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Venice Highlights: St. Mark's Basilica, Doges Palace, and Gondola Ride Adventure
4.5
430 Ratings
Venezia
Experience the best of Venice in just 3.5 hours with a tour of St. Mark’s Basilica, Doges Palace, and a gondola ride. Skip the lines and explore the highlights before enjoying the rest of your day in Venice.
Duration:
3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Basilica di San Marco - We provide the skip the line tickets, so walk right past the long queue and go right on inside. During November through March, St. Mark’s Basilica does not offer skip the line entry because lines are generally non-existent.
- Doge’s Palace - As you explore the Doge’s Palace, you’ll hear about the wild ways of the Venetian Republic under the rule of elected magistrates. This tour not only showcases the interior of this ornate palace, but also goes in depth about the crime and legal system that was once in place in the city of Venice. Admire classic works of Venetian art and visit Doge’s Palace’s main sights, such as the Grand Staircase and the Bridge of Sighs.
- Piazza San Marco - Following your guided tour of the Doges Palace, your guide will introduce you to some other highlights surrounding St. Marks Square like the stunning bell tower (exterior visit) and adorning portico’s surrounding the square. Get ready to dive into centuries of Venetian history!
- Venice - After your visit to St Marks and the Doges Palace conclude, it’s time to partake in that quintessential Venice activity. That’s right, step right up to your gondola boat! Left in the care of a trusted gondolier, enjoy the beauty of Venice from the water. Fun fact: in the Venetian dialect, “gondolier” translates into “rowing master”. Glide through the panoramic Canals in a gondola accommodating upto 5 participants.
What's Included
- Skip-the-line access to Doge’s Palace
- Small-group tour with a maximum of 20 guests
- Guided by a professional art historian
- Admission to St. Mark’s Basilica
- Venetian Gondola ride experience
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
If your visit to Venice is brief and you would rather use your time indulging in local cuisine, shopping, and relaxation, there’s a way to maximize your experience. Many people only spend a short while in Venice, so time optimization is key if you plan on exploring the major sights. Embark on a 3.5-hour tour to see the best of Venice, still leaving you ample time to leisurely explore the charming canal alleyways with no need to hurry. This 2.5-hour tour features:
• A visit to St. Mark’s Square and St. Mark’s Basilica
• ‘Skip the Line’ entry to the Doges Palace
• A professional guide who can explain in English
• A tranquil gondola ride
- Since we will be entering a church, please make sure that your shoulders and knees are covered. Also, please refrain from bringing big back packs or bags, because they are not always allowed inside.
- 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
P.za San Marco, 3
Piazza San Marco
Please Arrive 15 Minutes Early. Between the two big columns in St. Mark’s Square (columns of San Marco and San Teodoro) located on the south side of the square, near the canal. Your guide will be holding a "The Tour Guy" sign.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(430 Ratings)
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Joyce_o
Aug 30, 2024
Great into to venice - Elena was great guide. Very personable with great knowledge & great humor. Kept everything interesting. Loved the gondola ride.
Review provided by Viator
Ashutosh_s
Aug 30, 2024
Top Notch - Best of the best. Very good guide. Very informative and enjoyable tour. We were very impressed with their professionalism.
Review provided by Viator
Kristina_a
Aug 30, 2024
Excellent tour! - Elena was an excellent tour guide! She is very knowledgeable and super attentive to questions & comments.
Review provided by Viator
Rachel_k
Aug 29, 2024
Wonderful - The highlight of our trip to Venice! Roberta was amazing and the gondola ride was a great ending to the tour.
Review provided by Viator
Beth_s
Aug 27, 2024
Excellent tour - Marco was our guide. He was knowledgeable and engaging. The tour was indeed skip the line and was quite informative. Most time was spent at doges palace, which is actually a museum, and that even included the prison. The basilica tour was a 1/2 and again was excellent. It included st marks square as well. After the tour we were walked, close by, to an area for a 1/2 hr gondola ride. There were 4 of us on the gondola. The gondolier didn’t talk or give us any verbal tour but took us down several narrow canals, a wider one, and then the grand canal. He looped his way back to the starting point.
I would recommend this tour it was about 3 hrs long. Very easy to find the meeting point also.
Review provided by Viator
Deboriab
Aug 26, 2024
Great Guide and Tour - Grazia was an amazing tour guide! My boyfriend and I had a great time would definitely recommend. A nice relaxing gondola ride at the end
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steve_b
Aug 26, 2024
Excellent tour in Venice - Tour guide was knowledgeable and humorous, group size not too big, just the right amount of time at each location. Gondola ride was amazing, just wish it was private (had another couple with us).
Review provided by Viator
Brianbell98
Aug 26, 2024
Ok Tour But Góndola Ride Leaves A Lot to Be Desired - Tour was very good, but felt like the gondola ride was very disappointing. Gondoliers didn’t provide any commentary and the route we took wasn’t very good. I think it’s better to take a gondola ride starting somewhere other than San Mark Plaza
Review provided by Viator
Lynette_p
Aug 25, 2024
Beautiful buildings and some great historical information - Loved Marco's historical knowledge of these beautiful buildings and Venice overall. I wish we had been able to go to the upper floor of St. Mark's. Too much of a bathroom break.
This time would have been better served in exploring the cathedral. The gondola ride was very short as well.
Review provided by Viator
Megan_k
Aug 27, 2024
Lost without adequate support - Unfortunately we missed the tour because we couldn’t find the meeting place. I wanted to call the company to see if anyone could help us however there was no phone number; I could only chat. The guide finally called right at the tome the tour was supposed to start- too late. This could have been avoided. Disappointing
Review provided by Viator
