Great tour of Lido. Marco was a very informative and entertaining guide. Knowledgeable of the…read morelagoon area both in history and current day environmental issues. You can't get a complete picture of the lagoon area without including Lido in your Venice visit and bicycling is a great way to do it.

An amazing bike tour on Lido Island. Peaceful atmosfere, stunning landescape in one of the most…read morebeautiful island in the Venetian lagoon!

The waterways are the lifeline of Venice and the Canal Grade, or Grand Canal, is the main water way…read morethat connects everything in Venice. If you look at the map of the islands, the Grand Canal connects everything with a graceful S shape. In the medieval and renaissance times, Venice was a major trade area and an essential route for merchant ships bringing spices, silk, and other goods from the east. Our gondolier told us how there weren't bridges until Napoleon came along. Everyone traveled around by boat and the closer to the water the richer they were. Even today, traveling by water is the main method of getting around the city. When we first arrived, we saw movers with a crane on their boat hauling furniture. On our last day there, we even saw ambulance by water. It was also such a treat being able to take a gondola ride as part of our experience in the city. I enjoyed the day to day moments of walking around and exploring the city and taking photos on the Grand Canal. Every scene was so unique and stunning.

This waterway runs the entire length of the Lagoon of Venice! There is much traffic on the…read morewaterway: water buses, water taxis, gondolas and private boats and amazing to see how they navigate it all. I purchased a 3-Day Water Bus pass and it allowed me to enjoy the beautiful views, massive buildings, Rialto Bridge and exquisite architecture of all the other buildings along the waterway.

My wife and I had the pleasure of joining a walking tour of Venice hosted my Antonio Barbini. The…read moreexperience greatly exceeded our expectations. We learned of Antonio's services through the recommendation of our concierge at the Europa and Regina Hotel. The price of our tour included admission to the Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark's Cathedral) as well as the Doge's Palace. Both of those has substantial lines that our tour was allowed to bypass! There were many other highlights like seeing Parrochia Santa Maria Formosa and Spiral Staircase. So many sights that the tour time flew by. What made this walking tour incredible was our host, Antonio. He is a local Venetian who studied specifically for this role. He is a walking historian that amazed us with both his knowledge and ability to clearly share his thoughts. Our Tour was in English, but Antonio speaks ten different languages! (English, Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese, Portugues, Spanish, German, Russian and Arabic!). Had we not taken Antonio's tour, and visited places like the Doge's Palace, we would have missed out on really knowing and appreciating what we were seeing. I highly recommend Antonio's Venice Deluxe Tour.

My wife and I just back from a 17 day vacation in Italy - we have many great days and tours, but…read moreour tour of Venice with Antonio-a real Venetian that truly loves his city was a real treat. The special part was just spending time with Antonio and hearing all of his stories of the real Venice (a city that holds his heart) He made time for us to have a Spritz, Gelato and to finish the day he treated us to the best Bellini in all of Venice. His knowledge of the sites is incredible - St. Mark's Basilica is incredibly beautiful and he made it ever more special with his unique point of view. Any visit to Venice would be ever more special if you included a tour with Antonio (Venice Deluxe Tours). Truly worth every Euro!

We did the ghost tour. It was very informative and historical. The tour guide was energetic and…read morepretty loud for a big group. This was our first day in Venice so once night fell and we were being lead around very dark corners it was nice to be with a guide as the tourists disappeared. I loved the folklore told and learned a lot about Venice from this tour. I'd highly recommend it!

One of the best tours we had while on vacation. They were very organized and professional. We…read moreexplored parts of Venice on a very nice motor boat that accommodated a group of 8 people. Our tour guide was excellent. He explained the sights and took us through the less touristy areas which was awesome because we experienced the city like locals. It was a wonderful hour long ride and very well worth the price. There's no way we would've covered so much on gondolas and we would've paid double! So glad we experienced the canals with Avventure Bellissime. I recommend them and look forward to taking another tour with them on a return visit!

I love tours done by professional guides, they bring a lot of value to the most touristic parts of…read morea city. What I discovered with Riccardo and the Free Walk in Venice is another way to complement the touristic tours : walk in the non touristic areas to see the true parts of the city, experiencing the life of true Venetian and getting insight that professional tour guides would never dare to tell you. So my advice to you : go through both experiences and you will get the best out of your trip in Venice.

My first time in Venice and I was told about these great free walking tours.. Our guide today was…read moreLucia, an art student who was passionate about the city she lives in. Her knowledge and humour really brings the tour to life and luckily we had a small group of around 7 of us so she really was able to give us her personal touch. The little stories relating to the history of Venice and the reasons behind each one was enlightening as well as entertaining. Lucia ended the tour with a map she had devised adding little touches on it with details of places to eat.. Her favourite place to visit and lots of different ideas.

We spent this evening with professional photographer Stefano Mazzola as he took us all over his…read moreVenice. Rather than a historical tour, this is instead a lesson in capturing natural light as it filters throughout the canals and bridges. For example, Stefano demonstrates a fantastic angle on a photograph on his camera, and then patiently assists, to be sure that you have it correct on your camera, too. I learned more about settings on my camera and why I should use one setting over another as we move around the city. Stefano would turn down an alleyway and we would pop out the other side to find another beautiful area that I would not have found on my own. We also paid for family portraits that Stefano took at several locations, too. I strongly recommend booking the photo tour with Stefano. (Also, as this is 3+ hour walking tour, please wear comfortable shoes. And remember your camera!)

