Venice in a Day: Walking tour, Basilica, Doge's Palace & Gondola
Venice, Italy
- 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
See most of Venice’s well-known sights in just half a day—and leave the planning and logistics to someone else—on this time-saving, four-in-one sightseeing package. Begin with a guided walking tour of the city's atmospheric streets, and explore the picturesque Castello area. Then, head inside both the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) and St. Mark's Basilica, thanks to your included tickets. Cap off your day of sightseeing with a gondola ride on the Grand Canal.
- See and do more on this four-part tour than you easily could alone
- Headsets are provided so you can hear your guide's every word
- Skip-the-line admission tickets to St. Mark's and the Doge's Palace included
- Entry to the Correr Museum is also included—choose to visit on your own
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
See Venice ‘s iconic sites from the land and the water, including St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace.
What's Included
- 30-minute shared gondola ride (not guided)
- 1-hour 30 min external walking tour from St Marks square to Castello area
- Pre-reserved tickets for St Mark's Basilica (€12) and Doge's Palace (€35)
- Skip the line entrance and guided tour to the Saint Marks Basilica and Doge's Palace
- Live tour commentary provided in English, French, Spanish or German
- Professional local guide
- Personal audio system and headset for tour commentary
- The tickets for the Doge's Palace allow you to visit: Bridge of Sighs, Armory, Correr Museum
- Access to the National Archaeological Museum, the monumental rooms of Marciana National Library
- The tickets for the Basilica allow you to visit (within 6 months) the following sites
- Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta (Torcello), Sacrestia della Basilica della Salute
- Pinacoteca Manfrediniana, Madonna dell'orto - S. Alvise, S. Andrea de la Zirada, S. Antonin
- S. Beneto, S. Fantin, S. Felice, S. Giacomo dell’Orio, S. Giobbe, S. Giovanni elemosinario
- S. Giovanni in Bragora, S. Marcuola, S. Maria dei Miracoli, S. Maria del Carmelo vulgo Carmini
- S.Luca, S. Maria del Giglio, S. Maria del Rosario vulgo Gesuati, S. Maria Formosa
- S. Martino di Castello, S. Marziale, S. Pietro di Castello, S. Polo, S. Samuele, S. Sebastiano
- S. Simeon Piccolo, S. Sofia, S. Stae, S. Stefano, S. Trovaso
- Santuario di Lucia - SS. Redentore, The Human Safety Net
- Gratuities
- Hotel pick up and drop off
- Food and drink
- Entrance fee - Pala d'oro€12.00 per person
- Museum and Loggia dei Cavalli on the 1st floor€12.00 per person
- Secret itineraries€40.00 per person
- The Hidden Treasures of the Doge€40.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- TU.RI.VE. Meeting PointCalle larga de l'Ascension, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
15 min before in Calle larga de l’Ascension - 30124 (behind the Correr museum on the opposite side of the Saint Marks Basilica). Look for the TURIVE assistant next to the post office San Marco. Walking tour from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Gondola ride at 3:00 pm
End point
- Campo San Moisè, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
This combination tour ends in the afternoon with the 30 min gondola ride in campo San Moisè at the gondola station in front of Bauer hotel.
Operating hours.9:00 am
Itinerary
1
Torre dell'Orologio
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Castello
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
3
Palazzo Ducale
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
4
Basilica di San Marco
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
5
Ateliers
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
6
Museo Correr
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Please arrive at each meeting point 15 minutes before the departure of the tour
- Large bags and rucksacks are NOT allowed inside the Basilica or Doge's Palace
- Knees and shoulders MUST be covered inside the Basilica
- On occasion, Saint Mark's Basilica may be closed due to public holidays, religious ceremonies, private events or high water and the local service provider is not always informed in advance
- For children document required
- All the late arrivals or no show are NO REFUND!
- 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. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
- 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.
- 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
Reviews
4.2
based on 139 reviews
Lisa_C, Sep 2022
Venice is 1000 years old in the 21 century. Very unique. Timeless beauty . Wonderful memories. Safe travels.
Timothy_D, Aug 2021
We did get to see a lot of Venice and got tickets to the two big items, but the skip the line wasn’t so much skip the line as other tours; the places didn’t seem to care about the tour queue. Also, our guide was not very energetic or engaging, so even though the the places to see were impressive, it felt like a high school class tour with Ferris’ teacher.
tucci642019, Nov 2019
This tour did show the basics when touring Venice. Because we could only do Sunday made for a very long day - gondola at 11 and then wait until 2 to continue the rest of the package. There were too many people in the group for the St Marks and Palace tour - could not see what guide was referring to as we were at the back of the pack. The gondola and canal tours were very good!!
