City Tour on Foot: Classic Venice

Discover Venice and its treasures with us!

Your tour begins with a visit of Saint Mark's Square, the ancient center of the city. The exquisite architecture of the buildings around it, the Procuratie Vecchie and Procuratie Nuove, the Clock Tower, the Marciana Library and the Correr Museum surround the square. The magnificent bell tower, the Campanile di San Marco, reaches into the sky at the center of the square. Having collapsed in 1902, the tower was rebuilt to replicate the 1514 original.

Your guide will describe the buildings with an introduction to the public and political life during the glorious years of Venice as the Repubblica Serenissima – the “Most Serene Republic.” You will then have the opportunity to visit Saint Mark’s Basilica, symbol of the Serenissima’s power and wealth. The most beautiful gold Byzantine mosaics cover the inside of the vaults and cupolas -- some 8,000 square meters.

You will enter The Ducal Palace through its famous gothic gate, the Porta della Carta. Inside, the Portico and the elegant Loggias are a magnificent example of Venetian flamboyant Gothic style known as gotico fiorito. In the courtyard stands Sansovino’s imposing Scala dei Giganti – the Giant’s Staircase, built in 1554.

On the first floor you will find the Doge’s residential apartments, and the governmental halls such as the Great Council Hall and the Council Hall of the Ten. Many glorious frescoes, paintings, and carved or paneled ceilings decorate these interiors.

From the Ducal Palace, your visit will take you across the famous covered Bridge of Sighs to the Prisons. The Bridge of Sighs takes its name from the sounds the condemned made as they were taking their last look at light and freedom through the bridge.

You then have the option to end your tour with a visit to a glass workshop, situated in an ancient palace.