Skip the Line: Best of Venice Private Tour Including San Marco Doges' Palace and Gondola Ride
Description
Discover the very best of Venice on an exclusive 5h-hour private walking tour combined with a classic gondola ride. Enjoy skip-the-line access to the breathtaking St. Mark's Basilica and the magnificent Doge’s Palace, where centuries of history, art, and power come to life. Stroll through the city’s most iconic sights, including the world-famous Rialto Bridge, while your private local guide reveals hidden stories, legends, and secrets of the floating city. End your experience in true Venetian style with a romantic private gondola ride along the canals, gliding beneath elegant bridges and past historic palaces. Entrance fees are included, ensuring a seamless and unforgettable journey through Venice’s timeless beauty.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your private guide in St. Mark's Square at the appointed time to begin your walking tour.
Your guide will point out how Eastern architecture and Western design came together to create this unique church. In a special extended tour of the Basilica you will hear how St. Mark’s remains arrived in Venice illegally, and see a myriad of treasures - some made in the city and others plundered during the crusades. Of particular interest are the 11th-century mosaics, some of the few treasures that have survived the Basilica’s floods and fires over the centuries. Enjoy privileged access to the attractions visited, and all entry tickets are included. Immerse yourself in Venetian culture during this private tour.
Begin with a skip-the-line tour of the Doge's Palace to admire the beautiful ceilings with frescoes by Tintoretto and walls adorned with paintings by Veronese. You will see the wooden slot where accusations of treason were passed to the Secret Police and of course the Bridge of Sighs. Did you know that Casanova, Venice’s famous lover and writer, was imprisoned in one of the palace's prison attics before managing to escape? Enjoy privileged access to the attractions visited, and all entry tickets are included. Immerse yourself in Venetian culture during this private tour.
Continue your walking tour of Venice to see sights such as Campo San Giovanni e Paolo, Santa Maria Formosa, Fondamenta Nova, the Church of Holy Apostles, Marco Polo's House, and the Rialto Bridge. This famous marble bridge was a Venetian folly, running well over budget when built but now beloved and admired by Venice’s residents and visitors alike who like to watch as the sunlight dances on the smooth stone surface and the bridge is reflected in the river below. Your day ends with something only Venice can offer - a private gondola ride. As you wish a fond farewell to your guide you will begin a peaceful and intimate trip along Venice’s famous canals with your very own gondolier. Enjoy privileged access to the attractions visited, and all entry tickets are included. Immerse yourself in Venetian culture during this private tour.
Continue your walking tour of Venice to see sights such as Campo San Giovanni e Paolo, Santa Maria Formosa, Fondamenta Nova, the Church of Holy Apostles, Marco Polo's House, and the Rialto Bridge. This famous marble bridge was a Venetian folly, running well over budget when built but now beloved and admired by Venice’s residents and visitors alike who like to watch as the sunlight dances on the smooth stone surface and the bridge is reflected in the river below. Your day ends with something only Venice can offer - a private gondola ride. As you wish a fond farewell to your guide you will begin a peaceful and intimate trip along Venice’s famous canals with your very own gondolier. Enjoy privileged access to the attractions visited, and all entry tickets are included. Immerse yourself in Venetian culture during this private tour.
Continue your walking tour of Venice to see sights such as Campo San Giovanni e Paolo, Santa Maria Formosa, Fondamenta Nova, the Church of Holy Apostles, Marco Polo's House, and the Rialto Bridge. This famous marble bridge was a Venetian folly, running well over budget when built but now beloved and admired by Venice’s residents and visitors alike who like to watch as the sunlight dances on the smooth stone surface and the bridge is reflected in the river below. Your day ends with something only Venice can offer - a private gondola ride. As you wish a fond farewell to your guide you will begin a peaceful and intimate trip along Venice’s famous canals with your very own gondolier. Enjoy privileged access to the attractions visited, and all entry tickets are included. Immerse yourself in Venetian culture during this private tour.
