11 Rialto Market Tours in Venice to Plan a Day Around

1.Rialto Bridge & Offbeat Unusual Venice Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 3,538 reviews · from $28Our pick

Walk the quieter lanes around San Marco and Rialto with a local guide, passing Scala Contarini del Bovolo, Casanova’s house and La Fenice. Guides such as Valentina and Francesco bring Venetian history and daily life into focus. Choose an option with a 30-minute guided gondola ride for a second view of the city from its canals.

“the tour was great. the equipment sometimes didn't work for the guide but she fixed in seconds. well done Valentina. very informative fun tour. loved learning about casanova and seeing where he was born.”

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2.San Marco to Rialto Walking Tour & Spritz Like a Local

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 688 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $18Best value

This roughly two-hour English walking tour links St. Mark’s Square with the Rialto area, taking you through smaller squares and lanes to landmarks such as the explorer’s former home. Expect local stories, a bacaro break, and a group of up to 15. A shared gondola ride is available only if you select that option; a Venice-in-the-past VR experience is also included.

“We saw a lot of interesting places throughout Venice that we wouldn't have seen otherwise. But we didn't see San Marco Piazza on the tour. (Thankfully, we found it on our own by accident later.) Also, we were put with a very large tour group (more than 20 people), and we stayed at the back since we had a child with us. This meant that our radios kept cutting out whenever the tour guide would turn down the alleys ahead of us. And our tour was both for Spanish and English, so we had to listen to narration in both languages and probably didn't get as much information since the…”

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3.Ghost Tour to Rialto and San Marco Square

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 659 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $31

Walk Venice’s historic center after dark with an English-speaking guide, hearing local legends, mysteries, and stories tied to San Marco, Rialto, quiet lanes, and empty squares. Guides on past tours have included Marco, Gaia, Graziella, Alicia, and Elisa. Expect a lively history walk with a spooky thread, not a scare-filled attraction.

“Grace was our guide and she told many interesting stories and legends while showing us around the city of venice!”

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4.Venice’s Icons: Basilica, Doge Palace, Rialto & Optional Gondola

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 413 reviews · 5 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $162

Spend about five to six hours exploring Venice’s major sights with an English-speaking guide. The tour includes skip-the-line entry to St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace, access to the palace prisons and Bridge of Sighs, a Rialto walking tour, a VR look at Venice’s past and a shared gondola ride. Basilica terrace access depends on the option you select.

“An experience that I will never forget. I visited with my friends the islands of Venice and the audioguide revealed us interesting facts and curiosities about Murano, the colorful Burano and Torcello.”

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5.Rialto Market Food and Wine Lunchtime Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 383 reviews Top rated

Walk from the Rialto Bridge through market lanes and Venetian backstreets, stopping at local eateries for cicchetti, regional wine and other specialties. Your English-speaking guide shares food traditions and city stories, including Marco Polo and Casanova. The four-hour tour ends with tiramisu and coffee. The Rialto Market is closed on Sundays, so check your date if seeing it matters.

“The tour was great however it was different than I expected. I thought we were going to the market and then also doing some food tastings. We did go to the market but it wasn’t even open so it’s not really a part of the tour if they don’t schedule the tours around the market times/days. I suppose it should just be called a food and wine tour. There were a lot of food tastings including lunch however 3 of the places were ones I had already been to on the locals food tasting tour. lol for that reason if I had known what this tour really was and had…”

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6.Rialto Market Food and Wine Lunchtime Tour of Venice

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 278 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $113

Start at Rialto Market at 10:45 am for a four-hour walk through market stalls and central Venice, with cicchetti, Italian wine, lunch, and local food and history from your guide. Groups are capped at 14. Vegetarian food is possible with advance notice, but vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets cannot be accommodated.

“Denys was our guide. He was extremely helpful with regard to where to go and where to avoid. He helped us with the menu at every place we visited, made recommendations and even ordered for us! It’s a 4 hour tour but it honestly doesn’t feel like it. The time flew by! Great tour- you get a ton of food for the price! Ask for Denys as your guide.”

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7.St. Mark’s, Doges Palace, Rialto, and Gondola Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 239 reviews · from $164

Spend six hours seeing Venice’s major sights with an English-speaking guide: tour St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, walk quieter lanes and the Rialto district, and take a 30-minute gondola ride. Guides named by past participants include Marco, Roberta, Elena and Chiara, though your guide may vary. Lunch is on your own.

“Our guide, Tulia, was excellent and so knowledgeable. She brought the areas we visited to life. The gondola ride was excellent. Highly recommend”

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8.Private Secret Venice Tour; Rialto Market, San Polo & Food and Wine tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 220 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $257

Walk from Campo San Bartolomeo through the Rialto Market and San Polo with a private English-speaking guide. Hear stories of Venice’s merchant past, see Palazzo dei Camerlenghi and the German merchants’ former trading house, then stop at a local osteria for cicchetti and wine. The tour lasts about two hours and ends at the meeting point.

“Amazing way to see Venice. This was a very small tour of 7 people and the tour guide was so nice and very informative. We took the unbeaten hidden paths and saw some great ways to avoid the mega crowds of venice which was nice because the crowds can be hectic during high season. The weather affected the end of the tour but we finished at a nice wine bar to hide from the rain. I wish we would have stayed a little bit longer at the Rialto Market but you can request it once you get there. Our tour was fantastic and highly recommended.”

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9.Private Grand Canal Gondola Ride from Rialto

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 178 reviews

Set off from Riva del Carbon, a short walk from Rialto Bridge, for a private 30 to 45 minute gondola ride on the Grand Canal and inner canals. You’ll pass Rialto Bridge and Ca’ d’Oro, with the route subject to water and local conditions. Commentary is not included, though some gondoliers may share information. The gondola fits up to five people.

“Had a wonderful time and information given was really informative, such a special experience”

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10.Doge Palace, San Marco Basilica & Rialto Bridge

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 75 reviews · from $111

See the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica with a live guide, then walk through San Marco and the Rialto district. Expect lavish palace rooms, gold mosaics and narrow lanes. Guides have included Roseanna and Max; assignments vary. The 3 to 4.5-hour tour runs in English, Spanish, French or German.

“We had a very informative guide, Roseanna. We had a great tour other than the weather”

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11.Venchi Rialto: Chocolate Tasting Experience in Venice

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 8 reviews · from $67

At Venchi in Venice’s historic centre, spend an hour tasting six selected chocolates, hearing about the brand’s chocolate-making traditions, and creating a custom chocolate with staff guidance. The small group is limited to six, and sessions are offered in Italian or English. Lucia has led sessions and is praised for making the tasting both informative and fun.

“Chocolate tasting was an amazing experience Lucia was amazing and very knowledgeable about chocolate. I will definitely be looking at my chocolate a lot different now.”

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