Piazza San Marco
Doge’s Palace
Il Redentore
Church of San Sebastiano
San Zaccaria
St Mark’s Basilica
Doge’s Palace at dusk
Santa Maria delle Salute
Venice
Rialto bridge
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
Venice
Grand Canal
Stunning churches with art in its original setting
The wonderful Accademia art gallery
Palladio’s masterpiece, Il Redentore
Exclusive evening inside St Mark’s Basilica
Magnificent Palazzo Ducale
Beneath golden domes and marble arcades, Venice brims with centuries of artistry, ambition and devotion. Drift through the quiet beauty of early summer as the city’s churches, islands and historic buildings reveal their timeless spirit. Wander Piazza San Marco in soft morning light, explore the Doge’s Palace and experience an exclusive evening inside St Mark’s Basilica. From the masterpieces of the Accademia to Palladio’s island churches, uncover the power of faith, trade and beauty woven through every stone.
The power and prosperity of the Republic and its political institutions had a direct influence on the development of the Venetian School, and it is these links, and the Venetian Republic's rich artistic heritage, that you will explore on this wonderful tour with art historian Dr Peter Higginson.
Available Departures |
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| 03 - June - 2026 | £ 3325.00 | Travel Info Book Now |
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Provisional Timings London Heathrow Departing: 03rd June 2026 at 10:30 Returning: 08th June 2026 at 16:35 |
Day 1: London to Venice
Fly from London Heathrow to Venice and transfer by coach and people mover to Piazzale Roma and onwards the short distance (approx. 200 metres) on foot to check-in at the hotel. Welcome reception, dinner with wine and evening lecture: 'Venezianita: the uniqueness of Venetian culture and its tradition'.
Day 2: Piazza San Marco complex
In the morning we tour of Piazza San Marco area and the Piazzetta (ceremonial gateway to Venice), and in the afternoon we will visit to the Doge’s Palace and the Museo di San Marco with its famous gilt bronze horses. We will be able to view the interior of the church on a special evening visit on Day 4. Dinner with wine and evening lecture 'Art and the Venetian state: the scuole (charitable confraternities) and their role in Venetian culture'.
Day 3: Santa Maria della Salute, Accademia and the Arsenale area
This morning visit the Accademia – the main gallery of Venetian art, followed by Longhena’s extravagant Baroque church Santa Maria della Salute. In the afternoon we take the vaporetto to the Arsenale, the famous collection of shipyards that served the prowess of the Serenissima’s naval power. Followed with visit to the scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, and the convent church of San Zaccaria and Bellini’s famous altarpiece.
Day 4: Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, island of San Giorgio Maggiore
The first visit of the day is the Franciscan church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, including Titian's magnificent Assumption of the Virgin, and Pesaro's Madonna. Then it's off to the Scuola Grande di San Rocco to view the superb Tintoretto decorative schemes. In the afternoon visit the church of San Sebastiano with its important collection of works by Paolo Veronese – he is also buried there. Then head to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore to visit Palladio's church of 1559-80 and along the Guidecca to visit Palladio's masterpiece, Il Redentore.
In the early evening we will make a special visit to the basilica of San Marco where we have the whole interior of church virtually to ourselves, with full illumination of the mosaics; and access to various chapels, the main elements of the high altar, and the crypt.
DAY 5: the islands of Torcello, Burano and the Isola di San Francesco del Deserto
A morning on Torcello to see the fine Byzantine Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta with its marvellous mosaics. There will be time for lunch and sightseeing on the island of Burano, with its famous history of lace production before taking a private boat in the afternoon to visit the charming, peaceful Isola di San Francesco del Deserto where St Francis landed in 1220 on his return from the Holy Land setting up a community for his fellow friars.
Day 6: Ca’ D’Oro and the Canareggio district
In the morning we explore the Canareggio sestiere (district) to visit the Ca’ d’Oro, long considered as the best-surviving domestic building in the Venetian Gothic, with its Galleria Franchetti painting collection. Then we walk into the less explored parts of the sestiere to look at the overwhelming baroque interior of I Gesuiti, and the church of the Madonna del Orto, ending our morning at the historic Jewish ghetto.
Later in the afternoon we make our transfer to Venice airport for the return flight to London Heathrow.
NB: Exact order of excursions may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion.
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 25 passengers.
