Hello,

We have a short visit in Venice and want to make the most of our stay. We have booked a quaint apartment, which looks to be wonderful. We have our travel there settled, and now I'm considering booking a photography tour for a few hours. Has anyone booked one of these? If so, what company or tour guide did you use? What was your satisfaction rate of your experience-were you happy you chose to do this or would you have been better off just doing it on your own and spending the money elsewhere?

I have looked at tour-venice-italy.com and also avventure bellissime. Does anyone have any experience with either of these? Or is it better to hire a regular tour guide and just take pictures at this time?

Either way, I believe a guide is a good idea due to our short stay of 3 days. Do you agree or disagree with this thought?

I have also noted many websites where you can prebook gondola rides? Is this a good idea, or better to wait until we are there? I have read all about not taking the first offer, as while there, they will come down on their prices.

Maybe I am to the point of over thinking the whole trip!

If you have preference for photo guide or regular walking guide-please share the info! We do require an English speaking guide-regardless of the type of tour. I only know basic phrases-not enough for a good conversation.

Thank you and I anxiously await your advice and opinions & love learning from all of you!

****VENICE**** sorry, typo!

As I see it, the nature of Venice is such that a guide is unnecessary. A good book on Venice should suffice.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...14405643/show/

Michael-

Those are some great photos!! I hope I do as well as you did!

Contact Mike or Karen to discuss your wishes. They will give you an honest answer as to whether one of their tours would suit your needs. They are English speakers, and have lived in Venice for 3 years.

http://www.theveniceexperience.com/New_backstreets.html

Thank you Yvonne. I sent a message just to see what the cost will be. I'm still torn between guide/no guide.

I have hired a photographer in Paris twice and I can tell u it was the highlight of our trips.

The first time we did a half day, the second time we did a whole day, that was a little too much to take in. MY husband learned tons for her,I tagged along just to walk and sightsee. She took us places we would not have discovered on our own, I would think Venice has lots of undiscovered corners too, i know i'v been lost there many times...in a good way!

We have some wonderful pictures. She was knowledgeable about paris so we also learned a lot. It was the best of a walking tour/photo class/ getting to know a local person, I'd say do it!

Our woman charges 175E for half day and 250-300E for full day...just an FYI.

Susanna,

Thank you so much for your insight! That's just what I was wondering-was it worth it. Your experience sounds like what I imagined and am hopig to get out of it! Though I have been waiting for insight here, I have emailed a few companies, to include 2 Americans who now live there (thanks to Yvonne's suggestion).

The prices are a bit higher (based on what I've googled) than Paris-but can you really put a price on an experience in Venice!

Does anyone have any input on prebooking a gondola ride through avventure bellissime? Or any input on the company in general?

Thank you

I cannot imagine why you would need a guide to help you photograph Venice. Perhaps some other cities but in Venice just walk around and aim. Really, save your money. It's not like there are secret canals or anything that only an experience guide would know about. The joy and wonder of Venice is just to wander around and enjoy. I would think a guide would spoil that, not make it better. My (un-guided) Venice photos are here: http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/italy__venezia

I don't think thatyou need to pre-book a gondola ride. Easier to engage a gondolier when you want to go, and there are gondola stations all over Venice.

"Secret Venice" by Jonglez Publishing is worth a look - it will take you to parts of Venice that tourists don't frequent. For example, the indoor bowling alley, the community gardens, the canal under the church of San Stefano, a detailed explanation of the capitals of the columns around the doges palace, the survey mark in the Piazza that marke the centreline of the Basilica, queer things like that.

Isabel- Great photos! 2 of you have now provided wonderful shots of Venice. Amazing! I do hope I can capture the same!!

Peter-Thank you for the info on "Secret Venice", I will check it out. I am interested in San Stefano! I believe my mother would love community gardens. She's not much into looking at a bunch of structures, over and over while we venture through Europe. I find them more fascinating than she does. However, she has her own wonderful flowerbeds & flower gardens, so think that would be interesting for her.

I have concluded that the vast majority of our plans are settled and I'm still in full-blown planning mode, so just looking for "something" to plan! I guess it's time to sort out packing lists and just wait for the journey of a lifetime!

>>I cannot imagine why you would need a guide to help you photograph Venice. Perhaps some other cities but in Venice just walk around and aim<<

Noooooooo. What about compositions, proper lighting, etc.

I think where having a guide can help you is if you want to take pictures of the locals and don't speak Italian and/or aren't comfortable trying to talk to people before asking them if you can take their pictures. A guide can converse with the locals, put them at ease, and then ask them if it's ok for you to shoot. An expert photographic guide can also get you to that all important locations for dawn or dusk shoots, if those are important to you, or help you hire models wearing the traditional Venice mask and costumes, etc.

For the most part I think you'll be ok if you don't have a guide though. Good luck and have fun on your trip