding umbrellas are allowed. The tour could start with the islands’ or a walking tour. We will let you know if you will meet the driver or the guide upon your arrival in Venice.
Upon request and last minute, the guide will organize a half-hour Venice gondola ride. The fare for half an hour for the gondola is € 80.00. Payment directly to the gondolier.
ON REQUEST AND TO BOOK IN ADVANCE: The Bovolo staircase ticket cost € 7,00 per person.
The Basilica € 6,00.Payment to the guide.
If you need private port transfers, ask for a quotation.
Venice Walking Tour
Your “Venice from cruise port” tour includes a private walking tour.
Walking through the narrow streets of Venice, you can breathe the atmosphere of an Italian city symbol of the 18th century, still highly vital. Piazza San Marco is the living room of Venice, a meeting place for tourists and Venetians. Upon request, the guide will organize a half-hour Venice gondola ride. The fare for half an hour for the gondola is € 80.00. Payment directly to the gondolier.
St. Mark’s Basilica visit (exterior)
Despite the total lack of architectural unity, the beauty of the Basilica is unique and enveloping. The Byzantine influence is immediately evident, not only for the magnificent mosaics that decorate the facade and entrance. On request and depending on ticket availability, you can visit the Basilica of San Marco’s interior with your private guide, who will tell you the story of the Saint and the Church. Some dates vary from year to year, in which the Basilica is closed to visits. In these cases, your Venice guide will explain it from the outside, and the guide will replace the visit by exploring other suggestive places in the city.
St. Mark’s Square: Doge’s Palace (exterior) and Bridge of Sighs
The top things to see in Venice are in St. Mark’s Square!
Next to the Basilica of St. Mark is the Ducal Palace, once the Doge’s residence, the ancient Serenissima Republic governor. Its facade’s oriental style is the perfect casket to house masterpieces by Tintoretto and Veronese’s likes. You will admire the characteristic Bridge of Sighs, the access ramp for the condemned who sighed while admiring the view for the last time before being imprisoned. The Doge’s Palace’s visit is possible on request and will be included in the tour, inevitably sacrificing at least one hour of the walk.
The Bell Tower and the Clock Tower (exterior)
The Bell Tower, 324 feet, is the exact copy of the tower that collapsed suddenly in 1902. It is a symbol of Venice together with Saint Mark Basilica. It was the platform for Galileo to test his telescope.
At the top of the Clock Tower, two bronze “Moors” strike the hours with the 15th-century mechanism.
Venice off the beaten path (exterior. entrance on request)
Your guide will be happy to bring you to a site little-known by tourists and beloved by the Venetians.
The Contarini-Bovolo staircase is a harmonious ensemble of the Renaissance, Gothic, and Venetian-Byzantine styles. Commissioned by Pietro Contarini in 1400 to flaunt the importance of its name, the Venetians added the nickname “del Bovolo.” The snail, whose shape it recalls, thus translates into Venetian. For those who wish, it is possible to go up. We prefer to leave the optional climb; you will decide on-site whether to walk the 80 steps of the 26-meter high tower (the ticket costs 7 euros from 12 years upwards, to be paid locally). From the top, you can enjoy a spectacular view over Venice’s rooftops, but also, from below, it is a spectacle worth seeing.
Lunch
Your itinerary will include half an hour break to taste typical Venician snacks (not included).
Private boat tour to the most famous Venice Islands
Sailing in a private boat, you will move away from the spectacular Grand Canal to enter the lagoon and reach three of the more than 100 islands, where the inhabitants of the mainland sought refuge from the Barbarian invasions.
Burano
Picturesque island with brightly colored houses that brighten the canals. Characteristic is the church of San Martino with the leaning bell tower. The inhabitants’ hospitality is well known and reflects this island’s soul, also famous for its lace-making.
Murano
The island is famous throughout the world for its long tradition of processing this material. Here you can watch a glassmaker blow into a tube to create whatever he wants, even one of the fantastic Venetian chandeliers. Also worth seeing is the church of Santa Maria and San Donato, in Romanesque style, with its floor embellished with colored mosaics. According to legend, the church would house the bones of the dragon killed by the Saint.
Duration: 7 Hours
Price: From 158 €
Days of Operation: Every day
Pick-up Time: 9:00 am from the port – customizable.
Torcello – Venezia
St. Mark’s Cathedral
Rialto Bridge
Murano Island
Venice Masks
Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges over the Grand Canal and the most fascinating one. The first bridge was made of boats and was replaced by a wooden drawbridge. It collapsed under the heavyweight of people watching a boat parade. The commercially-minded Venetians decided to build the present stone bridge with the capacity to earn incomes from shop rent.
Dearming of Venice? Check other proposals:
Do you want to plan your Shore Excursion in Venice?
Book with confidence and if you change your mind, cancel your reservation up to 24 hours in advance without penalty. You will be credited with 100% of the amount paid.
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We will bring you to Venice, where enthusiastic local guides will welcome and lead you to discover the most romantic city in the world. You will learn that Venice is built on over 100 tiny islands and how efficient the navigation through the canals is. The Canals in Venice are bordered by wonderful Gothic and Renaissance palaces.
Give yourself to the charm of this unique city. Enjoy your day in Venice!