This serene square is home to the Church of San Pantalon, which conceals a spectacular Baroque masterpiece behind its unassuming facade.
A Taste of History: Pastry Shop Since 1742. Indulge in the flavors of Venetian tradition at a pastry shop that has delighted locals since 1742. Here, you’ll savor treats like the iconic “zabaione”-filled pastries, a creamy delight lightly infused with Marsala liqueur. Famous for its cream puffs, strudels, and Venetian donuts, this bakery has withstood the test of time—and even the challenges of Venice’s “acqua alta” (high tides). In the rare case this pastry shop is closed, we’ll visit another historic gem, active since 1886, where generations of Venetians have stopped for a sweet treat.
Through the Heart of Venice: Campo San Polo to Rialto Market. Strolling through the lively sestiere of San Polo, we’ll immerse ourselves in the vibrant atmosphere of this historic neighborhood. Passing by Campo San Polo, one of Venice's largest squares, you’ll catch glimpses of local life and centuries-old architecture. Our path leads us toward the iconic Rialto Market, a bustling hub of Venetian culture where fresh produce, aromatic spices, and the daily rhythm of local merchants bring the city to life. This is the perfect moment to soak in the charm of Venice’s everyday traditions, set against the backdrop of its timeless beauty.
A Gondola Ride to Cannaregio: Discover Venice’s Hidden Charm. We’ll experience a quintessential Venetian moment as we cross the majestic Grand Canal aboard a gondola traghetto, a traditional ferry used by locals for centuries. This brief but unforgettable ride offers a unique perspective of Venice's bustling waterways and iconic architecture. Arriving in Cannaregio, one of the city’s most authentic and charming districts, we’ll step into a quieter side of Venice. Known for its rich history and local character, Cannaregio invites you to wander its picturesque streets and hidden canals, uncovering the soul of this historic neighborhood.
Sweet Creations: Chocolate Tasting at a Women-Owned Workshop. Our journey continues to a charming chocolate workshop run by talented women who combine tradition and innovation to create their artisanal delights. Here, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of their craft and indulge in a tasting of rich, hand-made chocolates. From velvety ganache to bold cacao flavors, this stop promises to delight every chocolate lover’s palate.
A Family Tradition: The Best Gelato in Venice. We’ll conclude our sweet journey at a family-run gelateria, where the third generation of a brother and sister duo continue a long-standing tradition of crafting what is arguably the best artisanal gelato in Venice. Renowned for its rich flavors and creamy textures, their pistachio gelato, made with premium pistachios from Bronte, is a must-try delicacy. It’s the perfect ending to an unforgettable Venetian experience, where every bite is a taste of local tradition and craftsmanship.
Awesome tour! Our guide Valerio was very personable, friendly and informative. He made sure to include our 10 year-old granddaughter when sharing information and asking questions. We went to one of the oldest bakeries in Venice, a chocolate shop with all the chocolates hand-made and a gelato shop frequented by locals! Very informative and tasty tour. Highly recommend.
I was sent an email the day before the tour that it had been canceled. No explanation, no request for confirmation, no follow-up text. Who checks their email while on vacation? This is amateurish at best, but for a company that is presumably trying to make a profit it’s abysmally unprofessional. I would encourage anyone to forego this booking and spend their precious travel time on a better bet. For example, I would highly recommend the Eat Like a Local tour instead.
Claudio was a fantastic tour guide. He was extremely personable and engaging with everyone, including my kids. He sprinkled just enough history in between sweet treats. I highly recommend anyone who wants a tour that is a little bit off the beaten path!
This is a fantastic tour with an informative, fun and interesting guide. The food was good and we got to experience all things like the Venetians. We got lots of additional hints and tips to make our time in Venice even more enriching.
Valerio was amazing!! Showed us a side of Venice we wouldn’t have seen otherwise and it was amazing to try some hidden gem sweets only the Venetians know about! Off the beaten path was just what we needed to see in Venice!
This was a fun tour because we learned about historical shops and got to try local pastries which were delicious! Valerio is an amazing guide and he will treat you like a friend and help you with any questions you have about Venice. He even texted me what stop to get off on the water taxi after I got lost! I’ve never encountered a guide as nice as Valerio. The gondola ride across the canal was an incredible experience!!! I highly recommend this tour!
