Best of Venice Private Tour: St. Mark's Doge Palace Gondola Ride
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Venice, Italy
- 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Venice is filled with art and architecture, making it a challenge to take it all in over a single day. With this private tour, cover the highlights in just hours with a local guide. Save time with skip-the-line admission to St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, then stroll through the old town to learn about the city’s history and admire the Rialto Bridge and other treasures.
- A private guided tour to optimize your time and see the best of Venice in one day
- Save hours with priority tickets to St. Mark’s and the Doge’s Palace
- Touch on the top sights in the historic center with a guided walk
- Skip the fast pace and set itinerary of a large group tour
What's Included
- Private Expert Local Guide
- Skip the line tickets to St Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace
- 30 minute private gondola ride
- Hall of the Great Council
- Doges Prison
- Bridge of Sighs
- Rialto bridge
- Marco Polo’s house
- Campo Santa Maria Formosa
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities (optional)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Chiesa di San Giacomo di RialtoC.po San Giacomo, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
In front of Chiesa di San Giacomo in Campo San Giacomo di Rialto. Your guide will be holding a LivTours sign.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Piazza San Marco
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Basilica di San Marco
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
3
Palazzo Ducale
2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Campo Santa Maria Formosa
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
- 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
- Offered in: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. Please specify under “Additional notes” if you wish to book the tour in a language other than English.
- Places of worship have strict dress code requirements for entry. All participants are required to have shoulders and knees covered (no tank tops or short dresses) to enter.
- There is no photography allowed in St Marks basilica.
- The itinerary described above is a suggested order of the various experiences. These may vary according to your personal requests or preferred starting time.
- An original, valid photo ID is required for entry to St. Mark's Basilica. Photocopies are not accepted.
- 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.
- The ticket includes a cost to enter St. Mark’s Basilica valued at 30 EUR per person.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 104 reviews
Mark_F, Oct 2025
What a great experience with a phenomenal tour guide. Very detailed knowledge of Venice and its history.
Kat_T, Oct 2025
This was the best tour of our trip. Marie is extremely knowledgeable and we enjoyed our time with her.
Heather_M, Sep 2025
This experience was truly amazing! Pamela took great care of us and catered to our every need and pivoted as needed by our group. She also made some food recommendations which were all amazing! If you have a short time in Venice, this is a great way to experience it efficiently and effectively!
Valerie_N, Sep 2025
Nico was amazing! Knowledgeable, accommodating, and flexible. He was the perfect guide for our tour of this wonderful city!
Regina_T, Sep 2025
Our guide, Maria, was exceptionally knowledgeable about the history, art, architecture and culture of Venice . highly recommend.
jamie_s, Jul 2025
We had a wonderful tour of St. Mark’s/Doge and walking through Venice that ended with a private gondola ride. Our guide Marie was amazing!! Extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Loved her sense of humor and she made it fun for our 15/11 year old kids!!! Marie went the extra step to make sure our private gondola ride was all set before she left us. Highly recommend this tour!
Linda_T, May 2025
This tour, while expensive, provided access to all the highlights of Venice. Our tour guide, Marie had a wealth of knowledge about the history and art. She was so personable and although provided a lot of information, it was not overwhelming. The gondola ride at the end of the tour was also good.
Jeff_H, Dec 2024
A great first day in Venice! We loved learning the history, touring the neighborhoods, seeing St. Mark's, and the Doge's palace. Martina had great stories along the way. Thank you!
Tiffany_M, Oct 2024
This was a great tour with an exceptional tour guide. She did a great job personalizing the tour. We strolled thru the fish market and learned about the fresh fish and produce as a bonus.
Frank_N, Oct 2024
The gondola ride. Great tour guide. She knew the history and the culture. She was very pleasant. Thanks
Marianne_W, Sep 2024
Edi was AMAZING! She was so informative and really immersed us in the history of Venice!! Would highly recommend this tour!!
Lisa_J, Sep 2024
This tour is a must ! Chiara was a fantastic guide so knowledgeable and fun to spend time with & skipping the lines was a blessing . Finished off with an iconic gondola ride - if you want to do Venice in 4 hours this is the tour for you. Do it in the morning to avoid heat & crowds
Michael_O, Aug 2024
Great tour! Our tour guide was wonderful and we learned so much about Venice from her. My fiance and I had a private Venice in a day tour. Would highly recommend.
sherrie_f, Aug 2024
Had a wonderful although hot and humid tour in Venice. Pamela did an amazing job balancing sites, crowds and heat. She had a seventh sense in how to find shortest lines, best pictures of our group and pleasant coming off areas. With only two days to spend Bernadette and Pamela were top. guides and we will return to the states with much love and appreciation of Venice.
Daniel_R, Jul 2024
Matteo was absolutely awesome!! Very knowledgeable and personable. He told us that he was a true Venice native so that made our experience even more authentic and memorable. Would definitely recommend him and this tour, especially if it’s your first time in Venice.
Jodi_B, Jul 2024
Manuela is fantastic! Lovely morning exploring history and hidden treasures of Venice. A ‘Must Do’ when in Venice!
Lisa_S, Jun 2024
Sarah was awesome! Private tours are the best in this case. You learn the details, can customize your pace and not feel like you are rushing through checking boxes.
