St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Guided Tour with Gondola Ride
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Venice, Italy
+5
- 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Maximize time in Venice with an express tour designed to feature the city’s top sights in a short time period. Explore Venice with a walking tour that includes entry to St. Mark’s Basilica, and skip-the-line entry to the popular Doge’s Palace. To fully appreciate the grandeur of Venice, finish your tour in style with a scenic gondola ride.
- See Venice’s popular landmarks in one express tour
- Learn about the city’s history from a local guide
- Hop into a gondola for a canal tour
- Skip getting lost and follow your guide to see St. Mark’s Basilica and more
What's Included
- Expert English-speaking guide
- Timed entry ticket and guided tour of St. Mark’s Basilica (valued at €12 per person)
- Timed entry ticket and guided tour of Doge’s Palace
- 30-minute gondola ride (max 5 people shared experience)
- Food and drinks
- Guide tips
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Colonna di San TodaroP.za San Marco, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Please Arrive 15 Minutes Early. Between the two big columns in St. Mark’s Square (columns of San Marco and San Teodoro) located on the south side of the square, near the canal. Your guide will be holding a "The Tour Guy" sign.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Basilica di San Marco
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Palazzo Ducale
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Piazza San Marco
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Venice
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
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 to enter St. Mark’s Basilica; entry may be refused otherwise. Please avoid wearing sandals, hats, shorts, skirts, or tops that expose your shoulders.
- A valid government-issued ID is required for entrance to St. Mark's Basilica. The name on your ticket (entered at check-out) must match the name on your ID, or you may be refused entry.
- Your gondola ride is a shared experience, with each boat accommodating up to five guests. A professional gondolier will operate the boat, but please note that this portion of the tour is not guided. The ride lasts approximately 25 to 30 minutes, including the time needed to board and disembark.
- 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
Featured review
Stacy_M
This tour was an unforgettable experience! From the stunning Doge’s Palace to the breathtaking Saint Mark’s Basilica, every stop was packed with history and beauty. The gondola ride was the perfect way to end the day – relaxing, scenic, and iconic.
A special shoutout to our guide, Roberta, who was absolutely fantastic. She was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, and clearly passionate about Venice’s rich history. Roberta explained everything in a way that was both educational and enjoyable. She is truly one of the best guides we've had.
I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Venice, it’s the perfect combination of culture, history, and charm!
Reviews
4.6
based on 1,213 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Cheryl_G, Aug 2026
We booked this full day tour months ahead as we were only going to be in Venice for a day and a half
Four days before our tour they emailed and canceled our booking and did not explain why and told us we could
Do the half day one
So we took that as what choice did we have
When I asked about refund since it went from
Full day to half day they told us refund would be $24 in total
Told them there must be a mistake as half day from full day would be more than $24
They told me nope all we get back is $24
I would never book with Tour Guy again
Patrick_B, Aug 2026
This was a great tour. The guide was knowledgeable and very nice. Gave us a thorough explanation of everything we saw. The gondola ride was also fantastic and a definite highlight of Venice!
Leon_R, Aug 2026
Our guide was stupendous-knowledgeable, kind and funny. The sights were spectacular. The artwork and architecture were brilliant and my children were fascinated by the weapons and the old prison cells. The gondola ride capped it all off. This tour is well worth it!
Jennifer_G, Aug 2026
The headsets don’t stay on your ear. I was constantly having to put it back on. It was very distracting. The gondolas aren’t private, much they tell you but they are crowded with 5 people and it’s awkward.
Mary_K, Aug 2026
The tour was great. A bit hard to understand the tour guide with his accent. The headsets didn’t work well. Hard to adjust the volume and kept falling off my ear. Also, the Gondola ride was only 21 minutes, not the 30 minutes as stated.
Jennifer_E, Aug 2026
It was a fun and informative tour. The kids (15 and 12) enjoyed the whole tour, there was so much to see. Marco, our tour guide, kept it paced well and we learned a lot. It is definitely best to start as early as possible, we booked at 9am, because of both the influx of tourists around 11am, and the heat. The gondola ride at the end was a nice way to finish it.
Patricia_N, Aug 2026
Silva was very informative of St. Mark’s Basilica & the Doge’s Palace. The Gondola ride was fun also.
Mazen_F, Aug 2026
Very knowledgeable guide with comprehensive touring of the locations. Kids were really captivated by Roberta’s explanations and engagement
Elvin_C, Aug 2026
The tour was the perfect length to experience both the Palace and the Basilica without feeling rushed. Our guide, Marco, was fantastic—knowledgeable, engaging, and made the experience even more enjoyable.
The only minor issue was the meeting instructions. We were told to "validate" our tickets before going to the meeting point, which made the process seem more complicated than it actually was. In reality, all we needed to do was show up at the designated meeting place in San Marco, making it very simple.
Alex_B, Aug 2026
I had such a great time our tour guide was from the city and told us all the history and how it was changed. We had so much fun
Gail_L, Aug 2026
The Doge’s Palace is stunning! The tour guide Roberta was excellent, knowledgeable and made sure the entire group was together and mindful of me needing assistance with the stairs! She is a true professional and historian. St. Marc’s Basilica was beautiful and so well preserved. The gondola ride was so much fun. Venice is amazing save time for wonderful shopping! Very hot so dress accordingly!
Terri_M, Aug 2026
Our guide was very knowledgeable and made the experience meaningful. She included many insights to the tour and even brought samples of the mosaics that were used in the basilica we were visiting.
The other note worthy comment is that we were stressed with a delay in our flight and almost missed the tour. But they waited a few extra minutes for us to arrive and couldn’t have been nicer.
