Venice Semi-Private Tour of Doge's Palace and Saint Mark's
4.9
94 Ratings
Venezia
Experience the wonders of Venice on a semi-private tour of the Doge's Palace and Saint Mark's Basilica. Skip the lines and explore historical landmarks with a knowledgeable guide.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Piazza San Marco - Your Doge’s Palace and Saint Mark’s Tour will begin in Saint Mark’s square, where you will meet your guide and join your exclusively Small Group of MAX 6 people.\nBegin your adventure into two of Venice’s most famous sites in this most iconic and picture perfect square, learning all about its architecture, history and anecdotes.\n- Basilica di San Marco - Your first official stop will be Saint Mark’s Basilica. Enjoy exclusive and privileged skip the (long) line access, and enter straight into what is also known as the Golden Basilica. Here, your guide will show you and guide you through the interior of this incredible church, musing on its history, anecdotes, and the many eras it has seen in its hundreds of years of existence. You will surely be stunned by the thousands and thousands of square feet of pure golden mosaics that completely cover the basilica’s interior. There is quite literally no other place like this! \n- Doge’s Palace - Exit the Basilica, and continue your tour by enjoying once again exclusive access to the Doge’s Palace, seat of Venice’s government for centuries. You will be amazed by the secret stories your guide shares as you walk through the Doge’s private, luxurious apartments and powerful halls such as the Hall of the Great Council.\n\nContinue to explore the palace with a visit to the scary, dark and gory prison. After seeing the impressive collection of weapons, you will then stop at the notorious Bridge of Sighs. Enjoy the view and snap some perfect pictures for your album at home.
What's Included
- Maximum of 6 people in the group for a semi-private experience
- Skip-the-line access to St. Mark’s Basilica
- Priority entry to Doge’s Palace, including apartments and prisons
- Visit the iconic Bridge of Sighs
- Guided by a local expert professional guide
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Delight in a thorough and captivating exploration of Venice’s two notorious landmarks, Saint Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, with an exclusive small group of only 6 enthusiasts. Experience the benefits of a personal tour with quick access to one of the globe’s most renowned basilicas and navigate through Venice’s most significant historical spots, all guided by a local, well-versed and adept guide. The tour highlights encompass awe-inspiring views from the Bridge of Sighs, the chilling prisons of the Doge’s Palace, its remarkable Gun Room, and the splendid Hall of Great Council.
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders must be covered for both men and women. You may risk potential refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
- 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
Location
P.za San Marco, 1
Piazza San Marco
The meeting point is under the winged lion's column in Saint Mark's Square, closest side to the Grand Canal.
Your guide will be holding a LivTours sign.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(94 Ratings)
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Denise_s
Mar 6, 2024
Outstanding tour! - Nico gave an amazing tour! He is passionate about Venice and her history! He was so informative about the mosaics in St. Mark’s and the influence of the Doge before Italy became a country! You must request him! It was a superb tour!
Review provided by Viator
Lindseym675
Feb 21, 2024
Great experience! - Nico was a fantastic guide! This was our 3rd Liv Tours visit and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We learned a lot and definitely recommend taking a tour. We would have missed a lot without our guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jonomg
Jan 28, 2024
Wonderful, small tour, led by Martina. - What a way to see such an amazing piece of history...
As a family of 3, we joined one of the semi-private tours (max. 6 people) of Doge's Palace and Saint Mark's Basilica. We were lucky enough to have Martina as our guide, who was engaging, knowledgable and proud to share her home city highlights with us. The scheduled 3 hours, became closer to 3.5 hours and we never felt rushed. All of us walked out knowing more about these beautiful, important historical places thanks to LivTours and Martina.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Llaguana
Jan 5, 2024
Great way to see these two architectural wonders!! - Pamela was our tour guide for the tour of St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace. She was wonderful and was a wealth of information! I would highly recommend this tour if you are into history and architecture like my husband and I are. This tour is 6 people max, but there were only 4 of us! With it being such a small semi-private tour, you really get a more personal tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Davidbm3695lk
Nov 6, 2023
Great way to see the best of Venice! - Incredible way to see the highlights of Venice. Definitely recommend as a way to skip the lines and crowds! Great tour and tour guide Paola!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Voyager392547
Nov 6, 2023
Fabolous venues with an expert guide gave us a lot of information in a short period of time. - Fabulous! Worth every penny to have Martina guide us through these 2 historic and marvelous buildings. Martina was very knowledgeable, kind and flexible with our slow walking needs and gave my husband lots of times to sit down during the tour. It gave us context and meaning into what we were seeing, and the story behind many of the things we were privileged to see.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan_c
Oct 28, 2023
Really Enjoyed It - This was a great tour under adverse conditions. Rain and flooding at the palace and cathedral. Our tour guide was adept at navigating the associated challenges, accomodating, knowledgable, interesting and easy to understand. Our 2 other tour companions were a couple from the same city as us which made the tour even more fun. I am very glad we chose the semi-provate tour, which turned out to be fortuitous considering the conditions.
Review provided by Viator
Thesamples
Oct 20, 2023
History and Exquisite Art Brought to Life - Hearing the history of Doges, seeing the weapons and walking the path of the prisoners over the Bridge of Sighs. Seeing the beauty of all the paintings and the history behind the clocks in St. Marks.
Review provided by Viator
Meander46901
Oct 16, 2023
Semi Private Tour of Doge's Palace and St. Marks - Excellent! We really enjoyed our tour. Our guide, Martina, was very knowledgeable and provided an outstanding narrative on both the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anna_b
Mar 12, 2024
Not so private - The tour was good, the guide had lots of information but the tour was on the pricy side for what it was.
There were many other people touring around us, so the experience wasn’t as private as I would like. We still had to use headsets to hear, which sometimes had interference. Would choose a cheaper alternative next time, the semi-private part was not worth the cost to me.
Review provided by Viator
