Walking Tours
Walks Inside Venice (tel: (041) 524 1706; www.walksinsidevenice.com) organises comprehensive English-speaking tours around the city. The company caters for small groups of up to 12 people and charges by the hour (most tours are three hours long). Sights visited depend on the tour taken and include the Bridge of Sighs, the Doge's Palace and the largely unspoilt Cannaregio District. Tours usually depart from the hotel in which the client stays or from St Mark's Square (although not necessarily). Other cultural, historic and artistic tours can also be booked at tourist information offices. The tourist office has an excellent range of free brochures outlining suggested walking routes.

Boat Tours
Venice Walks & Tours (tel: (041) 520 8616; www.tours-italy.com) offers a boat tour of the Grand Canal, although this may seem unnecessary, seeing as the local ferry network is the most efficient and cheapest way of getting out and about on the water. However, no local ferry will include a glass of sparkling wine while whisking its passengers down some lesser-known canals in a luxurious motor launch. The 70-minute tour departs daily with a minimum of five and a maximum of eight people per ride.