Private City Kickstart Tour: Venice

Monica was a wonderful guide with so much information! We had a very hyper 5 year old with us who warmed up to her right away and she was so good at keeping him engaged. We walked by so many things and let her know ahead of time which ones we wanted to go into and she made perfect timing for us to see everything. I wish she could have been with us all day!

Giada was the best! She took my family (husband and 2 kids 15/13) on a Venice kick start tour. We had already seen some sights the day before so she took us around to see and learn about other places and learn some really fun facts about Venice that were total surprises. Giada was so easy to be with, very personable and her stories were so interesting. Stuff you cant just google which makes it soooo worth it! Her personality is kind and super friendly. Highly recommend booking with Giada!! Also she gave us some helpful Venice tips, yummy restaurants and her communication/follow up before the trip was excellent.

Elena was an amazing guide. In two hours she taught us so much about Venice. Her knowledge and accommodating style is perfect for a kickstarter tour.

Claudia was incredible. We had some timing challenges, and she made extra efforts to meet us so that we did not have any problems. She made sure that we were relaxed before we started. And then - WOW! Claudia has so much insider information on the real Venice and its storied history. If you are traveling to Venice and want a fantastic tour away from the touristy crowds, be sure to book with Claudia!!

We did a private tour for two hours with Rocco. Rocco showed us parts of the city we would have walked right past and was very informative. Well worth the price for the private version!

Perfect way to get acquainted with Venice and learn great tips from a local. Alexandra loves what she’s doing and was truly delightful

If I could I would give this review zero stars!! Shortly after we booked this trip we received a message from the company saying they couldn’t manage the time we had booked, offered a new time and different guide - it didn’t suit us as w head other trips booked, so we asked them to cancel and refund. We received no further communication then we got a text and call from another guide (at a time that we had stated we couldn’t manage) saying she was at our meeting point. Now they are claiming we didn’t appear for the booking and taking no responsibility for the lack of communication and we are struggling to get our refund!

This is an amazing experience with Frederica. We learned so much, got some great advice, and fell in love with Venice even more. So worth it.

Tour guide failed to turn up and the contact number they provided led to voice mail. After multiple calls and WhatsApp messages with Viator, the tour was eventually cancelled as the tour provider was uncontactable. It was a complete waste of our afternoon in Venice. Extremely disappointing that we did not even receive an explanation or apology from the them. Not a word.

The Kickstart tour with Alexandra was the best way to start our stay in Venice. She was informative and kind, and showed us all the dos and don'ts when travelling in Venice.

We had a wonderful Kickstarter tour of Venice with Lu. My daughters (17 and 20) were not looking forward to a tour because they thought it would be boring, but they both enjoyed it. Lu did a great job of giving us great information, but not overwhelming us with details. She had pictures on her iPad to add more depth to the information she provided. We noticed things Lu had mentioned on our tour throughout our trip. She helped to making our trip to Venice more interesting. We did a tour with a different company the following day (Lu was not available) and we all wished Lu was doing the tour! She is a very gifted tour guide. We will absolutely contact Lu if we are back in Venice!

We wanted to see and learn about the real Venice during the three days we spent there in May 2023. We booked a private tour with Lucia who showed us how the Venetians live, work and move about these most wonderful mini islands. Besides learning of the best places to eat and the shops to visit, we were shown some of the Venetian secretes and their history that most tourists miss and thus her tour far exceeded our expectations. Lucia really loves her heritage and made us feel so welcome in her homeland.

Lucrezia was our withlocals guide. Lu has a passion for Venice and people She has so much knowledge, had many stories and was fun to be around. She had a surprise for us with a beautiful view of Venice. Lu made reservations for us for lunch at one of her favorite restaurants, it did not disappoint,,.was delicious. We had an amazing experience and would highly recommend Lucrezia for a day in Venice !

Mattia was an amazing tour guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We really enjoyed learning about Venice from a true Venetian.

A wonderful way to start a vacation in Venice! The tour provides an excellent overview of the city and its history provided by a tour guide that that truly loves the city.

This is our First time using WithLocals and loved the tour and the whole process leading up to the tour! We contacted Valentina before we arrived in Venice to say we were available earlier and where we were staying and she adapted to the tour to us!! She was at the meeting point 10 minutes early, gave us a brief introduction and a few personal recommendations and then the tour started. Her English was perfect and was always able to answer our questions and was well informed. I would highly recommend Valentina if in Venice!

Mattia was a fabulous guide! We were only in Venice for the night, and we learned so much about the city in the time we spent together. We went to places where the locals hang out, and we loved it!

Martina did a fabulous job walking us through St. Marks Basilica, Doge Palace and the Prison. Her enthusiasm for her beautiful city of Venice shows. Great job Martina!!

Waited for the tour guide for 45 minutes and no one showed up. Wasted so much valuable time - messaged them 10 minutes in and crickets. A real bummer...

Roko was an amazing guide!! How lucky we were to have him take us around Venice. I recommend this tour to anyone visiting. We saw the best sites in Venice and hidden gems around the streets. Thank you Roko. From Alex & Ed (Australia)

Our guide, Cristina, was knowledgeable and displayed great enthusiasm for showing us an overview of parts of Venice. This tour is a great way to begin your exploration of Venice, and Cristina is the perfect guide to help you begin your journey.