Tour Grading: This tour has been graded as demanding due to the time spent on foot walking between and around attractions, and lots of standing for viewing. The days will be fairly strenuous with some early starts. Walking tours will involve steps, and some cobbled or uneven paths and streets. Please visit the mobility page on our website for further information, or call our team with any questions prior to making a booking.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
Hotel Pesaro Palace
Hotel Pesaro Palace is a beautiful four-star hotel which maintains the characteristics of the ancient residences of Venice with elegant furnishings. A highlight is the tranquil private garden—a rare and peaceful retreat. Perfectly positioned on the northern curve of the Grand Canal, the hotel offers easy access to Venice’s cultural landmarks, just a 10-minute stroll from the Rialto Bridge and 15 minutes from St Mark’s Square. Its location, comfort, and historic ambience make it an ideal base for our tour.
YOUR LECTURER
Dr Peter Higginson
Dr. Peter Higginson is a free-lance lecturer at a number of London institutes. He specialises in the art and culture of early modern Europe, and the Modern period. His publications include works on art and soceity in 17th century Baroque Rome, as well as the patronage of Caravaggio. Peter has taught numerous university courses abroad in Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, Madrid and Barcelona, and also has wide experience in leading cultural tours to different parts of Europe and the world, which at present include directing programmes in Rome, and the surrounding province of Lazio, Venice, Florence and Cuba.
We love to receive feedback from our customers. Their views help us to keep improving the ours we offer. If you have been on this tour and would like to submit a review, please log in to our client area here and fill in the short form.
A most enjoyable break. A day longer would have been perfect!
Review by Hitchens who travelled 18-February-2019
Great tour
Review by Anonymous who travelled 18-February-2019
Very knowledgeable tour manager. I definitely learned a lot about Venetian art and culture. However, the important visits were crammed into two days. No time for a more leisurely appreciation of the atmosphere, There should be at least one extra day for this trip.
Review by Bull who travelled 18-February-2019
Despite freezing conditions covering most of the Continent our schedule went according to plan with excellent guidance from our tour leader. The disadvantage of visiting Venice in February was the advantage of limited crowds of visitors. The Hotel was good but expensive for additional requirements such as a meal on the eve of our departure (a run of the mill white wine was charged at 35 euro). Remarkably BA got us home to Gatwick on the scheduled departure date and time. This was my second time with Travel Editions and I would readily recommend the firm to others, adding however the proviso that to those outside the London area the additional costs of overnight accommodation at a London airport necessitated by early and late departures, going to and returning from the tour destination, are a significant financial disincentive, adding of course to the cost of travel from within Britain itself.
Review by Conti who travelled 26-February-2018
excellent tour .manager. busy but very worthwhile itinerary. well situated and comfortable hotel with good food. small group and very sociable
Review by Gow who travelled 26-February-2018
Fabulous trip, I thoroughly enjoyed it and agree with the comments in your brochure.
Review by Mrs Sue Fox who travelled 06-March-2017
The programme was packed and well thought out and Dr Peter Higginson was superb as our guide and lecturer. Venice is a very special place and I will remember it as a very special holiday.
Review by Mrs Ewa Sadowski who travelled 06-March-2017
I haven't done this kind of holiday before and was a bit worried about being "over-organised" but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Our guide Peter was excellent, very knowledgeable and a good communicator, and provided additional guided tours on top of those advertised. He certainly enabled me to enjoy Venice to the maximum and gave me confidence to enjoy exploring on my own in our free time. All in all a wonderful holiday. Many thanks to Peter and all the staff who did their bit to make it a success.
Review by Mrs Helen Handley who travelled 06-March-2017
Review by Mrs Elizabeth Jones who travelled 06-March-2017
Peter was outstanding. His enthusiasm and wonderful depth of knowledge made everything he shared with us memorable and fun. He was a kind and friendly host who was more than willing to provide help where needed, for example taking luggage over bridges
Review by Mr Alan Reynolds who travelled 06-March-2017
Review by Mrs Gillian Hughes who travelled 06-March-2017
A well thought out programme of visits. Our guide Peter was excellent.
Review by Mrs Rachel Godwin who travelled 29-February-2016
Dr Peter Higginson was an excellent tour manager, bringing clarity and illumination to a complex artistic and cultural history. He was considerate and responsive to the needs of the group and went far beyond the call of duty in terms of time and effort.
Review by Mr Denys Robinson who travelled 29-February-2016
For personal reasons, this was a significant trip for me and its success has given me much enjoyment and renewed confidence. I particularly appreciated Peter Higginson's expertise and dedication especially in adding to the advertised programme. One tiny gripe: I don't think I ever received a full version of the itinerary that some of the others had. But I might have missed in in the attachments.
