Discover Venice with a native Venetian guide! This 4 hour private walk of Venice is the perfect walk to take upon arrival in Venice. After this tour, you'll have a good feel for the city and be able to navigate Venice like a local for the remainder of your holiday. Your guide will introduce you to this special place, its layout and history, with an insiders perspective, to make the most of your first step onto this amazing city made up of hundreds of tiny islands and bridges. During your tour you’ll get a good feel for how genuine Venetians used to live and how they live today in this unique city. Visit the markets including the beautiful fish market, learn how to order a glass of wine or an expresso in a bar, stop for a cichetti (snack) or a tramezzino in a Bacaro. This tour allows you to see the most famous sites in Venice but also how to get into its authentic places that are easy to reach but often hidden. Let us open the Secret Door for you! We believe that this is the key to visiting this amazing city and we want to share our knowledge with you.

The walk includes many of the most famous sights such as St.

Mark’s Square , the Frari, San Marco, and Rialto as well as very interesting off the beaten path sites. You will stop for a cappuccino along the way at a charming cafe and take a traghetto, a gondola crossing the Grand Canal. You will also visit some of the less travelled areas of Venice where Venetians live and which are away from the congestion of the St Mark’s area and most touristed areas, discussing the treasures, oddities, and artistic and architectural heritage of this unique city.

During this tour your guide will suggest additional itineraries for you to see the best works of art, restaurants, and other notable or hidden Venetian sights.

On this tour, you will visit the Accademia Art museum and a few of the most fascinating churches containing the greatest Renaissance art work such as San Zaccaria. The emphasis of this tour is on Venetian Renaissance art, while pointing out architectural, historical, and other features of Venice along the way. You will begin at the Accademia which arguably holds the most prized collection of Venetian art in the world. Walking through the museum, your guide will reveal to you the secrets of what made the art of the Venetian Renaissance unique including differing attitudes to color, design, and sculpture. You will see the best of the following Venetian painters: Giovanni Bellini, Vittore Carpaccio, Giorgione, Tiziano (Titian), and Tintoretto.

After your tour of the museum you will travel by foot or take the traghetto (a gondola ferry) and traverse the Grand Canal to have an drink at a charming Venetian cafe.

Whether you choose to sit or stand in the gondola as true Venetians do you'll have the opportunity to take in Venice from a uniquely Venetian point of view! the canal, and stop for an espresso along the way.

At the end of this tour, you will have a good understanding of the history and unique style of Venetian art, the technique behind it as well as its place in the world and importance to Venetian culture.

An exciting and delightful walking tour by evening, when Venice reveals its most mysterious side. Night fall brings out the haunting stories hiding along the canals, narrow bridges and walkways of Venice, and the wild characters that make up its past! During our Evening Ghost Story Tour you'll investigate the dimly-lit streets, canals and bridges, as your guide recounts numerous ghost stories and tales of Venice. Exploring alleyways and backstreets, passing palaces and courtyards and hidden angles you'll also see a number of hidden architectural gems of Venice that come to life at night in an eerie way. Legendary ghosts, monsters, and criminals as well as mermaids, lost ladies and fairies provide plenty of material for this delightful tour. An evening that you will never forget! A stop for an 'ombra' a quick glass of wine or other drink in a traditional Baccaro will be a fun part of the evening.

Venice justly is known for many famous sites making it easy miss some of its most important offerings. In order to take advantage of all that Venice has to offer regarding your special interests we have created a network of historians and experts, scholars and artists who have proposed specially organized visits to not so well known sites. From the world famous Venice Biennale to the fabric and costume filled Palazzo Mocennigo, from the Marciana Library (one of the most important depositories of classical texts in the world) to the Ca'Pesaro Museum of Modern Art Venice is filled with wonders for the first time or seasoned visitor. Take a look at our list of recommendations and let us know your interests and we will find the perfect host to take you there for a customized tour to one or more specialty destinations. Let us plan the perfect day in Venice for you!

Classic Masterpieces of Art: Accademia of Fine Arts, Scuola Grande San Rocco, Palazzo Grimani, Ca'Rezzonico Museum of 18th Century Venetian Art, Querini Stampalia Foundation and Museum, Ca'D'Oro.

