The Best of Venice In A Matter of Hours

Venice is gorgeous no matter the season. Its colorful, decaying buildings and charming canals make it one of the most romantic cities in the world. But what if time is an issue? An all in one tour, like the Doge's Palace, Secret Venice Walking Tour & Gondola Ride tour from VenetoInside can be the answer.

I have to say it, this was not our first time in Venice. My husband and I stopped here for a day on our grand tour of Italy during our honeymoon 11 years ago. We quickly admitted our mistake, because Venice is a city that requires at least 2 full days. So we longed to come back ever since, and a few weeks ago, we made this dream a reality.

Along with the St Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace right next to it, are the two most important buildings in Venice. Since we had visited the basilica before, we really wanted to discover the palace this time around.

This is why we chose the Doge's Palace, Secret Venice Walking Tour & Gondola Ride tour and not VenetoInside's other tour, Venice Walking Tour, St Mark's Basilica & Gondola Ride. We really wanted an all in one kind of tour, plus the fact that it promised to reveal a secret side of Venice tickled our curiosity.

As its name suggests, the Venice Walking Tour, St Mark's Basilica & Gondola Ride is rather 3 tours in one and you can choose to join only one, two or all three of them. This is great for people looking to have a flexible experience, but to be honest, I think the combo is quite great and it has a nice flow.

We started with a guided tour of the Doges' Palace, where we were wowed by the great number of incredibly ornate ceilings and interesting stories told by our knowledgeable guide.

The Doges' Palace has lots of very interesting corners and is a must visit for any visitor to Venice. We couldn't believe we skipped it on our first visit. My husband and I both agreed the Doge's Palace was the most interesting part of the tour.

Besides the heavily decorated ceilings, each unique, each breathtaking, the tour also included a visit to the dungeons. One of the most famous inmates here being no other than Casanova, who also managed to escape through the roof.

But for me, the two unexpected highlights of the tour were crossing the Bridge of Sighs and the Chamber of the Great Council.

In spite of its romantic connotations, the Bridge of Sighs used to connect the prison with the interrogation rooms. For many who crossed it in the past, the little windows offered a last look at the sky. Rather sad and depressing if you ask me.

The cold and dark interior of the bridge totally lacking any decor deeply contrasts with the beautiful white limestone exterior.

On the other side, the Chamber of the Great Council came as a second surprise. This room remains to this day one of the largest in Europe, capable of hosting up to 2,000 people at once. Above the Doge's Throne, the world's largest canvas painting, by Jacopo Tintoretto, covers the entire wall.

As we exited, our guide pointed out one more quirky detail in one of the other paintings - a man with two left feet.

We continued with an interesting walking tour of Venice. It is arguable if a secret part of Venice was revealed during this tour or not. What's certain is that it helped us discover some beautiful corners of this amazing city and the stories and insights shared by the guide made us gain a new appreciation of the city.

A stop in front of the world-famous La Fenice Theater was followed by a long walk along gorgeous and less touristy canals, where we could even take the headphones off and follow the guide's explanations in a more personal way.

We reached as far as the Gran Canal. The walking tour was conducted at a leisurely pace, allowing us to not only take the occasional quick picture but also to soak in the beauty of Venice in all its glory.

The most beautiful surprise of the tour was when a narrow street unveiled the amazing staircase of Palazzo Contarini de Bovolo, the most famous staircase in Venice.

Venice is a walkable city and if you want to really get to know it, you have to walk. A lot! But the double arrow signs in Venice can be very confusing for the first time visitor. Getting from point A to point B can take a few minutes or half an hour. Finding something might feel like the proverbial needle in the haystack. And that's precisely why joining a guided walking tour might be more important in Venice than in any other city.

The last part of the tour was the most anticipated one as well. Since on our first visit we didn't take a gondola ride, we just knew we couldn't miss it this time around. A gondola ride in Venice is just one of those bucket list things that begs to be done at least once in a lifetime.

This was the moment we said goodbye to our guide. The gondola ride was not guided, and trust me, you will not feel like you are missing out. It's just a different kind of experience.

To start with, taking the gondola on the tiny canals of Venice was an extremely interesting experience from many points of view and I totally recommend it. But it also felt like a trip to Disneyland.

This tour included a shared gondola, ideal for people who don't want to spend an arm and a leg on this experience. This meant 6 people in a gondola. This meant my husband and I didn't get to sit next to each other.

If you are looking for a quiet and romantic gondola ride for two with serenade, this is not it. But if you want to learn first hand how a ride in a gondola feels like, this roughly 30 minutes ride sums it up.

First of all, you have to accept that the Venice canals can get very crowded. Most tourists opt for this cheaper tours, which means that at times you will feel caught in a gondola traffic jam. Which is quite funny when I come to think about it.

Second, the gondoliers are chatty. They love to talk to each other as they pass by. No, not talk. Yell. But otherwise, the canals are quite peaceful. The random shouts add to the charm of the ride. That's how the gondoliers communicate with each other, managing to keep the traffic on the canals in an organized fashion. Other times, they comment on current events. Or simply gossip. They are human too.

Third, you have to understand the anatomy of the gondolas. They are not symmetrically built. Which means one side is always closer to the water than the other. No need to worry, though. It's highly unlikely you will fall into the canal. Plus, most of the canals are not deep enough to drawn. They are just dirty. But that's a story for another time.

To wrap it up, this 3-in-1 tour was an interesting and beautiful experience. The Doge's Palace was the part of the tour we enjoyed most in the moment. But the gondola ride was the most unforgettable one. Next time you are in Venice, don't miss any of it. You will feel enriched by it.