Historical Tours


VENICE

14 Best Historical Tours In Venice

The best of Venice and the lagoon.

The 14 most popular historical tours in Venice. The ones worth carving a morning out for, with what each costs, how long it runs and who walks you through it.

14 Best Historical Tours In Venice

Venice's Best: Basilica, Doge's Palace, Gondola & History Gallery - Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs: Art, Power, and a Route That Makes Sense
Doge's Palace & St Mark's Basilica Tours, Gondola Rides, Historical Tours, Museums, Tour Reviews, Venice

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

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

Skip-the-line at St Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace, plus a shared gondola with mobile commentary and a VR Venice history stop.

Most Popular★ 4.5

“Instead of standing in line and doing the tour by yourself this is definitely a great way, not only to see the 2 major Venice attractions but to also get explanations, understand the historical background and context and ask as many questions as you like. Plus you get a bonus gondola ride which could be…”

2,478 reviews3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)From $129.40by CITY TOURS CO. LTD

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Basilica, Doge's Palace, History Gallery & Bell Tower Option - Basilica di San Marco: mosaics, meaning, and what the rules require
Doge's Palace & St Mark's Basilica Tours, Historical Tours, Museums, Tour Reviews, Venice

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

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

Skip-the-line Venice highlights: Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica, Bridge of Sighs, plus optional Campanile views and terrace access.

★ 5.0

“We signed up for a small group tour of Venice but when the other 2 people didn't show up, it turned into a private tour with Simonetta. Honestly, lucky us!”

586 reviews2 to 3 hours (approx.)From $116.70by CITY TOURS CO. LTD

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St. Mark's Cathedral Priority Guided Tour & History Gallery - Before You Go: Dress Code, ID, and the Real Ticket Pickup Trap
Doge's Palace & St Mark's Basilica Tours, Guided, Historical Tours, Museums, Tour Reviews, Tours, Venice

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

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

Skip the lines at St. Mark’s with optional live guidance, byzantine-focused audio on your phone, and a Venice Gallery VR history circuit.

★ 3.5

“The Tour guide did nothing to enhance our experience. She did not introduce herself, nor did she explain the full use of the app! When I think audio, guided tour, I think that we will be given an audio machine and not required to download more apps on my phone! I was very disappointed in…”

148 reviews1 hour (approx.)From $33.72by CITY TOURS CO. LTD

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Kingly Venice: Doge Palace Ticket, Guided Tour & History Gallery - Golden Staircase, Bridge of Sighs, and the Casanova connection
Doge's Palace & St Mark's Basilica Tours, Guided, Historical Tours, Museums, Tickets, Tour Reviews, Tours, Venice

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

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Venice Lagoon Tour with Historic Venetian Boat - Getting There: The Fondamenta Zattere Start in Real Life
Cruises & Boat Tours, Historical Tours, Murano, Burano & Torcello Island Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Venice

Venice Lagoon Tour with Historic Venetian Boat

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6.Venice Lagoon Tour with Historic Venetian Boat

A private historic boat through the Venice Lagoon with a guide, an onboard aperitif, and a possible Murano glass stop.

★ 4.5

“The boat tour was on a miraculously well maintained boat that had been in operation for 90 years. The owner/operator of the boat did an excellent job showing us the sights of Venice. He added some extra time so we could catch the Venetian sunset. We even got to see the canals resident dolphin up…”

47 reviews1 hour (approx.)From $82.90

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Venetian Watercolors Painting Workshop at the Historic Art Circle - Meeting Near Doge Palace and Heading to Dorsoduro
Historical Tours, Tour Reviews, Venice, Workshops

Venetian Watercolors Painting Workshop at the Historic Art Circle

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7.Venetian Watercolors Painting Workshop at the Historic Art Circle

Learn watercolor techniques on a quiet Venice canal with master artist Nicola in a small group, plus a handmade bookmark souvenir.

