Exclusive Entrance Doge Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Terrace Tour
Description
Gain early priority access to the Doge’s Palace, before the normal public access times, allowing you the chance to admire this wonder in a whole new light. Gain Skip-the-line priority access to St. Mark’s Basilica and its terrace, where you will get to admire the opulence and the luxuriousness of the Basilica and also witness the panoramic view of Piazza San Marco, the island of San Giorgio, the Campanile and the Clock Tower that will surely be a sight to behold. Immerse yourself in the magical atmosphere of Venice and fall in love with its culture, religion, art and food while marveling at the incredible architecture and history of this city on water.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your guide will firstly accompany you to the Doge’s Palace. This Venetian Gothic architectural masterpiece is said to have been built in 1340 and extended and modified throughout the following centuries. Being one of the main landmarks of Venice, this was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic. The Doges palace acted as the heart of all affairs of the which constituted with a central body and imposing towers at the corners, helping form this masterful gothic architectural wonder. The Doge’s Palace offers an extraordinary experience for anyone interested in this magical floating city and the designs of the interior of the palace decorated in gold along with the elegance of the Verona marbles is sure to impress you by its luxurious nature. You will then get to pass across the famous Bridge of Sighs “Il Ponte dei Sospiri” that connect to the new prisons, your guide will explain the interesting stories that lie behind this unique name.
After having experienced the opulence of the Doge’s Palace, you will make your way towards one of the most imposing monuments of the city. St Mark's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic diocese of Venice. It is one of the best-known examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture. The cathedral declares and displays the wealth of Venice over centuries with its domes and turrets and gold mosaic standing out over the square. This Cathedral acted as a temple of civic life as well as of religious faith, bearing witness to the greatness of Venice. For about a thousand years it had served as the Ducal Chapel. It had always been the church where the Venetian people and the government have held their highest celebrations. The access to the Basilicas terrace will surely top of this marvelous experience of witnessing the majestic cathedral below. The panoramic view of Piazza San Marco, the island of San Giorgio, the Campanile and the Clock Tower will surely be a sight to behold.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- 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
Reviews(36)
It would have been worth the price just to beat the lines, but our tour guide, Michaela, was just wonderful. She had incredible knowledge of the area but shared the information in a way that was interesting and digestible, all while accommodating the particular needs of different people in the group. One thing to keep in mind is that the tour starts at the Doge Palace. For the first hour, your group pretty much has the place to itself. St. Mark's is another story. Until you get to the terrace, it's pretty crazy, even with the special tour entrance. Also, there may be accessibility issues for that part of the trip (as well as going into the prisons and crossing the Bridge of Sighs). It wasn't an issue for us, but some members of the tour had to opt out of those parts.
Good tour! It was a little hard to concentrate because other groups were always nearby, but I think is the norm. Certainly going early made it more pleasant. Excellent tour guide.
This tour was outstanding from start to finish. Our guide was exceptional—knowledgeable, engaging, and very easy to understand. She was also easy to locate in the square, which made the morning stress-free. The information shared throughout our visit to Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica truly brought the history of Venice to life. The biggest advantage was the early access. Being able to experience these iconic sites before the large crowds arrived made all the difference and was absolutely worth it. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Venice who wants an informative, well-organized, and memorable experience.
The tour was very professionally managed, started on time (early entry is great both because the museum is empty and because it’s nice to arrive in the square before the crowds while the city is waking up!), and our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and quite funny and personable.
Excellent tour which starts early so you have no crowds. Excellent English speaking guide with great historical insight.
Our guide Lorenzo was very knowledgeable and took the time to explain as well as answer all questions. He was delightful.
Elena was an awesome guide and leader. Be on time or she will leave you (a bonus in my mind). One group member had a medical issue midway during the tour. She was amazingly attentive and immediately called the local museum person BY NAME to help. The person was able to continue the tour, yet she continued to watch over them. She spoke fast so we got a lot of info in a short time. Highly engaging local who also kept us entertained. We appreciated the 8:00am start to avoid most of the crowds.
Excellent experience. We literally got in before the doors opened. We were for most of Doge’s Palace the only group in there. Fantastic. st Mark’s Basilica is impressive and the terrace views are wonderful. Our guide was knowledgeable and was very informative.
This tour was excellent. Accessing the Doges Palace before general opening gave us an opportunity to view everything more closely and have a more personalized tour with our guide. We received so much historical information and perspective provided by our guide. The tour of the cathedral was also very interesting and we got right in and the scheduled time without lots of crowds. My favorite part of the tour though, was Doges Palace and the insight into the history of the Venetian Republic
This is an excellent tour! Getting in early was a huge perk so that we weren’t around d other groups until we were half way through. Good pacing and information.
