6 Shopping Tours in Venice to Plan a Day Around

1.Venice Street Food Tour with Local Guide with Local Food Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 822 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $53Our pick

Join a local guide for a 2.5-hour walk from near Rialto Bridge to Campo Santa Margherita, with a Rialto Market visit, Venetian cicchetti, regional cheese and traditional sweets. Guides have included Tone, Vanessa, Ana and Denys. Food is included, drinks are not.

“Great introduction to Venice food. Loved all the different stops. Tone was very informative and organized. He worked well with the food vendors and also moved our group around smoothly and efficiently.”

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2.Rialto Market Food and Wine Lunchtime Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 383 reviews

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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3.Market Tour and Cooking Class with a Local Venetian Chef

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 313 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $127

Meet a Venetian chef near the cooking school, shop the Rialto Market on morning tours, then make pasta or gnocchi, a seasonal dish and tiramisu. Filippo and Vanessa lead classes for groups of up to eight. Food, Prosecco, a welcome Spritz or soft drinks, and cooking tools are included.

“This was such an incredible experience. Chief Chef Filippo met us in the market, where we shopped for items for our Italian meal, then we went back to his kitchen to make our pasta dish with Tiramisu for dessert. Not only was the chef a wonderful host, he was a great teacher and a lot of fun! Don't miss this wonderful opportunity.”

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4.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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5.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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6.Ancient Venice and its spices: cooking class and market tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews

Start at Caffè Vergnano 1882 for a walk through the Rialto Market with Massimo, then continue to his home for a private, English-language cooking class and meal inspired by Venice’s spice trade. Expect local ingredients, old recipes, stories of Marco Polo and Casanova, and time to taste the food you help prepare.

“Perfect! Highly recommended!!!! SO MUCH FUN!!! This was our favorite activity during our entire trip to Venice!! Massimo was extremely knowledgeable, kind, gracious, and SO MUCH fun!! My sister and I had the best day ever while we were with Massimo! It was also the best meal we had while in Venice!! I wish we could have spent more days exploring Venice and cooking with Massimo! Yes…it was that Great!! Best Birthday I’ve had in many years because he made it so fun & Special!!! You will adore him!!! Honestly, I cannot say enough great things about Massimo and our experience with him!! :)”

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