Private Walk, Local Expert

Private Walk, Local Expert, 24 hours, rated 5 across 145 traveller reviews.

Overview

This is a private walking tour built around the four mosaic monuments that made Ravenna famous: Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Basilica of San Vitale, and the Battistero Neoniano. One guide, booked just for your party, walks you between them on foot and explains the mosaics, their symbolism, and the history behind them. The tour runs about three hours, and it also takes place in rain.

The route itself is short. After starting at one of the available meeting points, you visit Sant'Apollinare Nuovo with its procession of the Magi along the nave, walk about fifteen minutes to Galla Placidia and its deep blue ceilings, then cross to San Vitale, where the mosaics of Justinian and Theodora fill the apse. The Battistero Neoniano, with its ceiling mosaic of the baptism of Christ, is a five minute walk further and closes the loop.

Admission tickets cost 12,50 euro per person and are not included; the guide helps with buying them on the day. Travellers with some background in art history or classics say the guide goes deep on materials, methods, and iconography, while those arriving with no prior knowledge say the same explanations fill in every gap. One reviewer even reported being taken through the archiepiscopal chapel when time allowed at the end.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meeting pointThe starting location depends on the option selected; check the booking page for details before you go.
2. Basilica of Sant'Apollinare NuovoA guided visit to the former Palatine Chapel, with mosaic panels of biblical scenes along the nave and the Procession of the Magi.
3. Walk, 15 minutesOn foot to the next monument.
4. Mausoleum of Galla PlacidiaA guided visit inside this UNESCO World Heritage Site, with fifth century mosaics including the Good Shepherd.
5. Walk, 5 minutesOn foot to the Basilica of San Vitale.
6. Basilica of San VitaleA guided visit to the octagonal Byzantine basilica and its apse mosaics of Justinian and Theodora.
7. Walk, 5 minutesOn foot to the baptistery.
8. Baptistery of NeonA guided visit of about 20 minutes, with the ceiling mosaic of the baptism of Christ. The tour finishes at a point that depends on the selected option.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points will help you get the most out of the three hours.

• Buy tickets on the day. Admission of 12,50 euro per person is not included. The guide assists with the purchase, so budget for it separately from the tour price.
• Ask questions. Several travellers said the guide answered everything they asked, from mosaic techniques to dates and iconography. A private format leaves room for this, unlike a large group visit.
• Set your own pace. One reviewer said the guide let the group set the pace, and another mentioned being given time to take pictures. It is worth raising any preferences with the guide directly.
• Dress for the weather. The tour runs in rain as well as fine weather, so bring a layer or umbrella depending on the forecast.
• Short walks only. The longest stretch on foot is the fifteen minutes between Sant'Apollinare Nuovo and Galla Placidia; the other transfers are five minutes each. Reasonable shoes are enough.
• Good for day trips. One reviewer called it perfect for a day trip, covering the four key sites in a single walk with a guide.

Common issues. The entry fee of 12,50 euro per person is separate from the tour price. There is no pickup or hotel meeting; you make your own way to the starting point, which itself varies by option, so the meeting details need checking on the booking page. The tour goes ahead in rain.

Common Questions