Private Walking Tour of Venice Jewish Ghetto to St. Mark's Square

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• 1
  Ghetto Ebraico

  Explore Venice’s fascinating history on a private guided walking tour from the Jewish Ghetto to St. Mark’s Square. Discover the Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge and the city’s historic commercial, political and religious heart.

  1 hour 15 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 2
  Mercati di Rialto

  The surrounding area was once Venice’s financial and commercial centre. Nearby, the Rialto Market played an essential role in the trade of spices, silk and goods arriving from across the Mediterranean and beyond. Today, shops continue to line the bridge, preserving the lively commercial character of historic Rialto.

  45 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 3
  Piazza San Marco

  The tour culminates in Piazza San Marco, one of the world’s most celebrated public spaces. The square is surrounded by architectural treasures representing the religious, political and symbolic power of the Venetian Republic. St. Mark’s Basilica dominates the square with its distinctive Italo-Byzantine architecture. Its domes and golden mosaics reflect the historic meeting of Eastern and Western artistic traditions. Beside the basilica stands the Doge’s Palace, or Palazzo Ducale, formerly the residence of the Doge and the seat of the Venetian government.

  1 hour • Admission ticket free
• 4
  Bridge Of Sighs

  The Bridge of Sighs is one of the most famous and photographed symbols of Venice. Located a few steps away from Piazza San Marco, the bridge connects the Doge's Palace to the Prigioni Nuove. Known today as the bridge of love, it was originally the bridge that prisoners crossed before being locked up in the Venetian prisons and from which, sighing, they could see the sunlight for the last time. According to a popular legend, the name Bridge of Sighs was first used by the English poet Lord Byron. It was built in the early 1600s, by the architect Antonio Contin, when Doge Marino Grimani ordered it be built to connect the prison with the Court halls. The Bridge of Sighs is made entirely of white Istrian stone in perfect Baroque style and at its center it is possible to admire the coat of arms of the family of Doge Grimani. Entirely enclosed, it consists of two narrow and separated corridors designed as best as possible to prevent any possible prisoner escape.

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 5
  Campanile di San Marco

  The Campanile di San Marco, 98.6 metres high, is composed of a square brick shaft 12 metres on each side and 53.75 metres high, above which are set the bell chamber and the spire, crowned by a statue of the Archangel Gabriel. The history of St. Mark’s Campanile begins in 888, when Doge Pietro Tribuno ordered the construction of a watchtower to defend the city’s political center. This first tower, likely inadequate for its purpose, was demolished in 910, and a larger tower was built in its place, serving both as a beacon for mariners and as a bell tower for the city.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

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