The 7 Best Ghost & Legend Tours in Venice

1.Venice Ghost Stories, Legends and Anecdotes Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 846 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $42Our pick

Walk for 90 minutes from Rialto through Venice after dark with an English-speaking guide. Hear tales of noble ghosts, medieval crimes, secret lovers, casinos, and the child-killer Biasio while visiting the Bovolo Staircase and Calle dei Assassini. Expect legends and local anecdotes more than theatrical scares.

“It wasn’t a great tour. Nothing special about ghost stories. Very minimal ghost stories and very general tour. Very much below expectations.”

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2.Ghost Tour to Rialto and San Marco Square

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 659 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $31

Walk Venice at night with an English-speaking guide from Bucintoro Viaggi. Over 1.5 hours, you’ll connect San Marco Square and Rialto through quiet lanes, old courtyards, legends, unsolved mysteries, and darker chapters of Venetian history. Expect storytelling more than scares.

“Kate was an amazing guide! She showed us some cool parts of Venice as well as she told interesting stories! Recommend this activity if you want something different than the other tours”

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3.Mysterious Tales of Ghosts and Murders

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 636 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $57Top rated

Walk from Campo San Bartolomio to St. Mark’s Square while English-speaking guides such as Annalisa, Claudia, and Valentina share Venetian ghost stories, murders, legends, and local history. The route uses quieter streets and suits families, though it requires walking and is not wheelchair accessible.

“Annalisa was the best guide. Seriously. We’re at the end of our tour of Italy and have had many guides in many cities and she has blown them all away. Not only was the tour fun and entertaining, she made sure to share local insight and provide recommendations for us to explore on our own. On top of that she responded the next day after our scheduled gondola fell through and took her personal time to help us find an alternative solution. 100/10 would recommend. Thank you again Annalisa you are a genius, a scholar, and an angel. She is the best. Literally. THE. BEST!”

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4.The Ghost & Legends Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 206 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $42

Walk Venice at night with an English-speaking local guide through Castello and Cannaregio. Hear tales of doges, tragic love, ghosts, murder, and Venetian superstition, including the Malibran Theater and San Michele cemetery island. Expect entertaining history with a lightly spooky tone, not a horror show.

“The tour is good. You can enjoy walking through Venice in the night and hear some ghost stories.”

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5.Crimes, Legends, and Mysteries Sunset Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 195 reviews · from $33

Meet your English-speaking guide outside the FARMACIA in Campo San Polo for a 90-minute sunset walk through canals and narrow alleys. Guides such as Marina, Julia, Kiki, Elena, and Anita bring Venetian crime tales, local history, masks, mysteries, and dark humor to life before the route finishes near St. Mark’s Square.

“The tour was amazing, we found out about so many misteries of Venice. Julia is the best tour guide, she was very open to questions and she has a way of storytelling that captivates your complete attention and makes you want to find out more. The time flew by so quickly. I will recommend this tour to all of my friends. Thank you for a mysterious and fascinating experience ✨✨ (If we ever come back to Venice, we’ll book this tour again even if we already heard all the stories just because of Julia)”

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6.Lords of the Night Prisons Palace: Cells & Torture Tools Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 177 reviews · 45 minutes (approx.) · from $11Best value

Spend about 45 minutes inside Venice’s Prisons Palace near St. Mark’s Square. A guide explains the Council of Ten, old cells, punishments, and famous prisoners. The museum is small, with steep stone stairs and an unclear entrance, so arrive early and allow time to find the door.

“This was a really interesting tour of the old prison! There are some amazing stories about this place, and they even have a lot of the original devices used! Our guide was young and super enthusiastic, even if his English was at time a little difficult to understand - but he was very animated and got the message across anyway! This is a great tour if you just have a short amount of time to burn. We thoroughly enjoyed it!”

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7.Legends, Anecdotes and Ghost Stories Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 137 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $41

Walk through Venice after dark with an English-speaking guide, hearing six ghost stories and local legends near Rialto, Palazzo Fortuny, Calle dei Assassini, and the Bovolo staircase. Guides such as Ana, Christine, Christina, and Annamaria have brought the city’s darker past to life with humor and strong storytelling.

“Solo traveller. This tour was a great way to explore some of Venice’s less touristic spots and hear about the legends and lore behind the beautiful city. Fascinating tour with a very knowledgeable and charismatic guide. I really enjoyed the evening!”

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