Venice Art & Architecture Tour: Hidden Gems Beyond St. Mark's
Venice has far more art and architecture than the crowds ever see.
A two-hour private walking tour of Venice with a professional guide in your choice of five languages, focusing on the art and architecture of quieter neighborhoods away from St. Mark's Square. You'll visit Marco Polo's home, the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, and Campo San Bartolomeo with its Goldoni statue, moving through areas of real architectural richness that most visitors miss.
Step-by-step itinerary
Explore hidden Venice art and architecture
- Visit Campo San Bartolomeo and Goldoni statue
- See Marco Polo House
- Explore campo SS Giovanni & Paolo and its Church
- Visit Church of Santa Maria dei miracoli and campo Santa Maria Nova
- Campo San Bartolomeo 30m
- Marco Polo's Home 30m
- Venice Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo 30m
What’s included
- Professional guide in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish.
- two hours of private walking tour.
- Every day 11:00 15:00
Information
Private two-hour walking tour of Venice's art and architecture with a professional guide, exploring Marco Polo's home.
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The experience
Two hours is enough to move past the main tourist routes and into the Venice that matters to people who study its art. Your guide leads you to Campo San Bartolomeo and the statue of Goldoni, then to Marco Polo's home (the house where the merchant and explorer actually lived), and on to the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, a church that holds the city's architectural weight in a way St. Mark's does not. The route includes Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo itself and the church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, with the smaller, quieter campo of Santa Maria Nova.
This is a private tour, so the pace and the focus stay with you and your group. Your guide speaks English, French, German, Italian or Spanish, and the walking stays manageable for all fitness levels. Public transportation options are nearby if you need them. The tour skips the entrance fees to churches and museums. You're walking the exteriors and the neighborhoods themselves, the parts that shape how the city actually feels.
Top questions
Can I be picked up at my hotel?
You can choose: pickup at your hotel, or go straight to the meeting point. When you book, you choose your hotel from 91 pickup locations; if yours isn’t listed, you arrange it with the operator after booking. Pickup is about 15 minutes before departure.
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian.
What is the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo and why does the tour include it?
The Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo is one of Venice's most important churches, built over centuries and filled with the tombs of doges and other figures central to the city's history. It stands in a campo that most day-trippers never reach, and the church itself shows the architectural ambition Venice built on when it was a maritime power.
Will I actually see Marco Polo's home, or just walk past it?
Marco Polo's home is on the route. You'll see the house where the merchant and explorer lived. The tour is a walking tour, so you're seeing the building and the neighborhood it sits in, not entering it.
How crowded are these neighborhoods compared to St. Mark's Square?
Campo San Bartolomeo, Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo, and the area around Santa Maria dei Miracoli are all working neighborhoods where Venetians actually move through. They fill up less than the main square, especially in the morning or late afternoon.
Operated by Venice Events srl. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated 4 days ago
Venice Art & Architecture Tour: Hidden Gems Beyond St. Mark's
2h · EN · ES · FR · DE · IT
from € 285 per person
≈ US$ 320 in your currency
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