The road to Venice ends at Piazzala Roma. No automobiles of any kind are allowed within the city, including buses. So all your touring will take place either on foot or seated within a water taxi, water bus or gondola.
Tour companies based in the U.S., Europe and within the city itself provide guided walking excursions or tours that involve gliding on the canals in a boat. Certain tours, such as a serenaded gondola ride, are available last-minute, while others require advanced reservations. Some tours are even themed, including ghost walks, history tours and gastronomic explorations of local food and wine.
A gondola ride will set you back about 80 euros for 40 minutes. Group tours vary in price depending on length, but a two-hour walking tour is generally 20 to 50 euros. A one-way fare on a Venetian vaporetto (water bus) is only about 6 euros.
Venice is extremely small. It's possible to walk across the entire city in about an hour, and almost all of Venice's famous sights are within a 20-minute walk of St. Mark's Square. Guided tours will give you a good overview of the city, and you can go back and explore your favorite areas later.