★ 5.0

“The weather was poor (raining) so we ended up in the studio which was understandable. It ended up being just the 2 of us and the artist was very patient with us as we are just beginners. He gave us some great tips about using the watercolours, creating the palette, setting up the painting and…”

45 reviews1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)From $27.03by CITY TOURS CO. LTD

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Ducal Venice, Historical Walking Tour & Skip the line Doge's Palace - From Marco Polo’s neighborhood to San Zanipolo’s church (Stop by stop)
Historical Tours, Skip the Line, Tour Reviews, Tours, Venice, Venice Walking Tours, Walking Tours

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

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

Venice walking tour to St. Mark’s and Castello with skip-the-line Doge’s Palace, prisons, Bridge of Sighs, plus ticket to Museo Correr.

★ 4.5

“Our tour guide did an awesome job explaining the history of Doge's Palace and Venice. We enjoyed every minute of it and we met a lot of great people!”

22 reviews3 hours (approx.)From $112.82by Venice Events srl

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Tour of Venice between Art, History, Legend and Secrets - Chiesa di San Giovanni Crisostomo: Polo’s Funding, Bellini’s Presence
Historical Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Venice

Tour of Venice between Art, History, Legend and Secrets

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

A 2-hour English Venice art and history walk linking Rialto legends, Marco Polo’s home, and golden churches to San Marco’s finale.

★ 4.0

“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.”

20 reviews2 hours (approx.)From $83.00

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Venice: Bell Tower Priority Ticket & History Gallery Experience - Entering the Campanile: The 98-Meter Elevator and What You’ll Actually See
Doge's Palace & St Mark's Basilica Tours, Historical Tours, Museums, Tickets, Tour Reviews, Venice

Venice: Bell Tower Priority Ticket & History Gallery Experience

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10.Venice: Bell Tower Priority Ticket & History Gallery Experience

Priority entry to St Mark’s Campanile and a Venice in the Past 3D/VR stop, with big city views and a tight 1-hour plan in English.

★ 3.5

“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…”

20 reviews1 hour (approx.)From $45.27by CITY TOURS CO. LTD

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two-hour walk from Rialto to San Marco between history, traditions and art - Marco Polo’s neighborhood feeling: where you slow down and look
2-Hour Experiences, Historical Tours, Tour Reviews, Venice, Walking Tours

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

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

Private 2-hour walk from Rialto to San Marco with a local guide, Acqua Alta Library, and skip-the-line St Mark’s basilica.

★ 5.0

“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…”

14 reviewsFrom $139.93by Tour Leader in Venice

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Venice Palazzo Mocenigo: History of Textile, Costume and Perfume - Where Palazzo Mocenigo is, and how to plan your entry time
Historical Tours, Tour Reviews, Venice

Venice Palazzo Mocenigo: History of Textile, Costume and Perfume

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12.Venice Palazzo Mocenigo: History of Textile, Costume and Perfume

Pre-book entry to Venice’s Palazzo Mocenigo Museum for textiles, period costumes, and perfume history. Self-guided, timed entry, small and quiet.

★ 3.5

“Our whole family were really impressed by how great this tour and little museum are. Our three young kids including our oldest boy of 11 really loved making their own perfumes after having learnt about and smelt all of the different scents in thRead more”

11 reviewsFrom $18.52by Weekend in Italy

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Small Group Tour Historical and Charming Venice Jewish Ghetto - Fondamenta Cannaregio: Real Canal Views and the Ghetto Vechio Link
Historical Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Venice

Small Group Tour Historical and Charming Venice Jewish Ghetto

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History Gallery: Venice in the Past 3D Experience - VR gondola ride on the Grand Canal: time travel to the 1700s
Doge's Palace & St Mark's Basilica Tours, Historical Tours, Museums, Tour Reviews, Venice

History Gallery: Venice in the Past 3D Experience

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14.History Gallery: Venice in the Past 3D Experience

Venice in the Past brings priority entry to a History Gallery, a VR Grand Canal ride to the 1700s, and a take-home 3D gondola puzzle.

★ 3.5

“This was great for a self guided tour! Plenty of signs with info to read. The only downside was that there were no signs on the prison side telling what famous persons were in what cells and their stories. The gondola ride was also phenomenal!!”

8 reviewsFrom $10.43by CITY TOURS CO. LTD

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