St Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace with Secret Passages Access
Description
A visit to Venice wouldn’t be the same without delving into its long and fascinating history as the world’s oldest republic. Go beyond the traditional route, stepping behind the scenes of the Doge’s Palace to explore the secret archives, offices, torture chambers, and the palace attic, home to top-security prison cells, including that of the famed Casanova! Finish next door at St. Mark's Basilica, combining a visit to Venice's top landmarks in one seamless tour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
With your guide, a Venetian art expert and historian, enjoy skip-the-line access to the Doge's Palace and make a beeline for backstage. After a guard opens a special door, enter the hidden side of the palace to see the prison cell where Casanova was held, hear the unlikely tale of his escape, and visit the archives to learn how secrets were kept. See hidden council rooms to learn of the system of checks and balances that made Venice the world's oldest republic and enter the best general access areas such as huge audience rooms, ballrooms with incredible paintings by Veronese and Tintoretto, and the private apartments of the Duke of Venice. You even cross the famed Bridge of Sighs to see the New Prisons on this small-group tour.
Your last highlight of the tour will a guided tour of Venice's most important church, St. Mark's Basilica. Admire the east-meets-west architecture and hear how most of the basilica's prized possessions ended up here by less than honest means.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Due to Doge's Palace regulations, children under the age of 6 are not permitted inside the secret itineraries and therefore cannot take this tour.
- 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 the Doge's Palace, we cannot be held responsible. This is a situation beyond our control. No refund will be issued.
- This tour is not suitable for people who are claustrophobic.
- This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
- Guests should be prepared for a moderate level of physical activity, including standing for extended periods and climbing stairs, which may not be suitable for travelers with certain health conditions or mobility limitations.
- 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.
- St. Mark’s Basilica can be subject to closures due to particular liturgical celebrations, especially during major religious holidays such as Easter or Christmas. In the event that the Basilica is closed, explanations will be provided from the outside.
- Please note: This tour offers multiple options. Take a moment to choose the one that best suits your interests.
Reviews(280)
We learnt a lot on the tour, the guide, Martina, was friendly, knowledgable, passionate and very organized. The check in for the tour was efficient. She knew the subject matter well and left us happy and satisfied. The length of the tour was just right. The one thing I would change is reduce the number of people in each group, it was becoming too crowded in the small rooms in the palace and took away from the exclusivity of the experience.
told Doges was closed so tour canceled. verified info thro viator so lost tickets to both Doges Palace and St Marks. walked to SaintMarks square later and Palace of Doges was in fact open. horrible!!!
Dear Stacey, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're very sorry to hear how disappointing this experience was for you. As we explained at the time, we were informed by the Doge's Palace management, with very short notice, that the palace would be closed the following day due to the extreme heatwave. Based on this official information, we made the difficult decision to cancel the tour and issue all guests with a full refund so they could make alternative arrangements for their time in Venice, rather than risk guests arriving to find the attraction unavailable. We understand your frustration after seeing the palace open later in the day. Unfortunately, we can only act on the information provided to us by the venue, and the decision to cancel was made in good faith based on the guidance we received. We're truly sorry for the disappointment this caused and hope you were still able to enjoy the rest of your time in Venice. Walks & Devour Tours
Excellent! I loved our guide! Their English was well spoken, had great facts and history to talk about. Even was entertaining at times. I loved the little helpful things along the way- we had a large group- and were told to point out things to the people behind us so that all members of our group could view the interesting artifact. Our guide unmuted her radio during the break which I greatly appreciated. Also the break in general. Highly recommend this tour it was fantastic!
Knowledgeable and kind! Answered all of our questions and the early access and start time was perfect in the summer to avoid the heat!
Our tour guide Michaele was the best we have had in our 4 weeks in Italy and the Greek Islands! So knowledgeable and he made the learning fun! The secret passage area was really intriguing. It was definitely a great value and if you have limited time in Venice as we did it was a great way to learn all about the history of Venice while touring and learning about the structures themselves. Highly recommend - especially if you have Michaele! Molto bene!!
Great experience and guide for our tour was wonderful. Loved seeing the old prison cells and hearing about the history of the Doges. Would recommend for a great tour in Venice.
Our guide was great. I can’t remember her name but she was very knowledgeable and did a great job of walking us through the Doge Palace and the prisons. It was very interesting.
We had a great private tour with Martina through Walks of Italy for the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's. Honestly, we had been to Venice and toured the Doge's twice before, and we really considered skipping this time. As we were traveling with our daughter, and this being her first visit, we decided to keep it in. The private tour with an engaging, competent guide makes all of the difference in the world (along with being first entrance to beat the heat and crowds)! The history here is fairly complex, so being able to have a conversation about everything, versus just hearing the speech and asking a couple of questions, paints a much clearer picture. If you've had a similar experience as we have, try a splurge for the private tour with the secret passageways and see what you think.
Virginia was very knowledgeable. Very personable and a great tour guide. Highly recommend.!!!
Great detailed tour of the palace, prisons and church. Virginia was a pleasure and very interesting.
