2 Venice Tours You Must Do – Venice City Tours

2 Memorable Venice Tours of a Lifetime

Travelling is the one thing that I love to do the most, and while my mother is getting older, I enjoy taking her with me whenever possible. When I began to plan my next trip to Venice, I decided that this would be a vacation that my mother would enjoy immensely. After all, the elderly are well-respected and treated like family all over Italy, so I knew she would receive special care and attention from everyone she met.

Venice is a city like no other on earth. A city joined by 118 islets, low lying bridges and meandering canals. Its unsurpassed beauty and rich history remains a magnet for art and culture. Everyone should experience this spectacular cosmopolitan destination at least once. Here’s two things you must do in Venice with Venice Tours.

Venice City Tours

During the planning stages of my trip, I discovered two memory building tours in Venice that I knew my mother and I would love! The first was a charming Gondola Tour with a stop at both St. Mark’s Basilica and Piazza San Marco. The second, a Venice Carnival Mask Tour with a master artisan who would educate us on the history of masks and the ancient tradition of mask making.

Both tours in Venice were on the same day with the gondola tour being first and the carnival mask tour beginning four hours later. I was a little worried about booking two tours on the same day at first, but that few hours in between was perfect for getting some rest and relaxation. It allowed us both to get a bite to eat and ensured my mother didn’t overdo it on the first day of our trip to Venice.

Venice Gondola Ride Tour

Venice Grand Canal Gondola Tour includes a ride along the grand canals, as well as a tour of St. Mark’s Basilica and Piazza San Marco. Your Venice Gondola Tour will have you seeing Venice from a new perspective, and the city streets and buildings look extraordinary from the water. From the moment you climb on board the gondola and start floating along the water, you will find yourself being slowly whisked underneath numerous bridges and seeing areas that are tucked away and hidden from the general public.

Best Venice Sights

A few sights that you will see as you enjoy your charming gondola ride include the Mozart House, La Fenice Theatre, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Museum, Salute Church, Punta della Dogana, and Doges Palace. When you are nearby all these attractions, you can listen to the information on each one, via an app which you can download to your smartphone beforehand. The Mozart House is where Mozart stayed when he was in Venice with his father for a couple of months in 1771, while La Fenice Theatre is where you can watch performances of the symphony, opera, and ballet.

As soon as your audio guide begins to share all the unique works that Peggy Guggenheim collected over the years, you will realise that this museum must be on your must-see list when you arrive back on dry land. There is more than one church in Venice, and while you may have your heart set on seeing St. Mark’s Salute Church will also pique your attention as you pass it by.

Punta della Dogana is another museum that will probably make your list of places to explore, as will Doges Palace once you realize it is close to your final destination on your Venice gondola ride. The palace is now a museum and a great place to see the history of the city firsthand.

Everything that you learn about these attractions during your Venice Gondola Tour will make you want to explore them all in-depth later during your trip, so try to make a mental list of which ones you want to see the most afterwards.

St. Mark’s Basilica | Piazza San Marco

The last attractions that you will see is inside St. Mark’s Basilica. Your Venice Gondola ride includes your St. Mark’s Basilica ticket, and you won’t need a separate ticket to see Piazza San Marco that surrounds it.

During your Venice tour of St. Mark’s Basilica, your informative guide will show you more than forty-three thousand square feet of gold mosaics and explain the rest of the intricate details displayed inside. The mosaic art throughout this basilica is a unique blend of Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic, and they work seamlessly with each other to create the masterpiece that will be in front of your eyes. Make sure that you focus on The Pala d’oro with all the gems and precious stones, as well as all the religious art that can be found inside the Treasury.

Afterwards, outside in Piazza San Marco, you can wander through the shops and even stop by one of the many Venetian restaurants for a bite to eat or indulge in the best gelato in Venice. Since some of your time will be spent riding in the gondola, you will not get as tired as you could on other Venice tours. The seniors in your life will be okay as well because they will get plenty of rest as they ride to St. Mark’s Basilica. They can then wander throughout the basilica easily without being too worn out.

