Luxury Venice Tours

A city home to iconic waterways and a myriad of architectural masterpieces, it’s no surprise that Venice is the most visited destination in Italy. With over 5 million visitors a year, Venice is the perfect place to lose yourself in Italian art and romance. The city shines under the European sun, and the waters sparkle.

The art and architecture is a huge part of Venice, and you can see influences of the Renaissance throughout the city – both on water and land. For art enthusiasts, visiting Venice’s galleries is a must. Home to Venice’s largest collection of art, you’ll see pieces by Max Ernst, Picasso, Miró and many more. Explorers, writers, and poets took inspiration from the beauty of Venice – names like Marco Polo, Titian, Canaletto, and Vivaldi.

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Venice is charming year-round, but a particularly busy time is the period before Lent – around the end of February. For around 10 days, the city comes alive with live music, shows and balls. It’s a great time to experience the buzz of Venice, and for avid photographers – both professional and amateaur – it’s a great opportunity to get some spectacular shots, as costumes, outfits, and design are elaborate.

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Perian

Italy Specialist

Our Trips to Venice

All of our tours are custom built to you, below are example itineraries curated by our Italian specialists to provide you with inspiration for your luxury tailor-made Italy tour.

When to go: Apr - Oct

Highlights of Italy

Rome, Florence, Venice
8 Nights
From £4,920 PP
If you have limited time in Italy, this 8-night tour is ideal. It explores the highlights of Rome,...

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When to go: Apr - Oct

Luxury Italy

Rome, Amalfi, Florence, Venice
11 Nights
From £9,630 PP
This luxury trip covers many of Italy’s most famous sights with expert guides leading the way....

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When to go: Apr - Oct

Gourmet Italy

Rome, Florence, Bologna, Venice
9 Nights
From £5,220 PP
Savor the flavors and scenery of Italy along with many impressive historic sites on this 9-night...

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Why we love private tours of Venice

Perian

Italy Specialist

Venice itself is built on 118 small islands which can all be accessed by gondolas on the canals, and bridges on land. It’s complex – but that’s what makes it charming. Central to it all is the Piazza San Marco, also known as St Mark’s Square. This square is an assembly of social, religious, and political spaces – and one that is always a good reference point if you’ve lost your bearings.

While we would recommend wandering around Venice, taking in the sights and charm of Italy’s most popular city at your own pace, there are plenty of tours to do. Most famous being a gondola ride through Venice’s waterways. A gondola is the name of the boat – a Venetian design that is typically Venice. The people who steer the boats are called gondoliers, and they carefully maneuver the boat through the narrow channels and delicate bridges.

What to do in Venice

Ride a gondola through the canals
Arguably the most popular, and famous experience to do in Venice is to take a gondola ride through the charming channels and waterways. Around 118 small islands make up Venice, so taking a gondola ride is the best way to experience the Italian city. Cruising along the canals on a gondola has always been a traditional form of transportation – and over the decades, the gondoliers have become very skilled in their steering and control. The average cost of a gondola ride in Venice is around Є80 for a 25-30 minute ride.
Experience the Venice Carnival
Venice Carnival is one of the most famous in Italy, known for its eccentric outfits, costumes and masks. For 10 days leading up to Lent, Venice hosts an array of performances and dances, ending on Shrove Tuesday. Because of such incredible designs and displays, the city has an enchanted feel to it – one that thousands travel to each year to experience. Elaborate masks are worn by performances to protect their identity, which also adds to the fantasy of the festival.
Visit the fishing village, Burano
Another island you should visit during your stay in Venice is Burano. Most famously, the island is home to a collection of multi-colored streets and houses. These houses – with striking tones of red, yellow, pink, blue and orange – reflect against the water in the channels. It’s picture-perfect. But more famously – Burano is known for its tradition of lacemaking. As you wander through the square and charming town, you’ll often see elderly women lace making – the perfect gift to bring back home to loved ones.
Visit the Jewish ghetto
The Venetian ghetto is also referred to as the Jewish Ghetto; in fact, the word ghetto was actually derived from this very Jewish ghetto in Venice. Dating back to the 16th century, the Jews that lived in the city were forced to live in one area, segregated from the rest of society. As you walk through the ghetto today, you can piece together their life – stumble upon kosher shops, bakeries, libraries, and synagogues.
Watch a glass-blowing experience
Dating back to the 13th century, glass-blowing has been a skill and tradition in Venice. Today, tourists come from all over the world to watch the precise skill that goes into making glass – adding creativity, shape, structure, and color along the way. The glass-blowing experience is best seen on Murano Island – also known as the “Glass Island”. Take a water taxi over to Murano and watch artists in the marking, creating vases, bowls, paperweights and many more. Prices are reasonable, and often a nice souvenir to bring back home.

When to go to Venice

While tourists visit Italy year-round, the best time to visit Venice would be the spring and summer months. From March onwards, the weather starts to get warmer, and the hours of sunshine increase. The months of July and August are the hottest – with averages of around 82°F during the day. Like much of Italy, luxury hotels are well-prepared for these temperatures, with air conditioning and fans on offer. The traditional gondolas often do not have shade, so we advise bringing hats. Arguably the best (but also the busiest) time to visit Venice is late February. For 10 days, the city celebrates the Venice Carnival – a collection of performances, shows, and flamboyant outfits and costumes.