Venice: St.Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Tour with Tickets
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Venice, Italy
- 3 hours 10 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Explore Venice with a small-group tour that dives into the city’s history, culture, and iconic landmarks, including St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace. With your guide leading the way, skip the lines with pre-reserved tickets and step inside these stunning sites to uncover their fascinating stories. Wander through St. Mark's Square, cross the legendary Bridge of Sighs, and hear tales of Casanova while visiting the Old and New Prisons—then marvel at the grandeur of the Correr Museum, once home to Napoleon and the King of Italy.
- Discover two Venice highlights in one tour
- Utilize pre-reserved tickets to maximize time
- Explore St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace
- Learn about history and architecture
What's Included
- Pre-reserved tickets for St. Mark's basilica
- Pre-reserved tickets for Doge's Palace
- Expert local guide with insider's knowledge
- Small group tour for a more personalized experience
- 3-hour walking tour at a relaxed pace
- Tickets for the Correr Museum
- Admission to National Archeological Museum and Biblioteca Marciana
- Guided Tour of Correr Museum, National Archeological Museum, and Biblioteca Marciana
- Transportation to/from the meeting point
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Colonna di San MarcoP.zt San Marco, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
We meet in Saint Mark’s Square near the waterfront by the two large columns. Our guide will be under the one with the winged lion on top. Your guide will have a signboard that says, “Walks In Europe.”
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Venice (Pass By)
1
Piazza San Marco
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Basilica di San Marco
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Palazzo Ducale
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Bridge of Sighs (Pass By)
4
Museo Correr
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- 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.
- 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.
- Acqua Alta (high tide) in Venice can cause delays in entering the Basilica.
- Sites visited during this tour are subject to occasional closures due to holy observances, high tides, and flooding. If a site closes, your guide will tour the exterior of the site. If time permits, you will be contacted before your tour. For last-minute closures, modifications may be communicated at the tour start time.
- Basilica is a holy place, both men and women must wear clothing that covers the belly, shoulders and knees.
- Religious authorities may decide to suspend skip-the-line priority because of the high number of visitors. We are only allowed to stay inside the Basilica for 20 minutes.
- In case of denied access, you will be provided with entrance tickets to visit the Basilica on your own at the assigned time.
- If you take the 2:00 PM tour, the Correr Museum will be closed before your tour finishes. Therefore, you will have Correr tickets for the next day
- Please note that carrying any type of weapon or sharp objects, such as a knife, is not allowed for this tour.
- Do not bring large bags or luggage. These items are not allowed, and there is no place to leave them, so you will be denied entry.
- Clients must arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the start of the tour. This is due to the timed entry of the tickets.
- Please be advised that it is not possible to join the tour after it has commenced.
- Direct ticket costs for the included attractions are as follows: Doge’s Palace (€27.00) and St. Mark’s Basilica (€12.00).
- Tips/gratuities (for your guide) are always appreciated.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 1,147 reviews
Jocelyn_D, Apr 2026
Alexa our tour guide was great. Have us a lot of information, kept the tour light and at a good pace, and answered everyone's questions pleasantly. We thought it was a bit pricey of a tour but when you think about all the entrance fees and the cost of a guide it was a decent price. Only problem was the meeting point took us to Saint Marcos Square and we were really sure what part of the square to meet.
Rosa_M, Apr 2026
The experience was amazing starting with the staff at the meeting point and our guide. I’m so glad we booked this excursion and had an opportunity to learn so much about the history of Venice.
William_B, Apr 2026
My wife and I took our first visit to Italy and booked this tour to avoid the lines of Easter weekend. It worked! Our guide “Alexa” was phenomenal. It was like having a history professor explain the origins of the Doge and the details of the paintings. Her knowledge of the St Mark’s Basilica dove into the details of each mosaic. Whether you are Catholic or Protestant, you will appreciate Alexa’s knowledge of the Christian faith and her passion for explaining the why behind each tile mosaic.
