Best Of Venice: St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Guided Tour
Description
Maximize time in Venice on this guided tour featuring skip-the-line access to St. Mark's Basilica (If option with Basilica it's selected) and Doge's Palace. Begin at St. Mark's Basilica, one of Venice's most iconic landmarks, and admire its dazzling golden mosaics, rich history, and remarkable Byzantine architecture with an expert guide. Continue to Doge's Palace, the former seat of the Venetian Republic, where you'll explore magnificent halls, historic chambers, and impressive artworks while uncovering centuries of Venetian power and intrigue. Complete your experience with a visit to a traditional Murano glass workshop, where master artisans demonstrate the centuries-old craft that has made Murano glass famous worldwide. A perfect Venice highlights tour for first-time visitors.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your expert guide in famous St. Mark’s Square and start getting to know "the Floating City" and its origins. Explore the most renowned public space in the city and, learn about its historical, social, and political importance. Learn about the Clock Tower and the Marble Lions that both play an important role in St Mark’s history.
St. Mark's Basilica, located in the enchanting city of Venice, Italy, captivates visitors from afar with its breathtaking exterior. The basilica's façade, adorned with intricate marble carvings, elegant arches, and majestic bronze doors, stands as a testament to the city's architectural brilliance and historical significance.
The Doge's Palace, located in St. Mark's Square, is an iconic monument of Venice and the former home of the Doge, the ruler of the Republic of Venice. This Gothic palace, with Renaissance and Baroque elements, offers a fascinating look into the city's history. Visitors can explore rooms decorated with masterpieces by artists such as Tintoretto and Veronese and the famous Bridge of Sighs that connects to the former prisons. It is a must-see stop to understand the rich history and culture of Venice.
We will pass by the Bridge of Sighs whose name came from the lamentations of the prisoners before being condemned to death, that is linked with the Doge Palace.
We will conclude our experience with a visit to one of the oldest glass factories in Murano, La Vecchia Murano, where you will discover the centuries-old tradition that has made this island famous around the world. During the visit, you will enjoy a fascinating live demonstration by master glassmakers, showcasing the traditional techniques used to blow and shape authentic Murano glass, a craft passed down through generations. After the demonstration, you will have time to explore the factory’s elegant showrooms, featuring unique glass artworks, sculptures, chandeliers, decorative pieces, and exquisite handcrafted jewelry. This is an excellent opportunity to admire the wide variety of colors, styles, and techniques that make Murano glass so distinctive. For those interested, there will be an opportunity to purchase authentic Murano glass creations, internationally recognized for their exceptional quality, beauty, and craftsmanship.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The visit inside St. Mark’s Basilica lasts about 15–20 minutes, according to local regulations.
- The tour runs even in light rain. Please note that during certain time of the year, high tide may occur. In that case, raised walkways are set up to allow access and disposable shoe covers can be purchased in front of the entrance.
- We kindly ask you to arrive on time, as late arrivals can’t be accommodated or refunded.
- Please dress appropriately for a place of worship: shoulders and knees should be covered.
- Please make sure to provide a valid e-mail address and phone number including your country code, so we can send you confirmations and updates.
- Basilica tickets are priced at €12 per person. Doge's Palace tickets are priced at €35 per adult. All additional charges are considered administrative costs.
- Photography and video recording are not allowed inside the Basilica. For security reasons, large bags and backpacks cannot be taken inside.
- Please provide the full names of all travelers when booking. Failure to present a voucher with all travelers’ full names at the ticket office prior to entry may result in denied entry to the attraction.
- Each traveler must present a valid passport or ID document that matches the name provided at the time of booking for successful entry to St.Mark’s Basilica.
- 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.
Reviews(42)
The booked tour indicated Doge and Basilica tour. We never went into the Basilica. It was not clear that we did not have the Basilica tour as part of what we purchased. It needs to be stated very clearly this is a Doge only tour.
Interesting and informative. Very hot but manageable.
The experience started out well at Dodge’s Palace, our guide was very knowledgeable about this location and its history. My family and I were very excited to continue the tour. Unfortunately, the guide left us behind and we got lost inside. We could not find guide anymore and we were not able to into ur the tour to St. Marks Basilica which was the reason for me booking the tour in the first place. I was very disappointed because without the tour guide we could not get in the basilica since she had our tickets. I tried to call the person who contacted me the day prior and all other phone numbers I could find, including the Viator customer service line. There was no answer or reply from anyone. We were very frustrated that point and left the area since we couldn’t even buy the tickets again because they were sold out. I feel that the service was not well provided as we couldn’t reach the end of our tour.
It’s definitely a must see we had a great guide and the places were just gorgeous inside pictures don’t do it justice.
This was an expensive excursion. They told us to meet under the ‘winged lion’ for 10am. We were there at 9:45 waiting (in the pouring rain). By 10am it was obvious we had been duped or were given wrong instructions. I told my husband to wait under the statue while I asked around the square. Eventually I found the company; under the blue clock! The representative actually started berating me because we were late. I gave it right back at her since they gave us incorrect information. The rep then told me to run to catch up to a group she pointed to in the distance. When I got to them the guide asked me where my head phone was. I was not given one. The rep does not bring extras so she told me to just stay close to her. Well she was quite a petite woman and her voice did not carry. In the meantime I’m texting my husband frantically so he can enter with us. He finally makes it. We are so upset at this point we can hardly listen to the guide so we just give up. We look in awe at the masterpieces but we miss all the explanations. My husband missed then missed about 90% of the palace as he needed to use the facilities- and there were none. Terrible terrible tour. They shuffle through many too many people for one to enjoy it. Everyone is stressed out. After the tour we looked up in the square and counted more than 4 winged lions. Even though we finally found the group, we did indeed feel duped.
So nice experience, the guide was amazing and the staff at the meeting was so nice
Excellent tour! Great guide, fascinating history, and well organized. Highly recommended.
This guided tour is an excellent way to explore two of Venice’s most famous landmarks in a short amount of time. Fast-track entry helps avoid long queues, while the knowledgeable guide brings the history, art, and architecture of both Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica to life. Well organized and informative,
An outstanding tour from beginning to end. The guide was knowledgeable, professional, and engaging, making every stop both informative and enjoyable. Everything was well-organized, punctual, and seamless. A truly memorable experience that I would highly recommend to anyone seeking a high-quality tour.
Incredible how a place can tell so many stories; my family reserved the tickets in advance since having a baby in arms makes it quite complicated to wait more than 30 minutes to enter. Recommended; this agency contacted us beforehand to provide all the information, which is greatly appreciated when it is your first time visiting Venice.
