Gondola Tours: the 15 Worth Building a Day Around

1.Venice Walking Tour and Gondola Ride

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 3,630 reviews · 2 hours 9 minutes to 2 hours 27 minutes (approx.) · from $72Our pick

Meet near St. Mark’s Square at 3pm for an English walking tour through Venice’s back streets, past La Fenice and Scala del Bovolo. Then board a traditional gondola for a 30-minute ride along the Grand Canal and smaller canals. Guides vary, with names such as Nadia, Francesca, Elena, and Christina appearing on different departures.

“Francesca our guide was fantastic. So informative and enthusiastic. Thank you. When issues arose (lateness) she was very calm and dealt with it efficiently.”

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2.Venice In a Day: St Mark’s, Doges Palace Gondola Ride & City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,588 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $124Top rated

Walk from the Rialto markets to St. Mark’s Square, cruise the Grand Canal in a shared gondola, and tour St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace with an English-speaking guide. Early departures include basilica entry, while the 9am Express option does not.

“It was a great experience learning all about Venice and its history through our guide, Elena. She was very friendly and knowledgeable about Venice and Italy. We had a great time overall and I definitely recommend this tour for everyone. We had two boys - 13 and 7 and they enjoyed the entire tour from 8:30am to 2pm with no complaints. A couple of breaks for food/snacks helped them.”

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3.Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Tour with Gondola Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 677 reviews · 3.5 - 9.5 hours · from $46

Join an English-speaking guide such as Martina, Marco, or Grazia for timed entry to St Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace, then share a 30-minute gondola ride for up to five people. Choose the longer option to add Murano glassmaking and Burano lacework.

“Must see places!! Easy to walk around..great tour guide!!”

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4.St. Mark’s Basilica Tour with Priority Entrance + Gondola

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 643 reviews · 45 min · from $69

Meet your English-speaking guide beneath the blue clock tower in Piazza San Marco, then enter St. Mark’s Basilica through a separate entrance. Guides such as Lara, Rita, Suzie, and Francesca explain the mosaics, Venetian history, and terrace views in about 45 minutes. Add the optional gondola ride when booking.

“Our guide Lara was excellent and shared many interesting details on the basilica and Venice. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Venice. Thank you!”

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5.Gondola Tour under the Bridge of Sighs & Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 617 reviews · 30 - 50 minutes · from $42

Board near Saint Mark’s Square for a shared 30-minute gondola ride through Venice’s canals and lagoon. You’ll pass beneath the Bridge of Sighs when weather and tides allow, with app commentary and an optional introductory walk in English and Spanish.

“This was great. Our guy got us on the gondolas as fast as he could. The gondola ride was awesome. Highly recommend”

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6.City Center Walking Tour & Iconic Gondola Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 500 reviews · 3 hours · from $63

Walk Venice with a local guide such as Valentina or Francesco, mixing famous sights with quiet calli, campi, and curious landmarks. You’ll pause for a traditional Spritz, take a 30-minute gondola ride, and finish with a VR journey through Venice’s past. Expect about three hours, plus a gap before the boat ride.

“Valentina was an incredible tour guide! So personable, approachable & knowledgeable about Venice! The tour was the perfect length of time and we thoroughly enjoyed the info we learned during our unforgettable Gondola ride through three canals of Venice!”

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7.Doge’s Palace and Basilica Roman Empire Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 485 reviews · 2 - 3.5 hours · from $102

Follow an ambassador’s ceremonial route through St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace, beginning with a 15-minute VR history show. Guides such as Giovanna, Gina, Elena, and Pina have earned praise for clear storytelling. Add a shared gondola ride for a classic Venetian finish.

“Knowledgeable guide and very little wait to get a gondola. Overall a great value versus purchasing separately and convenient that we didn’t have to coordinate the timing of multiple activities.”

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8.St. Mark’s Basilica Guided Tour with Venice Canals Gondola Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 467 reviews · from $80

Walk through Venice with an English-speaking guide, enter St. Mark’s Basilica without the main wait, and take a 30-minute shared gondola ride past palaces, bridges, and the Bridge of Sighs. Guides such as Monica, Anna, and Martina have been praised for clear local insight.

