Secret Venice: Gondola Ride and Walking Guided Tour in English or French

Step away from the crowds of tourists and see the off the beaten path Venice has to offer. You will explore the less seen and more romantic side of Venice on the other bank of the Grand Canal in the district of Dorsoduro through our Walking Tour. This fascinating place is often overlooked by most travelers and here you will experience the true Venetian culture and discover the back canals by gondola. Relax as we arrange all the details for you eliminating your stress so you can fully enjoy magnificence of Venice.

You will see on this tour:

• Academy of Fine Arts
• Ponte delle Meraviglie (Bridge of Wonders)
• Campo san Trovaso
• The Squero (Gondola workshop)
• Hotel La Calcina
• Fondamenta degli Incurabili
• Peggy Guggenheim Collection
• Ca’ Dario
• Redentore Church and Giudecca Island
• Punta della Dogana
• Church of the Madonna della Salute

Follow your expert English-speaking guide through the quieter streets and piazzas of Venice on this Walking Tour. Your guide will bring the streets of Venice to life with captivating stories such as the cursed and hunted house of Ca’ Dario. It is said that those who own the house have all had suspicious deaths...

You will also learn why music schools are called ‘conservatories’ at Fondamenta degli Incurabili and about the hospital where monks took orphans from the streets and trained them as nurses and world-famous musicians. At the Redentore Church, your guide will give you detailed description of the festivals that flowed from here to Piazza San Marco. How the gondolas filled every inch of the canals for elaborate firework shows and the local legends of the city. You will also see Harry’s Bar across the canal where Ernest Hemmingway once kicked back after a long day of writing. You will pass by the home of Peggy Guggenheim, the heiress who lost her father to the Titanic. Ever heard of Othello? You will see the house where Desdemona supposedly lived before her tale was transcribed by an Italian author and stolen by a man named William Shakespeare.

Gondola Ride

This tour ends with an enchanting gondola ride along the quieter back canals of Venice. Relax as a gondolier, in his ubiquitous striped shirt, takes you along waterways built for these very vessels. With a maximum of six people per shared gondola and no commentary your experience will be quiet and romantic.

Choose between a morning (8.45am) or a sunset (6.30pm) departure.