We are taking a Rick Steves’ My Way Italy Tour in September. Will be in Venice on 9/29 and have signed up for Alessandro’s Pub Tour at 6:00. We also want to take his BackStreet Tour at 4:30 but he needs more people. Anyone else out there who wants to take the tour?
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
First time to Venice? You don’t need a tour guide to take you through the back alleys - you just start walking. It would be more enjoyable if you were by yourselves rather than with a tour group. The alleys can be narrow and groups just tend to clog up with the leader being in front and the people in the back just trying to keep up...not to mention the non-tour people behind you who want to get around and pass your group.
Posted by
New Orleans
1215 posts
On the other hand, Alessandro is a hoot, and his insight on the people and byways of Venice would probably be fascinating and a lot of fun. I advise patience, and staying in touch with him. Often, his tours fill just a day or two or three before the tour date. (At least, that's been my experience with his cicchetti tours.)
Posted by
Green Bay
20991 posts
Alessandro's pre-Bar Tour used to be called "Off-Beat". Primarily, spots for romantic photos. Sure, if you had a week of wandering in Venice, you'd run across these spots, and probably quite a few others. But isn't that the purpose of a guide? Show you some cool spots right away when you do not have all the time in the world to find them on your own.
You could offer to double his fee to take a smaller group. He likes a minimum of 8 to make it worth his time.