Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Museo del Vetro offers tours that reveal Murano's glass-making trade secrets, including
glass-blowing demonstrations. The only way to visit the Torre dell'Orologio (Clocktower)
and see the ancient clockworks in action is by pre-arranged tour. For additional tours
offered by Venetian churches and sights, consult the Tourism/Guided Tours listings on the
official website of the
Venice Comune
(
www.comune.venezia.it
)
, or the free publication
Un Ospite di Venezia
(A Guest in Venice), distributed in most hotels.
Walking Tours
During Carnevale, check the official schedule for lantern-lit storytelling walking tours cre-
ated by Venetian historian Alberto Toso Fei and acted by a Venetian troupe, and special
museum tours on Venetian Carnevale themes, such as colour and disguises.
Venice Urban Adventures
(
Click here
) offers year-round
cicheti
tours, covering five
backstreet
bacari
on a local-guided Venetian bar crawl.
Venicescapes
( 041 520 63 61;
www.venicescapes.org
; 4-6hr tour incl book 2 adults US$250-290, additional
adult US$60, under 18yr US$30)
Intriguing walking tours run by a nonprofit historical society
(proceeds support ongoing Venetian historical research) with themes such as 'A City of
Nations', exploring multiethnic Venice through the ages; and 'A Most Serene Republic',
revealing how Venice kept the peace through politics and espionage.
Walks Inside Venice
( 041 524 17 06;
www.walksinsidevenice.com
; per hr €75, for groups up to 6 people;
)
Spirited tours run by three local women lead groups of up to six people on afternoon
treks through the city's hidden backstreets to major monuments via paintings that show
the Venetian love of colour, following the path of the plague through Venice, on a family-
friendly circuit, or on grand tours of Venice with detours to Murano and San Michele.
Azienda di Promozione Turistica
(APT; 041 529 87 11;
www.turismovenezia.it
)
Guided tours ranging
from an introduction to the greatest hits: around San Marco (per person €21); a gondola
serenade circuit (per person €40); and a four-hour circuit of Murano, Burano and Torcello
(per person €20). Also provides an updated list of authorised guides who lead private
walking tours of the city.
