Board your overnight flight and you're off to your exciting Golden Week in Venice! 
*Flights are not included in the price of this package.  We are happy to arrange them for you.

Benvenuta! You’ll be met by your private water taxi driver at the airport or train station for your first glorious ride on the Grand Canal, then land at your home for the week: Palazzo Sant’ Angelo. This luxurious boutique hotel is a classic Venetian-styled jewel box, set perfectly between the Rialto bridge and Piazza San Marco. You’ll have time to relax and explore its dreamy surroundings.
 
In the evening, we’ll gather at the Palazzo’s Grand Canal view bar to toast the Golden Week ahead. I’ll give you tips for your travel journal, so you can create a treasured souvenir of the week ahead. We’ll dine nearby, enjoying the first of many memorable meals, with wonderful Venetian flavors.

Meals Included: D

Wake up and smell the caffe.  Enjoy an abundant breakfast buffet in the palazzo’s cozy dining room…get used to this delightful beginning to all your Golden Days.

Today we’ll have a sensational experience of indulging in the culinary delights of Venice. We’ll begin at the Rialto Market—a bustling spot near the famous bridge that’s been The Venetian Shopping Center since 1097. Guided by a local chef, we’ll stroll fish stalls glistening with the lagoon’s catch-of the day, vibrant offerings of fruits and vegetables. Next we will have a private boat ride in the Venetian lagoon to the island of Lido, arriving at an elegant villa, where we’ll learn Venetian specialties, including risotto and the delicious dessert, sgroppino. Lunch in the villa’s garden, enjoying the fruits of our labors will follow.

We’ll return to the hotel by private boat transfer, and with Susan’s guidance, you’ll have the rest of the afternoon on your own to wander the canals, shop, and sight-see according to your desires, and have dinner on your own. Perhaps tonight, after that big delicious lunch, you’d like to discover the Venetian wine bar scene, where fabulous snacks=cicchetti are served along with wines from Veneto’s vineyards.

Meals Included: B, L

We’ll begin the day with a visit to the heart of Venice: Piazza San Marco, aka The Drawing Room of Europe—a spectacular expanse that will wow you with its architectural mix of Byzantine and Renaissance design. Our entertaining guide will bring Venetian history to life, as we admire the facades of such masterpieces as the Doges Palace, Clock Tower, and Basilica San Marco. We’ll take a break to settle in to the glamorous Florian cafe, (Italy’s oldest), be treated to an elevator ride to the top of the Campanile for amazing views, and skip-the-line to enter the Basilica, just when its stunning gilded mosaics are all lit up.

There will be time on your own for lunch and afternoon fun, followed by an exclusive backstage tour of La Fenice, one of the most famous opera houses in the world. We’ll hear the fascinating history of this venue, including stories of Diva Maria Callas, as we walk through dazzling halls, enjoy the view from the Royal Box, and end with an aperitivo in the Apollonian banquet room.

The evening is on your own to enjoy the pleasures of Venice.

Meals Included: B

Today we’ll cross the Grand Canal to explore a quieter side of Venice: the Dorsoduro. It’s an area that’s long been beloved by writers and artists, with impressive churches such as the Madonna della Salute, masterpiece-filled palazzos, and galleries. We’ll be guided through the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, a unique modern art museum that was once the home of amazing Peggy--one of the 20th century’s greatest bon vivants. There will be time for shopping artisan boutiques, with Susan’s guidance.

Lunch is on your own, with many delicious choices nearby the famous Accademia Bridge.

In the afternoon we’ll visit one of the most famous churches in Venice, the Gothic Santa Maria Glorioso dei Frari, with its stunning altarpiece of the Assumption, painted by Titian. Then we’ll slip into a nearby mask making workshop to learn first-hand about this beautiful Venetian tradition. Artisans will guide us as we paint our own masks, to bring home as souvenirs.

This evening, dinner is on your own, with Susan’s recommendations.

Meals Included: B

A private water taxi will arrive at our hotel to take us on a ride through the Venetian lagoon to beautiful Burano, aka The Island of Lacemakers. Women have been making lace here since the Renaissance, and the island is full of pretty shops to pick up unique souvenirs. At the Lace Museum, we’ll meet lovely signoras at work, following the craft tradition that’s been passed down to them through generations. Burano is also beloved by photographers and painters for its distinctive brightly painted houses. We’ll have time to shop, wander this paradise, and have lunch together at one of the island's classic restaurants.

Back in Venice, near sunset…how about a Gondola Ride on the Grand Canal? We’ll gather to indulge in this experience for the memory books, and then the evening is on your own to enjoy, with Susan’s guidance.

Meals Included: B, L

This is your day to immerse yourself in La Dolce Vita, and enjoy Venice according to your desires. There are many more masterpiece-filled palazzos, museums, churches, and artisan shops to enjoy. Or you may wish to visit the islands of Murano (famous for glassmaking) or Torcello, a quiet tiny treasure with amazing Byzantine mosaics in its Basilica. Susan will assist you, to custom plan your day.

Meals Included: B, D

Our driver will transport you to the Venice airport or train station, where you’ll depart with Golden Memories of our week together...

Meals Included: B