Private tour guide in Venice

[goldenwendy]

Hello -

Can anyone recommend a tour guide for a one or half day tour of Venice? There will be 4 adults. Thank you.

[anniecat]

venice is an amazing place, walk it yourself, see the main square, then roam. Get a tour book...try Rick Steve's and just go. How long will you be there?

[Sandy R]

I agree with Anniecat... see Venice on your own! Walk the streets, get lost, find a wonderful little restaurant to stop for lunch or dinner or dessert. Discover a delightful little square and people watch, have a gelato, take a vaporetto to a stop you think looks nice and explore anew. Look at the Murano glass, watch the activity on the Grand Canal, walk across the Rialto Bridge and so many other quaint little bridges, find another out-of-the-way interesting restaurant that you'll remember for years to come. We were there for 6 days a few years ago, and on our own, at our own pace, only scratched the surface. I can recommend Agua Pazzo for dinner (Crazy Water)... the lobster linguini was to die for and the lemoncello liquore after dinner was just as good.

 

Sandy

[cberge]

As the other poster said...you really do not need a guide..just wander.However, if you are there for a few days and not just a port stop,you can stop in the tourist office by S.Marco and ask when they have have a tour going out..they do half day tours that are very good,and in small groups.If there just for the day you could stop in first thing,but a good map and just walking around is a great way to visit Venice.

[pcur]

I agree with the above posters.

 

I would take a vapretto or ship's shuttle to San Marcos, then go on the Secret Itineraries tour. You can buy your tickets online:

 

http://www.museiciviciveneziani.it/main.asp?lin=EN

 

Then walk back to the canal through the streets; very picturesque.

 

We bought a laminated map from Barnes and Nobles. We never got lost with it. Very detailed.

[cola]

We spent four days pre-cruise in Venice last year and I totally agree that Venice is a great place to explore on your own. However, if you really want to find a good local guide, I can recommend contacting Venice Guide and Boat. We used Luigi's services for our airport-hotel and hotel-ship transfers and we also booked a 1/2 day trip to Murano/Burano with him. In hindsight, although we thoroughly enjoyed our time with Luigi (and he took us to glass factories where we were not pressured to buy), the expense of the private tour was unnecessary. We are returning in September and will do everything on our own.

 

That said, if you would really feel more comfortable on a tour; check out their website...you can find it easily using any popular search engine. Their home page lists Venice City Tours, Unusual Tours and Excursions and Transfers and Boat Rides.

 

Luigi's wife, Cinzia, was great about keeping in touch with us via email and they were very reliable, so they get a thumbs-up from us!

 

Carla