Venice In a Day: St Mark's, Doges Palace Gondola Ride & City Tour
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Venice, Italy
- 4 to 6 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Venice is home to hundreds of attractions, making it difficult to cover the highlights in limited time. Ideal for first-time visitors, this full-day tour of Venice checks off top sights. Stroll across the Rialto Bridge and browse the lively Rialto fish market, then hop aboard a traditional gondola for a romantic cruise along the Grand Canal. Finally, visit St. Marks's Basilica and enjoy skip-the-line entrance to the grandiose Doge's Palace.
- Soak up local life on a walking tour of Venice’s colorful neighborhoods and the Rialto markets
- Check off all of Venice's top attractions in just one day
- Skip the lines and explore the magnificent Doge’s Palace on a tour
- Learn more about Venice history and culture than you could alone
What's Included
- Expertly Guided Tour with local English-speaking guide
- Small Group of no more than 20 people
- Skip-the-line ticket for St. Mark's Basilica (12€)
- Pre-reserved ticket to the Doge's Palace (25€)
- Gondola Ride (Venice Express Half Day Option excluded)
- Guided Walk of the back streets of Venice
- Bridge of Sighs
- Rialto Bridge
- Rialto Fish Market
- New Prisons
- House of Marco Polo ( exterior)
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
- Lunch
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Chiesa di San Giacomo di RialtoC.po San Giacomo, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour, your guide will be holding a green Walks sign. This tour meets outside the entrance of the Church of San Giacometto at Campo San Giacomo di Rialto 255, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy.
End point
- St. Mark's SquarePiazza San Marco, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
St. Mark's Square
Itinerary
Meet up with your guide and small group to emark on your adventure. The group size is limited to 20 people, so you don't have to worry about large crowds.
Start by strolling across Rialto Bridge as you take in the sights. Make your way to the bustling Rialto markets and stop at the fish market, learning about the history from your guide.
Next, be swept away on a romantic gondola ride along the Grand Canal. As you drift leisurely through the water, let Venice's charm and beauty enchant you before arriving at St. Mark's Basilica for a guided tour.
Finally, enjoy skip-the-line access at Doge's Palace before the tour comes to a close.
Start by strolling across Rialto Bridge as you take in the sights. Make your way to the bustling Rialto markets and stop at the fish market, learning about the history from your guide.
Next, be swept away on a romantic gondola ride along the Grand Canal. As you drift leisurely through the water, let Venice's charm and beauty enchant you before arriving at St. Mark's Basilica for a guided tour.
Finally, enjoy skip-the-line access at Doge's Palace before the tour comes to a close.
1
Ponte di Rialto
1 hour 45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Rialto Market (Pass By)
Marco Polo's House (Pass By)
2
Canal Grande
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Venice
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Basilica di San Marco
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
5
Palazzo Ducale
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Bridge Of Sighs (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments or with wheelchairs, or strollers.
- If access is restricted due to private events inside St. Mark's Basilica and/or Doge's Palace, we cannot be held responsible. This is a situation beyond our control. No refund will be issued.
- In case of unforeseen circumstances such as bad weather (heavy rain, strong wind, high tide) conditions that prevent the gondola ride from taking place or any operational or safety reasons beyond our control it may be substituted for another experience, but no refund will be provided.
- Due to the religious nature of sites on this tour, all individuals (regardless of gender) must cover their shoulders and knees. It is acceptable to bring extra coverings to put on just before entering a holy site. Walks cannot be responsible for anyone denied entry.
- This tour is non-refundable. All guests must supply their full name that matches a valid ID at the time of the booking. Should you fail to provide these, your reservation will be canceled. Name changes are not permitted.
- Venice Express Option: Gondola is not included.
- Please note that a photo ID is required to visit the St. Marks Basilica. Failure to bring an ID can result in the security staff refusing your entrance to the monument.
- 8:30am tour is limited to 20 people and includes a lunch break on your own, while the 8:15am tour does not include a lunch break (shorter duration of 4 hours) and a maximum of 25 people in your group.
- St. Mark’s Basilica can be subject to closures due to particular liturgical celebrations, especially during major religious holidays such as Easter or Christmas. In the event that the Basilica is closed, explanations will be provided from the outside.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 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
Reviews
4.8
based on 4,086 reviews
Janice_N, May 2026
This tour definitely lives up to its name. It is a very thorough overview of the city. Our guide, Nicolette, really knew the city and provided a lot of history. Be prepared to walk! Even in the Basilica and the Doges Palace there is more to walk and see. The gondola ride was charming. Our guide was absolutely terrific, keeping us moving and interested. It lasted 6 hours - every minute was full.
Merryl_B, May 2026
We had a great experience with Iole. She was pleasant and provided enough information to be informative and did not overwhelm us with dates and names and facts we would never remember. It was a good overview and we covered a lot of highlights in 1 dat
Vijay_R, May 2026
This was an amazing tour. Our guide Martina was very knowledgeable and passionate about Venice. All of us had a great time.