Response from Host, Nov 2019
Dear Guest,
Thank you for your feedback. On sundays the Saint Mark's Basilica opens at 2pm that's why we have a break between the tours and also because our travelers enjoy to have free time for the lunch. Our groups are not large as we have a maximum of 25 persons per group for the Basilica and Doge's Palace Tour. Still we are happy to see that you enjoyed the Grand Canal boat tour and also the gondola ride.
Best regards,
Venice Events Team.
R2277BWjeffreyh, Oct 2019
this tour was very well done, enjoyed every bit including the gondola ride and canal cruise, our tour guide regina was fantastic
Response from Host, Nov 2019
Dear Guest,
Thank you for your feedback. We are happy to see that you had a nice experience with us and we look forward in seeing you again.
Kind regards,
Venice Events Team.
Trier_H, Sep 2019
Everyone is right ... the gondola ride is only about 20 minutes long, but that’s not the problem (mine anyway).
Our guide was mediocre.
For the gondola ride, the listing states to be there 15 minutes before the actual tour starts. We got there at 0925 ... but the guide was late. I called the number, and another lady told me the guide will be there in five minutes (sounded like she was sleep). The guide finally walks up; barely says “hello,” “good morning,” or “how ya doing.” We had to ask her was she the person we were waiting on. Gondola ride: short but peaceful. Enjoyed it. (0940-1000)
Next stop, St. Mark’s and Doge Palace. On the way there, she would say things, but we could barely hear her. She didn’t explain anything, and her instructions were weak. I felt like the couple times I asked her for clarification, she seemed bothered. Luckily, the lady take took us inside was excited about sharing information about the two monuments. (~1040-1300)
Yes, there’s was a three and a half hour gap to do whatever else you wanted but then come back to finish the tour with the boat ride.
We got there about five minutes til so I could get magnets that was literally 12 steps away from the meeting place. I thought she was polite when she began waving at us, but she wasn’t. She was trying to rush us even though we still had a couple minutes to spare .... ironic, right? Mr. Gionne (Johnnie) was fabulous on the other hand. The boat tour was great and we go to see the other side of Venice.(1630-1730)
She was literally a guide. She did not go on the gondola ride. She did not take us in the basilica or palace, or go with us on the boat tour. All she did was walk us from point A to B and told us to meet her at point C. After the boat ride, she was nowhere to be found. If that’s what you’re looking for, this is it. But don’t expect to have any conversation with her and ask about anything.
Response from Host, Oct 2019
Dear Guest,
Thank you for your feedback. The person who met our guests at the beginning of the tour is not a guide but our assistant who is there to coordinate your day and to follow you with instructions. By law the assistant is not allowed to make any kind of explanations, that's why you had a guide for the Basilica and Doge's Palace tour and also for the Grand Canal Boat Tour. The assistant is there to take you from point A to point B and to show where is the meeting point for point C.
Kind Regards,
Venice Events Team.
Christina_G, Aug 2019
Good but it could of been better if we could have had someone help us find the meeting spot!.. Being that it was hot and time was clicking
Response from Host, Oct 2019
Dear Guest,
Thank you for your feedback. On the vouchers you had our emergency numbers so you had the possibility to call us and ask for help or indications. Still we are happy to see that you had a good experience with us.
Kind regards,
Venice Events Team
Irwin_G, Aug 2019
The guides on the tour were excellent, great sense of humour combined with great knowledge of the city. The tour had allowances for some slight bits of run over which is always great so that you do not have to such a tour in a mad rush and end up missing things !!!
Response from Host, Aug 2019
Dear Irwin,
Thank you for the awesome review. We are really happy to see that you had a nice experience with us and we look forward in seeing you again touring with us.
Best regards,
Venice Events Team.
CritterVet, Aug 2019
Tour guide had no interest in talking to us, was on his phone texting the entire time. The gondola ride was a joke, no conversation or history from him either. After the tour of palace you have 3 hours to kill before the boat ride...didnt bother to even do this part given the experience we had up to that point
Response from Host, Aug 2019
Dear guest will be possible to have more details regarding the date and your book ref so we can check?
best regards
Nathaniel_P, Jun 2019
Tour guide was very knowledgeable and trip was the perfect amount of time. Highly recommend to anyone..
Response from Host, Aug 2019
Dear guest, thank you for your awesome review. We are really pleased to see that you had a wonderful
tour in Venice and we look forward to seeing you again.