Got into contact right after the booking, high flexibility realized in an individualized tour: local known sites typical for people living in Venice, very promising recommendations for shopping and dinner, knowledge about history and culture of the city, conversations with local artists and restaurant owners and personal exchange about Italy and people. Thank you very much Alessandro. Hope to see you again.

Professional Knowledgeable - knows the history of Venice in & out Passionate - enjoys his job thoroughly

Nicoletta was awesome, she tailored the tour to what we wanted and was super knowledgable on the history of the city. We learned so much we didn't know in only 1.5 hours. Highly recommend Nicoletta as a tourguide!

Lu gave us a great tour of Venice. We met her on our first afternoon and the Kickstarter tour was fun, informative and really interesting. We weaved through streets and canals of Venice learning so much about its history and stories. it was a great introduction to Venice and a great way to understand more of this amazing city from day 1. Lu was good fun..like having a friend show us around. Highly recommend a tour with Lu.

We did the Venice highlight tour of 90 minutes. Valentina was very friendly and knows a lot of facts about the city and its history. Well recommended! Valentina was also flexible in starting time and place while our lunch was running late! Many thanks Valentina!

This site is an excellent service! Romy was wonderful and a delightful guide. Her knowledge of Venice and its history, food and places to see was thorough and exactly what we needed. She gave us a unique insight into the beauty of Venice and even helped us make a reservation for dinner. Grazie, Romy!

We had the pleasure of meeting Valentina this past weekend for a wonderful walking tour of Venice! Her love for her city is so apparent and we enjoyed each step we took with her! We learned so many important details that we would have never learned if we were just walking the streets as alone as tourists. We dashed around the side streets where there was little to no foot traffic and we truly felt like we were experiencing something special - and we were! Do yourself a favor - if you are going to Venice and you want the best tour guide in the city, please book with Valentina. And if you are really lucky (like we were), you may get to wave to her father from his balcony window when you pass by her childhood home! We can't wait to come back to this beautiful city very soon!

Valentina made Venice come alive, showing us her favourite spots and extending the trip to the next day when officials closed the 'Doge's Palace' without giving tour guides fair warning.So thoughtful was she that twice she picked us up from our Airbnb to go exploring the hidden charms of her youth.With Valentina our experience of Venice was more important than squeezing in 3 hours, and it was so that both my mum and I had found an old friend who we chatted with and lingered over the best coffee and eateries. I would highly recommend Valentina

Tour was great. Christina was very knowledgeable about the history and culture of Venice. Great English and prompt. Very nice!

Christina is the perfect tour guide ... she just knows everything about Venice and explains them so clearly and vividly that made the whole experience unforgettable! During the 2 hours of the tour the information and the hints were overwhelming. She gave us the real story of every spot of our tour and the history of Venice the simplest possible way. My teenager son and my 21-year old daughter both loved Christina and were so impressed with the tour, they just did not want to finish. Of course, the same applies for my wife and me who were so lucky to have Christina as our tour guide!

Romy was both knowledgeable and friendly. She answered all our questions ably and gave us a really good overview of beautiful Venice. She speaks extremely good English and is easy to understand. I would recommend her tour.\t

Valentina was a perfect guide for our group of 2 families with 4 teenagers. After booking with Valentina, she was quick to communicate with us and eager to make our experience what we wanted it to be. She showed us the back streets of Venice, avoiding the crowded, touristy areas. We experienced true local flavors with stops along with the way...Prosecco, gelato, spritzer, and pizza! She was so knowledgeable and easy to communicate with. She loves her native city and it shows! We can't recommend her enough!

We had a great introduction to Venice tour with Romy. She was very knowledgeable about the city and her Venetian heritage and pride shone through in her enthusiasm about her city. But even more importantly, she was flexible around our needs and was able to tailor the tour to our needs and to engage and entertain my 3 children - ages 13, 11 and 9 while still keeping the tour interesting for the adults. We would definitely recommend Romy if you go to Venice.

I booked a private tour with Lucrezia and I must say both Lucrezia and the tour she provided was one of the best I ever experienced. My husband and I have taken tours all over the world but this one we will remember for a lifetime. Lucrezia is so knowledgeable and so enthusiastic about her city and her culture it was contagious. She brought the history to life for us! And trust me when I say my husband put her knowledge to the test, he's a history buff and loves to learn, there was nothing she didn't know, she had photos and maps to help us visualize how Venice looked when it was being built. The history of Venice is absolutely fascinating, there was so much we didn't know but couldn't wait to hear more. She even had a few surprises for us along the way, taking the experience over the top. Lucrezia is so kind, she gave us her mobile number in case we needed any help or had any additional questions, she also provided a list of her favorite restaurants which we visited one and it was honestly one of the best meals we had during our entire 3 week trip of Italy. We made a friend with Lucrezia and I'm sincerely thankful I decided to book a tour with her. I highly recommend booking with Lucrezia and I look forward to the next time our paths cross.