Current Specialty exhibitions.

Contemporary and Modern Art: The Venice Biennale of Art or Architecture and its many special exhibitions throughout the city, The Peggy Guggenheim Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Pinaul Foundation Contemporary Arts Center, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Ca Pesaro Modern Art Museum, private galleries and collections.

Special sites of Historic Interest: Palazzo Mocennigo Museum of Fabrics and Costumes, The Naval Museum of boats and maritime history, Marciana National Library Monumental Halls, The Correr Museum of History, The Doge's Palace

Dine in a private Venetian Glass Blowing Factory on the Island of Murano with demonstrations of this fiery and beautiful art. An evocative and magical atmosphere will be created specially for your party, candle lit, with exquisite table settings and the glow of glass furnaces lit like amber fires. For your dining experience chef Marika will prepare a menu rooted in the simplicity and tastes of traditional Italian cooking, yet brought to life with exciting contemporary touches. In harmony with perfumes and tastes and with great attention to the placement of colors and forms, small gastronomical works of art are created that are a joy to the eye even before tasting. This event is a unique and exclusive experience, designed to satisfy the desires and requirements of the client and where nothing is left at random. The elegance of the table settings, the meticulous care taken to every possible detail, the refinement of floral decorations and the masterly work of the chefs are the elements and colors will become an unforgettable sensorial experience for you and your guests.



The love of good food is something with which Marika was born and has lived, guided and inspired in this passion by her grandmothers, skilled cooks, and by her parents who loved involving her in their ‘cooking marathons’. Together they delighted in passing whole days preparing sumptuous dinners for the family and the numerous friends and guests that frequented the Contaldo home. Marika has devised this unique dining experience in order to create an unforgettable Venice evening, a rare event to cherish for a life time!

Enjoy a day discovering how the special inhabitants of Venice live and learn the joys and secrets of the city that only an insider knows. Your Venetian friend will meet you at your hotel in the morning and you are off to start your day as a Venetian. Traversing little known walk ways, canals and bridges where few tourists go you will discover what it is like to be a resident of this unique city. An early start can give you the best view of the city without tourists so you can see how the real Venetians start their day. Your path will take you for a caffe and cornetto at the best morning bar, past your host's favorite shops, into a wine bar for an 'ombra' and a 'cichetti' and to see some of their favorite local sites.

You will pop in to see some hidden gems in churches and palaces that only a local know about, go shopping at the market and hear the venetian language bantered back and forth- you can learn a little Venetian too! Learn who to buy the best produce, fish and other goods as you buy the ingredients for your Venetian lunch that you will learn how to prepare with your host in their home that they will graciously open up for you! One of the most exciting ways to experience a place is by being invited into a local's home so be our guest for this wonderful visit to the city of water and come home with some colorful new words, a confidence that you know your way in Venice, and a few recipes to prepare for your friends!

In 2002 the city Council approved the Northern Venice Lagoon project, which aims at preserving a unique natural and historical heritage, such as the symbiosis of water and land, the indigenous agricultural produce, the native fish species and fishing techniques, the wine and local culinary traditions.

We offer two gourmet Venice Lagoon tours, focusing on either the island of Burano or St.Erasmo. Each itinerary is based on a slow paced experience, in which we get to have direct contact and interaction with fishermen of the area. Many fishermen are "lagoon farmers" and are involved in an ancient tradition of aquaculture for prized seafood that forms a vital part of the cuisine of Venice. Local chefs and wine producers are committed in supporting this traditional economy and peculiar lifestyle. This tour provides you with a unique experience to leave the touristed islands of Venice and take off into the world of real Venetians who support the and produce the wonders of the culinary traditions of this incredible region. You will discover a dynamic local community, excited to show you what they do and share with you their own enthusiasm for their work.

In the city of Venice wine is definitely more popular than water, in fact an average of 50.000 glasses of wine are served every day in local wine bars! A long time ago Venice imported new grapes from the island of Crete in Greece and since then vineyards have became a feature of the Veneto landscape. Today our Region holds a national record with 53 million gallons of wine produced every year! 

