Venice Tour: St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace

Embark on an insightful journey into Venetian history as you explore the legendary St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. Skip the line and discover the stories behind these iconic structures with an expert guide.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 72 hours
Highlights
  • Piazza San Marco - Start your journey at the iconic St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) and take a moment to admire the stunning expanse before you. Your guide will provide an introduction, setting the stage with tales of Venetian history beneath the renowned arched portico.
  • Doge’s Palace - Begin your exploration at Palazzo Ducale, or Doge’s…
What's Included
  • Pre-reserved ticket to the Doge’s Palace (25 €)
  • Local English-speaking guide
  • Exclusive Early Entry to the Doge’s Palace (8 AM only)
  • Skip-the-line ticket for St. Mark’s Basilica 12€, St. Mark’s Basilica + Museum 24€
  • Spanish Speaking guide - if option selected
  • Exclusive access to the balcony of St. Mark’s Basilica (if option selected)
  • Headsets when necessary
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
  • Lunch
Additional Information

With skip-the-line tickets and a knowledgeable guide, visitors can explore Venice’s two most iconic landmarks, St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, in just two memorable hours. Stroll through the opulent council rooms of the Doge’s Palace, cross the Bridge of Sighs, discover captivating tales of power and politics, and be amazed by the golden…

Location
Museo Correr
Piazza San Marco
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.
Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(5108 Ratings)
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Chrisw3006kx
Jan 30, 2026
A must see - Excellent and informative. Well worth the cost. A must do in Venice. Francesca the guide was outstanding. Would recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nemesis_traveller
Oct 18, 2025
Excellent guide, so friendly and knowledgeable - Our guide was very down to earth and extremely knowledgeable, We saw alot of guides running through areas whilst our guide took her time and asked if we had any questions or queries throughout the full tour, the only gripe I had was paying over ÂŁ100 per person and we didn't get into the area directly beside the tomb of St Mark, this was an extra 10 Euro charge that we had to pay after the tour ended, this was the main reason I took the tour and I feel we shouldn't have had to pay another fee to see what I would say is the main reason anyone would want to tour St Marks Basilica. Other than this the tour was very informative and never rushed so I would definitely recommend but just know you need to pay extra to get close to St Marks sarcophagus.
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Coastal67952995788
Oct 17, 2025
Impressive Tour - This tour was very thorough and impressive historically and architecturally. Great guide - extremely knowledgeable. Impressive and shouldn’t be missed while in Venice
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Trail19073050530
Oct 13, 2025
Excellent Venice experience! - The sites were beautiful, the gondola ride was memorable and our guide was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable.
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Aeieie
Oct 11, 2025
Must do! - Great tour filled with great information. Our tour guide lead us through the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica relaying historical facts and anecdotes about each space we entered. Skipping the lines were a great advantage also. Getting to walk across the Bridge of Sighs and along the balcony of St Mark’s Basilica were the highlights for me.
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Aprilgc4210ak
Oct 10, 2025
So glad we did this! - Elena was a wonderful tour guide! Very knowledgeable and extremely passionate about Venice! She infused local history with her fun and unique personality and stories, which made for an experience where we learned a lot and had a great time. I would recommend this tour and this particular guide to everyone. We feel the skip-the-line option is a must-do!
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Victoriamq1926wd
Oct 9, 2025
Leisure 3 night break. - Take insect repellent and apply it, as I got bitten as was wearing knee length dresses, and didn't take anti itchy cream as wasn't expecting bugs, but thinking in heinz site it is surrounded by water. Take a hat/ cap as it's bright when sun shining but better protection than wearing sunglasses alday as having to go through the darker narrow passage ways. Comfy footwear as it's a lot of walking everywhere as no motor transport.it is flat though, as on water. There is 1 small Co Op supermarket I came across and a few Spa mini shops which R cheaper than most the street stalls n shops off busiest areas. There was also 1 health food shop I came across which stocked Kombucha if U like that, as no where else did. The area over past Academia bridge becomes quieter along the river, nice places to eat n drink. You can walk from there a snaking through back eventually ending up Rialto bridge.
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Timothy
Oct 8, 2025
Outstanding Tour - Michel our tour guide was amazing. Very knowledgeable and friendly. His art history degree really showed in his tour. We would highly recommend this tour. The early access to the Doge Palace before it opened was great.
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Cathyp341
Oct 5, 2025
St Marks and Doges palace - Fascinating tour with Venetian Phillipo , very informative and funny . So worthwhile visiting such beautiful buildings to learn about the complex history of Venice . Would highly recommend
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Vancouverleslie
Nov 5, 2025
After hours in St Marks Basilica made this tour woth the time - Our tour group was supposed to be a maximum of 20, but our group had 25. Upon meeting our guide, we were told we would be in St. Marks Basilica from 9-10pm, making this a much longer tour than was listed. This tour of both sites gave us access after closing time without the crowds for sure. While the description said “Enjoy a Doge's Palace night tour alone after the doors close to the public”, what was not mentioned is that there were several “Walks” tour groups touring during this time. “We’ll take you right to the heart of Venice’s power and history on our Doge’s Palace night tour, from the Doge’s own lavish apartments to the Hall of the Great Council, where the city’s all-important general assembly made decisions before beautiful paintings by Veronese and Tintoretto”. We toured the Doge’s Palace and while our tour guide was very knowledgeable, she spent way too long describing the artists and art work and not the functioning of the government which is what I had hoped to hear. It was sort of tedious after the first 30 minutes.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $85
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 72 hours before the start of your experience (local time).