Venice St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Private Tour: Skip the Line Access to Iconic Sites

Experience the beauty and history of Venice’s iconic sites with a private tour of St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace. Skip the line and explore the stunning architecture, golden pala Oro, and masterful paintings by Titian, Giorgione, and Tintoretto.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Piazza San Marco - Meet your guide at the column with a lion on the top
  • Basilica di San Marco - skip the line entrance to the basilica, visit to the Pala Oro : the only example in the world of Gothic goldsmith’s work of considerable size that has remained intact, The Museum and The Marcian quadriga with the four horses which can be reached…
What's Included
  • Private tour
  • Skip-the-line entrance to Doge’s Palace
  • Guidance from a professional art historian
  • Skip-the-line access to St. Mark’s Basilica, Pala d’Oro, Horses of Saint Mark, and the museum
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Transportation to/from attractions
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

This guided tour includes visits to the key rooms within the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica, including sites like the golden Pala Oro and the Museum with the Horses Loggia. The Doge’s quarters, the Bridge of Sights and the Prisons will also be part of the exploration and the artistry of Titian, Giorgione, and Tintoretto will be marveled at. The…

Location
P.za San Marco, 3
Piazza San Marco
Guide will wait for you by the column with a lion on Top - the column is near the water
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.6
(73 Ratings)
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Krstiner
Jul 13, 2025
Great way to experience Venice‘s historic treasures - Monica did a fabulous job guiding us through Saint Mark’s Basilica and Doge Palace. Her deep knowledge and engaging stories gave us a much richer understanding of the history of Venice and the significance of the church we especially appreciated, skipping the lines, having more time to ask questions, and enjoying the personal touch that only a private tour can offer. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for a more meaningful and in-depth visit to these iconic landmarks.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sd6602016
Jul 7, 2025
Highly recommend - Our guide, Monica, was friendly and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed being able to skip the lines and getting some special access within the basilica behind the alter. Well worth it to have a guide that can point out all the details to you. we had 3 generations in the group, and Monica was very respectful and accommodating for the older people in the group.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michael
May 13, 2025
Awesome tour of Basilica and Doge Palace - Very nice tour of St Marks Basilica and the Doge Palace. Our guide, Monica was the perfect guide as she knew so much history of our venues and Venice itself. Perfect half day tour of Venice’s biggest highlights
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Toby
Apr 28, 2025
Fantastic Experience - Monica was absolutely wonderful. This is the very best way to experience St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cristi_h
Sep 6, 2024
Great Tour with Monica - St. Mark's & Doge's Palace - Our flight was diverted due to a medical emergency onboard, making us so late arriving as to cause us to miss our private tour. Monica, our tour guide, worked with us to provide a slightly shorter tour, even meeting us at our hotel, though she did not have to per the change and cancellation policy. She gave insightful information abour St. Mark's and Doge's Palace. She also took time to answer our questions and give us tips for making the most of the rest of our time in Venice. We really can't say enough good about Monica!
Review provided by Viator
Kumareshirs
Sep 4, 2024
Fantastic Private trip - She has been a “great guide” to tell us about the history and the important places at Doge’s palace and cathedral. She had also helped us to help get back home in the “water taxi” to train station while explaining the important facades along main canal. She’s fantastic.
Review provided by Viator
Ron_d
Sep 1, 2024
The private tour is the way to go - The private tour was worth it for us. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and we got to experience everything at our own pace. There were other large tour groups there as well, that was clearly not the way for us. Love Viator, great communication.
Review provided by Viator
Andrew_r
Aug 11, 2024
Excellent tour - The tour guide’s knowledge was superb and the whole tour was thoroughly educational and entertaining
Review provided by Viator
Richard_c
Jul 3, 2024
See this one - The guide was tremendous, .(red-haired woman). Very knowledgeable and kind! I do not hesitate to recommend her and this tour for those interested in the history of Venice!
Review provided by Viator
Milestedder
Oct 1, 2024
Worth the Time - Even though we visited at the end of September Saint Mark Square, The Doge’s Palace and Saint Mark’s Basilica were all very crowded. Our skip the line access was excellent, but still a very crowded experience. The beauty of Saint Marks Basilica cannot be described in photos. It is best experienced in person.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $234
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).