Located in the Doge's Palace complex in Venice, this covered bridge span of white limestone with…read morestone bars covering the windows was constructed in the opening years of the 17th century to link the palace's old prison and courtrooms with a newly constructed jail across the narrow canal.⁣⁣ According to legend, the Bridge of Sighs takes its name from the despairing sighs of prisoners gazing out at the beauty of Venice as they were led away to their dark future of imprisonment. This forms part of the Palazzo's museum route, where visitors like us last Saturday to the museum would reach the bridge after passing through the elegant staterooms and frescoed halls of the Palazzo, before getting to grips with Venice's extensive early-modern armory on the way to the forbidding New Prison. When one reaches the bridge, make sure to peer out through the narrow gaps in the stone window grills to catch a glimpse of the island of San Giorgio Maggiore glittering splendidly in the waters of the Venetian lagoon. The best time to see this bridge is still surprisingly quiet in the mornings, the earlier the better, or at sunset, which we can recommend.

Such a beautiful and iconic spot in Venice -- definitely worth seeing in person. The bridge itself…read moreis smaller than I expected, but the history and the setting make it really special. Pro tip: for the best photo, walk past the main view area and sit on the left-hand side (when facing the bridge from the front). There's a little spot by the canal where you can relax and snap a perfect shot without the crowds in the background.

This Basilica is small but beautiful. Make sure to follow the dress code, knees and shoulders…read morecovered. There are additional features that you need to get separate tickets for (or get a bundle) so make sure to do your research beforehand and and book appropriately. It will be a short visit given the venue isn't large but it's worth it when you're in Venice!

Basilica di San Marco or the St. Mark's Basilica is dedicated to St. Mark, the patron saint of the…read morecity and a house for his relics. This is without a doubt the most important religious site in the city of Venice. At the time of our visit, there was construction on front of the building, but it was still beautiful. It is a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture with Gothic influences. There was so much incredible detail that went into every inch of the building. I did not get to go inside but the outside was already impressive. A great spot for photos.

THE BEST FOOD TOUR that I've ever been on!!!!!! We did the "lunch tour" of Venice (I wish the…read more"dinner tour" wasn't booked or I would've done that too!!). Adam and Maya are Americans that fell in love with the city (and people) of Venice while on vacation and subsequently moved there. This couples' love of Venice, along with their brand new sidekick, Sarah, REALLY shines through on this food tour. Even while simply walking down the street you will get to experience their bonds with the locals. All 3 are the absolute BEST guides- friendly, funny, quirky, knowledgeable, and most importantly, passionate about the food. The tour lasted about 4 hours (wear your walking shoes), and was JAM packed with interesting information- from the food, to the people, to the architecture, to the culture. What I liked most about this food tour, was after arriving at each cafe, you usually got to choose which food or which wine (red or white) you wanted to try. That's an aspect of a food tour I haven't experienced before- usually all the samples of food and drinks are pre-chosen for you. Adam taught us several miscellaneous pieces of information about Venice, that you too will find intriguing and make you fall in love with the city of Venice. He explained to us that in Venice it is illegal to sell food the next day, from the day before ("leftovers")- so that was cool to see firsthand (as we continued from cafe to cafe throughout the day, you saw that the available samples dropped). I don't think I can even pick one "favorite" stop on this tour- important to note that all the stops you visit are owned by local Venetians. All of the tapas, chichetti, sandwiches, pasta, gelato, pastries, and wine were all SO fresh and so tasty- I had no other wish than to have more time in Venice to go back and eat at all the places again!! You will definitely not leave hungry, and like us, you'll be guaranteed to leave with new friends and fond memories. I will continue to recommend this food tour to friends and family for years to come- I have yet to stop talking about it!! I learned SO much, and I enjoyed myself on this tour more than any other tour that I did (over 2 weeks) in Italy.

This review is long overdue. I'm horrible at these things!…read more We had an absolutely amazing experience with Venice Bites Food Tours on the "Off the Eaten Path" Tour. Maya and Adam are great! We learned so much about not only Venetian food and drink but also all about Venice and it's history. This tour made us fall in love with Venice! My wife and I are planning a trip back to Venice in 2020 and we will be doing the Progressive Dinner tour with Maya and Adam for sure!!!

A little expensive but very convenient. Nice large Mercedes van to the dock. Transferred to…read morebeautiful private wooden boat. We skipped the gondola ride and enjoyed this convenient transportation from the airport instead. Tip: grab some beers at the dock to enjoy your boat ride.

We used Blitz as our VIP Private Transfer while in Venice and staying at the JW Marriott. This…read moreentailed both a private SUV service and a beautiful boat trip to the island (we had the same model Angelina Jolie's character drove in "The Tourist". Exceptional, punctual and courteous service. Each of our Drivers and Captains were top-notch and helped to make our beautiful journey all the better! Everyone was as friendly as can be! We highly recommend Blitz for all your transportation needs while in Venice.