Your sommeliere will involve you in the session, and ask you about your sensations and impressions about wine. She will help you to discover the true spirit of the land it comes from, give you information about its history and its organic characteristics, its versatility in matching local food, and a selection of the best reasonably priced wines and where to buy them in Venice.

Each tasting will take place in a typical "Osteria" or wine bar chosen for the quality of the wines and food products. We will also stop at a traditional Bacaro, a small standing room only wine bar with white or red, serving delicious traditional cichetti antipasti.

The tasting lasts two hours and includes three glasses of Veneto and Friuli Venezia-Giulia Doc -quality- wines, a selection of fresh cheeses with vegetables or a dish of mixed Venetian appetizers. This tour is designed for both beginners and connoisseurs and will be adopted to your level of experience.

Are you crazy about Venetian style seafood dishes? Take the chance to experience the whole process, step by step, from raw to cooked fish with the help of local experts! In the morning your guide will take you to the Rialto fish market to discover what seasonal fish is available, how to distinguish farm raised from fresh catch, how large the variety of local seafood is, which are the most common species in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean Sea and why each is so delicious.

We will take a gondola-ferry (this is the exciting moment when you can choose to stand in the boat like a local or sit like a visitor!) across the Grand Canal where a renowned restaurant is located, "Al Fontego dei Pescatori", owned and run by Loris Manna, President of the Rialto fishmongers. While you are shown how to properly clean and cook a fresh fish, Loris and Chef Massimo will be pleased to answer your questions, explaining how to transform a traditional Venetian recipe into a creative work of art.

You will also learn about the general rules in pairing seafood with local Doc wines, which regional wines are worth buying and where you can find them in the city.

Can you ask for anything more? Of course! To complete the experience - a four course seafood meal at the same restaurant, created especially for you and at a special price, to be enjoyed after the tour or for dinner on the evening of that same day. As a starter you will taste a Mixed Adriatic Seafood dish including Lagoon crab, Baby octopus, Whipped Venetian cod and Shrimps, followed by Homemade egg Noodles with Scampi and Peas or Asparagus sauce" and as a main course "Fresh Sea bass fillet with Vegetable Ratatouille. At the end of the day you will have the insiders view of the wonderful world of fish and will have had an amazing fresh fish and wine culinary experience.

Arrive at a 17th century Venetian palace on the Grand Canal for a private wine tasting with an historian-sommelier. Located in the center of Venice between the Accademia Bridge and Piazza San Marco, the views of the canal reveal Venice in all her splendor. Ascend into the main reception room of the palace via the grand staircase, where your guide will show you the beautifully decorated rooms, furnished in traditional Venetian style, and tell you about the history of the family who created it. Find out what it is like to live like the past kings and queens that inhabited this historical palace. After this you will move to the grand dining room graced with a beautiful chandelier where your wine tasting features DOC Veneto and Friuli region wines. The normal wine tasting consists of a guided tasting of four glasses of wine for each participant, usually one white, two reds and a sweet one, produced in the Veneto and the Friuli Region or in a gifted Italian area. We can customize the tour for you if you prefer whites or reds. Each wine will be served with the appropriate food to enhance its special qualities, such as cheese, cold cuts, and Venetian cookies.

Traditional Venetian cooking is simple and based on local products including fish from the lagoon and vegetables and game. With relatively few ingredients, it has created a large variety of dishes and flavors thanks to cultural influences such as those from the East with their unique ingredients and flavors (seen in the use of many different spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) and the incredible variety in the preparation of rice. You will learn a five course menu based on seasonal ingredients.

Spend a half day cooking with this amazing professional chef who will teach you traditional Venetian cuisine with a delightful twist in her beautiful palazzo. Tie on your apron and get ready for an authentic experience in a Venetian kitchen! You'll start by shopping in the local outdoor markets for in season delights before returning to your chef's apartment for a wonderful hands on lesson on Venetian cooking. You'll savor a glass of prosecco (italian champagne) and nibble on antipasti while preparing your lunch all the while talking about Venetian food specialities that make Venetian cuisine unique from that of the rest of italy.

When you finish cooking, you'll sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labor accompanied by specially selected, local wine. You will come home with a packet of recipes to impress your friends with, to bring a bit of lovely Venice back with you.

