Matino

Includes exterior sites of Saint Marks square, Inside the Basilica of Saint Marks, the “Pala Doro (Golden altar).

On this essential guided walking tour, you will be intrigued by the fascinating history of La Serenissima and discover what it is like to live in this unique city.

Walking around this open air museum our informative guide will take you to the external sights of Saint Marks square, the Doges palace, the Sansovino library, the Bell tower, the incredible legends of the Clock tower and the Bridge of sighs and its adjoining prisons. You will discover the extraordinary architectural master pieces and why they were built that way.

Learn how Venice lost out on the trade routes and when the new World was discovered , leaving Venice medieval forever.(avoiding the public queues with our special pass) We enter inside Saint Marks Basilica, which majestically symbolizes the lagoon and enshrines the city’s history and Saints relics. With its awe – inspiring gold mosaics our talented guide will walk you through to one of the main highlights of the Basilica, the “Pala d’Oro” (Golden altar), with masterpieces by generations of Venetian Goldsmiths, universally recognized as one of the most refined and accomplished works of Byzantine craftsmanship and the most precious treasure in the basilica.

Take advantage of our expert guide, hear anecdotes about this remarkable city and its historical characters, Casanova, Marco Polo to name two. This walk is an absolute must for the first time visitor, leaving you knowing so much more about this not so practical but precious city.

• Maximum on this tour 25 pax
• Guide has microphone during this tour
• Large bags and rucksacks are not allowed inside the Basilica, shoulders and knees must be covered when entering into churches.

Duration: 1 hour

After this tour you can also join our Doges Palace tour and its prison cells. Consider booking a third tour our Venice and the Grand canal boat tour , Classic Gondola ride or any of our mini bus tours to receive our special discounted package.

Departs:	WINTER: Monday through Saturday 11.15 am. No tours on Sunday SUMMER Monday through Saturday at 11.15 am; Sunday at 2.00 pm.
Meeting Point:	St. Marks Square, under arches at the entrance to Correr Museum
Tour Cost:	Adults: 15,00 Euro Under 5 years - FREE The above price does not include the entrance fee to the “Pala Doro” 2,00 Euro p.p and the skip the line St. Mark's Basilica pass 1,00 Euro p.p.

Prices - Scheduled Small Group Guided Walks - For private tours please contact us

If you're coming in Venice for the first time you have to know there really is only one way to arrive to the bars and stay to late that has to be by water taxi. Expensive though they may be, where else can you feel like Cary Grant in a city that is singularly the most amazing mix of fantasy architecture? Travelling around on water really does lift the spirits and thankfully, it's now less odorous than in previous years! The Campanile and St.Marks Cathedral, while impressive, almost appear like monuments to the annual carnival that dominates the social calendar. Bordering this main piazza you'll also be able to sit back and sup in the plethora of age-old café bars where all the writers that have ever lived seem to have drunk - although the ultimate must be a Bellini in Harry's Bar.


Zen Café

Exclusive Oriental-themed non-smoking restaurant and lounge bar - clearly a place where your health comes first. The main bar and dining area is done up in blonde wood and clean minimalist lines, with rows of high backed wooden chairs and squat stools lining a row of narrow bucket tables along one wall. Waiters dressed like Zen monks deliver delicious Italian dishes and succulent sushi to the trendy thirty- something clientele and behind the bar a woman in a Kimono looks as if she's straight off the set of some Kurosawa film. Add sculptures, modern art and a Zen Café DJ soundtrack a la Buddha Bar and you will feel you've been Feng Shui-ed.

Overall rating
8/10
Design rating
9/10
Drinks rating
8/10
Service rating
8/10

Hours:
Tue - Sun 6.30pm - 1.30am

website

Harry's Bar

The bar synonymous with Venice, it must be said that nobody makes a Bellini (fresh peach juice and sparkling wine) quite like its creators. Opened by the Cipriani family across from the famous hotel, Harry's is steeped in history with a clientele that has over the years included the likes of Proust, Byron and many a passing millionairess. It retains its charm as do the staff, who'll help to anaesthetise you enough to cope with the size of the bill.

