Venice

I, personally, don’t think you need a guided tour of St. Mark’s. We bought the timed-entry combo ticket that allowed us to see the Basilica, the Golden Altar, and the Museum upstairs. We did do the Secret Itineraries Tour of the Doge’s Palace, though, and I highly recommend that. We were on the RS VFR Tour last October and were able to do these before our tour started. We also bought vaporetto passes so we could cruise the lagoon and hop on and hop off at our leisure.

I also don't think that you need a guided tour for St. Mark's. Use Rick's tour from the Venice book. Get the timed ticket with the add ons. You want to go upstairs to the museum to get a closer view of the mosaics on walls and ceilings and to go out onto the loggia. Also the lights come on at 11:30 a.m. so if you can get a late morning ticket that will allow you to see the mosaics in all their glory.

As for other "don't miss," riding on the vaporetti is one of my favorite Venice activities. Any church will have magnificent art, but the Frari Church (also in Rick's book) is pretty spectacular. Otherwise, just wander around in the "back streets" away from the Grand Canal and enjoy a glass of Prosecco at a cafe.

If you are into modern art, the Peggy Guggenheim museum is small (so, it doesn't take a lot of time - Rick's tour suggests an hour) but contains pieces from her friends - Picasso, Kandinsky, Mondrian, Dali, Pollock, Magritte, Chagall, Calder, etc.

Thank you for this great information, I really appreciate it.

An hour is likely to be inadequate for the Guggenheim these days. While it's not huge, there's a lot of art hanging on the walls, and it's popular enough that you can't just blast through the place without bowling other people over. I'd buy the ticket at least a bit in advance to avoid the on-site ticket line and be sure you can get in when you want to.

A unique option is the evening tour, which allows you to enjoy the church with almost no one else around, free from the noise and crowds. This mystical experience is further enhanced by the breathtaking illumination of the mosaics.

We were just there and toured the Basilica using the Rick Steves audio guide, worked for us. Don’t miss the Golden alter piece, but be aware the Treasury was closed for restoration.

Oh, there is the free rooftop experience above the glitzy shopping center, with great views of the Grand Canal. I need to look up the name- someone here may have it handy. Tickets are usually released about three weeks in advance. We had tickets, but the rooftop was closed due to the poor weather, on our last visit. So- next time for us. Safe travels.

To add to Pat’s post….it’s the DFS Fondaco dei Tedeschi department store. The reservations go fast when they are released, so it helps to check out their system ahead of time to get an idea of timing. The rooftop experience is free…you receive a QR code and a 15 minute reservation time.

Futher to the previous posts about the roof top view terrace at the DFS shopping center, here's the link: https://www.dfs.com/en/venice

I believe the time slots are released 21 days in advance, but they get snapped up quickly, as previously mentioned.

If the Fondaco dei Tedeschi rooftop is fully booked and you’re still after a front-row view of the Grand Canal from above, consider a quick stop at the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti at Ca' d'Oro, just 300 meters upstream. The Gothic arches of its second-floor loggia frame a direct view of the canal, creating a magical atmosphere that invites you to linger and observe the bustling life on the water below. Tickets are €8, with free entry on the first Sunday of each month.