Tours of the City
Walking Tours
Walks Inside Venice (tel: (041) 524 1706; website: www.walksinsidevenice.com) organises comprehensive English-speaking tours around the city. The company caters for small groups of up to 15 people and charges 57 by the hour (most tours are three hours long). Sights visited depend on the tour taken and include the Bridge of Sighs, the Doges’ Palace and the largely unspoilt Cannaregio District. Tours usually depart from the hotel in which the client stays or from St Mark’s Square (although not necessarily). Other cultural, historic and artistic tours can also be booked at tourist information offices. The tourist office has an excellent range of free brochures outlining suggested walking routes. Those preferring to explore by themselves can hire an audio guide from D’Point Venice, Campanile San Marco, Loggia del Sansovino (tel: (055) 873 4527, fax: (055) 873 2219; e-mail: dpoint.venice01@duwas.com) daily 0900-2000. Alternatively, pick up one of the walking itineraries titled Venezia Beyond St Mark’s that are freely available at the tourist offices and include maps.
Boat Tours
Venice Walks & Tours, Via Villanova 27 (tel: (041) 296 0282 or 520 8616 to book; fax: (041) 241 0256; e-mail: info@venice-day-tours.com; website: www.venicewalksandtours.com) offers a boat tour of the Grand Canal, although this may seem unnecessary, seeing as the local ferry network is the most efficient and cheapest way of getting out and about on the water. However, no local ferry will include a glass of sparkling wine while whisking its passengers down some lesser known canals in a luxurious motor launch. The 70-minute tour departs Monday-Saturday 1630 (April-October) and costs 40 per person (with a minimum of four and a maximum of eight people per ride).
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Tours of the City