Review by Mrs Lucy Wood who travelled 29-February-2016
I give hotel satisfactory but do not complain it was perfectly OK, meals not as good as one might hope. Peter worked so hard and his talks and information as on a previous trip with him, were excellent. Quite hard work without a separate admin/manager
Review by Miss Eileen Menzies who travelled 29-February-2016
Only dent in the 'package' was the hotel. It's position was good but the food was not good. Peter the tour manager made the whole experience interesting for me as the 'plus 1' partner with my wife having the major reason behind the trip. I would certainly recommend you and him to others in the future.
Review by Mr Steve Rayner who travelled 29-February-2016
Peter Higginson is an exceptional tour leader. His passion and his clarity, and his generosity in sharing his knowledge, is wonderful. He was willing to do far more than we expected, in every way, and I won't hesitate to do another Italian art tour with him. On a different level, I thought the flight was excellent, but the connections to bus and people-mover were less than optimal : too many changes and too far (over two bridges) to walk with luggage. Perhaps the Aliluguna boat might be preferable, besides being a wonderful arrival into this extraordinary city? The hotel was OK, but the first night's dinner was disappointing, and a different location, in a more truly Venetian spot and not overlooking the bus and train stations, would have been an improvement. But overall, this was an excellent experience, and I can't praise highly enough Peter's knowledge and his ability to instil an understanding of the Italian renaissance art and its context with us.
Review by Mrs Lyn Hoffman who travelled 29-February-2016
This was an excellent trip. Peter Higginson was excellent. He really cared for the group and provided an excellent experience for us. Hotel was well placed and the room at the side of the hotel was quiet. Excellent flights as they gave us the afternoon of the first day and most of the fourth day in the city.
Review by Miss Christine Fisher who travelled 23-February-2015
Would just wish to commend the professionalism, enthusiasm and expertise of Peter Higginson. He was the principal reason for choosing this tour following an exceptional experience with him in Florence last year. His knowledge of his subject is truly impressive, and he has the happy knack of being able to impart that knowledge both with clarity and a sense of enjoyment.
Review by Mrs Virginia Pollard who travelled 23-February-2015
Peter - excellent. The Italian guide - Tuesday pm -. was not. She obviously knew a great deal but did not seem to know how to make this digestible to her audience - as a result one just 'switches off'.
Review by Ms Norah Moss who travelled 23-February-2015
A well organised and enjoyable tour. Peter, the tour manager, was so enthusiastic, informative and helpful and the extra visit to Torcello was unbelievable. I will certainly be travelling with you again
Review by Mrs Valerie Jay who travelled 23-February-2015
Peter Higginson made this tour excellent. His knowledge is outstanding and he is a brilliant tour leader as well as guide.
Review by Mrs Josephine Down who travelled 23-February-2015
Peter was superb. Makes it all come alive. I would love to go on any other tour he manages.
Review by Mr Jeffrey Boswell who travelled 23-February-2015
Very enjoyable and informative
Review by Dr David Willits who travelled 23-February-2015
Excellent trip. Tour manager was superb - extremely knowledgeable and able to share that knowledge in an accessible way. Generous with his time - the optional visit to Torcello was wonderful. We would very much like to join similar trips with him in the future
Review by Mr Richard Aust who travelled 02-October-2014
Very enjoyable trip with knowledgeable guide who went out of his way to make everyone's holiday a success.
Review by Mr Peter Harney who travelled 02-October-2014
Peter Higginson was excellent. Gave us a a great understanding of Venice. Hotel staff were also very friendly and helpful. Great all round.
Review by Mr Thomas Preston who travelled 02-October-2014
Our tour manager Peter Higginson was excellent. He was most informative placing the subject in perspective. He provided a framework for understanding the history and politics and how this shaped the development of the art and architecture.
Review by Dr Michael Trenouth who travelled 02-October-2014
An excellent way to see Venice and learn so much about its art and history. Brilliant tour leader and very sociable group.
Review by Mrs Jane Hamilton who travelled 02-October-2014
Our tour manager was excellent very knowledgable and approachable. It was a fully packed programme. The hotel was fine and food good.
Review by Mrs Janet Gregory who travelled 10-February-2014
Dr Peter Higginson was an excellent guide and lecturer. I shall certainly look out for other tours by him
Review by Mrs Pamela Blackley who travelled 02-October-2014
I was delighted with everything about the tour especially the expertise and company of Peter Higginson. Can only suggest giving clients the option of one more night in Venice (many people stayed overnight in Gatwick on our return) plus a tour of Padua. I'm already planning my next trip with Travel Editions.
Review by Mrs Margaret Turner who travelled 02-October-2014