Carnival Mask Making Class in Venice

Before you know it, you will be ready for your next tour in Venice. You can make your next family vacation to Venice a truly unique experience by banding together to learn a new skill. Taking the Venice Carnival Mask Tour is the perfect mother and daughter experience and an excellent photo opportunity you will treasure.

Carnival of Venice History 

The Carnival of Venice first began way back in 1094 and lasted from December until the day before Ash Wednesday for many years. By the 18^th century, the Venice Carnival was held for six months each year, but then the entire celebration was banned for two hundred years. Venice Carnival was brought back to life in 1979 by a group of Venetian artisans and local government. This family-friendly event has continued ever since. Today over 3 million people are attracted to the floating city to admire the stunning period costumes, creative masks and to be part of the electrifying atmosphere that surrounds the two-week celebrations.

Best Time to Visit Venice

There is no other country that celebrates a carnival quite like Venice. It’s a celebration that everyone must experience at least once in a lifetime. Venice Carnival 2020 could be considered a milestone event in this part of the world, due to the history from the earliest one to today.

This annual event currently begins two weeks before Ash Wednesday and then ends with the Christian celebration of Lent, forty days before Easter. It is well-known for the elaborate masks that are created by those who participate. Venetian Carnival masks are mainly worn by those attending masquerade balls and parties as an accessory to extravagant costumes. The entire two-week event is full of parades, masquerade balls, re-enactments, parties, and much more. This all in one enchanting and spellbinding program is rich in tradition, culture, entertainment and loved by locals and tourists alike. Once you add in the theatre performances, live music, and comedy shows, your days in Venice may never seem to end.

Creative Arts

A mother and daughter arts workshop is a beautiful way to spend time together in a valuable and creative way. Travel is about building memories to cherish and what a way to do just that by taking a tour of Venice with someone you love.

During your tour, you will have the opportunity to create your own Venetian Carnival mask. At the beginning of your Carnival Mask Tour, you will meet Giorgio or his son Nicholo, expert master mask makers. You will then learn everything you need to know about the traditional art of making Venetian Carnival masks, as well as the history behind them. Giorgio and Nicholo will teach you step by step, how to paint and decorate your mask.

Mask Making Tours

There are two different mask courses to choose from. The mask decoration course will allow you to choose a mask from a readily available selection. Once you have selected the mask that you love the most, you can paint and decorate it as you wish. It will take some time and patience to do this, but you will find this experience therapeutic. Giorgio and Nicholo add the finishing touches to your masterpiece that they have gathered over their 35 years of mask making and decorating. When your mask is finished, you can take your mask home to treasure.

If you choose the other course, the mask production course, you will need to make your mask before you can paint and decorate it. That also means that you must let your mask dry completely before you can take it with you. The drying process usually takes six hours, so you will need to return to the workshop to pick up your mask at another time.

Venice Carnival 2020 | Mask Carnival Venice

By the end of this tour, you will have a fabulous mask to wear to Venice Carnival 2020, although you will need to wait until February to use it. The dates for Venice Carnival 2020 are February 8^th through February 25^th. While you can attend the Venice Carnival at any time, many people have said that the last week is the best. That is the week that includes Fat Thursday, which is one of the best days of the entire celebration.

The Venice Carnival Mask Tour is one of the few tours you can combine with another in Venice on the same day. Most of this tour will be done sitting, which is perfect for those who are older, or those who cannot do a lot of walking. This is the perfect ending to a day in Venice, and you will have your own handmade Venetian mask to keep as a souvenir of your visit.

Mother & Daughter Vacation Ideas | Time is Precious Waste it Wisely!

If you are planning a trip to Venice at any time in the future, these two tours in Venice are ideal for capturing beautiful photographs together. I was so happy that I discovered them during my research because I know that they will be my mother’s favourite memories of our trip to this extraordinary floating city.

Taking holiday pictures captures more than just beautiful memories. As my family’s designated memory keeper, seeing my family through the lens has given me an invaluable perspective. I’ve learned to appreciate my life and those I love. My photographs offer me a gentle reminder to enjoy life’s simple pleasures and that we are not here forever.  “Happiness is Mother and Daughter time.”