Skip-the-Line: Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Fully Guided Tour
Badge of Excellence
Venice, Italy
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
The entrance lines at Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice can sometimes feel like they last forever. Bypass the annoyance of waiting in long queues by prebooking a Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica skip-the-line tour. Perfect for those with a limited time in Venice, you’ll visit both big attractions with a guide leading the way and loading you with historical information you wouldn’t hear otherwise.
- Get special, skip-the-line access to Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica
- Navigate the crowded area more efficiently with a guide
- Audio headsets are provided so you don’t miss your guide’s commentary
- Choose from a morning or afternoon tour time depending on your preference
What's Included
- English/Spanish-speaking guide (depending on option selected)
- Skip the line Access and entrance ticket to the Doge’s Palace
- Skip the Line Access to St. Mark’s Basilica
- Groups of 25 people or less
- Audio headsets when appropriate, so you can always hear your guide
- Food/Beverage
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Calle de le Rasse, 4536, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy
Meet at Calle de le Rasse, 4536, 30122 Venezia VE From St. Mark's Square, face the basilica, turn right toward the Doge’s Palace, pass the Bridge of Sighs, reach the waterfront, then walk 2 minutes and turn left onto Calle de le Rasse. The meeting point is at number 4536.
End point
- Doge's PalaceP.za San Marco, 1, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
This tour ends inside Doges' Palace.
Itinerary
Head to your meeting point in central Venice, where you'll find your City Wonders guide and group.
At Doge's Palace, save time as you bypass the line for entry and head directly inside. Your guide will take your through the palace's highlights and art, adding historical context and pointing out details you might otherwise miss. Walk through the rooms and admire the stunning frescoes.
Your tour continues through St. Mark’s Square to St. Mark’s Basilica, where you'll also save time with skip-the-line access. Opt to linger for longer at the end of the tour to see the views from the terraces at your own expense, or exit with your guide.
At Doge's Palace, save time as you bypass the line for entry and head directly inside. Your guide will take your through the palace's highlights and art, adding historical context and pointing out details you might otherwise miss. Walk through the rooms and admire the stunning frescoes.
Your tour continues through St. Mark’s Square to St. Mark’s Basilica, where you'll also save time with skip-the-line access. Opt to linger for longer at the end of the tour to see the views from the terraces at your own expense, or exit with your guide.
1
Piazza San Marco
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Palazzo Ducale
1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Basilica di San Marco
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- 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
- Basilica tickets are priced at €12 per person. Doge's Palace tickets are priced at €30 per adult. All additional charges are considered administrative costs
- We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any impairments requiring special assistance. We are also unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages on our group tours.
- Please note that the itinerary for our tours may differ from the advertised order of destinations. We assure you that any changes made to the tour itinerary are carefully planned and intended to enhance your overall experience.
- The Municipality of Venice has introduced an Access Fee that applies on specific dates. To avoid any inconvenience, we recommend checking the official guidelines and completing the necessary registration through the provided link before your visit.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.5
based on 2,013 reviews
Patricia_J, May 2026
I would have given the tour 5 stars but there was a major mix up involving the initial meeting place. A change of location had not been communicated leading to frustration and almost missing the start. Otherwise the tour was informative and the setting was beautiful.
Tara_C, Apr 2026
Rita the guide was brilliant. She told us lots of stories through history and explained the hidden meanings in the frescos, mosaics, paintings and sculpture. The trip was made memorable due to the small number in the group. We were lucky it was a quiet day, very few visitors which meant we could view everything with ease. Great trip. See you next time!
Kathleen_S, Apr 2026
Sandra was very knowledgeable about the paintings and history and brought the experience to life. She was great. The company does not allow use of their bathrooms before the tour, so be prepared. That is unfortunate on their part and would have shown a more accommodating approach to their tourists. There is a restroom in the Basilica at the end of the tour which you can use, but you need to speak up about using it.
Julie_A, Apr 2026
We didn’t have the best guide. We were rushed particularly in the Doges Palace. For the amount of information we got from the guide we could probably have spent more time in both the Basilica and the Doges Palace on our own. However the tour does allow you to ‘skip the line’!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Hi Julie_A,
Thank you for your feedback.
We’re sorry to hear that the tour felt rushed and that the guiding did not meet your expectations, particularly at the Doge’s Palace.
Your comments are important, and we will review them with our team to improve the balance between guided explanations and free time.
We’re glad you were able to benefit from the skip-the-line access, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.
Stephen_P, Apr 2026
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY- We booked Doges Palace & St Mark’s Basillica over 10 days before our tour and paid only to be cancelled 2 days before. Then an email from the company lying saying it had been cancelled due to the fact it was closed - this was a complete lie it was open! It was then too late to get tickets anywhere else. We were only in Venice for a few days and the one thing we wanted to do. Very poor customer service.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Dear Stephen_P,
I’m sorry to hear about your experience, and I understand how frustrating this must have been, especially when it affected an important part of your trip.
