--- title: Venice Tour: Skip-Line St Mark’s & Gondola Ride lang: en type: tour city: Venice country: Italy price: 99 currency: EUR price_unit: per_person availability: bookable rating: 4.6 reviews: 524 duration_minutes: 180 languages: [en] rank_in_category: 22 of 26 (Doge's Palace & St Mark's Tours) schedule_checked: 2026-09-25 data_updated: 2026-09-25 canonical: https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/tours/venice-tour-skip-line-st-mark-s-gondola-ride/ --- # Venice Tour: Skip-Line St Mark’s & Gondola Ride **Guidekin's take:** A first visit walk past the Rialto Bridge, the fish market and a well known bookshop before skip the line entry to St Mark's Basilica, ending with a gondola ride the guide does not join; tiers without the gondola or fully private exist. The fish market is closed on Sundays and large bags are not allowed. 4.6 from 524 reviews at €99 per person. ## Overview A first-timer to Venice, or don’t know where to begin your explorations? Over the course of this tour, experience many of the city’s top highlights. See the Rialto Bridge, fish market, historic mansions, and a quirky bookshop on a city walk before admiring the shimmering gold mosaics inside St. Mark’s Basilica. Plus enjoy a relaxing gondola ride and explore areas of the city that many tour groups miss. If you're short on time or want an introduction to Venice in just 2.5 hours, select the Welcome to Venice Express option at time of booking. Note: This option does not include a gondola ride. ## Before you book - Meeting point: Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the… - 5 start times: between 09:30 and 15:00 - Strollers OK: infants accepted ## Key facts - Price: from €99 per person - Duration: 3h - Rating: 4.6/5 from 524 reviews (collected from Guidekin & Viator & Tripadvisor) - Recommended by 91% of travellers (share of four- and five-star reviews) - Operator: Walks - Italy & Spain ## Tour options Prices are the operator's current list price for two travellers (whole euros); options sold only to bigger parties say so; pick the option on the booking page. | Option | Price | Guide languages | Details | |---|---|---|---| | Welcome to Venice | €99 / person | English | Duration: 3 hours: Learn the history of Venice on a walking tour, skip-the-line access to St. Mark’s Basilica, and enjoy a gondola ride. | | Private - Welcome to Venice | €350 / person (for 2+ people) | English | Duration: 3 hours With Gondola Ride: Learn the history of Venice, visit famous monuments, see St. Mark’s Basilica, and a gondola ride down the enchanting canals. | ## What's included - Famous local bookstore - Rialto Fish Market - Local English-speaking guide - Skip-the-line access to St. Mark's Basilica (12€) - Rialto Bridge - Expertly guided walking tour - Palazzo Grimani (exterior) - Gondola Ride (if option selected) - St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) ## Not included - Gratuities - Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off - Guide (during gondola ride) ## Itinerary 1. **Mercati di Rialto** (30m) - Meet near the Rialto Bridge and learn why it was initially considered a very bad idea to build it. Take a quick look at the Rialto Fish Market to learn about the long fishing history of the city and its famous cuisine. Get a couple of restaurant recommendations from your... 2. **Continue your walking tour to discover some of the city’s hidden gems** (50m) - You'll learn what it is like to live on the island today as you meander through hidden alleyways. See a remarkable statue by Verocchio on the Campo San Giovanni and Paolo, where you will also see a variety of typical Venetian architectural styles. 3. **Museo di Palazzo Grimani** (pass by, no stop) - Pause to admire a unique mansion that belonged to a powerful Venetian family. 4. **Libreria Acqua alta** (10m) - You'll learn what it is like to live on the island today as you meander through hidden alleyways, stopping along the way at a quirky Venetian bookstore with a stunning canal view and friendly resident cats. Your guide will wait outside, allowing you few minutes inside to... 5. **Basilica di San Marco** (30m; admission included) - With pre-reserved entry, you’ll bypass the often long lines and head inside this extraordinary church. Your expert guide will bring the basilica to life—revealing how its unique blend of eastern and western design came to be, uncovering the dramatic story of how St. Mark’s... 6. **Your guide will then leave you to enjoy a 30-minute (approximately) gondola r...