Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Piazza San Marco, 31024 Venice Italy
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.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Doge's Palace, Piazza San Marco, 1, 30124 Venice Italy
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.
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Stop At: Basilica di San Marco, San Marco, 328, 30124 Venice Italy
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.
Duration: 30 minutes
See Availability.
Doge's Palace, P.za San Marco, 1, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
2 hours(approx.)
Doge's Palace, P.za San Marco, 1, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
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.
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.
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
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Posted By : eja117
I purchased on Expedia the "Doge’s Palace & St. Mark’s Basilica tour – Skip the line: 10:45 AM, Doge’s Palace & St. Mark’s Basilica tour - Express Option in English" for about $86 per person. Interestingly I can't exactly tell who gave the tour. It looks a bit like the company was Venice City Tours.
The meeting place was in a small square not far from San Marco Square. The guide identified as a native Venetian and was quite passionate and spirited. We understood her very well.
After having been in St Peter's in Rome the week before I thought perhaps St. Mark's might be a tad....underwhelming in comparison, but it was remarkable. Incredible inside and out. Gleaming and distinctive. The palace was also top notch. I didn't realize it had the biggest room without pillars in Europe (or at least until the 1800s. I don't recall perfectly). The tour moved well. I would not say it was too long. We did go across the bridge of sighs and saw the judgement rooms and some cells. We did not go up the tower, and I didn't expect to. It was everything I would have hoped. There will be many opportunities to take pictures to make your friends and enemies jealous.
I don't recall our group being super huge. There was one confusing thing when I signed up for the tour, which apparently there was some sort of extended premium personal tour, but I couldn't tell how to sign up for it. I should have inquired at the office when we checked in.
I day tripped from Rome via train. There was a significant amount of stress around the travel, but not the tour itself. I wish I had been more confident regarding walking through the city with Google maps, because the water bus was extremely crowded and unnecessary.
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Posted On : 2024-05-19
Posted By : kathleen_C
Our guide Monnie was very knowledgeable! I felt the time was well used and maximized the places/rooms we got to see.
Overall enjoyed the tour and would recommend to friends.
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Posted On : 2024-05-19
Posted By : Paula_J
Mateo was a great tour guide. I liked the fact that he had a sense of humor. He gave just the right amount of information.
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Posted On : 2024-05-19
Posted By : Nancy_C
Forgot our tour guide’s name, she was an older lady. She was great, clearly was an expert of both locations. Be sure to get to meeting place at least 5 minutes before your scheduled time because the tour begins on the time it’s scheduled, they won’t wait for anyone and if they can’t reach you on the phone your SOL.
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Posted On : 2024-05-19
Posted By : Jayne_l
Matteo was our guide and was very friendly and knowledgeable. We found the meeting point quite easy following google maps. It was also great being in a small group.
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Posted On : 2024-05-19
Posted By : Debra_O
Guide was very knowledgeable and explained about each area very clearly. Both buildings worth a visit and for me, crossing the Bridge of Sighs was amazing
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Posted On : 2024-05-19
Posted By : Stuart_K
Great service and a very knowledgeable guide who even had a bit of banter with all personnel attending the tour. Was a good mix of people from various countries.
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Posted On : 2024-05-18
Posted By : Christopher_C
The lines to get into the Doge Palace and the Basilica were long so being able to skip the line was a big deal. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and paced the tour well. There was a lot of information but she managed to avoid overload. The audio boxes were necessary because it was crowded inside and noisy. The artwork is very interesting and involved but the tour is paced so that you don't really have the chance to linger and take it all in. This tour was well worth the money to skip the line and get a taste of the rich history of this place.
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Posted On : 2024-05-17
Posted By : LAURETTE_M
The Guide's talk contained too much detailed history. We had been on the tour 20 mins and we had only entered the court yard. Lost contact with group several times when you stopped to take pictures. Rushed through weapon display rooms.
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Posted On : 2024-05-16
Posted By : WilliamClaude_B
No information on how to find tour and tour guide. Spent hour wandering around to find tour guide and only by luck and agent at starting gate did we not give up and pay just to get in. Next time send me some half decent instructions at tour site. I live in US and you expect me to know where and from whom to get what I paid for. Guide was very kind and good.
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Posted On : 2024-05-15
