VENICE
The Venice shortlist.
The 15 most popular self-guided tours in Venice. The ones worth your time in a city with plenty to choose from, each with prices, running times and the operator behind it.
Shared Grand Canal gondola with app commentary, secret canals, and VR history plus a Gondola Gallery. 30–60 minutes.
Most Popular“It was so much fun but it was difficult to understand how to assemble :->”
Skip the line at Venice’s La Fenice with a 7-language audio guide. Explore the opera house and its secrets in about an hour.
Shared Venice gondola ride from near St Mark’s with app commentary, a possible pass under the Bridge of Sighs, and lagoon views.
A short walking intro plus a 30-minute gondola ride on Venice’s canals, with live guide or app audioguide options for about $42.
Skip-the-line entry to Doge’s Palace with an audio app, plus Correr Museum ticket. Self-paced Venice at St. Mark’s Square.
“This was an unbelievable experience. We particularly liked being able to go at our pace!”
App audio walk through Venice’s Jewish Ghetto, with entry to Levantine and Spanish Synagogues. 1-day ticket for $16.
“Super”
Skip-the-line entry to St. Mark’s Basilica with an offline audio guide option, plus host help and smart Piazza San Marco timing.
Self-guided Venice walk with audio and written guide on your phone, using Google Maps. Covers Frari, Rialto, San Marco and more.
“The tour was great for my wife and I because we could go at our own pace and really pick what we wanted to spend time at. Tons of great information about Venice and its history. The guide was very easy to follow and the Google Maps links worked flawlessly!! This self guided tour was…”
A 5-hour Venice walk with a GPS audio app, skipping some lines, and hitting St Mark’s, Doge’s Palace area, and Rialto.
A $6 Venice smartphone audio guide with 85 tracks (255 minutes), offline mode, and no meeting point—listen anytime for up to 1095 days.
“It was good for getting a basic idea. Entertainingly written. But some of the content was questionable—especially when it came to numbers, which made me fundamentally suspicious about the accuracy of the content. For example, it said that you have to climb 36 steps to reach the tower of St. Mark's Basilica. Really? It's almost…”
A self-guided Venice audio scavenger hunt with GPS, riddles, and landmark stories for about 2.5 hours, starting anytime 24/7.
“We did this on our first day. Great way to get your bearings in the city and see most of the major landmarks.”
Self-guided Venice walk with an offline smartphone audio route, from the Bridge of Sighs to Rialto markets and Frari Basilica.
“The audio was interesting and easy to listen to. The geolocation sometimes lags a little bit (which could have been my phone) and the map view is angled as opposed to directly overhead, which occasionally made it difficult to see which side of buildings one should be on. The starting point is on the waterfront,…”
Skip the line at Doge’s Palace with an audio app, then add the Bridge of Sighs and St Mark’s museums on your own schedule.
“Suggest a guided tour first time to the Palace but the second time on your own with the audio is the way to do it. We found the audio from the Palace was better.”
A phone-based Venice walking game that guides you through major sights with 11 clues, flexible timing, and no tour guide.
“Très mal fait. Besoin d’internet pour se localiser et avancer dans l’aventure, ce n’est pas pratique lorsqu’on est étranger…”
Boat tour from San Marco to Murano, Burano, and Torcello for glassworks, lace, and lagoon history in 4.5 hours.
The historic centre, the lagoon islands and the art the city was built around.
