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Venice Doge's Palace & St Mark's Basilica guided Tour: Detailed exploration of iconic landmarks
4.4
136 Ratings
Venezia
Experience the grandeur of Venice’s iconic landmarks on a guided tour of the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica. Explore the rich history and stunning architecture of these historic sites.
Duration:
2 hours, 15 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Piazza San Marco - Your guide will provide you with a wealth of information regarding Saint Mark’s Square and then accompany you on a detailed tour of the Golden Basilica from Saint Mark’s square, once the private chapel of the Doge of Venice, the only one of its kind in Italy, thanks to the sumptuous golden mosaics and impressive marble inlay flooring.
- Basilica di San Marco - During the tour you will be able absorb the atmosphere whilst listening to your guide who will describe the biblical scenes represented throughout the building, together with history and particularities of this ancient Basilica.
Visit Saint Mark’s Basilica first floor museum and see the famous horses and admire Saint Mark’s Square from the Basilica’s terrace.
- Doge’s Palace - Continue your tour and skip the line inside the Doge’s palace. Once inside the Palace, you will visit the halls where the Duke (Doge) and his Council controlled the fate of the Serene Republic, whilst surrounded by hundreds of artistic masterpieces and discover the political history of Venice and its people. You will be able to admire the paintings realised by some of the most important artists of the Italian Renaissance, amongst them, the world’s largest oil painting by Tintoretto.
- Ponte dei Sospiri - Passing through the famous Bridge of Sighs, you will reach the new prisons. The bridge was given its name by the English poet Lord Byron, probably referring to the last breath of the prisoners, who had their last view of the lagoon and of Venice from the window of this bridge, before they were to be imprisoned.
- Museo Correr - At the end of the tour, keep your Doge’s Palace ticket to visit on your own: Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale and Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Saint Mark’s square, opposite side of the Saint Mark’s Basilica.
What's Included
- Personal audio system and headset for tour commentary
- Multilingual tour provided in: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian
- Entrance fees
- Saint Mark’s Basilica first floor museum and the terrace
- Guided tour of Doges Palace, Saint Marks Basilica and Saint Marks square
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Pala d’oro (€ 5,00)
Additional Information
Combined journey to the Saint Marks Basilica and the Doge’s Palace:
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Our expert guide will share interesting insights about Saint Mark’s Square and then guide you on an in-depth exploration of the Golden Basilica, formerly the personal chapel of the Doge of Venice. You’ll be able to marvel at the golden mosaics and stunning marble inlay floors.
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The second part of your journey will take you to the Doge’s Palace, accompanied by our guide. Inside, you will get to experience the grand halls where the Duke (Doge) and his Council decided the destiny of the Serene Republic. You will appreciate the artwork made by some of the most renowned artists of the Italian Renaissance, including the world’s largest oil painting by Tintoretto. After crossing the famous Bridge of Sighs, you will enter the new prisons.
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
- Back packs are not allowed inside the Basilica and the Doges Palace
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
Location
TU.RI.VE. Meeting Point
Calle larga de l'Ascension
15 min before in Calle larga de l’Ascension - 30124 next to the post office San Marco (opposite side of the Saint Marks Basilica).
Look for the yellow sign "Meeting point" on the wooden kiosk and the Turive assistant.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.4
(136 Ratings)
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Ryan_p
Jul 26, 2024
Excellent tour!!! - This was an amazing tour. Our tour guide (I cannot remember his name, but he was an older gentleman) was great. Very patient and very knowledgeable.
Review provided by Viator
Juan_s
Jul 25, 2024
Great experience - The guide was very informative and her Spanish was excellent…we did not have any trouble understanding her and the audio/headphone worked very well…
Review provided by Viator
Johannes618
Jul 14, 2024
Recommended! - Christina is very knowledgeable and professional. She points out things you don't. We also got recommendations for other Things to do. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tom
Jul 8, 2024
Great tour guide who kept our time in track but tour start point hard to fine - Our guide spoke clearly and she was good at keeping our tour on pace as other tour groups were blocking everyone. We appreciate her ability to get our tour done by 5pm and still see everything we wanted to see. The only negative is the tour meeting point was hard to find as the sign we were seeking face north but the direction by google map tell us to come from the south. Would be helpful to have the tour guide wear bright colour tshirt or bear a flag so we can tell the tour groups from other groups at the start. Other than the difficulty finding the group, the guide was good
Review provided by Viator
Leigh_f
Jun 25, 2024
Informative and full tour - The guide was very knowledgeable of the history of Venice, the palace, and St. Marks. The tour included a headset so you could easily hear the guide, a tour of the Doge's Palace, fast pass to St. Mark's, and even access to the much-coveted St Mark's terrace. There was also another museum you could do on your own. She was obviously very proud of her Venetian heritage and took great pleasure in sharing the stories with us. It was a joy to tour.
Review provided by Viator
David_n
Jul 18, 2024
Knowledgeable - We absolutely enjoyed our tours of the Basilica and Doge's Palace. Our initial guide became I'll, and her replacement had exceptional knowledge of the climate and history of early Venice. However, she was a bit long winded, leading to fellow tourists leaving the group because the tour was over 3 hours long. We enjoyed ourselves, though.
Review provided by Viator
Mark_a
Jun 30, 2024
This tour gives knowledge you wouldn't know otherwise. - We learned a lot of history about the Doge's and early life in Venice. Having the opportunity to see the inside of Doge's Palace and walk the bridge of Sighs was an experience to remember. Our tour guide had perfect English and knew her stuff. We loved going into St. Mark's and seeing the lighting of the Basilica at 11:30 to see the shimmer of the gold mosaics. More time in the Basilica to experience the Tomb of St. Mark would have made this tour a 5 star. That being said, we enjoyed the experience.
Review provided by Viator
Maryanne_d
Jul 25, 2024
Average - Enjoyed the palace & basilica but our tour guide not so great. Older, Italian lady that really talked so much. Somehow I think things could have been shortened & not taken so long. We had to rush off to make another tour we had scheduled as she ran over.
Review provided by Viator
Jennifer_w
Jul 6, 2024
Terrible - Unfortunately the tour guide's accent was very strong and we could not understand him 90% of the time. This was a waste of money. Save money and buy your own skip the line tickets and use the audio guide instead. We learned nothing new from the guide and paid a ton for this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Brenda_j
Jul 2, 2024
Disappointing and over priced for what it is. - A little disappointed with the tour and it is definitely not good value for money. The guide didn’t have any personality and may as well have read off a card. I would recommend doing your own tour with audio head sets at your own pace.
Review provided by Viator
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