Ricardo_C, Apr 2026
Absolutely incredible! Alessia (our guide) was extremely knowledgeable, funny and very relatable. She shared lots of incredibly interesting stories related to the tour. I would do this tour again! Very enjoyable. My family loved it! We learned a lot about Venice.
Mary_R, Mar 2026
A few things: Email said I had to convert voucher to a ticket so I gave up vacation time to try and find the location to do that. Very annoying to take up time for nothing. The guides aide did not show up until 15 minutes before so I thought I was in the wrong spot. We did not have enough time in the basilica. Would have preferred more time there. The phone # for Viator customer service repeatedly said unattainable .
Response from Host, Mar 2026
The Basilica allows groups to stay for a maximum of 20 minutes, as clearly stated in the tour confirmation and the voucher.
The same notes also specify that you need to be at the meeting point 15 minutes before the tour to meet our staff, which they did. You went early and waited for them.
Simon_C, Mar 2026
We recently did the 3-hour walking tour of Piazza San Marco and it was easily the highlight of our trip. We covered the full itinerary, including the Basilica di San Marco, Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, and Museo Correr, and it was easily one of the highlights of our trip.
My wife and I thought our guide, Sylvia, was amazing. She’s so smiley throughout, and we have no idea how she kept talking for three hours straight while keeping everything so fresh and interesting, bringing it to life with her infectious enthusiasm. She shared some fascinating stories about the previous doges, bringing them all to life. Seeing the mosaics inside the Basilica was incredible, but it's also well worth paying the extra to go out onto the terrace. The view overlooking the square is stunning and such a highlight. This tour is so worth doing!
Loretta_E, Mar 2026
The guide was very informative and engaging. It would be helpful to have “Viator” added to the orange Walking Tour flag. At the end of the tour at 5 pm, our guide gave us tickets to the museum, but the museum closed at 5 pm.
There’s a great deal of walking with only a few stops, if you have issues with walking stairs and long distances. It might be nice to have the portable chairs in more than one room, especially in the rooms that have the signs notifying you not to sit.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you very much for your feedback.
For our scheduled group tours, we host guests coming from multiple platforms within the same group. To ensure consistency for everyone, we follow a fixed structure for the experience.
The tour description and voucher both clearly state that for afternoon tours, the visit to the Correr Museum is scheduled for the following day.
Please let me know if you would like me to clarify anything further — I’d be happy to assist.
Trevor_M, Mar 2026
A very comprehensive tour guide is very good but for us a bit of information overload
Lots of facts and figures clearly great knowledge but it became exhausting
Your Doje palace is magnificent and artwork and history unmatched
Visit prison was short but very good
Visit to the cathedral was good and it is beautiful
Overall a very good tour but tiring
Adrienne_R, Mar 2026
This tour was wonderful. Our tour guide Claire was amazing and made the experience so enjoyable. She had so much knowledge to share and she was so entertaining. Claire remembered everyone’s name which I thought was amazing and something special. We got to see the locations for a good amount of time. I’m so glad we did the tour. It was well worth the money for such a great experience. I would absolutely recommend.
Steven_D, Mar 2026
Amazing tour! We had a great time walking and learning about the history. Eliza was knowledgeable and engaging.
Evalyn_H, Mar 2026
Our tour guide Alessia was amazing!!! She was very personable and shared so much interesting history in an entertaining way, along with being very knowledgeable about the details! We enjoyed this tour so much :)
Panagiotis_T, Mar 2026
Worth it 100%!. Lots of info, great hisyory moniment with a fantastic guide that gave us a complete historic understanding about wh and how the Tepublic of Venice made it all happen during their era. For the body, a bit tiring with rare chances of sitting.
Dawn_L, Mar 2026
Our guide was very knowledgeable and made the experience very enjoyable. She didn't rush us through the tour and explained everything to us. Seeing the paintings, the architecture and learning the history was a great experience. Our guide made it a wonderful tour for my family.
Sarah_S, Mar 2026
Our guide was incredible and full of information. She answered questions clearly. The meeting spot was easy to find. We loved every minute of the tour!
