The 15 Best Historical Tours in Venice

1.Venice’s Best: Basilica, Doge’s Palace, Gondola & History Gallery

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,478 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $129Our pick

Spend about three and a half hours with a small English-speaking group at St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace, then ride a shared gondola through Venice’s canals. Guides such as Lucia and Valentina are praised for clear history, while the included VR gallery adds a quick look at Venice’s past.

“Excellent tour! The guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I learned a lot about the history of the places we visited. It was well worth the time and money!”

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2.City Center Historical Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 1,873 reviews · 1 - 2.5 hours · from $14

Join a live guide in English, French, German, Italian, or Spanish for a brisk walk through St. Mark’s Square, Rialto, La Fenice, and quieter calli. Add a gondola ride and a short VR journey through old Venice. Guides such as Ana, Natalia, Valentina, and Francesco have led recent tours.

“Discovering the back streets. Very informative guide. Especially enjoyed how Venice secured it's own water source. Dropping into yhe café for a short interlude was a very welcome addition.”

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3.Bell Tower & St Mark’s Square History Gallery Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 910 reviews · 1 hour · from $44

You’ll collect your ticket near St. Mark’s Square, watch a short VR journey through Venice’s past, then ride the elevator up St. Mark’s Bell Tower. The $44 package is self-guided, with no tower tour, but includes skip-the-line entry and sweeping views of the basilica, lagoon, and city.

“Accord agency did a good job in taking care of their clients. there's opportunities to grow in their QR code to access the museum via personal cellphone as audio guide. it was very slow to upload the audio guide app.”

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4.Basilica, Doge’s Palace, History Gallery & Bell Tower Option

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 586 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $116Top rated

Explore Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, and St. Mark’s Basilica with a guide such as Sara, Matteo, Helena, or Giovanna. Add St. Mark’s Bell Tower for wide views over the lagoon. Expect 2 to 3 hours, a maximum group of 15, and clear choices between the basilica interior and tower option.

“This was an excellent tour to get a great overview of all the top Venice tourist attractions. We had an excellent guide who was very knowledgeable of all the attractions.”

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5.Natural History Museum Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 312 reviews · 1 day · from $11

Explore Venice’s Natural History Museum at your own pace with a one-day admission ticket. See the 7-meter Ouranosaurus, a Sarchosuchus imperator skull, fossils, zoological specimens, ethnographic displays, a 40,000-book library, and a peaceful courtyard in a historic Grand Canal palazzo.

“norhing - it was a delight from start to finish! something for everyone”

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6.St. Mark’s Cathedral Priority Guided Tour & History Gallery

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 148 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $33

Visit Venice’s St. Mark’s Basilica with priority entry, then explore a St. Mark’s Square history gallery and VR presentation. Choose a mobile audio guide or live tour, with some options adding Doge’s Palace. Bring ID, earphones, modest clothing, and arrive 20 minutes early.

“This was a great tour, and our guide Gloria made it very special. She was very knowledgeable and really interesting. It was the highlight of our trip. Thanks.”

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7.Venice, Submarine Enrico Dandolo and Naval History Museum

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 109 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $30

Join a small group of up to 10 for a 1.5-hour visit inside the Enrico Dandolo submarine at Venice Arsenal. See the control room and torpedo chamber, then use the multilingual audio guide at MUNAV, the Ships Pavilion, and Venice’s Naval History Museum.

“Fascinating place, especially the submarine. Buildings very cold though so wrap up warm!”

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8.Kingly Venice: Doge Palace Ticket, Guided Tour & History Gallery

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 62 reviews · from $65

Spend about 50 minutes with a local guide inside Doge’s Palace, seeing the Golden Staircase, grand halls, Bridge of Sighs, and prisons. Your ticket also covers Museo Correr and other St. Mark’s Square museums for a self-guided visit. Guides may include Gloria, Elena, Marco, or Francesco.