Continue your walking tour of Venice to see sights such as Campo San Giovanni e Paolo, Santa Maria Formosa, Fondamenta Nova, the Church of Holy Apostles, Marco Polo's House, and the Rialto Bridge. This famous marble bridge was a Venetian folly, running well over budget when built but now beloved and admired by Venice’s residents and visitors alike who like to watch as the sunlight dances on the smooth stone surface and the bridge is reflected in the river below. Your day ends with something only Venice can offer - a private gondola ride. As you wish a fond farewell to your guide you will begin a peaceful and intimate trip along Venice’s famous canals with your very own gondolier. Enjoy privileged access to the attractions visited, and all entry tickets are included. Immerse yourself in Venetian culture during this private tour.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
- 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
- BASILICA ENTRY TICKETS 12 EURO EACH INCLUDED IN THE PRICE DOGE'S PALACE ENTRY TICKETS 35 EURO EACH INCLUDED IN THE PRICE 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
Reviews(32)
In Denise we had a most womderful tour guide. The Doge Palace was the highlight of the tour. The gondola ride was a great way to end the day
A last minute snag with our credit card forced us to move up to a private tour. Our group of six was very happy with our private guide, Brankica. We learned much about the history and lore of the Doge and St Mark’s cathedral. She was efficient and focused in her presentations and very proud of her city. Our visit to the Rialto bridge and surrounding area and the gondola ride were also accompanied by great local insight. What a fun way to scoop up knowledge and great memories of Venice. Spending the additional money for a private tour is very well worth it particularly if you’re lucky enough to have Brankica as your guide.
Denice has been our favorite guide ever! She was so knowledgeable & was able to answer all our questions. She hit all the highlights of Venice with ease and her joyful & bubbly personality made it a great time!! We highly recommend this tour & guide to everyone.
Our guide, Donata, was fantastic and a great pleasure to work with. Would work with her every time friends or family come to Venice.
The walking tour with Denise was awesome. She was so informative and had great bits of information to add and make it enjoyable. We had a change of tour guides for Doge’s palace. Don’t need one for there. She just said what was on the walls signs. Her English was not easy to understand. They did not purchase Chapel tickets early enough to get us in so we did not get to see it. I booked 3 months ahead!!
AWESOME tour! As this was our first time in Venezia, we wanted to take a full day tour to experience it with a local Venetian and Ketty did not disappoint. She was not only kind but extremely knowledgeable about the city and it’s history. We spent the whole day with her visiting all the sites you would expect including Doge’s Palace, St Marks Square and even took a gondola ride. We shared a couple of meals together during our tour and she pointed out many other stops and restaurants along the way that we may want to see later in our stay. We left Venezia having met a new friend and we hope to see her on our next trip to this gorgeous city in the future. She speaks wonderful English and is more than happy to help us practice our Italian, haha! We can’t say enough about Ketty and the beautiful city she is blessed to call home. In our opinion, Venezia is the prettiest city in Italy. Ketty did a wonderful job of introducing us to Venezia. GRAZIE TANTI KETTY!! ❤️
The tour of the Duomo was very informative. Donatello knew her history and was very accommodating. We enjoyed the walk thru the local streets to the Rialto Bridge. The gondola ride was very relaxing.
Carolina was amazing with so much knowledge, took us on the unbeaten path away from the crowds most of the time e explaining the rich culture. Definitely recommend
We booked this tour in February 2023 to make sure we would be able to go to the Basilica and to the palace. We paid $1,026.49 for it. Two days before our tour they said they could not get our Basilica tickets and did I want a refund. It was a little late at that point to get any tickets so we did the tour anyway and they refunded us $13.16 for apparently a Basilica tour not happening. Really?
My husband and I took “Best of Venice Private Tour Including San Marco Doges' Palace and Gondola Ride” with Carolina in June 2023. It was like taking a tour with an old friend. Carolina was very knowledgeable — about the city’s culture and history, but especially about art! — and had good “side stories” that were relatable, sequential, and informative. The entire day ran smoothly through all the must-see stops and then intentional strolling. We stopped for a perfect quick Venetian lunch that didn’t disrupt the flow of the tour but still felt like part of the experience. We appreciated that she had a plan for the day but checked in periodically to make sure we were engaged and didn’t want to divert. Her helpfulness didn’t end when the tour did — she texted us later and sent along some recommendations for us to visit on our own later in our stay. We would highly recommend this tour and especially Carolina; it’s well worth the money to put yourself in such capable hands with such a professional, personable person!