Benjamin_A, Jun 2019
This was to be an exciting tour but unfortunately it rained most of the day. We were prepared with ponchos. It is difficult to walk with umbrellas in Venice as most of the streets are narrow not to mention the crowds of people. We met the tour guides in St Marks Square and they were great. They were not going to let the rain ruin our tour and explained what we were going to do. Our gondola ride was cancelled due to the rain and asked if we could re-schedule that part of the tour. We were leaving early the next morning so they offered and gave us a refund which showed up in my credit card account a couple of days later. The rain was not their fault and I don't feel that it caused us to not see any of our tour. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the church and palace in St. Marks Square. The next part of our tour was an hour boat ride around Venice starting in the Grand Canal and through some of the smaller canals and back to St. Marks. The Canal was a little rough due to the rain, but that did not stop anyone from enjoying the Guide telling us all about the city and the buildings we were passing. Dispute the rain, this was one of my favorite tours.
Response from Host, Jun 2019
Dear guest, thank you for your awesome review. We are really happy that you had a great tour in Venice despite the bad weather, and we look forward to seeing you again.
ghardgrove, Jun 2019
We absolutely enjoyed this package. Our tour guides were well trained and informed. They gave just enough information to be interesting but not over the top. All parts of this package were well planned and executed.
Response from Host, Jun 2019
Dear guest, thank you for your great review. We are really pleased to see that you had a wonderful tour in Venice and we look forward to seeing you again.
Donald G, Sep 2018
In general we were very pleased with the tour. The highlight was the tour of St. Marco Church and the Doge's Palace. The tour guide Andrea ?? has a degree in architecture and shared many interesting insights into the buildings and the general construction of the city of Venice. He was fabulous. The gondola ride is a have to do in Venice, but was pretty underwhelming. The canals are jammed with other boats. Our boat driver never spoke a word to us, but spent plenty of time talking with the other gondola drivers. The boat tour of the Grand Canal was interesting.
Robert_K, Sep 2018
This was our first time in Venice. It has the worst internet connectivity I've seen. On top of that, Google Maps kept navigating us to water taxis, rather than pedestrian bridges. In all the tours we've done elsewhere, we arrive on time or early and wait up to 30 minutes to get started. And lastly the directions provided by Viator stink. We walk everywhere, but in this case the walking directions were from Piazza San Marco, which was no where near our hotel and actually ten minutes past the meeting point. In this case, because of all the above, we were 20 minutes late for the gondola ride which was far and away the most important part of the tour. Our lateness was entirely our fault--I recognize that. But we paid over $250 for the day and no effort was made to help reschedule. In fact, everyone was pretty aloof to rude about it. We were on the first tour going out, and as many tourists as there were its hard to believe nothing could be done to help (see my Vatican review). The next step of the tour was the walking tour of the Basilica and Doge Palace. We got there 20 minutes early and waited (with another couple) under the red awning at the museo. We had to call to find out where everyone was. They were in the throng of people under an umbrella 30 yards away. We were chastised for going to the wrong place, when in fact, we did as we were told.The tour, however, was wonderful. Hazel was a great guide. I just left feeling a few people need some coaching in customer service.
Ray T, Sep 2018
Good tour to see the highlights of Venice, including a gondola ride and canal ride. Don't skip the museum - very well done.
Erika W, Jul 2018
I liked that we were able to see the major attractions in Venice and do the Gondola and Boat Tour all in one tour. The guide we had for the palace and the Church was very nice and I liked her a lot. My disappointment in the tour was that it had a long break between the 11:00 gondola ride and then 1:45 meeting time for the church/palace trip. I didn't like that we had multiple meeting points to find and would have preferred a tour that went without break between the different events instead of having a several hour period of down time to kill and where the guides took us from point to point providing information related to the sites along the way.
Larry_B, Jun 2018
Let me start with the positive. First, I like the way Viator sets up their tour where you meet your guide, do the activity, then have free time on your own to eat, rest, drink, sightsee or take a bathroom break before you meet your next guide at another location to continue your experience. That allowed a good blend of tour time with free time. Our guide, that took us through St. Mark's and Doge's Palace was FANTASTIC!! He was very knowledgable and had tons of energy and personality and very friendly. He was easily the best guide we had on ANY tour on our 12 day cruise. My least favorite part was the gondola ride. Basically a waste of time. The gondolier never says anything to you and the canals are crowded with MANY other gondolas and very smelly. It was neither scenic, romantic, interesting, nor fun. After about 5 min in the gondola, I just was looking forward to getting out. The grand canal boat tour was a little better, but they put you in a water taxi boat that is covered and you really can't see out of and you can't get ANY air so you feel like a dog left in a hot car to die. Then they take you on the same route your cruise ship took to come into Venice that you have already seen and then go through the garbage dump for some unknown reason. By this time I have worked my way to the back of the boat with the other 8 people who are dying from heat stroke and we all stick our heads out of the small opening at the back of the boat to get some much needed air. FINALLY we have a little air AND we finally make it to the Grand Canal, which is supposed to be what we were touring in the first place. We all looked like prom dates on our first limo ride sticking our heads out of the sunroof, but at least we got to see the scenery along the Grand Canal and it was beautiful. I can't tell you if our guide was good or not because I was way more worried about breathing than listening. PLEASE use a boat that is open or that people can see out of and breathe for this Grand Canal Boat Tour and skip the garbage dump. Overall, we enjoyed our tour, but will definitely skip any boat tours next time we are in Venice unless I get to see and approve the boat first.
