Free tours in Venice
Free walking tours Venice · Trip Tours Venice
From St Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge to the lanes of the Cannaregio ghetto and Dorsoduro: walk Venice with a local guide, free of cars and away from the crowds.
The best free tours in Venice
Venice is a city to walk out of necessity and for pleasure. There are no cars or motorbikes: its more than a hundred islands are stitched together by stone bridges, narrow lanes known here as calli and quiet squares or campi, and everything is reached on foot or by vaporetto along the Grand Canal. A free tour makes sense precisely for that reason, because a local guide takes you out of the bottleneck of St Mark's Square and leads you to the corners where you truly come to understand the city.
Three walks divide the essentials well. The first is the monumental heart in the San Marco sestiere: St Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace, the Bridge of Sighs and the climb up to the Rialto Bridge, the route followed by visits such as The Heart of Venice or the tour of St Mark's Square and the historic centre. The second seeks out the hidden gems around San Polo and Cannaregio, with the Rialto market and the Jewish ghetto of 1516, the first in Europe. The third is by night: the Legends, Crimes and Mysteries route walks dark calli with tales of poisons, the Inquisition and ghosts. If you have time left, Dorsoduro gathers the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the church of Santa Maria della Salute facing the water.
The start is usually near St Mark's Square or Campo San Bartolomeo, by the Rialto Bridge, both a short walk from Santa Lucia station. The best time to walk is early in the morning, around nine or ten, before the cruise-ship groups arrive, or at dusk if you choose the mysteries route. Booking is free and done online; at the end of the walk you give the guide a voluntary contribution according to what you made of their work.
Day trips in Venice
Day trips, skip-the-line tickets and guided visits in Venice, booked through GetYourGuide.
Free tours in Venice are booked through Trip Tours partners such as FreeTour.com and GuruWalk. Booking is free and the price is the same for you; it helps us keep the site running.
Frequently asked questions about free tours in Venice
- How much does a free tour in Venice come to?
- Booking is free. At the end you leave the guide a voluntary contribution that usually runs from 15 to 20 euros per person depending on what you made of it. Tickets to monuments such as the Doge's Palace or St Mark's Basilica are paid separately if you decide to see them inside.
- Which walk is best for the first day in Venice?
- If it is your first time, start with The Heart of Venice or the tour of St Mark's Square and the historic centre: in about two hours you see St Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace, the Bridge of Sighs and the Rialto, and you place yourself on the map. The next day, the Hidden Gems route takes you to the lanes of San Polo and Cannaregio that almost nobody treads.
- Do I need to book before the date?
- Yes. Groups have limited places and fill up easily in spring, summer and above all during Carnival. Book online a day or two ahead; the evening Legends, Crimes and Mysteries route is one of the first to fill.
- Do the free tours run if it rains or there is acqua alta?
- Yes, they run in the rain, so bring an umbrella and waterproof shoes. When there is acqua alta, the rising tide that floods low-lying areas such as St Mark's Square, the walk adapts by using the raised walkways. If the weather turns, you can always take shelter in the Palazzo Mocenigo or the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
- What is the most special experience in the area?
- After dark, the Collegium Ducale opera concert on St Mark's Square is one of the most special things Venice offers. For plans on the water, a catamaran tour of the lagoon with a spritz or the boat transfer from Punta Sabbioni gives you the finest postcard of the city; and if you travel during Carnival season, the mask-making workshop is a charming stop.
Why book your free tour with Trip Tours
Local guides
Walks with Venice guides who tell the city first-hand, with stories you won't find in a paper guidebook.
Several time slots
Departures at different times of day so they fit your trip, morning or afternoon.
Free booking
Hold your spot without paying anything upfront and cancel at no cost if your plans change.
