St. Mark’s Basilica & Doge’s Palace Half-Day Tour with Gondola Ride
Free CancellationSkip the Line
Explore St. Mark's Square's most iconic attractions with skip-the-line tickets and an expert guide
4.95
(456)
3.5h
Max 20 Guests
+5
The excitement of planning a visit to Venice can become a challenge due to crowds and long waits. Our expert guides grant you privileged entrance, allowing you to skip the lines at St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. Next, it's time to relax as your guide will then lead you to the serene waters of the Grand Canal on a classic gondola ride, capturing the essence of this enchanting city in just a few hours. Without the hassle, our guides get you where you need to be with time to spare.
You’ll meet up with your local guide and the rest of your group in the famous St. Mark’s Square near the two columns by the canal. Skip the long lines at St. Mark’s so you can get right inside to learn about this magnificent golden church. Then explore the Doge’s Palace where you’ll see the golden staircase, prisons, and Bridge of Sighs. Finally, your guide will escort you to your gondola ride that might just become your favorite activity of the day!
St. Mark’s, Doge’s Palace, and Gond...
Select participants and date
Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance!
1
Adults
Travelers
Adults (15+)
1
Child (5 & under)
0
Youth (6-14)
0
Skip the line tickets
Passionate English-speaking guide
Gondola Ride
St. Mark's Basilica
Doge's Palace
Bridge of Sighs
Wheelchair accessible
Meet your guide at St. Mark's Square
Your tour begins with a warm welcome from your guide in one of the world’s most beautiful squares, conveniently located in central Venice.
St. Mark Basilica
With skip-the-line tickets, head straight inside the historic basilica, whose magnificent domes and lavish gold mosaics are sure to impress.
Doge's Palace
Thanks to fast-track entry, step into the opulent 14th-century palace where the Doge of Venice, the highest authority, once lived and ruled.
Grand Ballroom
Gaze up at the towering ceilings and detailed frescoes by Veronese and Tintoretto in the Grand Ballroom, the former seat of Venice's council.
Golden Staircase
Deemed the most valuable staircase ever built, the Golden Staircase leads to the palace’s third floor, where Venice was ruled for centuries.
For Reference Only. Itineraries are subject to change
Between the two big columns in St. Mark’s Square (columns of San Marco & San Teodoro) located on the south side of the square, near the canal. Our friendly representative will be there holding a sign with our company name on it. Please arrive 15 minutes early to check in.
We recommend bringing comfortable walking shoes, a camera, and a water bottle. Large bags and backpacks are not allowed and will have to be checked before entering the Doge's Palace. It's best to leave them at your hotel if possible.
4.95
456 Ratings
5
435
4
19
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Mridul Gupta
Verified Review
March 22, 2025
Rosemarie Durant
Verified Review
March 21, 2025
Jessica Herrera
Verified Review
March 20, 2025
Wonderful tour!
Erica Atchison
Verified Review
March 15, 2025
We only had 2 days in Venice and ended up choosing the ultimate Venice in a day where our morning was St. Mark’s and Doges Palaze and the afternoon was the Murano and Burano boat tour. Our guide Mattias was wonderful and so knowledgeable. We certainly would not have gotten as much out of our experience had we just gone to the morning sights on our own. Would definitely recommend this tour for those with limited time.
Erica Kuharich
Verified Review
March 14, 2025
Danielle Drollette
Verified Review
March 14, 2025
Filippo is a wonderful guide!
Heather Grice
Verified Review
March 14, 2025
This was an amazing tour led by a local Venetian! He was so knowledgeable and explained everything so well. I have not been disappointed with any of our tours booked thru the Tour Guy. Highly recommend & Filippo needs a raise❣️
Jacqueline Dwyer Xec
Verified Review
March 14, 2025
Wonderful experience while in Venice
Chad Troyer
Verified Review
March 13, 2025
Beautiful Basilica and our tour guide was local and knew so many interesting things to share. The Gondola ride at the end was the perfect way to see parts of Venice.
Federica Murari
Verified Review
March 13, 2025
Fantastico!!!
Donna Soohoo
Verified Review
March 08, 2025
Marco was an excellent guide. We learned so about the power wielded by the Doges and the magnificent palace. Marco has such a dry sense of humor and really engaged with the folks on the tour. The Basilica was also amazing, and we got to see it illuminated while we were there. Highly recommend!
edward sayres
Verified Review
March 06, 2025
i enjoyed it , worth ever Euro😃
Highly Recommend
Noreen Orevillo
Verified Review
March 02, 2025
Great tour! Michaela was a fantastic guide. She was very knowledgeable and engaging. There is so much to see but doing this tour helped us appreciate and understand what we were seeing. The gondola ride at the end of the tour was fun and a really nice and relaxing way to see the other parts of Venice. No regrets doing this tour!
Fantastic Tour
Mark Moncada
Verified Review
March 02, 2025
Our Tour Guy Marcos was amazing! So much useful information and a great sense of humor. Very personable and made sure the group stayed together even though we had some slow movers. Skipping the line was fantastic because there were so many people there. Marcos reminded use about the possibility of pickpocketing. Marcos gave us time on our own before moving on to the next phase. Marcos kept a great pace and did not seem to be in a rush. Thank you for such a great tour, Marcos!
Amy Martin
Verified Review
February 26, 2025
Shelley Fenchock
Verified Review
February 26, 2025
Wonderful Tour
Mark Lennartz
Verified Review
February 25, 2025
Was very well organized and handled top to bottom. We were lucky to have e Fillipo as our guide - a well spoken and knowledgeable guide. He painted pictures with his words for us, and even tossed in light humor at the right moments Doge and St Marks are not to be missed. The gondola ride was far better than we anticipated and it ended our 1/2 day tour in a perfect note. Thank you Fillipo, thank you Tour Guy, and most of all thank you Venice for sharing your beautiful, extraordinary city.
Noreen Orevillo
Verified Review
February 24, 2025
Great tour-Great Information/History
Philip Baumeister
Verified Review
February 24, 2025
Our tour guide, Filippo, was very friendly and knowledgeable. He provided the perfect amount of history/detail to make our first visit to Venice great. We were in Venice during Carnival. If you are here now, allow more time to get to the meeting location. Filippo also knew how to navigate the large crowd in St. Mark’s Square. Highly recommend this tour!
Deborah Illston
Verified Review
February 16, 2025
This tour has it all
Ivan Petroucic
Verified Review
February 09, 2025
This tour is very complete, in half a day you can see the Dodge's Palace in detail, the Basilica and finish it with a Gondola ride. Michaela is a very good guide, I reccomend her. If you have little time in the city, this is a good option.
