Grand Tour: Basilica, Doge's Palace, Murano & Burano + Gondola
4.5
Grand Tour: Basilica, Doge's Palace, Murano & Burano + Gondola
By Venice Tours Srl
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
About
Ladies and Gentlemen, Live the Best of Venice with our Venice Grand Tour!
Explore the splendor of St. Mark’s Basilica with its golden mosaics and frescoes, guided by local experts who bring centuries of history to life. Wander through the grand halls of Doge's Palace, crossing the iconic Bridge of Sighs to the ancient prisons. Afterward, take a semi-private water-taxi to Murano to witness the magic of glassblowing, a hallmark of Venetian craft.
Cap off your day with a panoramic gondola ride along the San Marco Basin, passing historic sites and offering breathtaking views.
Reserve Your Spot Now for an Unforgettable Venice Experience!
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 1-99, max of 15 per group
Duration: 6–7 hours
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
- St. Mark's Basilica skip-the-line entry ticket
- Doge's Palace skip-the-line entry ticket
- English-speaking guide
- St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace guided tour
- Bridge of Sighs access
- Doge's Palace Prisons access
- Correr Museum, Archeological Museum, and Marciana Library access
- Roundtrip to Murano Island (semi-private water taxi)
- Murano Glass Factory skip-the-line access
- Glass-blowing demonstration
- Murano Island walking tour
- Audio receivers for groups of 10 or more
- Gondola tradition introduction
- Shared gondola ride
- Light Lunch (if option is selected)
- Entry/Admission - Basilica di San Marco
- Entry/Admission - Doge's Palace
What's not included- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Guided tour of Correr Museum, Archeological Museum, and Marciana Library
- Entry fees not specified in the inclusions
- Start:
- Venice Tours Srl Close to St.Mark’s Square, Calle S. Gallo, 1093/b, 30124 Venezia VE, ItalyPlease consider that St. Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace, Murano Island, and Walking Tours all have the same meeting point. If the lunch option is selected, the lunch address is: illy caffè, Giardini Reali, San Marco 30124 Venezia VE.
End:- St. Mark's Square, Piazza San Marco, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 21441P120- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Most travelers can participate
- On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 21441P120
From
₱9,254.66
per adult
Select date and travelers
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- Venice Tours Srl Close to St.Mark’s Square, Calle S. Gallo, 1093/b, 30124 Venezia VE, ItalyPlease consider that St. Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace, Murano Island, and Walking Tours all have the same meeting point. If the lunch option is selected, the lunch address is: illy caffè, Giardini Reali, San Marco 30124 Venezia VE.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Piazza San Marco, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- christopherbO833KX0 contributionsOMG our gondola driver would not stop talking really loudly to the other driversOMG our gondola driver would not stop taking really loudly to the other drivers. Seriously he didn’t stop the entire ride. Completely ruined our romantic once in a lifetime experience. It was gondola 181 in case you want to knowWritten January 17, 2025
- margaritakD8839WH0 contributionsA perfect day trip to Murano and buranoClaudia was very kind and smiley! She made our experience even better. A day trip you should definitely have. We saw how glass is made and have a walk in buranoWritten January 17, 2025
- faninikol110 contributionsPerfect tourExcellent tour and our tour guide Gaia was wonderful! I really enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend it to everyone.Written January 15, 2025
- suzanned2610 contributionsGreat value for money trip with gondola rideAmazing value for money, a brief description prior to boarding the gondola and a 30 minute gondola ride for £27.50p.p. Rather than the €80-100 for just a gondola ride Enjoyable 1 hr tourWritten January 15, 2025
- Footprints7897540 contributionsInteresting but better to start with a more general tour firstThe guide was knowledgeable but came off as a little bored. At the end there was a free VR experience for a few minutes in a bookshop, which was unexpected and really great.Written January 14, 2025
- 436vincei0 contributionsEsperienze di gondola wonderfulFantastico!! Grazie mille. This was awesome. Well presented and incredibly informative. Cost effective too. The gondoliere provided commentary throughout the tripWritten January 14, 2025
- Ashlyn F0 contributionsNot worth itIt should not be labeled "grand canal tour" with barely any time in the grand canal. most of the ride was through the side canals and our boat guide was on the phone the whole trip. the initial walk to the gondala was okay, but not worth the money at all. safe your money and find a gondala ride on the street, the vendors seemed more excited to show you aroundWritten January 14, 2025
- fenice72_dd0 contributionsLack of clarity and insufficient informationMy experience was not satisfactory due to the lack of adequate information and the poor clarity of the signs. Unfortunately, this made it difficult to orient oneself or understand what was needed. An improvement in this sense would certainly be appreciated, perhaps with more precise and detailed signs or with staff available to provide directions. It is a shame, because the context would have potential, but these organizational aspects compromise the overall experience.Written January 13, 2025
- anhthin20250 contributionsWould recommendThe tour was great! We booked an English only tour but most of the people in our group was only Spanish speaking. She did a great job at accommodating and answering questions for both English and Spanish speakers. She was very knowledgeable and highlighted fascinating facts about Venice. Would recommend this tour for others interested in going to the different islands.Written January 13, 2025
- Paul B0 contributionsClaudia was amazing!Claudia was excellent, knowledgeable and an enthusiastic guide! Being that she is a local, her wisdom was unmatched! The islands themselves were beautiful, especially Burano!Written January 13, 2025
- pallypatch0 contributionsWalking tour of Venice.What an interesting tour. The guide Valentina was great she switched between languages and carried our interest. Well doneWritten January 12, 2025
