Pristine Legendary Venice: St. Mark’s Basilica and Early Access to The Doge’s Palace
About this activity
Enter the Doge's Palace at 8am, an hour before the general public, and skip the line into St. Mark's Basilica, all with a local expert guide.
Highlights
- Walk into the Doge's Palace before it opens to the public
- Stand under Tintoretto's largest painting, crowd-free
- Skip the line into St. Mark's Basilica
- See a terrace view over the square, palace, and lagoon
- Cross the Bridge of Sighs into the New Prisons
Full description
The Doge's Palace fills with visitors the moment its doors open, and stays that way most of the day. This early access Doge´s Palace and St Marks Basilica tour gets you inside the Doge´s Palace at 8am, before the general public. Join a small group of up to 12 guests to walk through the Hall of the Great Council in the kind of quiet this building rarely offers. Built for guests who want Venice's grandest palace without sharing it with a crowd. Continue with skip-the-line entry into St. Mark's Basilica, its golden mosaics, and a terrace view over the square, the palace, and the lagoon.
Stop At: St. Mark's Square
Description: Meet your guide at 8am in St. Mark's Square, before the crowds that fill it by midday have arrived. Your guide introduces the history of Venice's political and religious center, setting up the story of the two buildings you're about to enter.
Admission: Free (public square)
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: The Doge's Palace
Description: Step into the Doge's Palace on a specially secured early access, before the museum opens to the general public. Walk through the Hall of the Great Council, home to Tintoretto's largest painting, and the Doge's Apartments, hearing the history of Venetian politics, power struggles, and scandal along the way.
Admission: Included
Duration: 75 minutes
Stop At: St. Mark's Basilica & Terrace
Description: Skip the line into St. Mark's Basilica, where your guide explains the Byzantine architecture, the golden mosaics overhead, and the basilica's connection to St. Mark himself. Climb to the upper level and step onto the balcony for views over St. Mark's Square, Doge's Palace, and the Venetian Lagoon.
Admission: Included
Duration: 60 minutes
Stop At: Bridge of Sighs & New Prisons
Description: Cross the Bridge of Sighs into the New Prisons, the cells that held the Venetian Republic's convicted. Small, windowless, and carved directly into the palace's stone foundations, they're a world away from the gilded halls you just walked through.
Admission: Included
Duration: 30 minutes
Included / Excluded
- Exclusive early morning early access to the Doge’s Palace
- Skip-the-line ticket to St. Mark’s Basilica
- St Marks Basilica terrace and Museum
- Local English-speaking guide
- Headset
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
- Gratuities
Cancellation policy
Up to 24 hours before the beginning of the activity: full refund Less than 24 hours before the beginning of the activity or no-show: no refund
Reviews
Chutes mythiques et impressionnantes mais les explications de la visite sont parfois inutiles et servent à combler le temps.
Activité tout compris avec bateau et vue des chutes des tunnels, la guide était très sympathique et apporte des anecdotes à la visite , merci 🙏🏻
If you’re gonna see Niagara Falls, this is the tour to do it on!