Venice Walking Tour with St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace, Venice

Discover the fascinating history of Venice while visiting the city’s highlights and admiring its bridges. This walking tour starts at one of Venice’s most famous sites, St. Mark’s Basilica. Your guide will help you understand the history behind the walls of this landmark, including its Byzantine heritage. You’ll also learn about the Doge's Palace and its adjoining prisons, which retain the true secrets of how a city built on swamps became one of the most enlightened in the western world. 

After exploring the Basilica, you’ll leave the square and crowds behind to enjoy a sightseeing tour of the real Venice. First, enter the city’s labyrinth of narrow passageways and alleys to discover an enchanting city of meandering canals and delicate bridges. Next, explore the lively Campo Santa Maria Formosa with its gothic palaces and at the Scuola di San Marco to learn about the famous trade schools of Venice, the foundations of the great mercantile empire.

As you walk, listen to your guide share insights and historical narratives about illustrious Venetians, such as Marco Polo. Visit his house and enjoy stories about this legendary globe-trotting Venetian. You’ll also learn how common citizens made this city a vibrant and magical place. Next, admire the Church of San Giovanni and Paolo, "the Pantheon of Venice," and enter an old merchant's warehouse. Finally, emerge from the labyrinth of hidden Venice to discover the Rialto Bridge waiting for you!

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