Venice: St Mark's Basilica After-Hours Tour with Optional Doge's Palace
- 1.3–3.5 hours
- Free cancellation up to 72h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Enjoy the luxury of avoiding the crowds and explore St Mark’s Basilica on an after-hours tour. Include 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
Inclusions
What's included
- Local English-speaking guide
- Bridge of Sighs (only if option with Doge Palace selected)
- Bell Tower in St. Mark's Square (exterior)
- Exclusive access ticket for St. Mark's Basilica (after closing)
- Doge’s Palace (only if option with Doge Palace selected)
- Marciana Library (exterior)
- Pala d’Oro Altarpiece
- St. Mark's Crypt
- Expertly guided walking tour
- Doge’s Palace tickets (only if option with Doge Palace purchased at time of booking) - €25
- New Prisons (only if option with Doge Palace selected)
- St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco)
What's not
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Itinerary
Piazza San Marco
Exterior view & Photo stop
Basilica di San Marco, Veneto The best way to see St Mark's Basilica is without the crowds. Inside, take a deep breath. You’re experiencing St. Mark’s 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.
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.
The Torre d'Orologio is included with the Doge Palace option only.
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.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 72 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.7
- 51,354
- 486
- 340
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Ratings come from 1,565 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.
5Valentina S - Venice
I didn’t think I’d ever meet an angel in church until tonight. ValentinaS, you are an amazing person. What a great experience. You did a fantastic job! Hope our paths cross again, Ken Leith
5Wow! Just wow! What an amazing tour and guide (Rami)!
Wow! Just wow!!! Hands down the BEST tour we have ever taken! What an amazing tour! Rami was wonderful and so incredibly knowledgeable about the history, architecture, politics, and religion that all combined to make St. Marks’s and the Doge Palace culturally and historically significant. This tour was packed with so much history and information, yet executed at a casual pace that kept everyone engaged. This is the tour to see!!!
5Great experience
Romi was an excellent tour guide and extremely knowledgeable on the history of Doge's palace and St. Mark's Basilica
5Amazing experience
The guide was great, really made the experience special.
5Great experience
Valentina S. was our tour guide for the day. She was wonderful. Extremely knowledgeable, friendly and overall a perfect person for our tour. With Valentina the money was worth the trip.
5AMAZING TOUR, THANK YOU VALENTINA S.
Our tour with Valentina S. was amazing! We booked the nighttime tour and was truly amazed at all of the beauty we saw. Valentina S. was beyond knowledgeable, the best tour guide ever! <3 Highly recommend!
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour, your guide will be holding a green Walks sign. This tour meets at Correr Museum in Piazza San Marco 52. Your guide will be waiting under the portico just outside the entrance of the museum.
- 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
- Walks - Italy & Spain
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments or with wheelchairs, or strollers.
- No refund will be provided if high tide prevents certain parts of the tour, but adjustments to the route will be made for client safety and comfort.
- If access is restricted due to private events inside St. Mark's Basilica and/or Doge's Palace, we cannot be held responsible. This is a situation beyond our control. No refund will be issued.
- This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
- All guests must supply their full name that matches a valid ID at the time of the booking. Should you fail to provide these, your reservation will be canceled. Name changes are not permitted.
- Please note: This tour offers multiple options. Take a moment to choose the one that best suits your interests.
How it compares in Venice
- Its from-price is 23% below the median of the 1991 experiences we list in Venice.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 19 of 1991.
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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