Skip the Line Venice Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica Tour
Description
The greatness of Venice has always been reflected in the richness of St. Mark’s Basilica, the perfect synthesis of Venetian art and a unique blend of Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic elements. Five Oriental-looking domes crown the shadowy, mysterious interior gleaming with golden mosaics, coloured marbles, precious stones and pearls, and guarded by the four gilded bronze horses that stand proudly atop the central entrance. The glittering mosaics of the interior tell the story of St. Mark and episodes from the Bible. We enter the Doge’s Palace, the highest achievement of Gothic architecture in Venice, through the Porta del Frumento (Corn Door) on the waterfront. The monumental complex was the symbol and center of the political and administrative life of the Serenissima. At once the Doge’s residence, seat of government and court of justice and prisons, the Palace was for centuries the symbol of the wealth and power of the Venetian Republic.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The principal public square of Venice
The most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture. - Enter St. marks's Basilica through the St. Peter's Door - Visit the Basilica interior and hear a detailed description of the gold mosaics - Visit to the Museum and the Terrace
The Doge's Palace is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Venetian Republic, opening as a museum in 1923. Today, it is one of the 11 museums run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.
The Bridge of Sighs is a bridge in Venice, Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone, has windows with stone bars, passes over the Rio di Palazzo, and connects the New Prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace. It was designed by Antonio Contino, whose uncle Antonio da Ponte designed the Rialto Bridge. It was built in 1600.
A corridor leads over the Bridge of Sighs, built in 1614 to link the Doge's Palace to the structure intended to house the New Prisons. Enclosed and covered on all sides, the bridge contains two separate corridors that run next to each other. That which visitors use today linked the Prisons to the chambers of the Magistrato alle Leggi and the Quarantia Criminal; the other linked the prisons to the State Advocacy rooms and the Parlatorio. Both corridors are linked to the service staircase that leads from the ground floor cells of the Pozzi to the roof cells of the Piombi.
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
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
- Because of security checks you might experience a line to get inside the Doge Palace and St. Mark's Basilica. You will skip the line for non-reserved tickets but security check is mandatory.
- Maximum of 25 people on each tour
- 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
- 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.
- EACH TRAVELER MUST PRESENT A VALID PASSPORT OR ID DOCUMENT THAT MACHES THE NAME PROVIDED AT THE TIME OF BOOKING FOR SUCCESSFUL ENTRY TO ST. MARK'S BASILICA.
- St Mark’s Basilica entry tickets are priced at €12 per person
Reviews(266)
Denise was our guide, what an excellent guide she is too. Made our tour fun and entertaining with information and anecdote on the Doge's. The meeting point is easy to find as they have their own shop/booth. Well worth the money.
The tour was amazing. The guide was very knowledgeable about both St. Peter's Basilica and Doge's Palace. Lots of great history along with the incredible buildings themselves. Skip the line option was definitely worth the cost.
Our guide was excellent tour and history provided interesting- some narrow stairs and climbings. Prison part was cool- must do in Venice.
Tour operator ignored my communication over several days and failed to allow me to join tour on day scheduled.
you made reservation through Viator and it is clearly indicated that you can cancel or cgange up to 24 hours in advance but you have to do it through Viator
Amazing and knowledgeable tour guide Denise provided much history of both the basilica and palace. Highly recommend
Our guide Max, was very knowledgeable! The Basilica was amazing, as well as the Doge. Great to connect our knowledge and history with someone who was really was educated in facts
Our guide held a sign at shoulder level, very difficult to keep track of her. She also started telling us of the item she was explaining before we could even locate it. She walked quickly and it was hard to keep the group together. She didn’t indicate very well which direction she was going to help us keep together.
Our tour guide was fantastic and extremely knowledgeable. She was very pleasant and courteous. I would book again with her for any tour!
A good overall experience. The guide was good and the info was interesting. A lot of walking and climbing stairs. Good audio
This was a great tour of the Basilica & palace, our guide Denise had such a knowledge of Venice & its history that we totally enjoyed our time with her.
