This is a MUST DO while in Venice! Nicola made us feel like true locals. We learned so much from…read morehim regarding the history of rowing. He took us to the Grand Canal to row as well as small quiet canals. He took wonderful photos for us too! We could not have imagined how great this experience would be! Forget the touristy gondola rides and absolutely book this lesson to row! You will not regret it!

What a wonderful day we spent on a "topo" and a "San pietro." Our group of five adults and six…read morechildren from 10-17 had an amazing day seeing islands of Venice and sights tourists don't normally see the certosa and the fort andrea(?) that kept Venice safe. Making it the world power it was in a be past due to its small manoverable ships. The knowledge of the young men made us see what entice was like and shared with us their passion that it would control bye to exist even with the encroachment of the huge cruise ships and continue inued dreggung if the canals. bravo to Venice on board

Paola was delightful and a patient teacher of rowing. Even with years of sculling, my son took a…read morelittle coaching to pick up the movement. Once he did, he said it was no more strenuous than walking. Paola guided the boat around some lovely, quiet parts of Venice as our son powered the boat.

Absolute highlight of our multiweek honeymoon in Italy. I'm so glad we did this…read more This was so much fun to do. I loved being able to tool around the canals of Venice with my husband and to see the city from the lagoon. It made the rest of the day sparkle, and I would 100% do it again when next in Venice. The analysis is simple. Eighty Euros for a 30 minute or so trip on a gondola for two (guys, it might destroy romance as we know it, but it costs more for singing to happen in boats apparently) or for the SAME PRICE a 90 minute lesson on a gondola where you can get people to sing for free! The administration of booking was painless on our end, and demonstrated really good customer service on Row Venice's side. Once we knew this was a thing, we reached out to book a session. They were able to email us back, in English, and helped to troubleshoot my inability to book and pay through the website the first time around. They were very patient with us and our lack of wifi and accommodated our last minute reservation. We lucked out and had two instructors and both were really friendly and personal. I also really appreciated how there were multiple couples who had all booked at the same time and each of us got our own gondola and instructor. Final props is that this place is a nonprofit entity that supports rowing culture in Venice. Support this group when you're next in Venice. It'll be a really fun day in a really beautiful town.

Awesome two hour kayak tour of the beautiful canals of Venice. Our guide, Michael, was very helpful…read moreand patient and, as a native Venetian, was able to provide lots of information on the historic buildings we encountered. The tour was one of the highlights of our two days in Venice.

Made a reservation via email a month prior to the visit. The email requests that you confirm a few…read moredays prior to the visit date, which we did. We arrive 45 min before our scheduled tour to a locked door. We wait 30 min then try to call. The lady who answered said they had no reservation for us, even though they had confirmed it on their end via email. She said she would call the guide and call us back. She didn't. So we just left. A rude waste of time and money for a very poorly run business. Don't book with BV Kayak, book with a more reputable business to actually get a tour.

Strolling around the back streets of Venice, we ended up wandering through the Castello district,…read moredown Calle Larga Rosa, which led to a bridge that we used to cross a canal. Ships were docked on either side of the canal, for a picturesque viewpoint. Even better: a quaint, lovely park was on the other side of the bridge! This park was the Campo San Pietro ("campo" roughly translates as "fields"). A rare open expanse of grass in Venice, beautifully lined with large shade trees throughout. Convenient benches beckoned to us, and as it was midafternoon, we plopped down and enjoyed a relaxing snack. This mid-September day was hot and humid, and the shady park bench was just the restorative we needed. A few locals were on the other benches, one stretched out and napping. Campo San Pietro abuts to the impressive Basilica San Pietro, which we took time to visit after relaxing in the park for a while. Should you desire a quick return to civilization, a vaporetto stop, Via Canale delle Navi S, is on the east side of this small island. If you're looking for a serene, cool and shady place for a picnic Campo San Pietro is a solid choice.

This was the tour company that organized the half-day tours to Murano, Burano and Torcello. I…read morebought this excursion from venetoinside.com, which sells authorized activities and excursions in the Veneto region (https://www.venetoinside.com/tours-activities-in-veneto/tour/half-day-excursion-murano-burano-torcello/). It is the 2nd most booked excursion the site offers, only being beaten by the official "St. Mark's Cathedral and its Treasures" tour organized by the church. While a day trip to the islands was always on the itinerary for Venice, I had a 7pm dinner reservation later that day and I wanted to be back in Venice proper before then. LOGISTICS Cost: €20 Languages offered: Italian, English, Spanish, German and French. Tour length: 4 to 4.5 hours. Tour departures: Daily at 9:30am and 2:30pm high season (1 March to 11 November), 2:00pm low season (12 November to 28 February). Meeting point: Yellow desk near the Bridge of Sighs. Not suitable for wheelchair users. The tour ran exactly as advertised, with approximately 40 minutes each in the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. Murano: There is an option to view a glassmaking session with some time to purchase authentic Murano glass at the source. Since there's not much to do and see in Murano aside from glassmaking 40 minutes is enough but 40 minutes each in the other islands is definitely not enough. You can easily spend at least an hour each in the other two. Burano: One can get lost in the colorful houses (it seems perfectly suited for the 'Instagram tourist') and being the 2nd of two islands makes for a perfect lunch spot. Torcello: It's at least a 5 minute walk from the Torcello stop to the entrance of the Torcello Basilica. The 40 minutes allotted can be barely enough to explore the basilica... that is if you rush through everything. I spent a lot of my time exploring the outside of the basilica but my only regret was not being able to climb the campanile, which would've been possible if I had an hour. Hence this tour would be a 5-star if there was a full day/mostly-full day option but there wasn't at the time of booking. Luckily venetoinside.com listened to the reviews and is now advertising a HOHO option with a 24-hour validity so that you can explore the islands at your own pace (https://www.venetoinside.com/tours-activities-in-veneto/tour/hop-on-hop-off-venice-islands-boat-tour/). Had this existed when I did my research I would've certainly done this as it avoids the logistics of navigating the lagoon via vaporetto and made the dinner reservation for another day.

While vacationing in Italy we were tired of doing all of the excursions, visiting sites and…read morebasilicas; we decided to have a beach day and we stopped at Lido beach based on the recommendation of our friend who lives near by. I am so glad we had this beach day. The Adriatic Sea was crystal clear. As we walked in we could literally see our toes in the sand. Lido Beach and the area around it was the perfect beach town.

This is the most Beautiful Beach in Italy. It's place that you must see. Stunning water views…read more Beautiful crystal clear water. It was Anniversary Vacation for my husband and I after 19 years of Marriage. It's a bucket list must. We had a great time over there, especially from being from the US.

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

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.

Gawd....I have been to Venezia a handful of times and I sort of dread it now…read more Still visiting St Marc and the Basilica brought me new found hope. This is probably my favorite church to visit....even better than Notre Dame, St Peters, and Westminster Let's face us Venice is incredibly touristy...think SF Fishermans wharf with all the gift shops. Still St Marc's is a necessary visit and there are great restaurants. Be careful when buying Murano glass as much of it is fake

Main public square and the heart of Venice. Here you will see the Doge Palace, St Mark's Basilica…read moreand the Campanile bell tower. Came here for a late morning tour of St Mark's Basilica and the Doge Palace and it was crowded. My recommendation is to come here really early morning, get your tours over and done with, take your pictures and then chill out somewhere in the shade. especially if you're here in the summer. There are a few cafes here with live music which is really nice. Speaking of cafes, head over to Italy's oldest cafe which is Cafe Florian. Just find a table with an umbrella and enjoy the music and people watch. Or you can walk around the square buy some souvenirs or catch a gondola ride and relax.