Best walking tour of Venice

Do you need a guide to tell you what's there to be seen and enjoyed? Wouldn't you rather be master of your own preferences and time, staying longer with something you're interested in, and passing by if not?
Buy a small guide book and a map, venture out for yourselves, get lost and discover something you haven't thought about, refind your bearings with one of those large signs pointing to central places.
You don't need a tour for the St Marks. You enter and enjoy. If I remember correctly, larger bags must be left at some office on the north side of the basilica.

Of all the places we have taken tours, we have never needed one in Venezia. Rick Steves' Guidebook has some terrific self-tours, and we also use the book "24 Great Walks in Venice" for inspiration to get us away from the mainstream.

No need for a guide (imo). The RS self guided walking tours (perhaps augmented with another guide book or two) should be sufficient.

What do you mean by the "Duomo"? St. Mark's ( San Marco) is the basilica. There is no other. Buy a skip-the -line ticket online, or be prepared to queue for a long time, unless you get there early. Mor do the bag check trick (never tried that, actually).

Be sure to go upstairs to see the church from above and the horses. Costs €5 but well worth it.

I cannot imagine looking a walking tour in Venice---too crowded. Get a guidebook or use Rick's app if there is one. We just like to wander around.

Save your money for other items on your trip.

Be sure to roam around Venice and not just look at the major sites. Put the map or phone away, and enjoy being there. It's very easy to explore by knowing that the end of the buildings will point to one of the main locations on the islands, for instance San Marco, so you can find your way back.

I'll break from the other recommendations on this one and say that Venice is the one place I was glad I used a tour guide the first time I visited. It is a beautiful, and at times bewildering, city. The tour guide we used (from Walks Inside Venice) had grown up there and was able to give us a feeling of the city beyond the usual tourist stops in just the few hours we spent with her. And in my opinion, Venice is all about getting beyond the usual tourist areas. What we learned on that first tour has served us well during other trips back.
http://www.walksinsidevenice.com/

Free walking tour ... http://venicefreewalkingtour.com/

Was there about a week ago and used the "free" (they don't mind a donation) tour mentioned in the prior post. Learned a few things I had not known and was 2-3 hours well spent (we were there for 5 days). But you do not "need" a guide IMHO. Venice is best when you surrender yourself to La Serenissima. Take that tiny lane (and go as far as you can from St. Mark's and thr Rialto!) and wander; stop for a spritz (I liked mine with Select) in a sunny campo, make some new friends and while away a few hours.

Skip the walking tour and take a kayak tour of Venice. Best way to see this glorious city. We did a night tour for four hours and it was one of the best tours on our 2012 trip.

Chris, Alessandro Schezzini's early evening Cicchetti Tour is a lot of fun, great value and recommended by many RS travelers. I also took his "off-beat" walking tour immediately prior, but I myself found the Cicchetti Tour much better. Www.schezzini.it.