Martina_O, Mar 2026
Christina was a very knowledgeable and informative guide. The tour of the palace and the basilica was very comprehensive and interesting.
Tom_K, Feb 2026
Claire our guide was full of energy , interesting and well informed , brought everything to life , very enjoyable
Kristy_P, Feb 2026
Great tour, everything was well-explained, interesting history, and I did feel we saw all the highlights. Christina was a fantastic guide.
Kim_P, Feb 2026
Alexia was the most knowledgeable guide I have ever had. We loved our tour. The wealth of knowledge was appreciated. We got some amazing pictures and would highly recommend.
Daniel_N, Feb 2026
Alessia our tour guide was amazing. She brought us through the Doge Palace and St Marks managing to keep us interested with great information throughout the 3 hours. It did not feel that long at all. Highly recommended
Tran_T, Feb 2026
Great tour to Doge’s palace, tour guide was knowledgeable and helpful to explain about the history timeline.
Katie_C, Feb 2026
I have nothing to add for this question. Was as expected. Miriam was very nice and full of facts for our group.
Jared_W, Feb 2026
Clara was an amazing guide. We could tell her passion for history and her job. We highly recommend this your.
Matthew_C, Feb 2026
Informative and friendly! Claire, our tour guide, was passionate and so knowledgeable! We gained a lot more from the tour than we would’ve seen/noticed if we’d gone alone! Highly recommend!
Jackson_D, Feb 2026
Christina made the tour very fun while teaching us about the history of Venice, Doge’s palace, and St. Mark’s Basilica.
Definitely worth doing the guided tour.
Paolo_C, Feb 2026
I am so grateful to have found a such knowledgeable guide! Ioli was vey well educated about the places we visited. I would highly recommend this tour specially with her guidance. Thank you so much for your patience answering all our questions! Auguri! Arrivederci!!
Jane_O, Feb 2026
It was a day well spent, our guide Sarah was very informed & interesting. She was able to answer all the questions.
David_H, Feb 2026
Very knowledgeable guide and interesting history of Venice. Definitely worth the time and money. Thanks.
Mark_R, Feb 2026
Very informative and entertaining. Our guide Clara was a lively sprite who learned the first names of our entire group right away and addressed us by name throughout. Highly recommend!
Mona_P, Jan 2026
Sarah provided great insight on Doge and the Basilica in an engaging way. While there is no doubt you could spend a lot more time exploring both sites, in under 3 hours I felt I walked away with a lot of information. I would recommend this.
morgan_s, Jan 2026
Great tour, fascinating buildings. Go early in the day if you can. It was me if the highlights of our trip.
From
-27%
$85.90
per personWas $117.67
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Special Offer
Venice: St.Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Tour with Tickets
1,146
3 hours 10 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$117.67
$85.90
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Venice, Italy
- Murano Tours & Tickets
- Querini Stampalia Foundation (Fondazione Querini Stampalia) Tours & Tickets
- Church of San Vidal (Chiesa di San Vidal) Tours & Tickets
- Venice Music Museum (Museo della Musica) Tours & Tickets
- Grand Canal Tours & Tickets
- Campo Santa Margherita Tours & Tickets
- Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua (Basilica di Sant'Antonio di Padova) Tours & Tickets
- Bridge of Sighs Tours & Tickets
- Venice Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo Tours & Tickets
- Bovolo Staircase (Scala Contarini del Bovolo) Tours & Tickets
- Cannaregio Tours & Tickets
- La Fenice Opera House (Teatro La Fenice) Tours & Tickets
- Campo San Bartolomeo Tours & Tickets
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection (Collezione Peggy Guggenheim) Tours & Tickets
- Venice Jewish Ghetto (Ghetto di Venezia) Tours & Tickets
- San Polo Tours & Tickets
- Venice Santa Lucia Station (Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia) Tours & Tickets
- Mocenigo Palace (Palazzo Mocenigo) Tours & Tickets
- Accademia Bridge (Ponte dell'Accademia) Tours & Tickets