My family had a great time joining this tour. Our guide was funny and personable. We got to taste various pastries and beverages/ coffee/ ice cream. I like that it’s a small group allowing more interactions with the local guide. Keep in mind that these pastry shops are small, so no place to sit. The tour was a bit overpriced. Nevertheless, we had fun!
The Sweet Venice tour with Valerio was WONDERFUL. A real “must do” in Venice, especially if you’re traveling with older kids/teens (ours were 10 and 13). It’s a 2 hour walking tour and Valerio will zip you through beautiful, lesser-travelled (read: less crowded!) areas of Venice, stopping along the way so you can sample pastries, chocolate, and gelato. Valerio was engaging, knowledgeable, and our 10yo called him “our best tour guide ever.” My family truly can not recommend this tour enough!
This was such a fun tour with the whole family. Valario is super knowledgeable and helpful. It was just the 3 of us in the tour and Valario customized the tour based on us. Not only did we go to sweet shops, he took us all over and explained the history of so much of Venice.
Valerio was excellent. He led through the less traveled routes of Venice to the the most amazing shops. The chocolate store and oldest bakery in Venice were our favorite. Highly recommend Valerio.
There were only two stops and we had to pay extra for the pastries at the last stop. There was not a lot of explanation of the pastries and why they were significant to Venice. Very disappointed.
Valerio was extremely helpful and knowledgeable throughout this tour! We felt very comfortable and really enjoyed our time. He also sent us links to other great places to eat at. Would love to meet again!
This was such a fun tour. We got more information than just pastries. It was a lot of fun and we got to learn a lot.
Great tour guide. Check his website 30+ tours for Venice. Lovely stories which you could not have from touristical tours.
We really enjoyed our tour with Valerio! It was the best breakfast we had in Venice! Valerio showed us a lot of typical, local cafes in these beautiful corners of Venice, explaining us a many historical, anecdotal and funny details... Valerio was very flexible and open to our needs and gave us many other precious tips for the rest of our journey in Venice!
The Cafe and Pastry tour with Valerio was an amazing experience! We had a walk all around Venice, stopping to taste typical sweets and good coffees in authentic shops where Venetian goes. Cafe Florian was surely the most scenographic, but the less known Colussi and Rizzardini were surely the most interesting. Valerio was a great guide, explaining all the Venetian traditions and giving us very useful tips on Venice. Highly recommended!
It was once again a wonderful experience to have Valerio as a guide (for the second time)! The tour with all his background knowledge as a native Venetian and history student on a second educational path is excellent! The whole thing is supported by his good German from his time in Germany! The sweet Venice tour brought us closer to Venice once again! The particularly well-chosen cafés where we drank typical local desserts and a matching coffee to go with them and the delicious ice cream afterwards were simply "awesome". We look forward to seeing Valerio again!
Hello, it was another super nice afternoon with Valerio. We saw a lot again and learned about Venice. The small typical bakeries were wonderful. The really great thing about it was that the bakeries are off the beaten track and are visited by the Venetians. Dear Valerio, we are already looking forward to the next tour with you.
Sweet Venice and a little more. Besides the pasticcerias Valerio told us a lot more and led us through alleys where I would never have gone through.
This city tour, which we undertook with the very sympathetic guide VALERIO, was great. The tour was entertaining, very informative and on our paths, which Valerio chose as far off the tourist trail as possible, we learned a lot about Venice, not just about coffee houses. 😉 We hope to find one or the other alley or coffee house again when we are in Venice again. Thank you, Valerio, for this nice afternoon.
Very personal, friendly and knowledge enriched guided tour of Venice. The guide was well versed in our wishes and questions and integrated into the 2-hour walk. The wonderful city is best presented to us.
We did the tour of the pastry shops me and my partner together with the very nice Valerio who managed to make us taste some delicacies around Venice, such as the pancakes of Tonolo or the gianduiotto of Nico. We will definitely do more tours with Valerio when we return to Venice, he was able to give us a lot of advice and to make us have fun. See you soon!!!!
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