Stella_M, Aug 2026
Phenomenal! Our tour guide Marco was fantastic- very knowledgeable while making info engaging! If you want to knock out every big thing to do in Venice this is the perfect tour!
Adeline_W, Aug 2026
This was a good tour. I would definitely recommend doing the 9am tour, as the museum was already very hot. Our tour guide was funny and knowledgeable and we loved the gondola ride at the end! It was nice to have that included, as they were advertising rides for 90 euro! I thought we could have spent a bit less time in the Doge museum but overall the tour was enjoyable and informative
Reza_M, Aug 2026
Our tour guide was very pleasant and gave a wonderful tour of the st Marc ‘s church and doge palace. The gondola ride was the icing on the cake. Staying mostly indoors helped as it was horribly hot outdoors.
Dennis_L, Aug 2026
Great experience with lots of information. Our guide took us at a comfortable pace and ending with the gondola ride was great.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you for your lovely review, Dennis! We’re so glad you enjoyed your Venice experience and appreciated the informative commentary and comfortable pace of the tour. We agree that ending the day with a gondola ride is a wonderful way to experience the city. We hope to welcome you again on another adventure soon!
Art_M, Aug 2026
Great tour guide (Marco) made the experience fun and his knowledge shares were a great for people interested in history.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you for your great review! We’re thrilled to hear that Marco helped make your Venice experience fun and memorable with his historical insights. We’ll be sure to share your kind feedback with him. We hope to welcome you back to explore more of Venice soon!
William_S, Aug 2026
This experience was incredible! It was a very hot day in Venice, but the guide was incredibly knowledgeable, spoke great English, and was very informative. I was unsure if I wanted to do the longer “full day tour”, but this was very worth it! The additional time with the guide navigating the narrow streets of Venice with all the additional information she gave made it so worth it!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed your Venice experience, especially despite the warm weather. It’s great to know that your guide’s knowledge, storytelling, and guidance through Venice’s beautiful streets helped make the tour worthwhile. We hope to welcome you again for more Venetian discoveries!
Marla_M, Aug 2026
Guide was very knowledgeable. We learned so much. It was extremely hot and he tried his best to keep us cooler
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're so pleased to hear you enjoyed the tour and found your guide knowledgeable. Venice can certainly be warm during the summer, so we're glad he did his best to keep the group comfortable while sharing the city's fascinating history. We hope to see you again soon!
Rachel_W, Jul 2026
My family and I absolutely adored this tour! We are only in Venice for a day, and we wanted a tour that would give us the highlights of the city in a compact and organized way. Roberta super delivered. She is approachable, fun, and knowledgeable- all while trying to make sure everyone is cool and safe. My brother and I actually both said that we wanted to learn a lot more about Venices history after learning from Roberta. I wish we could take every tour with her!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear Roberta made your day in Venice so memorable. It's especially rewarding to know she inspired you to learn even more about the city's fascinating history. We'll be sure to pass along your kind words to her. We hope to welcome you and your family on another tour soon!
Danene_S, Jul 2026
The sites were great to see which is why I gave it a 3 but I would choose a different operator as this company has awful headsets. I couldn’t hear because they were bad, fuzzy, and echoing so I missed 80-90% of what was said. Consequently walked away very disappointed that I didn’t learn anything. For what we paid definitely not worth it when there are so many other options out there.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Hi Danene,
Thank you for your feedback. We are glad to hear you enjoyed seeing the incredible sites of St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace.
We are very sorry to hear that issues with your audio headset prevented you from fully enjoying the commentary. We know how important clear audio is when exploring these historic locations, and missing out on the history is disappointing. Audio equipment can occasionally experience local frequency interference, but our guides carry spare receivers and are always happy to swap them out immediately on site whenever a guest lets them know there is a connection issue.
We have brought this directly to our Venice Operations Manager to ensure our equipment is thoroughly checked before every departure. Please reach out to us at support@thetourguy.com so we can discuss your experience further and get this resolved for you.
We appreciate you bringing this to our attention as it helps us improve, and we hope to have the chance to provide you with a seamless experience on future travels.
Rhiannon_P, Jul 2026
Stefan was a great guide. He was professional and shared his knowledge with us throughout whilst giving us time to look at things ourselves without rushing us. It was a really enjoyable experience and the Gondola ride at the end was the icing on the cake.
Michael_P, Jul 2026
Rita was fantastic. She was great with my daughter and senior father. Amazing tour. Very knowledgeable. We loved Rita!
Zachary_M, Jul 2026
Absolutely breathtaking! The tour guide was funny, interactive, knowledgeable and even took pics of you and your individual groups!!
Avishek_G, Jul 2026
Excellent guide with a very good detailed knowledge of the chapels. The gondola ride was also very good.
Robert_E, Jul 2026
The guide was great. She shared a lot about the sites, but also a lot of local knowledge and history.
Elaine_T, Jul 2026
Elena is an animated and knowledgeable guide. We learned so much and enjoyed her insights. Nice moments to sit during the heat of summer!
Hezzel_J, Jul 2026
A comprehensive visit to famous local spots and a gondola ride included for a reasonable price. Roberta the tour guide was amazing
Peter_C, Jul 2026
Really good tour. Our guide was Elena and she provided a really interesting tour, explained a lot about the history of Venice and interaction with the group was good. If you only have a day in Venice I would recommend it as also includes gondola ride.
Paula_S, Jul 2026
Lots of walking
Beautiful artwork. Why demand 100 characters in a review. It will make the majority of people not leave one.
Likely to Sell Out
From $113.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Guided Tour with Gondola Ride
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