Venice: St.Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Tour with Tickets
- 3h 10m
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 2 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Experience Venice on an exclusive small group guided tour, designed for a more personalized and enriching adventure. Skip the lines with pre-reserved tickets and maximize your precious vacation time as you uncover the city's most iconic landmarks, including the breathtaking St. Mark’s Basilica and the legendary Doge’s Palace — all in just three unforgettable hours. Let an expert local guide bring the city’s history, art, and hidden gems to life with insider stories you won’t find in any guidebook. Walk away with a wealth of knowledge and inspiration to make the most of your journey through this one-of-a-kind Italian treasure.
Inclusions
What's included
- Expert local guide with insider's knowledge
- 3-hour walking tour at a relaxed pace
- Tickets for the Correr Museum
- Admission to National Archeological Museum and Biblioteca Marciana
- Pre-reserved tickets for Doge's Palace
- Small group tour for a more personalized experience
- Pre-reserved tickets for St. Mark's basilica
What's not
- Guided Tour of Correr Museum, National Archeological Museum, and Biblioteca Marciana
- Transportation to/from the meeting point
Itinerary
Join a 3-hour guided tour in Venice to see the major highlights of the city led by an expert guide. The tour includes two must-see sites: Doge’s Palace and Basilica of St. Mark, both with pre-reserved tickets.
Meet your expert guide in famous St. Mark’s Square and start getting to know "the Floating City" and its origins. Explore the most renowned public space in the city and, learn about its historical, social, and political importance. Learn about the Clock Tower and the Marble Lions that both play an important role in St Mark’s history.
Continue on to the Basilica of St.Mark, and enter the cathedral with your pre-reserved tickets. Take in its sheer size and the fascinating golden mosaics inside. Learn about the design of the monument, called the Church of Gold, and its status as a symbol of Venetian wealth and power. Listen to the story of the life-size Horses of St Mark’s Basilica, said to be some of Europe’s finest creations. Find out the answers to all of your questions and more as you accompany your guide on this well-planned walking tour in Venice.
Follow your guide at a relaxed pace to visit the Doge’s Palace. You'll walk straight into this opulent palazzo with our with pre-reserved tickets. Learn about the supreme authority and wealth of the ruling Venetian Doges through the ornate Gothic architecture of the palace. Ask about the talented 14th-century sculptors that worked on the palace, and enjoy stunning views across the Lagoon as you explore this world-famous landmark.
Learn why the New Prisons were built, and understand the significance of the Bridge of Sighs, another highlight of Venice. Listen to the extraordinary story of the famous Casanova and his life in Venice.
Your admission ticket to the Doges Palace also includes entry to the Correr Museum in St. Mark's Square. The building was originally designed as a residence for Napoleon, and later became the Venetian residence of the King of Italy. Generally, you can visit the Correr Museum after your tour has ended. You may also have tickets for the next morning, depending on the hour of the tour you book.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.6
- 51,079
- 4151
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- 142
Ratings come from 1,361 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.
5Must-see
Brilliant guide, I always look for their enthusiasm because they cannot be faked. Very knowledgeable too, and both buildings were stunning
5More clear meeting point information on tours. What stop will I get off to meet tour. Please list phone Emergency.
Our guide was outstanding, and her knowledge of past history was amazing. She infected her love of Venice into all of her wonderful group. Great job Via Tours!
5Educational
This was an excellent tour. We were one of Claire’s ducklings as she called us. Claire was energetic and had exceptional knowledge of Venice history. I would recommend this tour plus added bonus of skipping the line
5A Beautiful & Informative Experience in Venice!
Ione was a wonderful tour guide! Her knowledge surrounding the Doge Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica is extensive and she was very kind throughout the tour. I learned so much about the history of Venice that I was not aware of prior. These two iconic landmarks in Venice are absolutely stunning and should be witnessed in person. As a solo traveler, I highly recommend this tour!
5Excellent
Amazing tour Alex Mr. Alex was super so much information. He loves his job with so much passion. We had an amazing time was very informative. I had to do it all again. I would.
1Trrrible
The tour was a complete rip off especially St Marks. In 15 mins all she talked about was the ceiling had to pay again to In the next day cost us 60 Euros this tour was over 300 not worth the money whatsoever.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- We meet in Saint Mark’s Square near the waterfront by the two large columns. Our guide will be under the one with the winged lion on top. Your guide will have a signboard that says, “Walks In Europe.”
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 16 travellers
- Operated by
- Walks In Europe
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Each traveler must present a valid passport or ID document that matches the name provided at the time of booking for successful entry to St.Mark’s Basilica.
- Please provide the full names of all travelers when booking. Failure to present a voucher with all travelers’ full names at the ticket office prior to entry may result in denied entry to the attraction.
- Acqua Alta (high tide) in Venice can cause delays in entering the Basilica.
- Sites visited during this tour are subject to occasional closures due to holy observances, high tides, and flooding. If a site closes, your guide will tour the exterior of the site. If time permits, you will be contacted before your tour. For last-minute closures, modifications may be communicated at the tour start time.
- Basilica is a holy place, both men and women must wear clothing that covers the belly, shoulders and knees.
- Religious authorities may decide to suspend skip-the-line priority because of the high number of visitors. We are only allowed to stay inside the Basilica for 20 minutes.
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 23 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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