Civitatis in Venice: platform review, prices and conditions

Civitatis is a Spanish guided-tours and excursions platform, with its site in Spanish, Italian, English, French and Portuguese. In Venice it doesn’t compete on volume: it lists 51 activities, focused on what first-time visitors look for, namely the Doge’s Palace, St Mark’s, a gondola ride, Murano and Burano and a walking tour. We compared its prices with the official ones and with Tiqets, and read its conditions.

Disclosure. We have no commercial relationship with Civitatis and receive no commission on its sales. We earn only on bookings made through our links to Tiqets and GetYourGuide; the buttons on this page go to Tiqets. This site is not official and does not sell tickets.

Who Civitatis is

The company is Civitatis Tours S.L., based at Gran Vía 39 in Madrid, Spanish tax number B-86899440. Its founder is Alberto Gutiérrez; according to secondary sources the business started in 2008. Civitatis acts as an intermediary: it books activities, excursions, guided visits and transfers from local operators, who then deliver the service.

What it sells in Venice, and at what price

The Venice page listed 51 activities and stated an average score of 8.51 out of 10 from 65,614 verified reviews. Civitatis scores are out of ten, not stars: bear that in mind when comparing with other platforms. Here are the main products, with adult prices read on this page’s update date.

The picture is consistent: for entry tickets and the vaporetto Civitatis sells at the official price, for shared gondolas it is in line with Tiqets, for the Doge’s Palace guided visit it is slightly cheaper, while the islands trip and the Basilica + Doge’s Palace combo cost more.

For the Doge’s Palace, the usual advice applies: if you book more than a month ahead, the Civic Museums’ site sells it at €30. For the gondola, the City tariff is €90 for 30 minutes by day for the whole boat and up to 5 people: the €36–€42 shared ride makes sense if you travel alone or as a couple, the private ride if there are four or five of you. For Murano and Burano, Alilaguna’s Green Line costs €25, also calls at Torcello and leaves about 45 minutes on each island; platform trips usually add a furnace demonstration.

The €9.50 transport ticket matches ACTV’s 75-minute ticket; 1- to 7-day passes cost €25 to €65 on the official channel. Check on the listing which duration you are buying.

Civitatis also has a “free tour” category: walking tours where you pay no fixed price but tip the guide at the end. On its blog, Civitatis says people usually leave €10 to €20 each. According to Confcommercio’s FAQ, guided groups in Venice are capped at 25 people plus the guide, tip-based tours included.

How booking works

The conditions say all services are confirmed immediately and payment is taken at booking, by Visa or Mastercard or with PayPal. Prices include taxes and can be shown in several currencies, including euros, dollars and pounds. The voucher arrives in the confirmation email and in your personal area, with the meeting point and how to recognise the guide: several companies’ groups may gather in St Mark’s Square, so read it carefully.

Cancellations and refunds

Civitatis has no general rule. Each activity has its own cancellation policy, written in the description and repeated in the confirmation email. Among the Venice offers we saw, many show free cancellation; the listing for the plain Doge’s Palace ticket did not. If you don’t show up you lose the amount paid, and Civitatis takes no responsibility for travellers’ lateness, transfers included. Refund timings are not stated in the conditions.

Fees

The general conditions include no booking fee and prices shown include taxes. That is the same approach as GetYourGuide and Musement; Tiqets charges a fee on some orders and Headout provides for one at checkout.

Support and languages

Support runs through reservas@civitatis.com and a contact form, and is stated to be available 24/7. The site is available in Italian, English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. The Venice activities we saw on the English version were mostly in English; check the language on the listing before booking. If a complaint is not resolved, you can turn to the Spanish consumer authorities or the EU online dispute resolution platform.

What we like and what to watch

We like: no booking fee; the Doge’s Palace and ACTV ticket at the official price; shared gondola prices in line with the market; a short catalogue that is easy to compare; a site in Italian; scores based on verified reviews.

Watch out for: no general cancellation rule; no phone support in the conditions; the islands trip and the Basilica + Doge’s Palace combo cost more than other options; scores out of ten that don’t compare directly with stars.

Who it suits

Civitatis suits first-time visitors to Venice who want to book the classic experiences in one place, especially if they prefer a site in Italian or Spanish. If you plan ahead, you save by buying the Doge’s Palace and the Basilica from the official channels.

Alternatives

Musement, a Milan company in the TUI group, has a larger Venice catalogue and no fees. GetYourGuide has the widest choice of tours, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before as its default rule. The list of all sellers, from licensed guides to gondoliers, is on the operators page.

Verdict

Civitatis is a simple platform that is honest on price: no fees, Doge’s Palace and vaporetto tickets at the official price, shared gondolas at market prices. Its Venice catalogue is small and cancellation rules change from one activity to another, so read the listing before paying and compare the islands trip with Alilaguna’s Green Line.