Legendary Venice: St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Tour
3920 reviews
3 hours
Max 20
Why take this tour?
Highlights
Enjoy a truly VIP experience in and around the famed St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco).
8 am time slot only: Take advantage of early access to the Doge's Palace before it opens to the public, a VIP experience arranged specially for our groups.
Skip the long lines and earn privileged access into St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace.
Drink in the surrounding views over Venice with exclusive access to the terraces of St. Mark's Basilica.
Let an expert local guide lead you through Venice's opulent history and culture—subjects they truly have a passion for.
Marvel at mosaics of gold, frescoes by Veronese and Tintoretto, and masterpieces around every turn.
Traverse the Bridge of Sighs, the Doge's apartments, the Armory, and the New Prisons.
Sites Visited
St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco)
St. Mark's Basilica (Exclusive Balcony Access)
Bell Tower in St. Mark's Square (exterior)
Marciana Library (exterior)
Doge’s Palace
New Prisons
Bridge of Sighs
Tour Includes
Local English-speaking guide
Skip-the-line ticket for St. Mark's Basilica
Exclusive access to the balcony of St. Mark's Basilica
Pre-reserved ticket to the Doge's Palace
Headset (when necessary)
Immerse yourself in centuries of Venetian lore.
Book Now
Total Customer Reviews: 3920
Verified Ratings
4.7/5
based on 2663 Walks’ customer ratings
Rating summary by category
Guide
4.8/5
Guest Support
4.7/5
Latest reviews
Excellent
We really enjoyed our experience - thanks to our guide. German name lady - very funny and knowledgeable.
We were interested in learning more about the history of Venice and we achieved our goal.
Thank you very much!
Verified·Laura·Jul 25, 2024·Canada·Female·45 to 54 years
Excellent
Matteo was amazing! Our 4th tour with devour/walks, and he was our favorite.
Verified·Ginger·Jul 08, 2024·USA·Female·25 to 34 years
Excellent
I come from Puerto Rico. First time visiting Italy. Didn’t want to miss any important historic building. Found Walks on Google and booked our tour. Made such a difference. No waiting in line, you get an ear piece to listen to the guide, friendly, knowledgeable, passionate tour guide (Alessandro), learned so many interesting facts about the Basilica & Dodge’s Palace. So happy with my decision to book this tour with Walks !
Verified·Blanca·Jul 04, 2024·USA·Female·45 to 54 years
Excellent
Martina was an exceptional guide. Very knowledgeable!
Verified·Joy·Jun 13, 2024·USA·Female·45 to 54 years
Excellent
This was a wonderful tour that let us experience the Doge's Palace without the crowds. Elena was a great guide – knowledgable and friendly! Her interesting stories held the attention of my 13-year old girls and helped us appreciate everything we were seeing.
Verified·Ning·Jun 12, 2024·USA·Female·45 to 54 years
Reviews from our guests
Legendary Venice: St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Tour
Verified rating
4.7/5
2663 Walks’ customer ratings
Guide4.8/5
Guest Support
4.7/5
Guest reviews
3920
total guest reviews
Excellent324792.8%
Great50712.9%
Good1072.7%
Average451.1%
Poor140.4%
Latest reviews
Excellent
We really enjoyed our experience - thanks to our guide. German name lady - very funny and knowledgeable.
We were interested in learning more about the history of Venice and we achieved our goal.
Thank you very much!
Verified·Laura·Jul 25, 2024·Canada·Female·45 to 54 years
Excellent
Matteo was amazing! Our 4th tour with devour/walks, and he was our favorite.
Verified·Ginger·Jul 08, 2024·USA·Female·25 to 34 years
Excellent
I come from Puerto Rico. First time visiting Italy. Didn’t want to miss any important historic building. Found Walks on Google and booked our tour. Made such a difference. No waiting in line, you get an ear piece to listen to the guide, friendly, knowledgeable, passionate tour guide (Alessandro), learned so many interesting facts about the Basilica & Dodge’s Palace. So happy with my decision to book this tour with Walks !
Verified·Blanca·Jul 04, 2024·USA·Female·45 to 54 years
Excellent
Martina was an exceptional guide. Very knowledgeable!
Verified·Joy·Jun 13, 2024·USA·Female·45 to 54 years
Excellent
This was a wonderful tour that let us experience the Doge's Palace without the crowds. Elena was a great guide – knowledgable and friendly! Her interesting stories held the attention of my 13-year old girls and helped us appreciate everything we were seeing.
