Venice for First-Timers: Essential Private Tour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. We will jump over centuries to understand how the lagoon have been shaped by the Republic of Venice to its own purposes and survival, creating herculean barriers from the sea, deviating rivers while keeping a delicate balance between human intervention and natural events.

   15 min

2. Discover how the Venetian lagoon is connected with the Adriatic Sea through three port inlets, allowing the exchange of waters to enter and exit from the Adriatic Sea at the rhythm of the tides. This cyclical movement performs an indispensable function for the balance of its ecosystem: high tide becomes a problem for Venice only when it exceeds the level of 80 cm, the limit beyond we can speak of "Acqua Alta" ("High water")

   15 min

3. Understand the complicated mix of phenomena causing Acqua Alta and why some are predictable and others much less. You will discover why rain has nothing do to with it and how lunar phases and astronomical tides, strong winds low pressure plays a much bigger role.

   15 min

4. You will get explained how is possible that with 80 cm tides your feet keep dry and why a tide of 140cm is impacting the city so hardly.

   15 min

5. Get back to the 60s, when a tragedy renamed the "aqua granda" occurred due to an exceptional wave of bad weather hitting all of Italy. Back those days Venice experienced one of the most tragic days in its history, with the tide reaching the highest peak ever recorded in the history. We will understand how this event impacted the development of the city and life of its inhabitants in the following decades.

   15 min

6. Venice experienced a similar situation on the evening in 2019, making clear that natural events are more and more linked with global climate changes and over tourism exploiting the city. We will understand more about what happened visiting some places heavily impacted back on those days.

   15 min

7. Venice experienced a dramatic situation also at the end of 2019, making clear that natural events are more and more linked with global climate changes and over tourism exploiting the city. We will understand more about what happened visiting some places heavily impacted back on those days.

   15 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 63 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Venice

• Its from-price is close to the median of the 1991 experiences we list in Venice.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 238 of 1991.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Venice

Venice floats on a lagoon of more than a hundred islands, a city of canals, palaces and bridges with no cars, where every walk ends somewhere unexpected.

The Grand Canal sweeps through the city in a great reversed S, lined with palaces and crossed by the Rialto Bridge. Near its mouth, Piazza San Marco gathers St Mark's Basilica with its golden mosaics, the Doge's Palace, the Bridge of Sighs and the tall brick campanile. Water buses and gondolas show the city from the angle it was built to be seen.

Top-ranked sights in Venice: St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco), St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco), Grand Canal.

See all 1991 experiences in Venice