VENICE SUNSET TOUR, BY BOAT & ON FOOT

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Walks Inside Italy - Private Tours Venice

Highlights of this tour

Sunset motor-launch tour on the Grand Canal (with private boat)
A walk in the Venetians’ Venice
Ombre & cicheti (glass of wine with munchies in a local place)
Restaurants’ tips & advice

VENICE SUNSET TOUR, BY BOAT & ON FOOT

VENICE SUNSET TOUR – The Grand Canal is the universally celebrated waterway of Venice, has the shape of an inversed-S sneaking through the city for about two and a half miles.

Most probably its course corresponds to the central branch of the Brenta River, once flowing into the Adriatic Sea at this point.

Through the centuries, living on the Grand Canal was a must for any prominent Venetian family, whether for business, as they were seafaring merchants, or just as a status symbol.

Nowadays many of the 170 palaces were converted into hotels or museums. Fashion tycoons such as Prada or Benetton are investing on it.

Great painters like Canaletto, Francesco Guardi, Turner, Monet, Manet, Whistler, Kokoschka, fascinated by the light effects on water and architectures, immortalized it in many famous paintings.

There’s nothing like the Grand Canal and, especially at sunset, the magic is still intact.

Although a gondola tour might sound more romantic, we much prefer the idea of a private launch, which gives the opportunity of seeing more, will shelter you from sun or rain, allowing you to stand up safely and take memorable pictures!

You’ll dream about your Venice Sunset Tour when you’re back home.

Our sunset tour will start from St Mark Square, with a panoramic view over St Giorgio Maggiore and the Giudecca Islands.

The entrance to the Grand Canal is marked by two imposing buildings: the Dogana (now Francois Pinault private museum, once sea Custom House) and the Salute Church, the most majestic Baroque architecture in Venice.

You already saw all these buildings in movies!

Action movies, such as James Bond ‘Casino Royale’ or ‘The Tourist’, or historical ones, such as ‘Dangerous Beauty’. Absolute masterpieces, such as Luchino Visconti’s ‘Death in Venice’.

We could go on and on…Writers, such as Hemingway and Brodsky, wrote memorable pages.

The main entrance and main façade, always built along the water, witnessed the wealth and pride of the élites.

The oldest palaces date back to the 13th century, the newest to the 19th century. You will enjoy the stylistic variety: the early Byzantine homes, such as Ca’da Mosto, the rich Gothic dwellings, such as Ca’ d’ Oro and Ca’Foscari, the proud Renaissance palaces, such as Ca’ Vendramin and Grimani, the richly ornate Baroque facades of Ca’ Pesaro and Ca’ Rezzonico.

The only old bridge is the Rialto, right in the central part of the canal, while the other three bridges are modern.

The people living along this watercourse moved around on their own gondolas, driven by private gondoliers.

We can still admire the colorful striped poles at the water-doorways, where the boats were moored.

You’ll learn about the many famous people, local and foreign, that inhabited these houses (house = ca’ in Venetian dialect, and ‘casa’ in Italian).

The figures of Lord Byron, Richard Wagner, Peggy Guggenheim will be conjured up.

A word will be said about the inner structure and about the foundations.

After we’ve followed the whole sinuous course of the Canal Grande our sunset tour proceeds for a while along the narrower and more intimate canals of Dorsoduro.

On the South East of town. We’ll finally disembark by San Trovaso Canal, a popular spot where the locals,

with a sprinkle of curious tourists, relax at the end of the day hanging over a glass of good wine, or a spritz, savoring attractive tiny ‘cicheti’ and practicing the most favorite Venetian pastime: gossip!

We slowly stroll back towards the city center. If required, your guide will help you with restaurants’ tips and advice.

Our Venice sunset tour on foot and by boat is a relaxing approach to the city, and an occasion to explore lesser known parts of town.

Cost of this tour

This tour lasts two hours and costs 420 euro up to six people (not per person). Only private parties.
For larger parties send us an email.
Transportation: included (one hour private water taxi)
Wine and finger food NOT included
Not recommended if you don’t like wine or when it’s too hot, in July and August! Gelato better…