Skip-the-Line: Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Fully Guided Tour
Description
Our Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica tour is perfect for visitors with only a limited time in Venice, who want to get a true taste of the city. In just a few hours we take you to the most famous sites of the city, seeing the Rialto Bridge and venturing inside St, Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace.
Tour Options
Itinerary
There is so much to see and do in the incredible Floating City of Venice, so why should you spend your precious vacation time waiting in line? With Skip-the-Line Access to two of Venice’s unmissable sights, Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica, you can immerse yourself in Venetian history and maximize your time in Venice on this carefully curated tour.
Once home to the Duke of Venice and the city’s courts, it is the center of Venetian history – and as one of the world’s oldest republics, that’s quite a history. We’ll explore all the best sights of the palace open to the public, from spectacular works produced on demand by artistic masters Tintoretto and Veronese, to the evidence of the genius checks and balances that made the republic so successful. With your guide on hand to lead you through the most important rooms, to explain magnificent frescoes and to tell you the tales behind every nook and cranny, your visit to the Doge’s Palace will be the perfect way to wrap up your tour through the history and culture of Venice.
Next we admire the heart of Venice – St. Mark’s Square, once pronounced the “finest drawing room in all of Europe” by Napoleon. With Skip the Line Access we’ll get straight inside St. Mark’s Basilica, saving precious vacation time that would otherwise have been wasted in line. Marvel at the diversity of Venetian culture, where eastern architecture and western design have blended to create a structure with an onion dome, before following your guide through the beautiful frescoes inside the basilica. After the tour, at your own expense, you can also get the chance to climb up to the first floor terraces, which offer beautiful views over the piazza, photo opportunities and some down time to soak up everything you have learned on your tour.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- 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
- Basilica tickets are priced at €12 per person. Doge's Palace tickets are priced at €30 per adult. All additional charges are considered administrative costs
- We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any impairments requiring special assistance. We are also unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages on our group tours.
- 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.
- The Municipality of Venice has introduced an Access Fee that applies on specific dates. To avoid any inconvenience, we recommend checking the official guidelines and completing the necessary registration through the provided link before your visit.
Reviews(2,170)
Mateo was exceptional!! Highly recommend!! We will not be using Viatar moving forward due to the extreme increase in prices compared to booking it when you get in town. This tour was our favorite!!
I would not book through Viatar again as we are finding they seriously overcharged. Matteo was FABULOUS!! Best tour we have been on yet!!! So engaging and knowledgeable.
Francesco was a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. He covered a lot of interesting details about the Basilica and Doge’s Palace that we would never have otherwise known about. The tour did run a little longer than expected, which our pre-teen daughter struggled a bit with, especially in the heat. The dress code for entry into the Basilica also could’ve been clearer on the booking details, as many of the female participants including my wife and daughter had to purchase scarves just before the tour for covering up. The tour was however well worth it, and I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Venice for the first time.
Great tour. Unfortunately did not include the Loggia dei Cavalli. Zoey was fantastic.
The tour was good to ok. I think the price of $250 for two people is really high in a large group. It did not seem like it would have regularly been a long wait so you don’t need to skip the line tour.. there is no mention about the dress code for the church so people were buying last minute scarves. The best thing about walking through Doge Palace with a guide is making your way through it. You don’t need a guide through the church at all. You can do it on your own. There is no air conditioner in either building so it’s hot. If you like having a planned organized meet and greet, that’s good, and they should just lower the price.
Enjoyed the trip the guide was v knowledgeable and really interactive wtih the group, but the trip has been blurred by the next days trip which we booked with you for the half day burano murano trip which your guide was a no show for.
Dear Martin_T, Thank you for your kind words about your Doge's Palace tour. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the experience and that your guide's knowledge and interaction with the group made it memorable. We are very sorry to hear that your Murano & Burano tour the following day did not meet your expectations. As these are two separate experiences, we would be grateful if you could update the rating for this Doge's Palace tour to reflect your positive experience and submit a separate review for the Murano & Burano tour, so the feedback reaches the appropriate team. We truly appreciate your time and your valuable comments.
Super nice tour Just about right length to handle the heat, 100% water is a must and comfortable shoes.
Amazing! We had a great tour with a great guide. Her knowledge is very valuable. It was a hot day but we enjoyed it very much
The meeting point was actually a store, there was no city wonders guide with a flag/sign as advised in the instructions.
Our tour guide was all over the place. We could not follow what he was saying. It wasn’t the accent at all. He just kept skipping around and we hardly learned anything. Our ear pieces kept falling out of our ears. We ended up leaving the group early.
Dear Rebecca_R, Thank you for your feedback. We sincerely apologize for the frustrating experience you had with your guide and the equipment. We will address this directly with the guide to ensure their commentary is clear and organized, and we will also check our earpieces to prevent this from happening again. We deeply regret that you felt the need to leave the tour early.