We apologize if the reason of the cancellation was unclear, please reach out with your booking reference so we can double check what happened .
Safe travels.
Aimee_K, Apr 2026
Our guide was fantastic but they should invest in better headphones. The single ear arm style was very uncomfortable and we all found it hard to hear at times.
Philip_P, Apr 2026
Giovanni was excellent. Funny and informative. We enjoyed the tour. Smooth ch check in. Easy directions.
Wendy_T, Apr 2026
Our guide was so knowledgeable and informative. We learned so much while enjoying the beautiful sights. Highly recommend
Caroline_C, Apr 2026
Our tour guide was so amazing! Her knowledge and detail to everything was special! I would definitely recommend this tour!
Stephanie_P, Apr 2026
Wonderful tour with lots of details with tour guide Zoey. The murals and history are amazing. We walked thru the Bridge of Sighs.
Lillian_P, Apr 2026
Shannon, our tour guide was outstanding. Incredibly knowledge and personable. We had walked through the Basilica prior to the tour but the tour provided us the history and meaning behind the artwork, which improved our experience. Shannon was able to answer all our questions. It was 10/10!
Anna_M, Apr 2026
The tour was very interesting. The palace and basilica were beautiful. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and engaging. She gave us all the context behind the paintings and statues and explained how everything functioned inside the palace.
leyla_t, Apr 2026
Elana our tour guide was absolutely amazing, usually tours
like this tend to be dry and boring but not with her she is smart and absolutely funny which makes this tour very engaging.l loved the tour so much! Thank you Elana for your amazing guidance.
Carlos_C, Apr 2026
The entire process, from booking to the check in to the tour, was quite easy and the people, especially our guide Mateo, were amazing.
The tour itself was fun, lots of walking, lots of history and knowledge being shared. Such a great tour!
Iselle_H, Apr 2026
This is definitely the tour you need to book as a first timer in Venice. It was so easy to get in and the tour guide was amazing with his knowledge!
Jeff_D, Apr 2026
We thought the tour was very interesting.
Don't have anything further to add so here are some fill in characters for you.
Jane_K, Apr 2026
Shannon was informative and easy to understand. Also the equipment worked which hasn’t always been the case on other tours
Brenda_N, Apr 2026
Wonderful guide Shannon.
Didn’t like the ear pieces though. They kept falling off my ear when I was looking up at the amazing ceilings. Lol
Marianna_V, Apr 2026
Very nice experience. Our guide Sandra was very sweet, kind and was explaining everything to the detail but in a way that everyone could understand. Is a little tiring as you need to stand for two hours but I recommended it to anyone that wishes to explore the Palace and the Basilica.
Roni_J, Apr 2026
I would not recommend this tour. While our guide was amiable and ably led us through St. Mark’s Cathedral, he and the tour company that employs him had NO IDEA that the Doge’s Palace would be closed at the time of our tour. We were instructed to request a refund from our tour operator which I did immediately. The request was promptly denied. I will contact AmEx to dispute the charge. If the matter is not resolved to my satisfaction, I will never again use Viator.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Hi Roni,
We’re sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
At this time, we have not been able to identify any record of the situation described in your review. We would like the opportunity to investigate this matter further and assist you appropriately.
Please contact our customer support team directly with your booking details so we can look into this and work toward a resolution.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Alissa_D, Apr 2026
Fantastic way to learn about two of the main attractions in Venice! Very knowledgeable guide to take you around
Shelley_G, Apr 2026
There are lots of steps.
Sara was wonderful, very knowledgeable and accommodating. She helped those with bags to check. The 2 hour time frame was perfect.
Tanya_H, Apr 2026
This tour was nice! The guide introduced herself right away and then we got a lot of valuable information. She explained everything in great details.
Reginald_J, Apr 2026
A unique experience that is worth it. Our guide provided information beyond our day time tour that was packaged with the Doge's palace.
JohnM_B, Apr 2026
Super informative and interesting. Michaela shared great stories from history, and was quite funny as well.
Daniela_F, Apr 2026
Excellent tour guide ( Mateo). Knowledgable and funny. 2h tour that really gave us a great overview.
Derek_B, Apr 2026
Amazing to skip the line at both places. Our guide Sara was really funny and very informative! The only slight negative was I wish we could have had a little more time in the basilica.
Wendy_F, Apr 2026
The visit to the Basilica is a bit short and rush but it is definitely a lot of history there which was carefully explained by Sara our tour guide. She is very good with all the details. The Doge Palace is amazing.
Jennifer_D, Apr 2026
Zoey was our wonderful tour guide. She was so knowledgable and we learned so much from her. She really gave an exceptional tour! Our whole group of 4 highly recommends this tour.
George_D, Apr 2026
Rita was a great guide around the Doge's Palace and St Marks Basilica, her local knowledge and explanations of the history of Venice, the palace and the basilica made the tour interesting. Any questions that were asked she answered with clarity.
A great tour and would definitely recommend for those visiting Venice, skipping the Line especially better with the long queues.
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