Private Top Sights Walk

Private Top Sights Walk, 24 hours, rated 4.9 across 23 traveller reviews.

Overview

A private guide meets you under the clock tower on Piazza del Popolo, and from there the walk builds around Ravenna's early Christian and Byzantine monuments. The core of the tour is a sequence of mosaic-covered sites: the Basilica of San Vitale, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Battistero Neoniano and the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo.

Between monuments, the route wanders the old town streets and pauses at Piazza del Popolo and the Dante area, known as the Area of Silence, where the exiled Florentine poet died in 1321. Guides frame the city's unusual history along the way: Ravenna served as capital of the Western Roman Empire, then of the Ostrogothic Kingdom, and later sat at the centre of the Byzantine Exarchate until the Lombard invasion of 751 AD.

Because the guide is dedicated to your party alone, the pace bends to your questions. Reviewers repeatedly describe the guides as knowledgeable, friendly and professional.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet at Piazza del PopoloGather with your guide under the clock tower at the fountain on Piazza del Popolo.
2. Basilica of San VitaleVisit and guided tour of the early Christian and Byzantine mosaics inside the basilica. Entrance ticket included.
3. Mausoleum of Galla PlacidiaGuided visit to the mausoleum and its mosaics. Entrance ticket included.
4. Baptistery of NeonGuided visit to the Battistero Neoniano. Entrance ticket included.
5. Basilica of Sant'Apollinare NuovoGuided visit to the basilica. Entrance ticket included.
6. Return to Piazza del PopoloThe walk finishes back at the fountain on Piazza del Popolo.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points help this walk go smoothly, from the pace to what the ticket does and does not cover.

• What's covered. Entry to San Vitale, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Battistero Neoniano and Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is included. Any other museum or venue you might want to visit afterwards is not, so budget separately for those.
• Pace and fitness. This is a walking tour through the old town with stops at each of the included monuments. One reviewer called it informative and highly recommended it, and the private format means you can slow down or ask questions as you go.
• Guide quality. Several reviewers praised their guides by name, highlighting clear explanations of the artworks across the different historical periods.
• Weather. The tour runs in rain. Only exceptionally heavy rain may force cancellation, in which case the listing promises a full refund.
• Getting there. Transport to the meeting point is not included. You make your own way to Piazza del Popolo and find the guide under the clock tower.
• Languages. The tour can be led in English, French, Italian, Spanish or German.

Common issues. The listing carries a 24-hour duration figure, but the guided walk itself runs about three hours. Entry only covers the named monuments, and anything else you want to see costs extra. There is no pickup or transport to the meeting point. The tour proceeds in rain and is only cancelled for exceptionally heavy rain, with a full refund in that case.

Common Questions