Venice in A Day: St Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace & Gondola Ride
Description
If you want to make sure you cover the highlights of Venice, this full day tour is your best choice. If you’re only spending a few days in Venice, covering the best attractions in a single day is a smart idea. That way, you can spend the remainder of your time in Venice sipping Prosecco by the canals. This tour includes stops at St Mark’s Basilica and Square, the Rialto Bridge, Doge’s Palace (including Casanova’s prison cell), a 30 minute gondola ride and plenty of hidden gems along the way. A lunch break is scheduled into the tour - we would never let you go hungry in Italy!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour begins in St. Mark’s Square, Venice’s central public plaza. Meet your guide and learn about the history of this iconic piazza, home to St. Mark’s Basilica.
Known as “The Church of Gold”, St. Mark’s Basilica’s elaborate design features gold mosaics and marble slabs. Skip the long ticket line and learn about the basilica’s storied history during a guided tour of the stunning Basilica.
After your visit to the basilica your journey continues into the hidden back alleyways of Venice, guided by a knowledgeable local. Learn about the history and legends surrounding the iconic Rialto Bridge, a magnificent architectural gem that spans the Grand Canal.
Swap cobblestones for water as you board a shared gondola with others from your group (max 5 guests). Drift through canals for 30 minutes and see the postcard views you came to Venice for.
Enjoy 1.5 hours to choose your own lunch nearby. Grab a quick panini or settle into cicchetti, and ask your guide for a few reliable spots that fit your pace.
Next, explore the fascinating Doge's Palace, or "Duke's Palace." This Palace used to be the home of Venice's public administration. At the same time, it operated as a prison, where some of Venice's criminals saw their last days. Explore the fascinating artwork of the Doge's Palace, and get a glimpse of the famous Bridge of Sighs, the bridge that connects Doge's Palace to its prison. Even though your tour will conclude after visiting the Doges Palace, your guide will be happy to advise on how to get back to your accommodation, or perhaps advice where to enjoy some local food & a spritz!
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
- Since we will be entering a church, please make sure that your shoulders and knees are covered. Also, please refrain from bringing big back packs or bags, because they are not always allowed inside.
- All guests must supply their full name and date of birth that matches a valid ID at the time of the booking. Please note that a photo ID is required to visit the St. Mark's Basilica. Name changes are not permitted.
- 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.
- The order of stops may change due to timed entry schedules, crowds, or operational reasons, but you will still visit the same key sights listed.
- We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any walking impairments that require special assistance on our group tours. We are also unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages.
Reviews(687)
Very good history of St mark Basilica and Doge Palace and The Rialto Bridge. I enjoyed going to the jail under the Doge palace.
First, one of the guides was sick and they combined our group with another and we were 17 at that point. Was disappointed in the amount of time spent in St. Mark's and entering with a group that size was a problem especially as we were given no direction as to where to wait once we entered. We were in , we were out. No balcony for our group. The trip to Rialto bridge was good. And seeing the daily markets of fruits, vegetables and fish was a treat. We then went back to St Mark's Square to take our gondola ride. One group went to one gondola and our group went to another. After the gondola ride we were on our own for lunch and we had to ask where and when to meet our guide again after that. The guide wasn't very forthcoming with that information. He also walked too fast for some of the people on our tour and had to keep stopping to gather everyone. After lunch we met at the designated place and were informed that our guide was still sick and our groups would be combined again with the same guide we had before. Not thrilled. Next was Doge's Palace. The guide was very informative and we did see everything on the itinerary. But with 17 people, it was a little much and I kind of felt sorry for the guide having that many people to handle.
My tour was very knowledgeable about the area.
Great tour! Informative. Our guide knew her info. She made us laugh lots. Watched out to ensure all of us stayed together even amidst crowds. Even tracked down a guy that wondered off! Had a break for lunch which worked well. Recommend tour!!!
This was a great way to see all things related to Venice and it's history. I do wish we had more time for lunch, but we really enjoyed the boat rides, the islands, and the other tours!
The palace tour was a bit long
Amazing experience and we learned so much history - told in a fun and engaging manner. Our guide was knowledgeable and attentive to our needs.
This was well worth it. I totally recommed this tour. It os all inclusive and definitely a way to explore venice in a day.
Thank you Hyon! We are thrilled that our all inclusive itinerary helped you perfectly explore Venice in a day. Be sure to spread the word about The Tour Guy to your friends and family before your next big adventure!
It was terribly hot, inside and outside, no fault of Viator. The tour guide was pleasant and knowledgeable. I expected to see more of the Doges palace. Our gondola driver spent the whole time conversing across the canals to other drivers and was not at all sociable or informative. He said they only sing at night. The ride was a decent length. It was hard to hear the guide when she told us where to meet after the lunch break, but fortunately we tracked them down before they entered the cathedral. It was quite crowded and hot so that became a distraction from the true quality of the tour.
Philip was very knowledgeable and easy to understand. Great tour!
