Doge’s Palace “Prisons & Tyranny” Tour in Venice

• Great stories and secrets unveiled

• Skip-the-line entry to Doge's Palace

• Fun, English-speaking guide

• Maximum group size of 10

Experience Doge's Palace History

Meet your local, passionate guide outside Doge's Palace. Before skipping the line on your guided tour, admire the building’s exterior and learn about St. Mark’s Square. The Doge's Palace, or Palazzo Ducale in Italiano, is a perfect example of Venetian Gothic architecture.

Once home to the Doge when the city was a Republic, the palace sits next to St. Mark's Basilica (the former private place of worship for the Doge). 

Doge's Palace Interior

The interior of the Doge's Palace is grand to say the least. Inside you’ll find marble fireplaces, friezes and stucco adorning the walls. Some works of art stand out over the rest and our guide will lead you straight to them.

These grand creations include frescoes by Titian and Veronese. Take a look at the Stairs of Gold, which connect the first floor of the palace to the third, where offices were located.

Bridge of Sighs

Doge's Palace not only held the seat of the Venetian Republic, it also connected to a prison via the famous Bridge of Sighs. Linking freedom with incarceration, prisoners walked across this bridge before spending years or even the remainder of their lives behind bars.

If that wasn’t enough to sigh about, look out from the small windows carved into the bridge that once offered convicts their last glance of beautiful Venice. That's plenty to sigh about.