Verified·Ning·Jun 12, 2024·USA·Female·45 to 54 years
Excellent
OOur tour was excellent! Tour guide Mosel was knowledgeable and animated, not just on St Marks and the Doges PPalace, but he also provided interesting information on the history of Venice. Very well done!
Verified·Jeffrey·Jun 10, 2024·USA·Male·65 to 74 years
Excellent
Alessandro is an excellent tour guide. He brings the history to life.
Verified·Janet·Jun 08, 2024·Canada·Female·55 to 64 years
Average
DO NOT TAKE THIS TOUR!! First, we got moved from our original group (White Sticker) to a new group (Blue Sticker) that had a family of ~16 individuals with 6+ kids under the age of 8. The original group was all adults, but we were moved in order to “keep the family together” because they failed to book properly.
They were extremely rude, with the children shouting over the guide, running, and even yelling in St Mark’s Basilica. We could barely hear the guide!
On top of that, the audio devices did NOT work properly most of the time. She often got too far ahead of the group, having to “run after” the children, leaving us with static. She also spoke so quietly that no one could hear her (and yes, we asked her to speak up/move her mic early on the on tour).
There are so many tour company options out there- Definitely pick another!!
Verified·Abbey·Jun 06, 2024·USA·Female·25 to 34 years
Excellent
As always with 'Walks' a superb tour.
Nico was brilliant. Extremely knowledgable and interacted perfectly with the whole group.
Delivered the tour with the right mix of facts and amusing anecdotes.
Highly recommended.
Verified·Kevin·Jun 03, 2024·United Kingdom·Male·55 to 64 years
Excellent
Sara M. was our tour guide, and is probably the best we’ve EVER had at ANY tour. Her passion for the city and its history really conveyed well during the tour; and she was not only incredibly knowledgeable, but also friendly and outgoing. It was already a great tour content-wise, but she made it absolutely next-level! :)
Verified·Brandon·Jun 01, 2024·USA·Female·35 to 44 years
Can I take a bag with me into St. Mark's Basilica?
You can only take small bags into St. Mark's. Anything bigger than a purse - backpacks or luggage - is prohibited. There is no coat check either, so do not bring any large bags with you.
Does St. Mark's Basilica have a dress code?
Yes. Because it is a holy place, St. Mark's Basilica insists that both men and women wear clothing that covers their shoulders and knees. They can and will refuse entry to anyone who does not meet this standard and we can't do anything about it, so come prepared.
Is this tour wheelchair accessible?
No. Unfortunately, due to site restrictions we cannot accommodate wheelchairs on this tour. If you use a wheelchair and book this tour by accident, we are happy to offer you credit for a future tour that is wheelchair accessible anywhere in the world, or a full refund.
What can I bring with me on this tour?
St. Mark's Basilica has very tight rules about what you can and cannot bring inside. Anything bigger than a purse - including backpacks or luggage - is NOT allowed inside the Basilica. There is no coat check either, so do not bring any bags larger than a purse with you.
What can I bring into the Doge's Palace?
You are permitted to enter the Doge's Palace with handbags and small backpacks. But any large backpacks or luggage are not permitted inside. You have to check them in the cloakroom.
Does the Doge's Palace accommodate wheelchair users?
The Doge’s Palace is not wheelchair-friendly. Some parts are accessible, but the Secret Rooms, Prisons, and Armory and not. Our route, in particular, is not wheelchair-friendly so we do not recommend that wheelchair users take this tour.
Is this tour accessible to people in wheelchairs?
Unfortunately the terrace of St. Mark's Basilica, the prisons, and the armory of the Doge's Palace are not wheelchair-accessible, meaning we can't accept wheelchair user on this tour. For those interested in wheelchair friendly tours in Venice, please contact our Customer Care team at [email protected].
Do guests always see the sights on this tour in the same order?
No. Sometimes the tour runs in reverser order. However, we never take any sights out of the itinerary so you are always going to see St. Mark's Basilica, St. Mark’s Square, Doge’s Palace (general access rooms), New Prisons, and Bridge of Sighs.
What's so special about the 8:00 am tour time?
The 8:00 AM tour time offer a unique and exclusive benefit - enter St. Mark's Basilica before it opens! With just your small group you enter through a side door and spend time alone in the Basilica. A truly once-in-a-lifetime experience, and created for Walks guests only. The 8:00 AM tour time is the only time with this special access, although the later times are also skip-the-line!
Take a step off the normal tourist path on the Doge's Palace Secret Itineraries Tour: An all-access adventure into the rooms Venetian dukes tried to hide.