LivTours in Venice: a review of its semi-private tours for 6

Plenty of Venice tours call themselves “small group” and then run to 20 or 25 people. LivTours sets a precise limit instead: no more than six participants on the tours it calls semi-private, including those inside St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. The rest of its range is private tours, from a rowing lesson to a day in the lagoon.

This review covers who is behind LivTours, what it sells in Venice and at what price, how much extra you pay for such a small group, and how booking, cancellation and credit work. Prices are those published on the LivTours website when this page was updated, and they can change.

Who LivTours is

LivTours is the new name of LivItaly Tours. According to its “about us” page, it was founded in Rome more than fifteen years ago by Angelo Carotenuto, a guide in the city, who was later joined by Kristin Karstensdotter, a logistics specialist. Today the company claims over 350 tours in Italy, Spain, France, England, Austria and Germany, and membership of GreenStep, a sustainable tourism certification programme.

The corporate structure is printed at the bottom of its pages. “LivTours” and “LivItaly Tours” are brands of Visit & Live LTD; the seller is LivItaly Tours LLC, registered in California. In Italy it operates through Agenzia Viaggi Visit & Live di A&K srls, Via Domenico Millelire 23, Rome, with an authorisation from the Province of Rome and travel-agency liability insurance. One note: the VAT number is printed with 10 digits, whereas Italian VAT numbers have 11. We could not verify it.

What it sells in Venice and at what price

LivTours has two formats. Semi-private tours have fixed times, a maximum of 6 people and run with at least 2 bookings. Private tours are just for your party, up to 15 people, at a time you choose. Prices include the tickets and transport in the itinerary.

Private options include a lagoon rowing lesson (1 h 20, €199), the Basilica with terrace (€279), the Doge’s Palace, the Peggy Guggenheim and a walk with the Basilica (€419 each), Murano with a glass demonstration and water taxi (€449), the Grand Canal by boat (€449), the islands (€899), Venice in a Day (€899) and a Dolomites day trip (€929). The top price is VIP Venice in a Day at €1,499.

What the small group costs

Comparing with other operators shows the price of those six places. Basilica with terrace and Doge’s Palace costs €159 with LivTours, while the Walks of Italy tour covering the same sights starts at €89, with groups of up to about 20. With official tickets (Doge’s Palace €35, or €30 online 30 days ahead, plus Basilica and Museum with terrace €20) you spend €50–€55 without a guide.

For the Basilica with terrace alone, the €99 semi-private price compares with €20 for the official Basilica + Museum ticket. The official ticket, however, is in your name, sold online only and gives a visit of about 20 minutes inside the Basilica along a fixed route. Evening visits are a separate case: the Procuratoria’s tariff only offers them to private groups with a guide, from €1,500 per group. The €139 for St Mark’s Basilica at Night is one share of a group of six.

For rowing, LivTours’ private lesson costs €199; Row Venice sells 80 minutes for €100 for two, booked directly.

How booking works

You book on livtours.com. For semi-private tours, online availability stays open until 3 hours before departure. Bookings that depend on an outside supplier stay “pending” for a few hours and your card is only charged once confirmed. The voucher arrives by email with a code starting LVO: the guide only needs your name and that number, so no printing. At the meeting point there is a guide holding a LivTours sign and, often, a greeter wearing the company’s logo.

Bring ID for everyone, children included, as many sites ask for it. The Basilica requires covered shoulders and knees. Children under 3 go free but must be listed if the tour includes tickets. Solo travellers can book a semi-private tour, but it only runs if at least 2 people have booked.

Cancellation and changes

• Up to 24 hours before: you can cancel or change for any reason. You get two options: a 100% refund to your original payment method, or a 110% credit that never expires.
• In the last 24 hours: no refunds or changes.
• Non-refundable rate: if you choose it at checkout, there are no refunds or changes under any circumstances.
• Non-refundable tickets: on private tours, add-ons and some semi-private tours, Doge’s Palace, secret itineraries and St Mark’s Basilica tickets cannot be refunded or changed. Read the terms on the specific tour page.
• Changes: by email only, quoting your LVO code.

Tours run in any weather; only boat tours are fully refunded if the captain decides it is unsafe to go out.

Languages and support

The Venice page does not state the languages tours are offered in. The FAQ suggests writing your preferred language in the notes at checkout: if it isn’t English, ask for confirmation before paying. Customer service answers email 24 hours a day and the phone every day from 8:00 to 22:00, Italian time.

What we like

• A six-person limit that is actually stated. Not a vague “small group”: the number is written down and guaranteed in the FAQ.
• 24-hour cancellation on most semi-private tours, with the option of a 110% credit. Do check on the tour page whether it is one of those with non-refundable tickets.
• Plenty of evening slots. The Basilica and Doge’s Palace by night are the strong point of the Venice range.
• Company details published. Company names, address and authorisation appear at the bottom of every page.

What to watch out for

• Price. The Basilica and Doge’s Palace cost €159, against €89 for a larger-group tour with the same entries: almost 80% more.
• Non-refundable tickets on private tours. On private tours with the Basilica or Doge’s Palace, the ticket part does not come back.
• Minimum of 2 people. A semi-private tour may not run if nobody else books.
• Languages not stated and a VAT number one digit short: points to clarify with the company.
• Accessibility. The FAQ recommends a private tour for anyone with accessibility needs, as routes and timings have to be tailored.

Who it’s for

LivTours suits people who want the Basilica and Doge’s Palace with a guide but can’t stand 20-person groups with headsets, couples and small families, and anyone who wants to see San Marco in the evening. For larger families or groups of friends, a private tour for up to 15 can work out cheaper per head. It is not the right choice on a tight budget: for that there are official tickets or larger-group tours.

Alternatives

• Walks of Italy. The same sights in groups of up to 20–25, from €89; watch out for the 3-day cancellation rule on tours with the Basilica.
• Context Travel. Expert-led visits, almost all private, paid in dollars.
• On your own. Our guides to St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace explain how to buy official tickets; things to do in Venice has more ideas.

Verdict

LivTours sells something clear and rare: groups of no more than six, with evening slots and some of the most flexible cancellation terms we have seen, including a 110% credit. The price is high, almost 80% more than a larger-group tour with the same entries, and on private tours the tickets are non-refundable. If hearing the guide without headsets and being able to ask questions matters to you, the difference is worth it. If price matters more, it isn’t.

Transparency: we have no commercial relationship with LivTours and earn no commission on its tours, which are booked on its own website. The button at the top opens another operator’s Basilica tour on Tiqets, where we earn a commission.