- BelindaSWood70 contributionsWalking tour with gondola ride and virtual reality experience.We loved our walking tour and gondola ride in Venice! Atena was a wonderfull guide. She was knowledgeable, and at our request, gave us plenty of local tips for our stay in Venice. The virtual reality aspect at the conclusion of the tour was insightful and our whole family loved it (children 9 and 11 years old). Highly recommend this tour and Atena as a guide!Written January 11, 2025
- sophiehZ3380EW0 contributionsAmazingBeatrice was so enthusiastic and made our morning special. A beautiful ride and very tranquil. Learnt some interesting historyWritten January 10, 2025
- carolinef4710 contributionsFrancesco’s knowledge was amazing.To be perfectly honest I wouldn’t bother going to the Murano glass blowing experience as it only lasts about ten to fifteen minutes and then they are very keen to get you into the shop. The supposed lace making was a joke as the lady just told you in about a minute how they make it and then of course it was time to shop again. The best part of the tour was Francesco who’s knowledgeable of all the historical facts was amazing. He gave so many facts and I think it would be a good idea if he had his own tour as he was so good.Written January 9, 2025
- W1376QTfatimak0 contributionsFun timeGreat experience, friendly and helpful tour guide with good information! Easy to locate. Gondola ride was smooth and fun!Written January 9, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
319 reviews
Excellent
272
Very good
26
Average
7
Poor
6
Terrible
8
Tara V
3 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
I booked a gondola trip at sunset and that’s what I received, i would agree with other reviews that it may be more cost effective to buy on the day from a reputable stall. As the price I paid was well above the €100 for an evening slot which was offered on the day.
I was also asked as soon as I got in the gondola, if I wanted to pay €50 more to go under the Rialto bridge, which we declined, obviously, as that is extortionate on top of the already paid price.
However, due to the weather and forecast thunder, our gondola ride was cut short about 25mins long in total. Because of this I requested a partial refund, of which I then received a few days later. Which made me feel a lot better about the experience.
This basically meant in the end I still paid over the nose for the experience, but unlike most I did obtain useful information about the surroundings from the gondolier, and he did seem more capable than many others on the canal. For example, no queuing, crashing or sharp turns, and due to the quieter route the boat didn’t rock as much as we saw others do on the grand canal.
All in all, if you want a quiet romantic ride down the small intimate canals and the grand canal, then this is for you. But this ride does not include any major tourist destinations, and is 30mins not 30-45 as described.
I was also asked as soon as I got in the gondola, if I wanted to pay €50 more to go under the Rialto bridge, which we declined, obviously, as that is extortionate on top of the already paid price.
However, due to the weather and forecast thunder, our gondola ride was cut short about 25mins long in total. Because of this I requested a partial refund, of which I then received a few days later. Which made me feel a lot better about the experience.
This basically meant in the end I still paid over the nose for the experience, but unlike most I did obtain useful information about the surroundings from the gondolier, and he did seem more capable than many others on the canal. For example, no queuing, crashing or sharp turns, and due to the quieter route the boat didn’t rock as much as we saw others do on the grand canal.
All in all, if you want a quiet romantic ride down the small intimate canals and the grand canal, then this is for you. But this ride does not include any major tourist destinations, and is 30mins not 30-45 as described.
Written August 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the review. Please consider that on product page we have options for 30 minutes or 40 minutes private gondola ride. Furthermore, please consider that private gondola ride is a unique experience to discover the hidden and romantic canals of Venice on your gondola. Regards.
Written August 25, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ashley M
12 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Obviously this is such a fun and memorable experience. I think it is a bit overpriced for the amount of time (only 30-40 minutes). During peak season there are a lot of gondolas so it's not as peaceful but worth the experience if you've never been. If there are other tour options with longer length options - I would recommend doing those. 30 minutes is just not enough time.
Written October 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your kind review
Written November 6, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Misha K
7 contributions
The gondola ride is something you absolutely have to do in Venice. The gondolier was lovely. Even without much English, he was able to tell us some history and Info about various unique aspects of the city along the way.
Written August 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Collin H
Salt Lake City, UT2 contributions
Jun 2022
Please do not waste your money. We were really excited to book a night gondola on the grand canal for our anniversary. It was supposed 45 minutes and it lasted 20. But that's not all. The most frustrating part of all of it was 5 minutes into the tour when our gondolier said "So you booked the €100 basic tour, but if you just pay me €50 more in cash I will take you on the longer tour and show you the grand canal!" We were confused since we had paid the full price for a private night gondola ride on the grand canal already. We tried to explain this and he wouldn't listen and kept saying "No, no, you didn't book the grand canal tour. You have the classic tour." We told him that we weren't going to pay more money for something we had already booked and he said okay. We double checked that our tickets said "Venice Private Gondola Ride on Grand Canal" and showed him the tickets and he still wouldn't listen and kept telling us that the Grand Canal was the other direction and that we had booked the classic tour. It was unbelievably frustrating and honestly pretty much ruined the whole gondola ride. Do yourself a favor and just book it in person or through another gondola company.