Menus vary according to the time of year and are based on what is fresh at the market that day. Please let us know at the time of booking if you have dietary restrictions or special menu requests. All culinary classes can be customized for you and we love to design specialty menus such a Renaissance Cooking, vegetarian menus or strictly seafood, appetizers or desserts. We're happy to accommodate and make your cooking experience unforgettable!

Traditional Venetian cooking is simple and based on local products including fish and shellfish from the Veneto lagoon and vegetables and game. With relatively few ingredients, it has created a large variety of dishes and flavors thanks to cultural influences such as those from the French and the East with their unique ingredients and flavors (seen in the use of many different spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) and the incredible variety in the preparation of rice.

Spend your morning at the famous Rialto Market, one of the most ancient in the world, where you shop for local Venetian ingredients with a wonderfully talented and personable local Venetian chef . Here you will learn how to select and cook fabulous meat and vegetable dishes and how to identify the freshest fish and seafood for dishes that will stay with you forever. You will be taken by boat along the Grand Canal and across the Venice Lagoon to Chef Marika's lively Venetian Liberty style villa on the Lido Island, where she will teach you how to make a five course traditional Venetian meal with a delightful modern twist.

Tie on your apron and get ready for an authentic experience in a Venetian kitchen! You'll savor a glass of prosecco (italian champagne) and nibble on antipasti while preparing your lunch all the while talking about Venetian food specialities that make Venetian cuisine unique from that of the rest of italy. When you finish cooking, you'll sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labor in a five course lunch accompanied by specially selected, local wine. You will be given printed recipes to take home so that you can impress your family and friends and always have a part of Venice specially close to you.

Enjoy a relaxing day on our Hill Towns of Veneto day Tour from Venice. Stroll around enchanting villages and towns, savour the delicious cuisine and famous wines of the Veneto. Designed by your local experts, this tour provides you with an intimate experience of another Italy, less frequented by tourists.

Our english speaking driver will pick you up at Venice port and after 1 hour and a half ride you will be in Asolo. Travelling at a relaxed pace, along scenic back-roads, with plenty of time to enjoy each destination, it will feel as if this tour was designed just for you. Visit enchanting Asolo, the pearl of Veneto, perched on lush-green hills. Along with its delightful gardens and palatial villas, the spectacular views of the surrounding countryside have inspired poets and writers over the centuries.

Afterwards, you will be driven to the picturesque Bassano del Grappa, where you will enjoy a guided tour of the town which includes a magnificentPalladian bridge crossing the mighty Brenta River, and a chance to sample some of the local firewater - "Grappa". Bassano is also a shoppers paradise; famous for its ceramics, porcini mushrooms and other local delicacies. You'll have free time to shop while we are in Bassano and to have lunch.

A tour of Veneto would be incomplete without visiting a Palladian Villa. Visit the Villa Barbaro, one of Palladio's most celebrated works with fine frescoes by Veronese. The price of the tour includes entrance fees of the Villa Barbaro.

After the Palladio’s villa next stop will be the Medieval Marostica, with its imposing castle and giant chess-board permanently laid-out in the town square, is where the famous living game of chess is played every two years. The game revolves around a legend dating form the 15th century when the fate of one young lady was decided on the outcome of a game of chess. While at Marostica you'll aso enjoy a walking tour of the back-streets of this charming town.

On our tour of the Dolomites starts from Venice Port and will take you up to the mountains to enjoy a memorable day exploring Cortina and the beautiful Dolomite Mountains. During the day you will make numerous stops at scenic viewpoints, visit the home town of the famous Renaissance painter Titian and spend some time in the charming city of Cortina.

The beauty of these mountains is in their diversity, and it will feel as if you have travelled from one mountain range to another such is the stark variation in scenery. During your day, you'll be able to see glaciers in distance, soaring peaks, emerald green lakes surrounded by forests of pine and larch with reflections of the mountains mirrored on their calm waters, and typical Tyrollean villages clinging to the mountainsides.



