Walks of Italy in Venice: a review of its St Mark's and Doge's Palace tours

Walks of Italy is one of the names you see most often when you look for a guided visit to San Marco. In Venice it mainly sells one thing: getting into St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace with a guide, without having to deal with named tickets and time slots yourself. There are also after-hours versions, a tour with a gondola ride, an island excursion and a bacaro crawl.

This review covers who is behind it, what it sells and at what price, how booking works, the cancellation rules (with a trap for Basilica tours) and how it compares with the official tickets. Prices are those published on the Walks of Italy website when this page was updated, and they can change.

Who Walks of Italy is

Walks of Italy is a tour operator that started in Rome. Its website says it all began with two guides at the Colosseum more than fifteen years ago, and it claims over a million guests. The page footer gives an address, Viale Giuseppe Mazzini 88, Rome, but no company form or VAT number. The brand belongs to a group that also sells tours in other European cities under the “Walks” name.

On its Venice page the company describes itself as an official partner of St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. That is its own claim: we found no public list of partners on the Procuratoria or Civic Museums websites. One detail does matter, though. The Procuratoria cancels, without refund, any Basilica tickets bought from non-accredited operators. A tour that genuinely takes you inside the Basilica, as these do, therefore has to go through the channels set up for guides and groups.

What it sells in Venice and at what price

Prices are “from” prices per person and include tickets and reservations, which Walks of Italy calls “all-inclusive”. Payment is by card only, online or by phone.

There are also private versions (for 1 to 6, 8 or 10 people depending on the tour), a Grand Canal motorboat tour for up to 8 people and some new additions, such as entry to the Doge’s Palace at 8am, an hour before it opens to the public. Private tour prices are not shown on the main page; you only see them once you pick a date.

How much you pay for the guide

Comparing with the official tickets shows what you are buying. For Legendary Venice you would need the St Mark’s Square Museums ticket (Doge’s Palace, €35, or €30 online at least 30 days ahead) and the Procuratoria’s Basilica + Museum ticket with the terrace (€20): €50–€55 in total. With Walks of Italy you pay €89, so the difference of about €35–€40 covers the guide, headsets and a reserved group entry time. At the Basilica there is a practical bonus: the official ticket is in your name, sold online only, and one account can buy a maximum of 5 tickets a year. The tour takes those hassles away.

For Alone in St. Mark’s the maths is different. The Procuratoria’s tariff sheet only offers evening visits of the lit Basilica to private groups with a guide, from €1,500 per group. For a couple, a shared tour like this is the only realistic way to see the Basilica almost empty.

On Tiqets you will find similar packages from other operators, such as the Doge’s Palace and Basilica guided tour at €96.50. Both sights have their own guides: Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica.

How booking works

You book on walksofitaly.com by choosing a date and time; the voucher arrives by email with directions and photos of the meeting point. Printing it is optional, as the guide has your name anyway. For Legendary Venice the meeting point is in St Mark’s Square. A guide or coordinator with a Walks sign waits there 15 minutes before departure.

Bring photo ID showing your date of birth. The Basilica requires covered shoulders and knees. At the Doge’s Palace, large backpacks go into the free bag check at the entrance. Group tours use headsets: in Venice they are compulsory for groups of more than 10, according to Confcommercio’s FAQ on the city rules.

Cancellation and changes

The general policy is simple, but in Venice almost everything falls under the exceptions:

• Group tours without the Basilica: full refund or credit up to 24 hours before; nothing after that.
• Tours with entry to St Mark’s Basilica: refundable only up to 3 days before, for any type of tour. This covers almost every Walks of Italy tour in Venice.
• Private tours and groups of 10 or more: refundable up to 7 days before.
• Date changes: free if requested more than 24 hours ahead, subject to availability and any price difference.
• Late arrivals and no-shows: groups leave on the dot and late arrivals are not refunded, even when a delayed flight or train is to blame.

Tours run in any weather, including acqua alta, unless the sites close.

Languages and support

The FAQ is clear: tours are in English only, with no mixed-language groups. If you need a guide who speaks Italian or another language, Walks of Italy is not for you. You can reach customer service through the website or by phone, including for last-minute bookings once the online calendar has closed sales.

What we like

• Access you can’t get on your own. The Basilica after closing, the Doge’s Palace an hour before opening, the secret itineraries: these are the real reasons to choose this operator.
• Clear pricing. Tickets included, no extras on the day.
• Well-run logistics. A precise meeting point, headsets, and a voucher with a map and photos.
• Well-written terms. The exceptions to the 24-hour rule are published and explained.

What to watch out for

• The 3-day rule. If you book a tour with the Basilica and your plans are uncertain, assume you will get nothing back in the last 3 days.
• “Small group” means up to 20 or 25. The FAQ talks about groups of around 12, but the Venice tour pages go up to 20, and to 25 on the short Venice in a Day departure.
• Itineraries can change. The tour pages warn that the route varies with the season and the day. The Basilica closes to visitors during services and on Sunday mornings: if your tour falls then, the visit may be dropped or changed.
• The gondola comparison is out of date. The tour pages say a gondola ride costs “around €80”, but the city’s daytime tariff is €90 per boat for 30 minutes. On these tours the gondola is shared, with up to five people per boat: details are in our gondola guide.
• Limited accessibility. Walks of Italy says it cannot accommodate wheelchairs on most group tours, and the Doge’s Palace secret itineraries are not accessible.

Who it’s for

It is a good choice if you are in Venice for a few days, speak good English and want to see the Basilica and Doge’s Palace with someone explaining them, without worrying about named tickets and time slots. The after-hours tours make most sense if you have already seen the Basilica full of people and want to experience it differently. It is not a good fit if you are on a tight budget, need a guide in another language or have uncertain dates.

Alternatives

• Official tickets and a visit on your own. The cheapest option: instructions are in our Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica guides.
• City Wonders. Similar tours with groups of up to 25 and free cancellation up to 24 hours before, even for tours with the Basilica.
• LivTours. Semi-private groups of no more than 6, at higher prices.
• All operators. Our operators catalogue compares guides, platforms and official channels.

Verdict

Walks of Italy delivers what it promises: well-organised guided visits to the Basilica and Doge’s Palace, with some special access you could not arrange yourself. You pay roughly €35–€40 more than the official tickets for the guide and logistics, and a lot more for the after-hours visits. Before booking, though, weigh up two limits: tours are in English only, and tours with the Basilica cannot be refunded in the last 3 days.

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