Venice Skip lines at Doge's & St. Mark's with Exclusive Sky Walk
Description
Unlock the secrets of Venice in just 3 unforgettable hours. Step into the heart of the floating city and discover its rich past through two of its most iconic landmarks: the Doge’s Palace and the majestic St Mark’s Basilica. Meet your expert guide in St Mark’s Square and get immersed in centuries of political and religious power. Skip the lines to explore the Doge’s Palace: grand halls, secret prisons, and masterpieces by Titian and Tintoretto. Then access St Mark’s Basilica and its exclusive terraces — a rare, breathtaking view over the city. This small-group tour is only in English to ensure a high-quality, engaging experience. Ideal for art lovers and first-time visitors. Looking for the full Venice experience? Choose the 7-hour upgrade: start with a walking tour through hidden alleys and iconic sights, enjoy a 30-min gondola ride, and then join the same guided visit of Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica. Select the correct option at checkout for the full experience.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This tour takes you inside the center of the religious power of Venice, the beautiful Basilica of St Marks with our skip-the-line access, where our expert history guide will give you a comprehensive and informative tour of this astonishing landmark-church that boasts a profusion of polychrome domes, walls clad in marbles and, inside, over 8000 square meters of glittering ceiling mosaics, many made with 24-carat gold leaf.
The highlight of the tour is our exclusive special visit of the Doge's Palace, the very symbol of political Venice, an impressive structure composed of layers of building elements and ornamentation, from its 14th and 15th century original foundations to the significant Renaissance and opulent Mannerist adjunctions and today hosting paintings from world renown artists like Titiano, Tiepolo, Tintoretto and Veronese and set to the grand ball of Venice Carnival. We’ll have a very exclusive access to the closed-to-general-public secret passages including the old torture chambers and prisons. From the prisons you will visit the courtyard and then the noble areas of the Doge’s public and private areas, to visit the great ballrooms, the great Councils hall, and the Doge’s lavish apartments and the “Opera Museum” boasting astonishing collection of portrait including Renaissance and Mannerism with prominent “Venitian school” paintings by Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese.
You will also have the chance to walk the famous bridge of sighs and learn the story behind the origin of its name.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please let us know in advance any special need or impaired mobility of the clients and we will do our best to accomodate them.
- 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.
- We are sorry to inform you that pets are not permitted on our tours
- 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
Reviews(49)
The knowledge of and enthusiasm for his city by our was remarkable. The tour of St Marc’s Cathedral and Doge Palace brought to life both these 2 landmarks but also the history of the whole city over centuries. Thoroughly enjoyable and I highly recommend this tour and Tour Guide .
She was very intelligent and very educated ! Highly recommend
Tour leader was outstanding!
Octavia was our tour guide and she did a great job. The tour moved at a good pace and we learned a lot.
Lorenzo was a fantastic guide, well informed and personable. He was very good at explaining the context for what we were seeing which elevated the tour from a simple recitation of dry facts to an enjoyable experience. He was also very good at keeping an eye on the group and making sure the older members got up and down the stairs safely.
Wonderful tour with extremly knowledgeable guide. Definitely recommend.
Lorenzo was so friendly and knowledgeable. I really enjoyed his passion for Venice. If you love in depth history, then this is for you.
Tour guide, Lorenzo Guglielmi, was amazing! He was so knowledgeable and animated. So thrilled to be in this tour with him!
Lorenzo gave us a thorough grounding in 15th, 16th & 17th Venetian history and explained the history of the cathedral, as well as the Venetian court.
We loved all aspects of the tour! It was so nice to have such a small group. The tour guide was also great ! We all agreed the interesting background information made the experience better than expected!!!