Lesley_D, May 2026
Absolutely fantastic! The
Most thorough tour. Excellent information. Our tour guide David, was wonderful
Steve_J, May 2026
Good overview of the attractions included. Our guide Iote was excellent. Palace and church very impressive and worth visiting. Tour is recommended
Donald_P, May 2026
Roberta was excellent!!! Very knowledgeable and quite enjoyable! I would recommend to anyone!! Top tour I would say!
Susan_B, May 2026
Very full day. Guide was very informative. Gave great lunch suggestions. Had lots of stories to tell.
Christine_H, May 2026
Great mix of local info & history! Alex was very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and witty which made it fun too. Nice to have a gondola ride included too
Joel_A, May 2026
This tour was an amazing way to see the highlights of the city! The history we got from Roberta was beyond anything we could have dreamed of from a guide. Everything was clearly communicated to us leading up to the tour and getting to the meeting point was easily accomplished. One suggestion that is not required for this tour but helpful in this city is we got the three day waterbus pass so getting to and from the start and end was seamless even having a hotel on the opposite side of the island! This was worth the time spent and appreciate Roberta pouring so much into the experience!
Thomas_K, May 2026
We enjoyed this tour despite the off and on rain showers Louisa was very good to make sure the group stayed together. She provided lots of information and sites we would never seee on our own. We loved this tour.
Cynthia_E, May 2026
Great way to see Venice in about 6 hours. Our guide, Martina, was knowledgeable and energetic. We learned a lot of things we never would have from walking around by ourselves. And it was nice to have someone else coordinate the entrance tickets.
Lynda_R, May 2026
This was a great way to familiarize myself with this gorgeous city and tick off a few of the ‘must sees’. Tour was really well organised and easy to find the start. Our tour guide, Giuliano was so good, he was born to be a guide. Funny, engaging and an incredible knowledge of all the sites. Throughly enjoyed this, highly recommend!
GRACEBALUYUT, May 2026
If you only do one tour in Venice during your first visit, this is the one! You cover alot of great information on this tour. Our guide was very detailed and spoke wonderful English. This tour is mostly walking and you also get to ride a gondola which was a great serene experience. Highly recommend!
Thomas_M, May 2026
Our tour was fantastic!! The guide was very knowledgeable and engaging. She kept the tour going at a perfect pace. I believe her name was Marie. She actually speaks fluent German, English and Italian which I thought was amazing.
donna_m, May 2026
Very good tour of these areas. Matteo was very well versed on the information and really took his time to tell us as much as possible. With of course some good humor. Lots of walking and stairs(Doge palace). A great introduction to Venice. Highly recommend!
John_F, May 2026
Denise gave us a great tour of Venice. Explaining how the city was created from marshland, the history of the government and the palace, the churches, and how things have changed over the years. She was very open to questions and in general gave us a very excellent tour.
Stephen_Y, May 2026
Denise gave a very thorough and informative tour of all the sites. One of the best tours I have ever been on.
George_W, May 2026
Lots of walking steps/outstanding communication mic’s/our tour guide was clear and passionate about Venice.
Myloan_N, May 2026
Our first time was in Venice. Paula was the great tour guide. She’s very nice, friendly and knowledgeable.
Charles_P, May 2026
Wonderful tour around Venice seeing the sights and visiting Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s cathedral, and more. Great way to see Venice and a great overview.
Linda_B, May 2026
It's great, but there is a lot of walking. Tour guide was very knowledgeable with a lot of interesting city history.
Richard_b, May 2026
We enjoyed the tour! Our tour guide was exceptionally knowledgeable and informative. Matteo was very friendly!
Kim_B, May 2026
Matteo is an excellent guide! The pace was good with many stops and he shared many stories, legends, and facts with us. And the gondola ride was perfect with quiet canals and a brief entry onto the Grand canal. Well worth the time and cost. Thank you Matteo!
PAULR_R, May 2026
Terrific walking tour of Venice , doge
palace and St Mark’s. Phillipo was engaging and attentive. Perfect weather.
Parvin_F, May 2026
Our tour guide was fantastic. I didn't remember her name. She was excellent, experienced, kind, knowledgeable. Everything went very well
Mara_C, May 2026
An enjoyable and informative day with beautiful views and lots of information. Paola (our guide) was fantastic!
M_Z, May 2026
Alessandro, our guide, was great. Very energetic, passionate, informative, and helpful. The support team was great, also.
Molly_J, May 2026
This experience was very worth it, it gave us everything we needed to feel like we did Venice right. Fillippo was a wonderful tour guide.
Scott_S, May 2026
Matteo was an incredible guide…knowledgeable, fun, and made Venice come alive with history and local insight. He made the tour unforgettable, and I’d highly recommend him to anyone visiting Venice.
Tyler_S, May 2026
Matteo was incredible! He was personable, fun, and so knowledgeable about the city. He made us all feel comfortable right away and took the time to really get to know us, which made the experience even better.
Be prepared for lots of walking, but it’s absolutely worth it — you get to see and experience so much!
From $140.81
per personup to 3 days in advance
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