When traveling, it’s helpful to have guide books, but sometimes you just want a person to take you around and show you what’s great about the place you’re in.
My husband and I did a few days in Venice and Milan, Italy and took several kinds of guided tours. I will be reviewing them in the next series of blog posts.
Disclosure: The comments and opinions are my own and I will let you know if I received any discounts on the tours. No compensation was received for my reviews.
In Venice:
We took the Photography and Walking Tour by Alvise Zanus
a private certified tour guide who lives in Venice.
http://www.alviseveniceguide.com/tours.html
Why this tour:
I have been to Venice before so I didn’t want a tour that showed the popular sights. I am always interested in finding good places to photograph, so this tour seemed like a great option. Alvise promised places a little off the beaten path- the “back streets” of Venice. I also wanted to see the Scala Contarini del Bovolo (http://www.scalacontarinidelbovolo.com/) which had just reopened and he said we could definitely do that.
How I chose it:
Alvise had contacted me about his tour guide services, so we hired him for a 2-hour tour. We had several emails conversations to decide upon the day and time and my special request.
Cost: 130 Euro for 2 hours. I gave him a 20% tip at the end.
What was good about it:
Alvise is so passionate and knowledgeable about Venice that his enthusiasm is catching! He met us at our hotel and had an informative iPad presentation about Venice and its history. We went to churches and back streets and campos where we could see how Venetians go about their daily lives. He told us how he celebrates Carnevale and about some local traditions. The tour ended with the wonderful rooftop view from the new shopping mall in Venice, Il Fondaco dei Tedeschi. The roof deck is free, but if it is too crowded, there will be a line. I thought Alvise was very smart to make the reservation for us at the rooftop deck. He never made us feel rushed and even made sure to walk us back close to our hotel when the tour was over. He was great about stopping to let us photograph all we wanted and answering all of our questions.
