Hidden Venice and Authentic Cicchetti Tasting | Private

Tour Description

Venice’s enchanting beauty is no secret, meaning its center is always filled with crowds. Our Hidden Venice itinerary takes you off the beaten path, giving you an authentic experience of this incredible city as you discover where the real locals live. Savor a sensory feast wandering Rialto Market next to the bridge that has given it its name. Venture to the seldom visisted districts of San Polo and Santa Croce, wandering its winding streets as you lose yourself in wonder. This tour culminates in an unforgettable experience tasting the city’s famous cicchetti – delicious homemade snacks accompanied by fine Venetian wines.

You can fully customize your Hidden Venice  tour or leave it to us to suggest the very best. Our expert local guide knows Venice’s sites, walkways, and waterways like the back of her hand. So whether on dry land or by boat or gondola – or why not both! – you can rest safe in the knowledge you’ll be exploring La Serenissima in expert company and, most importantly, at your leisure. Visitors to Venice have a wealth of treasures to discover away from the often visited attraction of Saint Mark’s Basilica. And we know where they’re buried.

Explore Hidden Venice, away from the crowds

Venice’s treasures lie beyond the main tourist attractions. They are instead subsumed beneath slowly sinking churches, dotted across the lagoon’s dozens of islands, and around the twists and turns of Venice’s waterways. Your guide will accompany you through the authentic area of San Polo – a unique Venetian quarter where you can still find locals mulling around its charming piazzas, away from the hustle and bustle of the district to its south.

Santa Croce is another laid-back, slightly off-the-beaten-track area with an authentic local vibe. After school, kids play in Campo San Giacomo dall’Orio, and this square and nearby streets are home to casual eateries serving global cuisine. On the Grand Canal, the imposing Fondaco dei Turchi features exhibits on natural history while the nearby Ca’ Pesaro palace showcases contemporary art and Asian decorative arts.

Sample the finest Venice has to offer, finishing with a cicchetti tasting session

Immerse yourself in true Venetian tradition by sampling cicchetti – Venice’s very own tapas and a quintessential Venetian pastime. Your expert local guide will take you to one of the small bars the locals keep to themselves, recommending the perfect combination of delicious homemade appetisers and choice Venetian wines.

Embark on your Venetian adventure

Wandering Venice’s walkways is all well and good, but in the City of Canals the wetter, the better. From sleek modern speedboats to prestigious, historic gondolas, Venetian transport makes seafaring easy. As this is a Hidden Venice experience, however, we’ll be discovering the city’s lesser-known treasures.

As an optional extra, you can visit the waterside church of San Michele in Isola, home to one of the Middle Ages’ most extraordinary world maps. Created in the 15th century, what makes this particular cartographic achievement so remarkable is that the monk who made it never left Venice. Instead, he acquired his knowledge entirely from conversations with the many traveling merchants who passed through the city.

Optional extra: ride in a gondola through the City of Canals

On this Hidden Venice tour we’ll be avoiding the Grand Canal. Instead, we’ll be exploring some of the center’s more scenic canals, so you get to see Venice the right way: from sea level. Pass under the 17th-century Bridge of Sighs connecting the Doge’s Palace with the Prigioni Nuove (New Prison) along the majestic Rio di Palazzo. Discover the atmospheric Jewish Ghetto as you take a gondola ride around Cannaregio. Even explore the areas around the Grand Canal, such as the famous Rialto Bridge. Tell us where you’d rather go and we’ll do our best to make it happen.

Fully customize your Hidden Venice tour

Your Hidden Venice tour is fully customizable, so you get to see everything you want to during your time in La Serenissima. Contact us today to get started on your own Venetian adventure.