“I will not even give a 1.....We missed our tour and we were where we thought our meeting spot was according to what was on our paper. We asked prob 5-6 different people and they all told us somewhere different. There were 9 of us that was sRead more”

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9.Walking Tour and Shared Gondola Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 466 reviews · 2 hours · from $75

Spend two hours seeing Venice beyond St. Mark’s Square. A live guide leads you through narrow lanes, quiet squares, churches, palaces, and canal-side corners before or after a 30-minute shared gondola ride. Guides speak five languages, and the gondola includes an audio guide by app.

“On what was probably one of the busiest days of the Carnevale weekend the gondola ride was very del done, we even had a singing gondolier! It was much more difficult to do the walking tour though due to the crowds and the reception on the personal radios was poor. The guide was good though and answered the questions we asked very well.”

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10.Secret Venice & Gondola Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 458 reviews · 2 hours · from $71

Walk Venice’s lesser-known lanes with an English-speaking guide, seeing San Fantin Church, La Fenice, and Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo. Guides such as Andre, Monica, Mateo, and Marina add humor and local insight before a shared gondola ride near San Marco.

“Really enjoyed the guided tour! Elena, was very informative, patient, interactive and polite! The whole family had a great time!”

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11.Welcome to Venice Group Tour St. Mark’s Basilica & Gondola Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 435 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $81

Join an English-speaking guide for a three-hour walk from Rialto through Castello to St. Mark’s Basilica, with time for the Acqua Alta bookstore and a 30-minute gondola ride. Guides such as Alessandro, Filippo, Roberta, and Valentina have led engaging tours, though the basilica entry details should be confirmed.

“This tour exceeded our expectations! Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, polite, and professional. We would gladly tour with her again.”

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12.Doge’s Palace Guided Tour with Optional Gondola Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 362 reviews · 2 - 2.5 hours · from $81

Meet your English-speaking guide in St. Mark’s Square for a two-hour visit to Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, and the New Prisons. Guides such as Claire, Sara, and Christina are praised for lively storytelling. Add a shared 30-minute gondola ride for canals, palaces, and quiet side waterways.

“Really enjoyed the experience at the Doge Palace. Claire is a wonderful, charismatic, energetic guide who is eager to share interesting facts in history and art. She remembered the whole group of 16 by name, which really works well to keep attention, not to mention her good sense of humour. We also took an optional gondola ride, and it was an amazing golden hour. Really worth it!”

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13.St. Mark’s Basilica and Gondola Morning Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 351 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $99

Meet near the Correr Museum for a guided visit to St. Mark’s Square and Basilica at 10:45 AM, then return at 3:00 PM for a 30-minute shared gondola ride. You’ll hear live commentary in four languages, skip the ticket line, and need covered shoulders and knees inside the church.

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14.St. Mark’s, Doge’s Palace, Rialto, and Gondola Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 320 reviews · 30 minutes - 6 hours · from $46

Meet an English-speaking guide in St. Mark’s Square for timed entry to the Basilica and Doge’s Palace, a walk through quieter canals, Rialto Bridge, and a 30-minute shared gondola ride. Guides such as Marco, Roberta, and Elena bring Venice’s art, politics, and local life into focus.

“We loved our tour guide Givanna. She was very knowledgeable and provided so many extra bits of knowledge that made our tour really amazing. She was extremely friendly and went out of her way to make sure we were all taking care of and provided so many extra bits of knowledge that made our tour really amazing.”

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15.Venice Walking Tour and Gondola Ride Combo

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 266 reviews · 3 hours · from $80

Walk from St. Mark’s Square through Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Marco Polo’s former neighborhood, the Mercerie, and past La Fenice before a 30-minute gondola ride through smaller canals and St. Mark’s Basin. Guides lead in English, Spanish, French, or German.

“Our tour guide Gina was amazing. She was funny yet informative. Would recommend.”

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