Venice: St Mark's Basilica After-Hours Tour with Optional Doge's Palace

based on 1075 reviews

Duration:1 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Location: Venice, Veneto

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Explore St Mark’s Basilica without the crowds on an after-hours tour, and enjoy an optional visit to Doge's Palace (if selected at the time of booking). Inside St Mark’s Basilica, admire treasured mosaics and a Byzantine altarpiece, and then follow your guide into the crypt where St Mark himself is believed to rest.
Upgrade for late access to the Doge’s Palace by selecting the upgrade option at time of booking. With this option learn about the Higher Council Hall, the Doge's apartments, and the Bridge of Sighs as you explore.

Please note that there may be a break of up to 1 hour between your Doge’s Palace tour and your exclusive After Hour Visit, due to temporary earlier closing time at the Doge’s Palace. Your guide in this case will provide bar/restaurant recommendations

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Piazza San Marco
Piazza San Marco
2. Basilica di San Marco
Basilica di San Marco, Veneto Inside, take a deep breath. You’re experiencing St. Mark’s Basilica as almost nobody else does, or ever has ever been able to (aside from the Doge himself)—empty! No standing elbow-to-elbow with other tourists, no seeing the church as if through a strobe light from hundreds of popping flashbulbs, no noise from the crowds. Instead, you’re alone with your guide and the custodian. So you can experience the basilica as it should be experienced: in tranquility and peace.
3. Doge's Palace
The Doge Palace visit is included only when selecting the St. Mark's with Doge's Palace option at time of booking. Upgrade for late access to the Doge’s Palace by selecting the upgrade option at time of booking. With this option visit the armory, New Prisons and incredible council rooms and frescos of Palazzo Ducale. Travelling in small groups of 15 people or fewer, you’ll enter the Palace at the last entry time, finding one of Venice’s most popular attractions much quieter than at other times during the day.
4.
The Bridge of sights visit is included with the Doge Palace option only. On this guided tour you’ll have the opportunity to explore the massive armory, and the spooky prisons. Finish with a visit inside the Bridge of Sighs, where your guide will tell you why it’s not quite as romantic as you thought.
5. Torre dell'Orologio
The Torre d'Orologio is included with the Doge Palace option only.

ADDITIONAL INFO

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• This tour is in English.
• This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
• The tour meeting time is 15 minutes prior to the start time. No refunds can be provided for late arrivals or no-shows.
• If you cannot join your tour at the last minute (running late, etc), please contact us. We may be able to reschedule your tour with a small amendment fee depending on availability.
• Due to the religious nature of St. Mark's Basilica, all individuals regardless of gender must cover their shoulders and knees. You can bring extra covering (scarves, etc) to put on just before entering St. Mark's. Walks cannot be held responsible for those denied entry.
• Sites visited during this tour are subject to occasional closures due to holy observances, high tides, and/or flooding. If a site closes, your guide will tour the exterior of the site. If time permits, we will reach out to you prior to your tour. For last-minute closures, modifications may be communicated at the tour start time.
• Large bags and backpacks cannot be brought into St. Mark's Basilica.
• On certain days there may be a short break between the visit to the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica (never more than one hour and only when the St. Mark's with Doge's Palace option is selected at time of booking). This may extend the overall length of the tour.
• Walks comply with all local government regulations. Please refer to Italy government guidelines for the most up to date information
• 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

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : Gina_M
We arrived ON TIME for our tour, despite the obstacle of flooding in St Mark’s square which meant we had to go around the long way. Our tour guide was about to lead a huge group of people with headsets, and we attempted to join at the meeting point, but the tour guide said “too full” and pointed for us to stay at the meeting point. We were expecting she wanted us to join the next tour, so I called the company’s customer service only to be told there is no other tour option today or tomorrow— and to request a refund I would have to do it through Viator and they would “investigate.” They said there was no way to connect us with to the tour that was (by now) walking away from us. We were ON TIME and told it was TOO FULL, yet they would need to “investigate.”
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-16 15:57:05

Posted By : Mary Susan K
This experience is incredible. The basilica is splendid after dark and I’m not sure you can really see it in its glory during the day. The mosaic tiles are magical with lights shining up on them.
Our tour guide made it extra special. Nico really has a passion for history and he kept it informative without ever being boring.
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Posted On : 2024-06-15 17:07:09

Posted By : Wendy_S
We did not know what to expect with the evening tour. It was amazing! Not as crowded, cooler, more personal tour about St Marks Basillica. The guide was very knowledgeable & personable. We loved it well worth the time.
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Posted On : 2024-06-15 01:04:33

Posted By : DIANA_T
Viator is asking me to review a tour which I no longer did because they changed it less than a week prior while on a cruise ship. They cancellled the Doges palace tour but kept the St Marks at night. They gave me a lowball refund of $41 Euros each. Saying Doges palace was closed. It was not closed until the next night for a private event. With Maxmara. Our tour guide for st marks even told us that it was the next day. Planned this event months ago yet they change it and feel like they could do much better and sooner to notify me so I wasn’t scrambling to reschedule. The actual tour of St Marks after hours was incredible. The guide was superb and would highly recommend. We we’re able to take pictures and go up around altar and below.
We ended up seeing Doges Palace on our own with audio tour which was sub adequate because we had to download ap and didn’t have our AirPods with us. Would recommend a guided tour in future or bring air pods.
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Posted On : 2024-06-13 19:10:45

Posted By : Grant_H
Tour guide Martina was s font of knowledge and very personable in her delivery. Had a wonderful tour
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Posted On : 2024-06-13 12:50:34

Posted By : Jet53264401500
Superb, especially the basilica, whose mosaics were highlighted by the lighting. Unique experience, too bad the comments are uniquely English.
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Posted On : 2024-06-13 11:11:19

Posted By : Christine B
Amazing. From beginning to end. Our guide Iole was very knowledgeable. This is the way to see the basilica if you can afford it.
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Posted On : 2024-06-12 03:34:27

Posted By : Jennifer_S
This tour was worth every penny. To be able to experience the majesty of the Basilica in the quiet with very few tour groups allows you to fully immerse yourself in the experience without being bothered by throngs of people. Our guide Iole was extremely knowledgeable and explained everything we were seeing. Highlight was sitting in near dark and having them slowly turn the lights on in stages- what a way to see the beautiful art. Incredible!
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Posted On : 2024-06-12 03:23:05

Posted By : Johanna_W
Seeing the Basilica in the evening was magical. My only disappointment - an hour wasn’t long enough. The tour guide Iola (?) was OUTSTANDING! She is a Venetian and clearly knows the history of her city. She provided historical context, we did a quick tour outside, then focused on the interior mosaics, a quick trip to the narthex, and the crypt. I could have stayed at least an hour longer. Bringing the lights up in the Basilica created a magical effect not seen by most visitors. It was also lovely to see the Basilica with fewer tourists.Though the tour was short, we likely saw details we couldn’t have seen with hundreds of tourists in the space. Recommend.
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Posted On : 2024-06-11 07:08:54

Posted By : JENN_C
Elana was an amazing guide with a wealth of knowledge, both historical and personal. What an experience!
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Posted On : 2024-06-11 04:29:31