Overall rating
6/10
Design rating
6/10
Drinks rating
6/10
Service rating
7/10

website

Ai Canottieri

Dancing and music, or if you're feeling lazy, drink and dine. It's your call.

Hours:
Mon-Sat, 19.00 - 02.00

website

Venice has so many strong points that we have never heard much about its gastronomy: we all know its romantic canals, its elegant carnival or the famous St Mark’s Square, but what about its gastronomy? Venetian food could be described with three words: varied, traditional and delicious. Most dishes are prepared with fish, meat and vegetables, but we can not forget that the Italian main dish is pasta.



It’s true that eating out can be expensive in Venice, but you can also eat out at a good price if you know how and where: avoid the central areas (close to the Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge) and you’ll surely find a place with more personal attention with authentic and cheap food. Avoid the tourist menus, which often do not include drinks or desserts as that usually inflates the bill. The best solution is to eat in the trattorias, “the younger brothers” of the restaurants that are cheap but very good. Another alternative is to eat portions of pizza, which are sold on street stalls for a more reasonable price.

One of the most famous dishes is “Cicchetti” which is a kind of “tapas” similar to those eaten in Spain. Among the most common there are: meatballs, fried vegetables, hard-boiled eggs with anchovies, fried crab, small octopus with polenta, sobrasada sausage with polenta, dried tomatoes, toast with cod and the famous sardines with pickled onions and vinegar. They are usually accompanied by a glass of wine.

Besides the “Cicchetti” the Venetian cuisine offers delicious specialties such as risottos made with lobster, cuttlefish, fish and rice. But the most appreciated risotto is the “Risi e Bisi”, rice with peas and ham. All kind of pasta, such as spaghetti with clams or sepia ink, the “bigoli in salsa (fat spaghetti) with anchovies and onions and the famous” Pasta e Fagioli (beans), are also very traditional. Fish is another Venetian specialty: St. Peter’s fish, eels and the monkfish dishes are very common. If you prefer meat, the Venetian liver is the best option, stew with lots of onion.

Among the most common beverages there is the wine, as this is a wine producing country. The most important wineries are: the Cantina de Vino già Schiavi in el Ponte of San Trovaso and Do Mori in Rialto. Among the red wines the most famous are: the Prosecco and the Valpolicella; among the white wines, the Custoza al Amarone. You must also try the Bassano Grapa or the “sgroppino” (Prosecco and lemon sorbet).

If you are still hungry and feel like dessert, you should know that Venice is famous for its “patisserie”: cakes, ice cream and candy masses. The superb tiramisu, the “zaeti” (biscuits prepared with polenta flour and raisins) or bussola buranelli (butter cookies shaped like a screw) are emblematic Venetian desserts.

Now that you know what to eat and where to go, you just have to worry about accommodation. The cheapest alternative is to rent Apartments in Venice. You’ll enjoy the best comfortable apartments at an affordable price.

Friuli is famous for its spectacular whites. In fact, anytime anyone tells me they don’t really care for white wine, my response is usually “Yes, you do,” while handing them a Tocai or Ribolla or Chardonnay or Malvasia or a blend from Isonzo or Collio or the Colli Orientali. There is a pause, and then: “Oh, this is good.”

Another convert.

Forget these magnificent whites for the moment, though. At this upcoming tasting it’s Friuli’s reds that will take center stage:

* Sunday, February 21
* 10 am – 7 pm
* Hotel Monaco e Gran Canal
* Entrance: €10

There you’ll find over fifty producers offering a wide variety of rich reds. Those created from familiar varieties like Merlot and Cabernet (Franc and Sauvignon) stand alongside others with less recognizable names, but highly recommended for conducting research: Schioppettino, Marzemino, Refosco, Terrano, maybe even a Tazzelenghe or Pignolo.

Another reason to attend: a selection of specialty foods will be offered by the restaurant Il Ridotto dell’Acciugheta.

Even if you’re not in Venice at the moment, do make sure to check on wine events during your stay…they’re always fun, inexpensive, and offer an excellent opportunity to taste many wines you’ll never find back home.