St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Guided Tour with Gondola Ride
- 3h 30m
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
This tour pairs Venice’s two most important landmarks with a 30-minute shared gondola ride. Use timed entry tickets to enter St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace with an expert guide. Learn fascinating details as you explore, from the basilica’s mosaics to the palace’s political history and prison passages. Finally, board a shared gondola, for a classic and memorable Venetian experience.
Inclusions
What's included
- Timed entry ticket and guided tour of St. Mark’s Basilica (valued at €12 per person)
- Expert English-speaking guide
- Timed entry ticket and guided tour of Doge’s Palace
- 30-minute gondola ride (max 5 people shared experience)
What's not
- Food and drinks
- Guide tips
Itinerary
Use time entry to tickets to enter St. Mark’s Basilica, go through the required security line, then spend about 20 minutes inside with your expert guide. Admire gold mosaics, domes, and marble floors while your guide explains how Venice’s seafaring empire shaped this sacred landmark.
Move from St. Mark's across the square to the Doge's Palace. Follow your guide inside with time entry tickets, skipping the general admissions line. As you explore the Doge’s Palace, learn about the wild ways of the Venetian Republic under the rule of elected magistrates. This tour not only showcases the interior of this ornate palace, but also goes in depth about the crime and legal system that was once in place in the city of Venice. Admire classic works of Venetian art and visit Doge’s Palace’s main sights, such as the Grand Staircase and the Bridge of Sighs.
Following your guided tour of the Doges Palace, your guide will introduce you to some other highlights surrounding St. Marks Square like the stunning bell tower (exterior visit) and adorning portico's surrounding the square. Then take a 20-minute break to grab a snack and relax.
Lastly, join a quintessential Venice activity, a gondola ride! Left in the care of a trusted gondolier, enjoy the beauty of Venice from the water. Glide through the panoramic canals in a shared gondola, each boat accommodating up to 5 participants.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.6
- 51,019
- 4140
- 350
- 220
- 146
Ratings come from 1,275 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
4I want to be very clear....
I want to be very clear. Our tour operator was awesome top-notch. The problem arose in the directions from Viator that you needed to turn in your pass to redeem for a ticket prior to meeting for the tour. It was explicitly spelt out that we needed to do that. After we roamed around for almost an hour asking everyone we could ask where the redemption center was we gave up. We decided just to wait for the tour meeting place. Only to find out that there never was a redemption center that that was an absolute error Viator part. It was very hot and not a fun way to start the experience . That was a lot of stress. For no reason. We are only letting others know so the are NOT looking for a redemption center. Just go to the meeting spot.
5Our guide Phillipo was...
Our guide Phillipo was great! He was good at explaining the history of the Palace and the St Marks Basilica. He was very friendly and answered all of the questions others on our group had.
5Excellent!
Phillipo was great! Friendly, welcoming and fun! Also extremely knowledgeable.
5Must see!
The Basilica and Doge’s Palace were beuatiful. The gondola ride was definitely something you need to experience when in Venice.
5Great time
Excellent guide Felipo. Thank you very knowledgeable
5St Marc’s Venetian experience
Rita was a fabulous guide. Knowledgeable and fun. The tour crew were easy to find and to get sorted prior to the tour starting. Highly recommend.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Please Arrive 15 Minutes Early. Between the two big columns in St. Mark’s Square (columns of San Marco and San Teodoro) located on the south side of the square, near the canal. Your guide will be holding a "The Tour Guy" sign.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 25 travellers
- Operated by
- The Tour Guy
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Knees and shoulders must be covered for both men and women to enter St. Mark’s Basilica; entry may be refused otherwise. Please avoid wearing sandals, hats, shorts, skirts, or tops that expose your shoulders.
- A valid government-issued ID is required for entrance to St. Mark's Basilica. The name on your ticket (entered at check-out) must match the name on your ID, or you may be refused entry.
- Your gondola ride is a shared experience, with each boat accommodating up to five guests. A professional gondolier will operate the boat, but please note that this portion of the tour is not guided. The ride lasts approximately 25 to 30 minutes, including the time needed to board and disembark.
How it compares in Venice
- Its from-price is 41% below the median of the 1991 experiences we list in Venice.
- It is longer than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 24 of 1991.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Venice
Venice floats on a lagoon of more than a hundred islands, a city of canals, palaces and bridges with no cars, where every walk ends somewhere unexpected.
The Grand Canal sweeps through the city in a great reversed S, lined with palaces and crossed by the Rialto Bridge. Near its mouth, Piazza San Marco gathers St Mark's Basilica with its golden mosaics, the Doge's Palace, the Bridge of Sighs and the tall brick campanile. Water buses and gondolas show the city from the angle it was built to be seen.
Top-ranked sights in Venice: St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco), St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco), Grand Canal.
Special offers in Venice
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
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