Hidden Venice Half-Day Walking Tour

Venice, Italy

Want to explore Venice off the beaten track without getting lost? From the old red-light district to some of the oldest houses in Venice, this walking tour shows you Venice at its rich and stimulating best! You'll discover the real Venice, past and present, and take a guided visit of the Frari church and its masterpieces by Bellini, Titian and Canova.

Enlightened by stories of Venice's rich merchants and their ruthless acts of cruelty, you'll take a guided walk through the city's labyrinth of streets and narrow passageways in the old artisan quarters. You'll pass old bars where the merchants would relax, and see where the famous Venetian courtesans lived in the old red light district of Venice, home to the notorious Ponte delle Tette bridge.

During this walk, you will also see an old prison for tax evaders and learn about daily life in Venice of old, and what life is like today for modern-day Venetians.

USD $28.09

Traveler Reviews

Review by: tricia	November 2011
I had a wonderful guide and learnt so much...

Review by: Nicholas M	November 2011
Excellent guide and tour and you learn so much more when it is conducted by a genuine Venetian person

Review by: Ross W	November 2011
Sabrina was a VERY knowledgeable, caring and generous guide. The route is engaging and allows for some lively story-telling. An all-inclusive price would be better, instead of the "optional" church and additional payment for the final stop, which any tourist would be silly to miss.

Review by: Jo M	October 2011
Wonderful tour--enjoyed every minute. Our guide Stephanie was very good. Al and Jo Murdach

Review by: Amanda W	October 2011
Fantastic tour. Great guide who knew so much but never overshared the info. I would tour with her anytime. Saw so much backstreet Venice I wouldn't have otherwise found

Review by: Jim A	October 2011
Guide was very knowledgeable. We enjoyed seeing the less traveled areas of Venice and hearing some of the historical tidbits.

Review by: kheiligh	October 2011
This tour was okay but not anything great. It was mainly just wondering around in the back alleys of Venice which is pretty easy to do on your own. The only highlight of the trip was the church at the end with all of Titian's art. The guide was knowledgeable but very dry and hard to understand at times.

Review by: Irene K	October 2011
We enjoyed the review and thought that our guide was very knowledgeable. He was happy to do a few side trips and to answer all questions It would be nice if the group was a bit smaller. All in all, I would definitely recommend this tour.

Review by: Gayle J	October 2011
A very nice 2-hour tour of seldom-seen areas near the Rialto bridge.

Review by: dngreen	October 2011
This was really great tour because it took you parts of Venice that you may not as a tourist go to. The guide also gave us alot of background information on Venice, the streets etc.

Review by: Ben L	September 2011
The walking tour was excellent. The guide was knowledeable ank knew interesting little stories about Venice's history that brought the city to life. Glad we took the toor.

Review by: Kevin S	September 2011
A great way to visit some of the less well known areas of the city led by an excellent guide.

Review by: Craig M	August 2011
We were two couples doing the Hidden Venice Half Day Walking Tour. I would not do the tour again, I found it hard to hear and hard to understand the accent. I think you could do the few stops on your own at your own pace

Review by: Theresa P	August 2011
Stephania was a very knowledgable guide. She gave a great tour, and was happy to answer any questions. She even took us by a great little gelato place that we never would have found otherwise!

Review by: DAVID B	August 2011
We did enjoy the tour, but having visited Venice several times before we were expecting more "hidden" locations. In reality the places visited were actually on the mainstream tourist track. I think the title of the tour is something of a misnomer. That said the guide was very knowledgeable and pleasant. More for first time visitors rather than those hoping to discover something new.

Review by: Omar C	August 2011
It's always nice to discover Venice, even though you've been there lots of times there still hidden places and off the beaten track sites. Again, the guide's remarkable knowledge of history makes this tour more valuable and a must if you want to know Venice a little more than only what you see.

Review by: Grant J	July 2011
A terrific way to get a little off the beaten track and see things most people just walk past. Recommended.

Review by: Andrew L	July 2011
The tour was most interesting and provided an insight into the history of Venice. The tour leader was very knowledgeable. I would recommend this tour

Review by: GAIL D	July 2011
Tour was worse ever - billed as 2 hour tour - was 1 hour 15 minutes and then we reached a churc h. Our tour leader said, "_br/_ It will be 2 euros to enter the church. If you enter, I will see you inside. Otherwise, good bye. " We had no idea how to get back to the Rialto bridge and felt very cheated by the tour. It was especially bad as I got the tour as a birthday present for my husband. Very disappointed in quality.

Review by: Pam J	July 2011
Tour guide was knowledgable and showed us a fascinating side of Venice we never knew existed. Would recommend this tour.

Review by: Valerie S	July 2011
Excellent tour with very knowledgeable and informative guide. Felt short changed when our walk seemed to be cut short for an optional church visit at extra cost.

Review by: Bonita R	June 2011
This tour was only 2 hours - definitely not half-day. Tour guide had another tour after ours. Other than that it was good.

Review by: Lea	June 2011
I was very happy with everything...Thanks!