Marjorie G, May 2018
The gondola ride was the best part of this tour. The tour starts with the gondola ride, no explanation about what you are seeing during the gondola ride. Just time in the boat ride. Then you have to walk, on your own, without a guide, to the Doges Palace/St. Marks, where you wait for the tour guide. We waited over 90 minutes. Then you are met by the guide and you get your headsets, and your tour guide for the Doges Palace/St Mark tour. There are a lot of stairs to climb on this tour. Our tour guide didnt speak English very well and was hard to understand. She may have been knowledgeable, but she didnt relay the information in an understandable or engaging manner. The tour seemed to drag on. Then, it was another 3 hours until the boat tour through the Grand Canal. No explanation was given as to why a 3 hour delay was needed. You can get the same boat tour of the grand canal, using the vaporetto. For what was provided, this tour was greatly overpriced.
Kristyne B, Feb 2018
Too much shuffling around with different guides and different times of day.
David W, Jan 2018
St Marks was amazing and the host was great! The gondola ride was very crowded - but a must do in Venice. I liked that the day was planned for you but with breaks included so you could enjoy near by shops and restaurants.
Jon S, Nov 2017
Wonderful tour and guide for the Basilica and the Doges' Palace. The water taxi tour was a great way to see city as a whole.
coop19691, Nov 2017
The trip stated that we would spend 2 hours touring the city, what it didn't say was that we would tour it on our own. We met the tour guide and within 5 minuets she said I'll meet you here in 2 hours, your on your own for 2 hours. The rest of the tour was OK, nothing special.
AnnMarie_R, Nov 2017
We enjoyed our tour with Marco, he made the tour interesting.
Simon W, Nov 2017
The Tours through St Marks , and Dodges Palace were very good and the guide knowledgeable and informative. The trip was however disjointed with over 2 hours time between the end of the Walking tour and the boat tour.
The ride in the Gondolas was a joke, as it more represented a traffic jam than a peaceful authentic boat ride. I would suggest breakingit up into itemised tours rather than combined.
Stone1909, Nov 2017
Directions to meeting place were poor. Gondola ride was first. Crowded six large people in one and of course we got the stools rather than a seat. Bad for anyone with back issues. Then we had an hour break. There was no walking tour except going through Basilica and Doges Palace. That was very good with an excellent guide. Then we had three hours to wait before the canal boat ride but the ride was good. Overall, it didn't seem to flow well because of the different components being separated and only a guide on the tour of Basiliac and Doges Palace. I'd recommend the Basilica and Doges Palace but not the other components.
Paul G, Nov 2017
Walking tour was excellent. The guide was outstanding. Gondola ride was fine, at least I can say I took the ride. The boat tour was fair. The guide/sound system on the boat was hard to hear and the boat was not open but closed with a low ceiling. Not enjoyable.
Mansoor M, Oct 2017
Excellect experience. Gondola ride was great! St. Marks Basilica tour was good.
St. Mark Plaza area you can take other tour of the island.
We stayed in Crown Plaza Hotel East Venice then took train ride to Venice Island.
strategicview, Oct 2017
Good way to get a thorough overview of Venice when you are only there for a day or two. Guides were very knowledgeable and seemed to enjoy what they were doing.
John T, Oct 2017
Gave us a snapshot view of Venice as we had limited time.
BobbiL_M, Oct 2017
While we enjoyed the gondola ride - traffic was disappointing factor to the ambiance. The description of the tour said it included a 2 hour walking tour - but we found out that it wasn't separate but included the tour at Doges palace and St. Marks Basilica - all of us on the tour were disappointed in that. The boat ride occurred later in the day - which actually turned out better for us - however if we had booked something else it would have been a problem. Tour guides were very good on the tours themselves but at the beginning of each separate part were disorganized.
Sheri G, Oct 2017
This full day tour of Venice was awesome. It even included a gondola ride!! Highly recommend.
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