Venice Doge’s Palace & Basilica: The Legacy of the Roman Empire™

Venice, Italy

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

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Overview

Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica are Venice's top two attractions, but most tours only cover the basic history. On this group tour, step into the shoes of an ambassador and follow the ceremonial route to see how Venice claimed its Eastern Roman legacy. Start with a VR intro to see imagine how the area has evolved over the centuries. Then, discover the golden mosaics of St. Mark's, the halls of the Doge's Palace, and the prisons of the Bridge of Sighs. Upgrade to the gondola experience for an additional VR presentation and a gondola ride on the famous canals.

Check off multiple top sights in Venice, all in one convenient tour
Discover the Doge's Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica from an ambassador’s perspective
Includes priority admission to both landmarks plus access to other museums
Ideal introduction to Venice for first-time visitors or those short on time

What's Included

Priority Ticket to Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica
Guided Tour to Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica
History Gallery VR Experience of St. Mark's Square in the past
Access to Museums in Saint Mark's Square (Correr & Archeological Museums and Marciana Library)
Optional Gondola Experience™ (20-min intro with the Gondola Gallery and VR & 30-min gondola ride)

Hotel pickup & Drop Off
Food & Drinks
Access to St. Mark's Basilica Pala d'Oro, Terrace, and Museum
Guided tour of Correr and National Archeological Museums, and Marciana Library

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Venice Tours srl - Priority Tickets San Marco Square Monuments
Calle de le Rasse, 4536, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy
From St. Mark’s Square, face the Basilica and turn right towards the Doge’s Palace. Continue past the Bridge of Sighs to Riva degli Schiavoni (the waterfront promenade). Walk for 2 minutes, then turn left into Calle de le Rasse. The Venice Tours Office is at number 4536;

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Piazza San Marco

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Palazzo Ducale

1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Ponte dei Sospiri (Pass By)

Basilica di San Marco

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Museo Correr (Pass By)

Canal Grande

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
A valid ID document is mandatory for security checks at the entrance to the Basilica.
For security reasons, large bags and luggage are not permitted inside St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, or on the gondola.
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.
Tour does not operate in case of exceptional high tide or in case of unexpected religious functions (in these cases it can be postponed the days after otherwise it will be refunded)
For the visit of the Basilica suitable clothing is required (no shorts)

This tour is not wheelchair accessible and is not suitable for guests with walking disabilities.
In case of exceptionally high tide or extremely bad weather, parts of the tour may be canceled or rescheduled. If this occurs, an alternative tour or a new date may be offered.
Access to the Basilica may be restricted during religious services.
Each gondola accommodates a maximum of 5 passengers.
Seating is assigned by the gondolier to ensure proper weight balance.
The official St. Mark's Basilica ticket price is €12.00 per person (standard) or €24.00 with terrace access; the remaining part of the price covers assistance at the meeting point, accompanied entry with a certified guide or host, access to the Venice Gallery with a dedicated VR experience, the use of an audio guide or radio system with earphones and sales costs.
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.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

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

3.5

based on 18 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Great tour with an amazing guide

Fioravante_A, Aug 2024

All the sights are of course wonderful. But what made the tour memorable was our guide Katerina - her knowledge and passion of Venice was amazing.

Great tour

Jennifer_B, Jul 2024

Great tour. Our guide was so knowledgeable and informative. Glad we got a little insight into the “back neighborhoods” of Venice.

Covered all the high points

Anthony_L, Jun 2024

Great walking tour, St Marks, and Doge's Palace. Covered all the high points. I would recommend this

Disgusted and disappointed

Nishaan_N, Apr 2024

Don’t waste your time or money on this tour. WORST experience ever. We had only 1 day in Venice and it was completely wasted. We booked a tour that clearly stated group of 10 or less. When we arrived we realised that there were 22 people. When we questioned the tour operator he was rude and dismissive. The headsets were not working trying to resolve this took over half an hour. Most importantly the guide could not speak English properly so we couldn’t understand a word. 5 minutes into the tour we left. We walked forever to find Venice tours offices. There we explained the issues and they were just as unhelpful. We had to call Viator and hold 3 times while in their office. We confirmed with Venice tours and Viator that we shall be refunded and we proceeded to buy our own tickets to see the one attraction that we had time to visit. Despite not going for the tour and not using any of the tour operators tickets and cancelling because we were lied to about the group size and the tour guide being fluent in English we still haven’t received a refund.

Not a good tour

Rose_C, Apr 2024

The tour was supposed to be 3 1/2 hours and they sent us for lunch in the middle. We didn’t get to see the dome and they didn’t offer a refund.

Not kept well informed

Kavita_K, Mar 2024

Tour didn't start on time. Golden Basilica was closed on the day I booked by trip. The operators could have informed us by SMS or emails it's closed on that day,I could have arranged for something else than. But they never informed until we started the tour. Disappointed.

Horrible experience

Anthony_D, Mar 2024

This was our fourth of five tours booked through Viator and the only experience that did not meet expectations. Despite paying for it, we were not permitted to tour the inside of the Basilica. Before we started the walking tour, I informed our tour guide, Max, that my husband is disabled and struggles with long periods of walking and to please be cognizant of how far behind we would be. On every other tour, the guides would periodically wait for us to catch up. Not only did Max not keep track of who was with him, he did not care and we became lost in Venice in the pouring rain. We had to ask several people for help in order to find our way back. We finally made it back to the piazza a half hour before the tour resumed with the Doge Palace. We returned our headsets to Max and told him we were done with him. It was such a bad experience, that we refused to continue on to the Doge Palace. He did not even offer an apology. We will be seeking a refund

Less than ideal experience

Vikram_A, Mar 2024

We had a mixed experience. St Marks Basilica was closed during our visit. Despite the tour company knowing in advance we were not given an option to cancel or reschedule. Furthermore after the tour started we were told we had to take a “break” and then return to complete the Doge Palace portion. They also extended the walking tour without giving any sense of how long it would be. Given we had elderly family members and young children (plus rain!) we may have opted to do something else / shorter. In the positive, the tour guide was extremely knowledgeable even though his style was a bit pedantic.

Very expensive

Ana_g, Mar 2019

It was very expensive even skip the lines, at this time it is not worth to pay all this when is not included the bell's tower and St Marcos is not included the museum or top floor 😑 The guide it didn't speak enough English to explain things and the group was huge, for this prizes I was expecting max 10 people and we where at least 20. At this time where there is not a lot of tourists is better visit on your own the church and pay ticket to the Doges's Palace.... And the time only 2 hours cuz I miss the tour city and instead to find me where was the guide cuz I'm sure they could call them and wait 5 min I could do it but the leave us only there waiting 2 hours more

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