Richard_L, Jun 2024
Pamela was excellent! So informative! This was such an awesome tour and a beautiful day! It was great having skip the line access! The gondola ride at the end was such a great way to end a perfect day!
Necia, Jun 2024
It's Venice, what's not to love? But Roberta, our guide, made it extra special. She was full of history and passion for her city. She also made sure to confirm that we were seeing all of the things that we wanted to see. She delivered us to the Gondola dock with one minute to spare. What an expert! Highly recommend this tour.
Yvonne_N, May 2024
Very knowledgeable guide. St. Mark’s was amazing! Loved the insights into the formation of the city and the history.
Mark_M, May 2024
First, Nico the guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. As a Venice native, he's passionate about his City and its history. We learned a lot and it was enjoyable. I guess I should have read the fine print, because we thought it was a full day for the money we were paying, but it turned out to be only a half day, really. So, I would change the name of the tour. It's not really Venice in a day. So, the 4 hours were full of good information and fascinating history. One of the coolest churches we've ever seen. The Gondola ride was supposed to be 30 minutes. This guy was passing other gondolas to get us around and back to the dock. Maybe 23 minutes. That was a let down, too. We weren't in a rush, and while I understand our gondolier isn't obligated to sing or talk to us, he seemed interested only in getting back to the dock to pick up the next fare.
Jacki_M, May 2024
Our private tour was fabulous. I would highly recommend this intensive experience to see all the important sights in Venice.
Deborah_M, May 2024
Our guide was truly knowledgeable about Venice and its history. Very much enjoyed the customized tour that allowed us to see all the high points of Venice, and avoid the crowds. Skip the line tickets and tour of Doge palace and canal tour by Gondola were the highlights of our tour. Highly recommend this tour.
MARIA_E, Apr 2024
Our tour with Sara was outstanding. She introduced us to a brief history of Venice. Along with her expertise, communication skills and knowledge this is one of the best tour we have ever experienced. My husband as well as my children were very enthused with every detail of the tour. Don't miss out. One big thank you to Sara for our worthwhile day in Venice.
Kristin_D, Apr 2024
What a fantastic tour! Our guide Mateo was fabulous. He was engaging and filled with information about Venice. It did rain a lot but we still enjoyed our visit. The Doge Palace is a highlight. We were a group of 7. My husband and I, my in laws and 3 young adults. Everyone had a blast.
One note there are 222 churches in Venice so be sure to check the meeting point (which is a church) carefully. We spent 30 minutes trying to find the right church. The tour company was very helpful in getting us to our guide and Mateo spent extra time with us at the end.
Katherine_U, Mar 2024
We went on a private walking tour of the Doge Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy with Marie-Therese Knapp. She was extremely knowledgeable about Venice's history and art and presented the information in a fun and engaging manner. The 4-hour tour flew by, and we had a great time the entire time. Marie helped us understand Venice’s history and culture in a meaningful way, even though we only had a day to see the city. Her sense of humor and ability to tailor the tour to our interests made the experience even more enjoyable. The Doge Palace and St. Mark's Basilica were stunning, and Marie's insights and anecdotes really brought the history and art to life. I highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting Venice, whether you're a history buff or just looking for a fun and informative experience. Thank you, Marie, for a fantastic tour!
Peter_L, Feb 2024
Nice tour with a good guide who provided a nice overview of Venice. Disappointing gondola ride at the end. No interaction from the gondeleer, pretty boring ride around some uninteresting canals.
Subhajit_M, Oct 2023
Ottavia from LivTours was great and we enjoyed the tour very much. She explained the history behind the key sites in great detail and helped us take some fantastic pictures.
Christopher_A, Sep 2023
Very informative. Easy walking throughout the tour. The skip the line passes came in very handy with all the crowds that were present. Overall a very good experience. The gondola ride was a perfect way to end the tour
Pam_A, Sep 2023
Our tour was great. Paola was the best. We enjoyed it so very much!! She showed our group of 8 the best day. I would recommend this tour very much and especially with Paola.
From $537.72
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Special Offer
Best of Venice Private Tour: St. Mark's Doge Palace Gondola Ride
104
4 hours 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$537.72
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Venice, Italy
- Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) Tours & Tickets
- Ponte delle Tette Tours & Tickets
- Church of Santa Maria Formosa (Chiesa di Santa Maria Formosa) Tours & Tickets
- Brenta Riviera Tours & Tickets
- Ca' Rezzonico Tours & Tickets
- Campo San Luca Tours & Tickets
- Giardini della Biennale Tours & Tickets
- Bovolo Staircase (Scala Contarini del Bovolo) Tours & Tickets
- La Fenice Opera House (Teatro La Fenice) Tours & Tickets
- Piazzale Roma Tours & Tickets
- St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) Tours & Tickets
- Venice Accademia Gallery (Gallerie dell'Accademia) Tours & Tickets
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection (Collezione Peggy Guggenheim) Tours & Tickets
- Venice Santa Lucia Station (Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia) Tours & Tickets
- Casinò di Venezia Tours & Tickets
- Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua (Basilica di Sant'Antonio di Padova) Tours & Tickets
- Madonna dell’Orto Church (Chiesa della Madonna dell'Orto) Tours & Tickets
- Cannaregio Tours & Tickets
More attractions near Venice, Italy