Our tour includes also the visit of the cosmopolitan Cortina, approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes away from Venice and a delightful alpine village, Pieve di Cadore, that was the birthplace of Titian. In addition, we'll also see and discuss the infamous "Diga di Vajont", where the Italians learnt a harsh lesson about building dams in the Dolomite mountains . We will take a stop at an excellent restaurant along the way featuring the delicious food dishes and wine of the area.

After a fulfilling day spent in the Dolomites, sit back and relax as we return back to Venice through the ever-changing scenery of the mountains and into the lowlands illuminated by the late afternoon sun.

No Venice trip is complete without a gondola ride. There is no better way to relish the sheer sense of being in Venice and to get to know the layout of city than from the water. Venice is a city of hundreds of bridges connecting 117 islands with an interconnecting maze of 170 canals. This merchant city is known by such descriptions as "The city of Water", "The floating City" and of course "The most Romantic city in the world". The gondola itself is a product of ancient craftsmanship made exactly as it has been for centuries. Each and every of the 280 parts made out of 8 types of wood fits into a recipe, to be followed by precision and is handed down only to the most trustworthy practitioners of this craft. If it was up to a Venetian, you would never see a gondola outside of Venice- it is part of their soul. Each piece of metal attached to it has an age old symbolism, speaking of the history and tradition of Venice. There is probably no prouder person than a maker of a gondola or a gondolier. They are following in the footsteps of centuries of tradition revolving around an 35 foot long, 1322 pound boat, black in color with beautiful decorations fit for a palace.

Take an extensive ride on the smaller canals with a true gondolier in an authentic gondola- Nothing could be more romantic than this!

Your guide will take you on a tour of a selection of islands around Venice by public boat as the Venetians do. The most noted is Murano, a must see charming place known for its beautiful creations coming from its many glass factories. The glass blowing tradition dates back millenia to the Ancient Romans, but it is the artisans of current day Murano who are its master. A nearby island boasts a strange community- the Island of San Michele, the City of the Dead. Although it sounds menacing, this island provides a beautiful escape from the hustle and bustle of its neighbors with its history writ in beautiful tombs shaded by trees enclosed in walls. The island of Burano is also made of several tiny islands connected by bridges. It is famous for its traditional lace making of the highest quality and for its charming brightly painted little buildings which must follow a strict code for approval! Torcello was founded by the Ancient Romans and became very important in the Middle Ages as a trading center with about 20,000 people. Today only 20 people remain, so a visit to this island provides a strange glimpse of time gone by, with its medieval palaces, churches and squares. The tiny island of San Servolo originated as a religious refuge for nuns and monks in the Middle Ages.

It has now been fully restored and features a beautiful park full of centuries old trees, flowers and medicinal plants from around the world. The last Island on our list is the evocative San Lazzaro degli Armeni, occupied since the 1700's by a monastery of the Mekhitarist Order of Armenia. The visit to this island is made special by a visit to the monastery, and important library as well as its lovely gardens, strolling peacocks and lush greenery. During your day you will stop at a favorite restaurant of your guide's choice for an excellent island meal!

With a private boat transfer you do not have to navigate the twisting streets of Venice to your hotel on your own, but can arrive in comfort along the romantic canals. We arrange private boat chauffeured pickups and transfers between the Venice Train Station of Santa Lucia, car parks such as Piazzale Roma in Venice or Venice Mestre and Cruise Ship Docks to anywhere in Venice, in either direction. With our English-speaking chauffeurs in classic Venetian water taxis, you will arrive in full comfort. Your driver will meet you holding a sign with your name on it, help you with any bags you may have and take you to your destination so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself!

Take a romantic boat ride for a transfer! You will be met directly at the Marco Polo Airport by your boat chauffeur, or we can pick you up in Venice and take you to the Airport. With a boat transfer you do not have to navigate the twisting streets of Venice to your hotel on your own, but can arrive in comfort along the romantic canals. We arrange private boat chauffeurs between the Marco Polo Airport and your hotel in Venice or Venice Mestre or the Cruise Ship Docks. Transfers are available in either direction. With our English-speaking chauffeurs in classic Venetian water taxis, you will arrive in full comfort. Your driver will meet you holding a sign with your name on it, help you with any bags you may have and take you to your destination so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself!