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.
- Please note that entry to St. Mark’s Basilica is subject to a strict dress code. Guests must ensure that their shoulders and knees are covered. Visitors who do not comply with these requirements may be refused entry.
Reviews(2,307)
Our guide Abby was incredible. She was very knowledgeable and we were really impressed with the entire tour. She made the experience more approachable and was very insightful regarding the art throughout the palace and church.
Abigail was a wonderful guide! So knowledgeable and informative, and also a lovely person. We had a great tour with her and would highly recommend!
Our guide Joy was great. The skip the line feature was so worth it. The Doge Palace was very interesting and Joy’s knowledge made the tour so rewarding. Would definitely recommend.
Abi was wonderful and very knowledgeable and very clear to understand, she was great and learned a lot lived that we did not have to wait in heat to get in or stand in line.
Abigail was an amazing tour guide and her stories were so captivating. We could tell she was really passionate about art and history. We loved this tour and would highly recommend.
Rita was great with exceptional knowledge of the history of Venice
Our group had a terrible guide made worse by the stifling heat and the bad audio equipment. He whispered and spoke in one word abstractions and flung the microphone around so that sometimes the sound was too loud, and other times nothing. Impossible to hear and learn anything about this incredible palace and basilica. We don't know if he was incompetent or exhausted. Maybe both. It was such an awful tour that the lingering memory of it has now evolved into a legendary tale, one that we will share for our lifetimes. So that's something. In addition - it was **crazy** expensive. We do not recommend.
Dear Phil_J, Thank you for sharing your feedback with us, and please accept our sincerest apologies for the disappointing experience your group had on the tour. We are deeply sorry that the combination of poor audio equipment, the guide's delivery, and the uncomfortable heat overshadowed what should have been a wonderful visit to the palace and basilica. It is clear we fell well short of the standard of quality and clarity you deserved, and we completely understand your frustration—especially given the high cost of the experience. We take these comments very seriously and are addressing the equipment issues with our team to ensure this does not happen again. If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to reach out to our customer service team directly. Best Regards.
Our tour lady her name is Eliana unless I misspelled it. She is the best if you could get her I would definitely recommend. She is originally from Venezia and she use herself and her family experience to tell the history which makes it easier to understand. She moves fast and make sure it is not crowded for us to take good pictures. All in all very happy with the tour
Anna was good . I felt content and narration was too long and a bit hard to understand. Reducing narration will help
Excellent tour with a knowledgeable and personable guide. Excellent tour with a knowledgeable and personable guide. Excellent tour with a knowledgeable and personable guide.