Our tour guide Romy....Absolutely charming. Very informative. And we changed up the usual plan ... More talking and wandering. Romy is the type that you would love to listen to all day. A native Venetian. Her crystal blue eyes twinkled with home town pride!!!  Thanks for bringing the sunshine for our day in Venice too!! Missy from Sistiana/ US expat

Romy took 6 of us on a three hour tour and we were transfixed from start to finish. She is very knowledgeable but delivers the information in an accessible and memorable way with lots of stories and insights. She had a huge amount of energy and an infectious enthusiasm for her place of birth. She also knew the best places for ice cream and tiramisu! We would all highly recommend her.

Our trip to Venice was fantastic and Romy only added to the amazing experience. If you want to learn about the city, its history, the locals, the best places to visit or eat, then Romy is the right person. We learned so much! My only regret is that we only got to spend 2 hours with her. Thank you, Romy.

We travelled to Venice with our three kids (6/4/1 years old) and booked this tour with Lucrezia on our second day there. Although the tour was not centred around the kids, she was very good to them and they enjoyed their time with her. As for the adults, we certainly enjoyed her passion for her city's history and heritage which flowed naturally during our tour. We learnt bigger picture historical notes and lesser known facts which added a more local touch to the experience. She helped navigate the city with less bridges possible (difficult with full day walking with stroller) and was very patient with the usual delays that comes with small children. Lucrezia knew her history and could answer our questions easily. She was flexible to adapt her tour if needed. She also provided many local tips and recommendations. Overall, Lucrezia was very kind, knowledgeable and professional. I would recommend this tour for anyone wishing to learn about Venice's history. Thank you Lucrezia

Valentina was simply amazing from start to finish. She contacted us ahead of time to learn more about our family and tailored our tour to our needs and preferences. The tour through Venice was so interesting. We saw the typical sites but also many hidden gems and were able to even wave to Valentina's parents!! She is a true Venetian and proud of her city. Thanks to her, our remaining stay was also enriched as she gave us lots of additional tips where to go and eat, etc. We highly recommend Valentina as a guide. She is very kind, passionate and knowledgeable about her city and simply a great person. Thanks again Valentina!

Our family of four took the Essence of Venice Highlights tour with Valentina. I can't say enough great things about her. She is highly trained and knowledgeable in her field of tourism. She speaks four languages and studied tourism at university. She has supplemented this with ongoing continuous education, so her depth of knowledge is outstanding. But probably more importantly, she has grown up in Venice and is passionate about her city. She gave us wonderful insights into the city, including even showing us the house that she grew up! Valentina also went the extra mile to add additional elements to the tour that she knew our family would enjoy including a stop at a local restaurant for a break of prosecco and cicchetti (which she paid for) and a special booking of a rooftop view of the city. She also took photos of our family and emailed them to us after the tour. She is warm, energetic, and very good at what she does. She was our favorite tour guide in Italy!

Valentina was just the right local to show us Venice in a day! Born in and having lived her whole life in Venice, she knows the secret places, best places to eat, shop and visit. Hungry? No problem! Valentina takes us to an eatery known for its fried cheese and ham sandwiches; next, to her favorite chocolate shop, then top top off hunger with authentic gelato, at a Gelateria she has frequented since her childhood! Her tour through St Marc's Basilica was incredible. She is a veritable historian. She took her time, engaged our two children, aged 14 and 16 (not an easy task) and immersed us in Venetian life from the perspective of a true Venetian! Thank you Valentina for a most memorable stay in Venice!

Cristina was an absolute delight and had a seemingly infinite knowledge of anything and everything related to Venice, its artchitecture, its culture, its traditions and even its hidden culinary treats. My 13 year old daughter was very resistant to taking a guided tour but, afterwards, was full of praise. She's 13. She doesn't praise anything!

Lucrezia was a fantastic city guide in Venice and showed me places I have never found in a month time. Has a lot of the history knowledge and I asked a lot of questions about Italian tradition and customs during the day - and got answers on it all with a good portion of humor. The tour in the Sct. Marcus was first class - she told about all the scenery in the domes. Try it - you will never forget.

Such a wonderful tour with such an incredibly knowledgeable and fun guide. Highly recommend!!! You can't go wrong.

Cristina speaks both English and Spanish fluently and was able to switch from English to Spanish within a moment. She has an impressively broad historical knowledge as well as great Insider information and guided us through Venice for several hours. She also gave us several very great and helpful tips on how to explore Venice further. For us it was THE highlight in Venice and therefore we would also very much like to recommend Cristina. Especially if you are brand new to Venice and for a first introduction such a tour is really perfect!!! Muchas Gracias Cristina, la pasamos muy bien contigo!!! :)

We enjoyed every minute of our tour of Castello. Matteo excelled with his knowledge and love of his hometown. He designed the tour very individually and with surprises that you never expected. Breathtaking!!!! Grazie mille Matteo

We had a great tour with Alessandro in which we not only saw a lot but also learned a lot about the history and life in Venice. He adapted the tour to our liking and showed us in addition to the sightseeing spots various places where we could eat typical Venetian and away from the tourist crowds. Time flew by. We can absolutely recommend a tour with Alessandro!