Venice Walking Tour: Secret Gardens & Hidden Courtyards

Venice has more gardens than bridges: most of them invisible from the street.

A two-hour walking tour through the secret gardens of Venice in the Cannaregio district, led by a licensed guide who opens access to private monastery courtyards, hidden parks and green spaces most visitors never find. You walk past pergolas heavy with flowers, through peaceful courtyards belonging to nuns and noble families, and into a garden center where locals buy geraniums for summer color. The route stays off the main paths, moving between six distinct green spaces that sit behind the city's famous facades.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore secret gardens of Venice

• Visit hidden nuns' garden
• Stroll peaceful villa garden and theatre
• Walk through noble families' secret garden
• See garden center with seasonal flowers
• Discover green oasis with modern sculptures
• Enjoy garden with view of Arsenale docks

The experience

Venice's reputation rests on canals and bridges, but the city holds over 500 gardens: more than the 403 bridges that cross it. Most sit hidden: tucked into courtyards, walled behind palazzo entrances, or kept private by the families and communities who tend them. This tour routes through Cannaregio to find them. A licensed guide with training in nature and interpretation leads the walk, opening doors that stay closed to independent travelers. You enter a nunnery garden where the community itself welcomes visitors to walk underneath pergolas draped in flowering vines, past fruit trees and plants the sisters have cultivated for years.

The route moves through six distinct spaces, each one a different kind of refuge. One is a peaceful park next to a villa that hosts dance and music performances. Another sits in a corner of Cannaregio where noble families once kept their private green space, now open and quiet. A hidden garden center appears in an off-the-beaten-path area: the place where Venetians buy geraniums and cyclamen to brighten their own small terraces. One stop faces the northern lagoon. Another overlooks the Arsenale docks and is designed, the guide will tell you, as poetry made into a garden. The walk takes two hours and stays suitable for all fitness levels, with strollers welcome for infants and small children.

You can book this as a private group or join a small shared tour. Both options include the licensed guide and entrance to all the private gardens on the route. A guide speaks English, Spanish, Italian or German depending on the departure. Note that day visitors from outside Venice may need to pay a €5 city access fee on certain dates. Check the city's official site for exemptions and current dates before you book.

What’s included

• A licensed tour guide trained in nature and interpretation.
• entrance tickets and full access to all private gardens on the route, including the nunnery courtyard and hidden parks that stay closed to the public.

Options for this experience

2 options

Private GroupGuide in 4 languages · Available from 2 Dec · 09:00 and 14:30Private tour, customized, with hotel pickup on request

Joining others in a small-group tourGuide in English · Available from 2 Dec · 09:00 and 14:30Small group

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Information

Lasts 2h, runs Wednesday and Thursday at 09:00 and 14:30, from € 92 per person, with a live guide in English, Spanish, German and Italian, in groups of up to 15 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesWednesday and ThursdayDepartures at 09:00 and 14:306 on other days ›

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (16 and older) · Youth (under 16)

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, German and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 11 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by deTourist Venice Valerio Coppo

Is this one for you?Book the private group option if you're traveling with family or friends and want the guide's full attention. Choose the shared tour if you're comfortable with a small group and prefer a lower per-person cost. Either way, the two-hour pace is gentle. You're walking between gardens, not rushing through them.

Traveler reviews

4.83★★★★★★★★★★

70 verified traveler reviews

5 ★61

4 ★6

3 ★3

2 ★0

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, German and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (under 16).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How many gardens does the tour actually visit?

The route stops at six distinct gardens and green spaces across Cannaregio, each one hidden or rarely visited by tourists. The guide opens access to private areas like the nunnery courtyard that would otherwise stay closed.

What exactly is a secret garden in Venice if the city is surrounded by water?

Venice's gardens grow in courtyards, on rooftops, inside palazzo walls and monastery grounds: spaces that sit between buildings and canals rather than in open parks. They're secret because the facades hide them. You walk past a palazzo wall and suddenly find yourself in a flowering courtyard or under a pergola with fruit trees.

What's the difference between the private group and shared tour options?

Both follow the same route and include the same guide and garden access. A private group is just your party. A shared tour joins other visitors in a small group. Both take two hours and cost differently depending on group size.