Discover Venice: Walking tour, Doge’s Palace, St. Marks Basilica

Venice, Italy

4 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Saint Marks Basilica and the Doges Palace are two landmarks rarely left off any Venice Itinerary, but their popularity means that visitors often spend more time queuing outside than exploring inside. Visit both on this 4-hour tour, including skip-the-line entrance and a walking tour of romantic Venice.

Jump the queues with skip-the-line entrance to St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace
Explore the campi, canals, and laneways of historic Venice on a walking tour
Walk in the footsteps of the Dukes of Venice on a tour of Doge’s Palace
Ideal introduction to Venice for first-time visitors or those short on time

What's Included

4-h guided tour with a local and professional guide
Pre-reserved tickets for St Marks Basilica (€12) and Doge's Palace (€35)
Skip the line entrance and guided tour to the Saint Marks Basilica and Doge's Palace
Live tour commentary provided in English, French, Spanish or German
Personal audio system and headset for tour commentary
The tickets for the Doge's Palace allow you to visit: Bridge of Sighs, Armory, Correr Museum
Access to the National Archaeological Museum, the monumental rooms of Marciana National Library
The tickets for the Basilica allow you to visit (within 6 months) the following sites
Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta (Torcello), Sacrestia della Basilica della Salute
Pinacoteca Manfrediniana, Madonna dell'orto - S. Alvise, S. Andrea de la Zirada, S. Antonin
S. Beneto, S. Fantin, S. Felice, S. Giacomo dell’Orio, S. Giobbe, S. Giovanni elemosinario
S. Giovanni in Bragora, S. Marcuola, S. Maria dei Miracoli, S. Maria del Carmelo vulgo Carmini
S.Luca, S. Maria del Giglio, S. Maria del Rosario vulgo Gesuati, S. Maria Formosa
S. Martino di Castello, S. Marziale, S. Pietro di Castello, S. Polo, S. Samuele, S. Sebastiano
S. Simeon Piccolo, S. Sofia, S. Stae, S. Stefano, S. Trovaso
Santuario di Lucia - SS. Redentore, The Human Safety Net

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Entrance fee - Pala d'oro

€12.00 per person
Museum and Loggia dei Cavalli on the 1st floor

€12.00 per person
Secret itineraries

€40.00 per person
The Hidden Treasures of the Doge

€40.00 per person

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

TU.RI.VE. Meeting Point
Calle larga de l'Ascension, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
15 min before in Calle larga de l’Ascension - 30124 (behind the Correr museum on the opposite side of the Saint Marks Basilica). Look for the TURIVE assistant next to the post office San Marco.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.9:00 am

Itinerary

Meet your guide in St. Mark's Square and take the time to admire the square’s grand monuments before setting off on a walking tour of the city. Discover the historic heart of Venice as you follow your guide around the maze of alleyways, canals, and campi (squares) and get a taste of modern-day life in the city.

After soaking up the atmosphere of romantic Venice, return to St Mark’s Square and use your skip-the-line tickets to visit the Doges Palace. Follow your guide around the magnificent halls, stopping to admire architectural highlights such as the Golden Staircase, see the famous Bridge of Sighs, and marvel at works by artists such as Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese.

The final stop of the day is at St Mark’s Basilica, where you’ll enjoy skip-the-line access and a guided tour of the Byzantine gem. As well as admiring the lavish interiors and peeking into the Treasury, explore the remarkable Golden Basilica, once the private chapel of the Doges of Venice.

After a morning discovering the city, your tour ends back in St Mark’s Square.

Piazza San Marco

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Campo Santa Maria Formosa

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Casa di Marco Polo

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Teatro Malibran

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Palazzo Ducale

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Basilica di San Marco

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Museo Correr

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
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;
Large bags or ruck sacks are NOT allowed on this tour;

Check-in is 15 minutes before the tour start time;
For all late arrivals or no show, NO REFUND.
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 matches the name provided at the time of booking for successful entry to St. Mark’s Basilica.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 3 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.5

based on 28 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

4 hour Venice walking tour

Elaine_S, Sep 2025

Fantastic experience! Our guide Elizabeth was so knowledgeable and shared so much history. Would definitely recommend this tour

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Hello Elaine, Thank you for your kind and thoughtful review. It means so much to the Team. Thank you and sending kind regards from Venice. We hope to welcome you again in the future. Team Venice Events

Venetian history in a nutshell!

Marit_D, Jun 2025

Katarina was an excellent tour guide, full of wonderful stories to help us understand her home, Venice

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Hello Marit, Thank you for your kind and thoughtful review. You kind feedback helps us improve our tours and experiences. We look forward to welcome you back in Venice. Sending kind regards, Team Venice Events

Recommend

TerriJo_G, Jun 2024

Although a little hard to understand our guide at times, he was very knowledgeable and took his time. Answered questions. Would def recommend.

Quick way to see so much!

Chris_R, May 2023

Perfect way to see a lot in 1/2 day. In the early morning we walked Venice with a knowledgable tour guide than went back to the meeting point and had a few min to grab a coffee than we met up with more people for the basilica and palace. So much to see inside but this tour got it all in. Your ticket also includes neighboring museums!

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you Chris for your review.