“The guide was very informative and made the experience enjoyable as well as educational Even though true high waters delayed our tour it was not rushed which was appreciated”

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9.Venice Lagoon Tour with Historic Venetian Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 47 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $82

Set out from the Zattere aboard a historic Venetian boat for a private one-hour ride through lesser-known lagoon waters. Your English-speaking guide, including guides such as Khalil, points out Venice’s origins and offers an aperitif before San Marco. The boat returns to the meeting point.

“Tour operator cancelled on us the day before citing technical difficulties. It was suppose rain so I suppose that is why there were sudden technical difficulties. I expect I will never get a refund.”

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10.Venetian Watercolors Painting Workshop at the Historic Art Circle

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 45 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $27

Meet near Doge’s Palace, then paint Venice in Dorsoduro with Nicola, a trained Venetian artist who has worked on La Fenice and luxury hotels. He guides beginners through sketching, perspective, light, and watercolor washes in a group of no more than 10. You take home your painting and a handcrafted bookmark.

“It was such a pleasure to follow Nicola’s instructions. Starting with evaluating which scene we wanted to paint followed by a pencil sketch them moving to the water coloring was fun! Highly recommend!!! We also enjoyed shopping in Nicola’s gallery. Ciao!”

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11.Entrance Ticket to the Naval Historical Museum

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 39 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $18

Visit MUNAV, Venice’s Naval Historical Museum, a five-floor collection in a 15th-century granary near St. Mark’s and the Ancient Arsenal. Spend about 90 minutes viewing Venetian boats, Italian Navy models, maritime paintings, documents, and an unusual group of boats from China and the Far East.

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12.Ducal Venice, Historical Walking Tour & Skip the line Doge’s Palace

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 22 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $112

Meet at 9am for a three-hour English walking tour through St. Mark’s and Castello. Your guide, possibly Ilaria or Gina, covers Marco Polo, Venetian churches, the Doge’s Palace, prison cells, and the Bridge of Sighs. Palace admission and headsets are included.

“Amazing, informative and captivating guide, Ilaria, lead this brilliant walking tour including San Marco square, Basilica, Doge’s Palace and prisons. Book now, you will not regret!!”

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13.Tour of Venice between Art, History, Legend and Secrets

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 20 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $83

Walk from Campo San Bartolomio to St. Mark’s Square with an English-speaking guide, exploring Rialto, Marco Polo’s homes, San Giovanni Crisostomo, San Zulian, and Venice’s legends. Alessandro may lead the tour, with art-focused commentary and a route lasting about two to three hours.

“The tour guide never showed up! It wasted part of our day and now we’re trying to get a refund. I tried messaging through the Viator app but never got a reply. I finally found a phone number and reached the tour operator.”

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14.Bell Tower Priority Ticket & History Gallery Experience

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 20 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $45

Visit St. Mark’s Campanile with priority admission, ride the elevator to its 98-meter summit, and see Venice from above. Your package also includes a virtual reality presentation about Venice in the past and a gondola-building display, though the ticket collection process can be confusing.

“The Bell tower visit itself was ok. It is at a high level of Venice and the views are nice. The ticketing process was tedious. The company first provides a voucher that needs to be exchanged at their office for a ticket. The directions to their office is terrible. I wandered around for awhile before I could find it. The number on street is just not enough. They should additionally provide a Google map location. I gave this feedback to the customer rep giving me the ticket. Her response told me that she wasn’t interested in receiving this information. Borderline rude behavior. The experience for a tourist needs to be…”

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15.two-hour walk from Rialto to San Marco between history, traditions and art

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $139

Join Alessandro, a Venice-born guide, for a private two-hour walk from Rialto to St. Mark’s. See the Rialto market, Fondaco dei Tedeschi, Marco Polo’s neighborhood, Acqua Alta bookstore, Colleoni monument, and San Marco Basilica. Confirm basilica admission costs before booking.

“Alessandro is a local guide with real love and enthusiasm for his city of Venice. History, architecture, art, the beautiful churches and small details of each street and neighbourhood made the city come alive. Two hours flew by! Whether this is your first trip or you’re returning for more - I’m sure that a tour with Alessandro will be a highlight.”

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