Your tour, your interests
A private Hidden History tour can be anywhere in central Venice, at any time of day, and concentrate on the topics which interest you.
I can meet you at your hotel in the morning, or at the restaurant where you’ve had lunch, or wherever it suits you in Venice, and we’ll walk around the city together, searching for messages from the past.
If you have any particular interests, we can concentrate more on those subjects.
A two-hour private tour is minimum €200 for the group, or €40/person. Longer tours are charged at €75, or €15/person, for each additional hour.
Payment is normally at the end of the tour. I accept most credit cards (Visa, Master, AmEx, etc.) and, of course, cash. Payment in advance is also possible, but not a requirement.
You can book by email to info@historywalksvenice.com.
Alternatively, you can browse the available times, and book your private tour directly in my calendar. You’ll get a confirmation email, and I will be notified immediately when you click the link in that email.
These articles are examples of some the topics we can discuss on a private tour:
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Prostitution in Venice
In ancient Venice prostitution was considered a necessary evil, where more harm would come from a ban than from a de facto acceptance
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The Venetian Lazzaretti
The lazzaretti in Venice were the Venetian republic’s response to the emergency of the plague, and an efficient response too.
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Le Arti che vanno per via (1753) — Gaetano Zompini
The “Arti che vanno per via nella città di Venezia”, by Gaetano Zompini, is a fantastic source for how people appeared on the streets of Venice in the mid-1700s.
What others said
This was a fantastic tour, our favourite so far!
This was a fantastic tour, one of our favourites with a detailed history of Venice. Rene was so well informed and responded to all of our questions. We loved it! Highly recommend!
Simply brilliant
Rene is fascinating, entertaining and very deeply knowledgeable. We have done two hours with him (the Lazzaretto Nuovo and around the Rialto market area) and strongly recommend.
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Rene was very knowledgeable and passionate about the rich history of Venice and beyond. He is a great storyteller and knows how to engage with audiences by sharing interesting facts. We would have enjoyed it more if we had a chance to walk around the city. Standing two hours in the heat was challenging.
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Attention, cette expérience n’est pas un tour dans Venise. C’est une conférence extrêmement recherchée, précise, fournie et très intéressante sur la grande Histoire et les petites histoires de Venise, à travers les prismes de la politique, la société, la sociologie. Nous sommes restés sur la même place et une rue à côté. Je m’attendais à une véritable balade avec anecdotes et Histoire, ce qui aurait été encore plus extraordinaire. C’était tout de même une expérience très enrichissante grâce à René qui n’a pas compté son temps et a su animer la matinée avec un système de questions réponses adaptées à son public.
Recommend to history buffs and people with curious minds
René was great – clearly very knowledgable and enthusiastic. Flexible with us and some of the difficulties we experienced (completely unrelated to René or the tour). Recommend to history buffs and people with curious minds.
A perfect start for a Venetian sojourn
We can’t stop thinking about the first morning of our 11-day stay in Venice. How lucky we were to discover an introduction to this unique place – “History Walks in Venice: Hidden History in Plain Sight” with René Seindal. We did not need to walk much. A simple turn around the campo illustrated centuries of history — political, economic, architectural, religious — over two hours. If you care to understand what you are seeing and why it’s there, beyond the standard tourist experience, don’t hestitate to book some time with René. Grazie mille!
Thanks for a great few hours! Learned so much 🙂
This was a lovely few hours! If you want to see the little things that make Venice fascinating and special, book this tour with René. While you don’t walk far, you journey deep into Venice’s past. I learned so much about the beginnings of Venice, it’s struggles (fires, crime, prostitution, nobility). René is a fantastic storyteller and history nerd (like me), so it was enjoyable for me. As a dog lover, he also brought along his adorable pup, which made the experience x10 better.
We had a blast! thank you
WOW, Rene is super knowledgeable and an amazing storyteller, historian and a scholar. He knew everything we asked and we had many questions:) he gave us a perspective on how Venicw became to be what it is today, debunked myths about Venice and showed us how to appreciate the architecture around us in Venice and to recognize ourselves the different periods and styles that surrounds us. IF you are a history lover like us, don’t hesitate to book this tour!