In summary:
-the ride was half as long as it was advertised
-they tried to tell us we had booked a different product and that we had to pay more to go on the grand canal.
-total waste of money.
In summary:
-the ride was half as long as it was advertised
-they tried to tell us we had booked a different product and that we had to pay more to go on the grand canal.
-total waste of money.
Written June 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
matthew t
1 contribution
Jun 2022 • Couples
This ride is simply the worst part of my trip to Europe. After being to Barcelona, Paris, Siena, Pisa, the Amalfi Coast, Pompei, Rome, and Florence, me and my girlfriend were super excited for a “private” gondola ride in Venice. However, we were originally met with a disorganized service and given no instruction upon arrival to the gondola ride meeting point. Then, after getting in a gondola, the ride was not so “private.” At any given time, there were approximately 7-8 gondolas ahead of us and behind us. It felt like a ride at Disney World and not a romantic boat tour. Additionally we payed for a 45 minute gondola ride, but our ride was about 20 minutes as our tour guide was legitimately rushing past all of the other boats that were present. The unfortunate truth is that all of what I just mentioned was not the worst part of the ride.
The worst part of the ride was that our “guide” said all of 3 words to us the entire ride, and spent the rest of the time yelling at the other gondola guides. At one point he legitimately got in a screaming match with another gondola guide that seemed to be doing something wrong, and this intense verbal argument lasted about 3-5 minutes Not romantic. Would NOT recommend.
The only positive is that there was a nice breeze on the water.
The worst part of the ride was that our “guide” said all of 3 words to us the entire ride, and spent the rest of the time yelling at the other gondola guides. At one point he legitimately got in a screaming match with another gondola guide that seemed to be doing something wrong, and this intense verbal argument lasted about 3-5 minutes Not romantic. Would NOT recommend.
The only positive is that there was a nice breeze on the water.
Written June 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lynda N
2 contributions
Felt we were over charged through your site . The gondola providers have a set charge of 80 euros per gondola.
Directions from you to get to them was not good .
The gondola ride itself was excellent but I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth knowing I had been overcharged by quite a bit !!
Directions from you to get to them was not good .
The gondola ride itself was excellent but I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth knowing I had been overcharged by quite a bit !!
Written June 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maria
Cleveland, OH28 contributions
We took the gondola ride on a Tuesday morning at 9:30am in mid June. Unfortunately that’s trash day so the entire gondola ride the trucks were unloading huge tons of trash next to us, obviously that’s not the gondola companies fault, but that was what got us off to a bad start. During the ride our driver, spoke all of 2 words to us! I felt uncomfortable even asking him to take a picture of me and my boyfriend because the awkward silence was so loud. Luckily a lady on a by passing bridge snapped a pic of us and airdropped it while we went by. To make matters even WORSE we booked a 45 minute ride and the ride ride was over in 25 minutes AT MOST! what a waste of money and this ride wasn’t cheap…. I read on here before that people had problems with the ride ending short but this was ridiculous.
Written June 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eduardo M Torres
1 contribution
Jun 2022 • Family
Although the Gondola was nice, it was less than the expected 45mins and we had to pay an additional 50 Euros plus commission (Tip). Although the guide was pleasant, we were disappointed with having to pay additional monies for less than what we originally expected. The Grand Canal was as beautiful as we expected…!
Written June 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elizabeth P
1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Couples
This tour simply checked a box for saying we had been on a gondola ride. It was not the romantic experience advertised as our gondolier loudly talked on his phone on and off the entire time our tour was happening. It also was not the thirty minutes as advertised. This company clearly is not trying to create an experience for people but just doing the bare minimum and taking the money.
Written October 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Guest, we are sorry for your personal comment, please consider that the gondolier is not the guide, but he is like a driver who must take care of his oar. At your disposal for further information. Regards.
Written October 20, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cindy F
Marietta44 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
We were taken at our appointed time, and the ride provided amazing views . It was a crowded time on the canals and our gondolier maneuvered expertly through the crowds. We had a little bit of commentary provided along the way.
Written July 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the review
Written July 21, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
grace p
Boulder, Colorado
I have a group of 8 - how can I book 2 gondolas of 4 that will leave and be together the whole time?
Written June 10, 2022
Liza H
San Diego, California
hello, there is 6 in my family. 2 adults, children 15,14,10and 3. can the 3 year old sit on adults lap?
Written May 28, 2022
Hi, I am looking to book two boats for a trip of 10 people (x5 people per boat). Is it possible to book two boats at the same time? If not, can we do one tour after the other?
Looking forward to your reply.
Victoria.
Written April 7, 2022
Showing results 1-4 of 4
Buy it with
Top rated
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.