Review by: Peter SK H	June 2011
Maria is FANTASTIC. This tour remains one of the highlights of our trip to Italy. At first, Maria will strike you as a bit of an odd duck. But give her some time and she will amaze you with her enthusiasm and incredible knowledge of the city she so clearly loves and belongs in.

Review by: Richard B	June 2011
The presence of a knowledgeable guide enabled me to see parts of Venice I wouldn't otherwise have seen.

Review by: dbt1910	May 2011
An informative walking tour with a local, knowledgeable, guide. Interesting to see and learn about the (slightly) quieter parts of this amazing location. Also, better value than our cruise operator's similar guided walk.

Review by: Gillian W	May 2011
The guide Maria was really informative and very passionate about Venice_br/_ She made it very interesting and also made us laugh ! Well worth he money - would recommend to anyone visiting Venice

Review by: Michael S	May 2011
Very nice overall. The guide was friendly, well informed, spoke very good English, and had a good manner. The sites visited were interesting and well worth seeing. We are very glad to have been introduced to them via this tour.

Review by: Desmond S	May 2011
Our guide was delightful. Excellent English full of interesting information and certainly took us on a route which would otherwise have remained undiscovered - good value

Review by: Cheryl S	October 2010
The tour started promptly and was very well organised. Our guide's English was very good and she was happy to answer questions. It was great having a 'local' show us her city. You can't fake that kind of passion. I would recommend this tour to people who have a basic knowledge of the layout of Venice. This tour adds another layer of interest

Review by: Linda A	October 2010
Hidden Venice was a fabulous tour. I recommend it as the first thing you do when you get to Venice. Our guide was excellent. She took the time to answer all of our questions. She was very knowledgeable about the History of Venice. It was very impressive. Our tour lasted much longer than the 2 hour schedule because it was very interactive. Alexandra was our tour guide she was born and brought up in Venice. Her English was impeccable and she was very kind.

Review by: Iain C	October 2010
An excellent guide who brought to life and meaning the things we had noticed the previous day whilst walking around Venice. Well worth spending time to have a guided tour.

Review by: PETER B	September 2010
Interesting and relaxed good fun.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2010
Very good

Review by: Anonymous	August 2010
We walked for about 2 hours and the guide really didn't show us much.

Review by: Manish M	August 2010
We took this tour in early July, peak tourist season. This tour was not crowded at all. The tour guide was a native Venetian, who was immensely knowledgeable about the city and it's history. We took many, many tours while traveling Europe this summer, and this particular tour was a stand out favorite. If you enjoy learning about history, art, architecture, and culture, you won't regret taking this tour.

Review by: Anonymous	July 2010
Great way to get away from ther tourist hordes.. However, it is Venice and there is no true way of getting away.. Visit Lido and other islands there are less tourists. Murano has less but a good amount nonetheless. If you're not looking to spend money.. get a good book on the backstreets and history about Venice and explore on your own. That's what I would do. This is a family friendly tour..

Review by: Sandra T, United States of America	June 2010
We were so delighted to discover that Louisella was again our tour guide as she had met us the day before when we took the tour of St. Marks Square. Her love of Venice is "catching" and she made her city just come alive for all of us. Sandy

Review by: Stephen D	June 2010
Very knowledgable guide. Saw a lot of things that you would normally not see. Good tour.

Review by: Peter R, United Kingdom	March 2010
Our tour guide was excellent, very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English.

Review by: Susan J, United Kingdom	March 2010
Great because it explored a different part of Venice. Showed us lots of secret quiet areas - the "real" Venice. Tour guide was lovely and extremely knowledgeable. She went quite q way over her time because she was so enthusiastic about her subject.

Review by: Ewa P, Portugal	November 2009
We had a fantastic time and I can recommend Venice to everyone! Our guide was great, one of the best ways to enjoy and learn about a new destination. She was so knowledgeable and really enjoyed her job and that was very noticeable. So highly recommended!

Review by: Jeff V, United States of America	October 2009
Loved the tour guide and all the information about venice she shared with us. We had seen most of Venice on the other side of Realto Bridge, so this was very interesting. The Frari Church is worth the tour alone.

Review by: Pamela M O, New Zealand	October 2009
Excellent, guide was knowledgeable and we saw areas we would have missed otherwise. Like the markets and small canals!

Review by: Barbara B, United Kingdom	October 2009
Easy to locate the group well organized and the tour leader was excellent. She made the back streets of Venice come alive.

Review by: Arianne C, Australia	October 2009
A neat little orientation of the back streets of Venice. Not only was our fabulous guide full of knowledge of the sights, but happy to recommend the best places for exploring on our own. This was our 5th Viator walking tour, and couldn't fault any of them.

Review by: Dave B, New Zealand	July 2009
The guide got bogged down in too much detail on several occasions. Otherwise an interesting and informative tour.

Review by: David G, United Kingdom	July 2009
Trip was definitely worth doing, guides were excellent.

Review by: Phyllis H, United States of America	June 2009
Great tour guide!

Review by: David B, Australia	January 2009
We had a brilliant guide and a limited number of walkers, and this personal contact with the local guide made this a special walk. We were able to hear everything that was said and received an insightful and interesting tour of out of the way places in Venice.