Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica skip-the-line guided tour
Description
Experience the gold and glory of Venice with a 2-hour guided tour of its two most iconic landmarks. We begin at St. Mark’s Basilica, bypassing the queues with skip-the-line access. Inside this Byzantine masterpiece, you’ll marvel at 8,000 sqm of shimmering gold mosaics and the intricate marble floors, as your guide reveals the history of Venice’s spiritual heart. Next, we enter the Doge’s Palace, once the seat of Venetian power. Climb the ornate Giants’ and Golden Staircases and walk through grand institutional chambers adorned with masterpieces, including Tintoretto’s Paradise. The tour takes a dramatic turn as you cross the famous Bridge of Sighs, following the path of prisoners into the New Prisons. A seamless journey from the celestial glow of the Basilica to the political secrets of the Palace, revealing the dual soul of a thousand-year empire.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Doge's Palace
St. Mark's Basilica
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- If you choose the tour departing at 11:45, there will be a break of approximately 45 minutes between the visit to the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica (Doge's Palace 11:45 - 13:00; St. Mark's Basilica 13:45 - 14:45).
- 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.
- In cases of religious ceremonies, exceptionally high tides or other special occasions, access to St. Mark's Basilica may not be permitted.
- To visit St Mark's Basilica it is necessary to dress appropriately (no shorts, vests or tops) and backpacks are not allowed for safety reasons.
- This is a collective tour, which means there might be other participants going on the tour with you.
- Please note that, due to the particular morphological structure of Venice and the logistic problems resulting from it, we cannot guarantee that the whole tour is accessible to people with limited mobility. This means that people with walking difficulties and wheelchair users could not be able to access some parts of the itinerary.
- Please make sure to arrive on time so you don't miss out! We are unfortunately unable to offer refunds or credits for late arrivals or no-shows.
- n certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay +an access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it/en.
- Entrance fees reserved for tour operators and guides: €12.00 for St. Mark’s Basilica.
Reviews(3)
Our guide was very knowledgeable (I can't remember her name) but the two gentlemen checking us in for the tour neglected to notice that we had booked the Doge's Palace as well as the Basilica. It turns out that all the other participants on the tour were there for the Basilica only - so at the completion of the Basilica tour we were basically dismissed. Since we had paid $100. US each for skip-the-line at TWO venues, we made a point of getting the Doge's Palace as well. We offered to come back the following afternoon as our guide seemed anxious to get on her way - but she agreed to stay and gave us a good tour, too. (She asked if she could get going and skip the prison part which was fine with us!).
Our guide covered a lot of information and made it very interesting. The pickup location was easy to find
