Private Walking Tour: Venice's Jewish Ghetto
Venice, Italy
Rating: 
Trip Type: Walking Tours
Duration: 3 hours
Dip into Venice’s long Jewish history on this 3-hour private walking tour of its former Jewish Ghetto. With a knowledgeable guide, explore this traditional, quiet district and learn how it was the world’s first Jewish ghetto, with its residents living under strict rules between the 16th and 19th centuries. Stroll around the main square with its high townhouses; visit three synagogues; see its haunting Holocaust memorials; and sample the delicious Jewish flatbread ‘pane azzimo’ as you uncover the area’s fascinating past. Enjoy full attention from your guide on this private tour.
More About This Activity All Walking Tours →
Dip into Venice’s long Jewish history on this 3-hour private walking tour of its former Jewish Ghetto. With a knowledgeable guide, explore this traditional, quiet district and learn how it was the world’s first Jewish ghetto, with its residents living under strict rules between the 16th and 19th centuries. Stroll around the main square with its high townhouses; visit three synagogues; see its haunting Holocaust memorials; and sample the delicious Jewish flatbread ‘pane azzimo’ as you uncover the area’s fascinating past. Enjoy full attention from your guide on this private tour.
Make your own way to the Cannaregio district of Venice to meet your guide. Then, start your private walking tour of this fascinating area, the world’s first Jewish Ghetto, where in 1516, Jews were forced to live. As this is a private tour, talk to your guide about any sights you want to see more or less of, so they can tailor the itinerary to suit you. Then, amble through the traditional and charming streets that many tourists never get to see.
Take in the main square with its ‘skyscraper’ houses — up to seven stories high — as you learn how they were built to save space in the ghetto, and listen as your guide explains the ghetto’s history and how it inspired William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.
Hear, too, how although very few of Venice’s current Jewish population still live here, the area remains a hub of Jewish life, with working synagogues, kosher food shops, a Jewish bakery and other traditional establishments.
Call at the bakery to taste some of its delicious, lace-like pane azzimo — a type of matzoh (Jewish flatbread) — and chat to the owner (if available) about local culture and culinary customs.
Then, visit three of the district’s five synagogues (own expense). The synagogues might change, but typically, expect to see the German Synagogue, Canton Synagogue and either the Spanish or Levantine Synagogue, all dating from the 16th century.
Work your way to the two Holocaust memorials by 20th-century sculptor Arbit Blatas. See his potent The Last Train, as well as the haunting bas-reliefs of his Monument to the Holocaust, as your guide explains what they depict.
Your tour ends in the Cannaregio district, leaving you free to continue exploring or return to your hotel independently.
Please note: The order of activities as described above may be subject to change on the day of your tour.
« Go Back