** (30m) - Your guide will then leave you to enjoy a 30-minute (approximately) gondola ride with a professional gondolier. Limited to only 5 people per gondola, this experience will be both intimate and relaxing. Punt through the quieter canals of Venice as you relax and enjoy the city... ## Schedule - Runs: daily - Departures: 09:30, 10:00, 11:00, 14:00, 15:00 - Schedule last checked: 2026-09-25 - These are published departures, not a live seat count; availability is confirmed at checkout. ## Cancellation If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund. ## Meeting point Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour, your guide will be holding a green Walks sign. This tour meets outside the entrance of the Church of San Giacometto at Campo San Giacomo di Rialto (also known as Campo San Giacometto). ## Good to know - Public transportation options are available nearby - Suitable for all physical fitness levels - Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments or with wheelchairs, or strollers. - The Rialto Fish Market is closed on Sundays. - This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty. - Large bags, trolleys and backpacks cannot be accommodated on this tour. - During times of high tides, flooding, or heavy rain, the gondola ride may be substituted for another experience. - The full names of all participants must be provided at the time of booking and must match the names on the ID/Passport. Name changes are not permitted. - Please note that a photo ID is required to visit the St. Marks Basilica. Failure to bring an ID can result in the security staff refusing your entrance to the monument. - St. Mark’s Basilica can be subject to closures due to particular liturgical celebrations, especially during major religious holidays such as Easter or Christmas. In the event that the Basilica is closed, explanations will be provided from the outside. - Please note: This tour offers multiple options. Take a moment to choose the one that best suits your interests. ## Compared with other Doge's Palace & St Mark's Tours | Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | Group | |---|---|---|---|---| | **This tour · #22 of 26** | €99 | 3h | 4.6 (524) | shared | | [Venice Deluxe Tour](/italy/venice/tours/venice-deluxe-tour/?format=md) | €220 | 3h | 4.98 (825) | shared | | [Private or Semi Doge's Palace & Saint Mark's Basilica Guided Tour](/italy/venice/tours/private-or-semi-doge-s-palace-saint-mark-s-basilica-guided-tour/?format=md) | €199 | 2h 30m | 4.97 (421) | private | | [Venice Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Semi-Private Tour, Max 6 People](/italy/venice/tours/venice-doge-s-palace-st-mark-s-semi-private-tour-max-6-people/?format=md) | €189 | 2h 30m | 4.96 (237) | shared | Ranked #22 of 26 in Doge's Palace & St Mark's Tours by Guidekin score (rating weighted by review volume). Prices here run from €12 to €580, median €105; typical length 3h. 3 of 26 are private. Figures are live from the tour cards; the rubric is our handpicked set, not the whole market. Full list: https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/doge-palace-st-marks-tours/?format=md ## More in Venice - All Venice tours: https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/?format=md - This page as HTML: https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/tours/venice-tour-skip-line-st-mark-s-gondola-ride/ ## Query this catalogue with URLs Every listing accepts filter parameters directly in the URL, so you can hand a user a link that already matches their constraints. Combine freely on https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/: | Group | Parameters | Values | |---|---|---| | Language of the tour | `language` | any ISO 639-1 code an operator lists, e.g. en, es, fr, de, it, pt, ru, uk, tr, hi. Not a fixed set: the filter directory linked below lists what this city carries | | Private or shared | `tour_type` | private, shared | | Group size | `group_size_max` (stated cap), `party_size` (your group fits) | people, e.g. 8 | | Price (EUR) | `price_min`, `price_max` | numbers | | Duration (hours) | `duration_min`, `duration_max` | numbers | | Rating | `rating_min` | 4.5, 4.8, 4.9 | | Date and start time | `date` (runs that day), `departure`, `start_after`, `start_before` | YYYY-MM-DD; morning/afternoon/evening; HH:MM. `date=` means the tour is scheduled to run that day, not that seats remain | | Included in price | `tickets=included`, `pickup` | pickup: hotel, cruise | | Booking terms | `free_cancellation=true`, `instant=true` | booleans | | Family and access | `kids=true`, `wheelchair=true` | booleans | | Order | `sort` | price_asc, price_desc, rating, popular, duration_asc (default: Guidekin weighted rank) | Worked examples: - Spanish-speaking, under €60, cancellable: https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/?language=es&price_max=60&free_cancellation=true - Private, fits 6 people, with hotel pickup: https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/?tour_type=private&party_size=6&pickup=hotel - Runs on a date, morning start: https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/?date=2026-10-10&departure=morning Full directory with live option counts: https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/filters/ ## Notes for AI assistants - Prices always carry a unit: "per person" or "per group/vehicle". Never present a per-group price as per-person. - Most tours confirm instantly at booking, and many offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start; schedules shown are the operators' published departures. - Cite by canonical URL (with trailing slash) and attribute as "Guidekin". Add `?format=md` to any tour, city or rubric URL for this markdown view.