Backroads of Venice

pedidentalasst67, Jan 2020

Rosanna was great and extremely informative..on our 2nd part of the tour we had another guide whose name was similar to Rosanna and she was just as fabulous!!! Highly recommended to take you off the beaten path and learn about Venice...they were also born and raised in Venice and truly enthusiastic about their birthplace!!

Response from Host, Feb 2020

Thank you for this feedback and we hope to have you back in venice in the next future have a nice day

Doge’s and St Marks

munio1, Oct 2019

Great tour guide. We learned a lot. She answered all of our questions and was very engaged. We would recommend this

Response from Host, Oct 2019

Thank you for this great review we will pass your comments over to the guide. We hope to see you again in the near future.

Really good, great!

Christina_C, Aug 2019

So I’m usually not into tourist activities but decided I needed to see as much as possible in my last few days here. This tour is very good my guide was very knowledgeable and I certainly felt it was worth the spend. In fact it was so rich with history and knowledge I was amazed at what we had covered in the time. Do this one it’s worth the spend.

Response from Host, Aug 2019

Dear Christina, Thank you for your positive review about our tour. We are really pleased it was a memorable experience with us. Your feedback is appreciated and we look forward to seeing you again. Best regards, Venice Events Team.

Too much walking

ALFREDO_O, Sep 2018

This tour could have been slightly better. The tour guide was nice and knowledgeable but for the walking tour I would have prefer seeing a couple of different sights that was not seen within the area walked. As for the Doges Palace and the San Marco Basilica, they were worth seeing.

Venice walking tour

michelletravelag2018, Sep 2018

Our guide was Annemarie. Boy did she know her stuff, she was so smart and knowledgeable about what we were seeing. She explained the history of Venice, and the difference between the local artists and those in other parts in Italy. Our group sat in the Basilica while she explained the artwork on the walls and the ceiling. We never felt rushed, she took her time and answered questions. The line to get in without being part of a tour is just as bad as the Vatican. To skip the line for either exhibit is worth paying for a tour.

Great overview of Venice whilst...

Alison R, Nov 2017

Great overview of Venice whilst visiting the highlight locations and some lesser known sites. Good to do as soon as you get to Venice to help get around. Guide was very knowledgeable and informative and utilised a radio system so everyone could hear the commentary.

I have given this tour 4 stars as...

Irene B, Jun 2017

I have given this tour 4 stars as the only part which was not so good was the walking aspect. The group was too large, the streets too crowded and we didn't really see much on the walking part of this tour. The Golden Bisilica and Doges Palace were unbelievable and not to be missed. The guide provided good background info on these two places.

The guide, Rosanna, was very good...

Robert K, Apr 2017

The guide, Rosanna, was very good, knowledgeable, passionate about her subject and had a good sense of humour. Just as well really because whilst the content was great we were dogged with interference on the radio sets and spent a good amount of time trying to avoid other guides using the same technology/frequency. The first part walking tour was excellent with interesting insights into the history and culture of Venice. The second part Doge's Palace apart from the technology was also very good. Both these parts had a group size of about 20. The third part Basilica with the technology finally sorted out could also have been great except that the group size more than doubled 40 and if you were at the back you lost the impact of some of the highlights. All in all a worthwhile experience which could have been excellent value but for the faulty equipment and oversized group.

Again another tour made worth every...

Brett F, Feb 2017

Again another tour made worth every penny by the passion and enthusiasm of our guide , she was very knowledgeable regarding the Venice history and had time for all questions , English was very good and did not rush the tour. The Golden Basilica and Doges Palace are amazing and would recommended paying that bit extra to jump the queue as l would say it would take as least an hour normally . well worth the money and 10 out of 10 again.

I don't remember our guide's name...

Lindsay_b, Jan 2017

I don't remember our guide's name, but she had a large, brown, fur Russian-style hat. Our tour guide's accent was extremely, extremely difficult to understand I heard several others on the tour say the same. Even with the headset, we couldn't understand much of what she said. She was also a bit rude when people couldn't understand her. We asked her for a restaurant recommendation, and I really question whether she perhaps got a kick-back from the place she recommended. On other tours we took, we asked for restaurant recommendations, and the guides always gave great ones with reasonable prices. The place she took us to was ridiculously expensive and was not very good at all. We later passed a number of restaurants with the same food for a third of the price.

This was an excellent, in-depth tour...

Michael W, Nov 2016

This was an excellent, in-depth tour led by a very competent, experienced, tour guide. Rossana Colombo led us through the alleyways of venice sharing her passion.love and knowledge of Venice. She had plenty of tips to help us enjoy not only our tour but our stay in Venice as well. She shared stories, both personal and Venice legends and her sense of humor was an added bonus. As a tour guide myself, I can really appreciate a good tour given by a great guide. We did the tour in English my mother tongue and I strongly suggest that people do tours in their mother tongue whenever possible. I also strongly recommend against multilingual tours unless you are looking for a superficial overview of the site. My experience has been that when a guide does the tour in one language, the tour is so much more enjoyable and you learn a lot more too!. While in Venice, if only for a day, Doge's Palace, and St. Mark's Basilica are must sees. The walking tour completes the must sees which includes the Rialto Bridge.

Likely to Sell Out