Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica Tour: Experience Venice's Famous Sites

Our excursion to Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica is ideal for travelers who only have short time in Venice but wish to fully experience the city. Within a few hours, we guide you through the city’s most renowned landmarks, featuring the Rialto Bridge and providing inside access to St, Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Piazza San Marco - There is so much to see and do in the incredible Floating City of Venice, so why should you spend your precious vacation time waiting in line? With Skip-the-Line Access to two of Venice’s unmissable sights, Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica, you can immerse yourself in Venetian history and maximize your time in Venice on this carefully curated tour.

  • Doge’s Palace - Once home to the Duke of Venice and the city’s courts, it is the center of Venetian history – and as one of the world’s oldest republics, that’s quite a history. We’ll explore all the best sights of the palace open to the public, from spectacular works produced on demand by artistic masters Tintoretto and Veronese, to the evidence of the genius checks and balances that made the republic so successful.
    With your guide on hand to lead you through the most important rooms, to explain magnificent frescoes and to tell you the tales behind every nook and cranny, your visit to the Doge’s Palace will be the perfect way to wrap up your tour through the history and culture of Venice.

  • Basilica di San Marco - Next we admire the heart of Venice – St. Mark’s Square, once pronounced the “finest drawing room in all of Europe” by Napoleon. With Skip the Line Access we’ll get straight inside St. Mark’s Basilica, saving precious vacation time that would otherwise have been wasted in line. Marvel at the diversity of Venetian culture, where eastern architecture and western design have blended to create a structure with an onion dome, before following your guide through the beautiful frescoes inside the basilica.

After the tour, at your own expense, you can also get the chance to climb up to the first floor terraces, which offer beautiful views over the piazza, photo opportunities and some down time to soak up everything you have learned on your tour.

What's Included
  • Skip the Line Access to St. Mark’s Basilica
  • Skip the line Access and entrance ticket to the Doge’s Palace
  • Audio headsets when appropriate, so you can always hear your guide
  • Expert, English-speaking tour guide
  • Groups of 20 people or less
What's Not Included
  • Food/Beverage
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Additional Information
  • Please note that the itinerary for our tours may differ from the advertised order of destinations. We assure you that any changes made to the tour itinerary are carefully planned and intended to enhance your overall experience.
  • We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any impairments requiring special assistance. We are also unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages on our group tours.
  • 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
Doge's Palace
Piazza San Marco
This tour ends inside Doges' Palace.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(1218 Ratings)
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Bob_e
Aug 30, 2024
Don’t miss!! - We had a fabulous tour led by Rita. She was patient, extremely knowledgeable and listened to the group’s interests. The Palace, Bridge of Sigh and the Basilica were amazing. It would be a shame to come to Venice and miss these spots.
Review provided by Viator
John_e
Aug 30, 2024
A really good tour when time is limited. - Iole was a brilliant guide. Knowledgeable and entertaining she brought the tour to life with the history. At 2 hours duration it was ideal for us. The headsets provided to everyone in the group meant we didn’t miss hearing anything. And jumping the queues endured no dead time. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Viator
Katherine_f
Aug 30, 2024
Engaging and interesting - Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the Doge’s Palace so not only did we get a history lesson about Venice but also about the art and politics of the time.
Review provided by Viator
Krystal_n
Aug 30, 2024
Great! - Oila was a wonderful derful guide. Was very friendly and had so much information. We really enjoyed our time. Thank you
Review provided by Viator
Daniel_f
Aug 30, 2024
Great tour and guide - Excellent guide, Rita. Knows and loves her subject. Nice sense of humor. Wonderful experience visiting the Doge palace and San Marco Bacilica
Review provided by Viator
Charles_b
Aug 30, 2024
Worth the money - Tour guide knowledgable and personable. She was clear to understand and spent the right amount of time. On what was important.
Review provided by Viator
Stacy_d
Aug 29, 2024
Must do in Venice - We really enjoyed our guide Zoe. Some of the facts and story’s were so interesting! Hearing about the mosaics and the paintings were all so fascinating!
Review provided by Viator
Joel_c
Aug 29, 2024
Good Overview of the History - Monica was an excellent guide. The tour was a great look at the history of the palace and the church.
Review provided by Viator
Jemma_r
Aug 30, 2024
Good experience, wrong way round? - The weather was very hot which at points made the your difficult, I think the tour guide herself was quite warm and uncomfortable. I’d have preferred to start in the church and end in doges palace, as this would’ve provided some time to use the toilets, grab water from the cafe and explore the gift shop also. Overall the tour itself was good with lots of information
Review provided by Viator
Savvas_k
Aug 29, 2024
Ok, but not great - This tour was ok, but not great. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are very short on time or very interested in the history of Venice.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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