St. Mark’s Basilica & Doge’s Palace Half-Day Tour with Gondola Ride
Explore St. Mark's Square's most iconic attractions with skip-the-line tickets and an expert guide
4.95
(567)
3.5 h
Max 20 Guests
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! Each gondola seats up to 5 guests and is s...
Select participants and date
Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance!
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
567 Ratings
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TODDI HUDSON
June 04, 2025
David Briggs
June 03, 2025
Tour guide Marco was outstanding. Only 4 stars due to a few people on the tour had difficulty with the ear buds towards the end. All got worked out by Marco though so not a huge issue.
Great tour
Katherine Beaubien
June 03, 2025
Filippo was an awesome tour guide and answered questions. He even told us the best way to get to the airport, which was super helpful. There was a slight hiccup with the gondolas (we had a large group in our tour that didn't want to be split up for the gondola ride} that caused a lengthy delay, but once we got into the gondola we had a great ride and our gondolier also answered questions. Overall a great experience that I would recommend.
Brandon Walters
June 02, 2025
Enjoyed our time
Terri Crippin
June 02, 2025
We found our tour guide very knowledgeable and friendly. Would recommend.
Jeanette Racette
June 02, 2025
Laura Klamer
June 01, 2025
Great Tour, knowledgable guide
Steve Rogers
May 31, 2025
We’ve used The Tour Guy a few times in the past and have always been 100% satisfied with the experience, this time was no exception. The guide was very informative and made the information easy to follow. If there is one criticism. It’s not with the tour, it’s the fact that The Tour Guy doesn’t have a website like almost all other operators.
Gabriel Paik
May 31, 2025
Very friendly and professional. A lot of knowledge and experience. 10 of 10
Venice Must
Melissa Evon
May 31, 2025
We learned so much!!! Roberta was absolutely fantastic. Her knowledge was amazing and she paced the group perfectly. The gondola ride was ok. I wish I would have realized we would have to share a gondola with other families. They were just shoving people on boats and that made it off center and uncomfortable. If I had realized this I probably would have booked a less expensive tour and just done a gondola ride on our own.
Good tour
Jim Norton
May 30, 2025
Good information and tour. The Guide was well informed but I did have a bit of an issue understanding her English at times with her accent. Gondola ride was a great feature.
Half day tour with Giovanna
Man Yin Leung
May 29, 2025
Giovanna is awesome. She is thoughtful and explains everything clearly. We had a wonderful time ?
Venice and Natalia are Absolutely Perfect
Angela Smith
May 28, 2025
Venetian history is so fascinating and Natalia brought it to life with wit, enthusiasm and genuine interest in the people on the tour. I don’t want to gush but this town and this guide have been my favorite parts of Italy!
A wonderful educational experience
Timothy Purdon
May 28, 2025
Annabianca was a mine of information as she took us through the many interesting rooms in the Doges Palace and was invaluable in helping us enjoy a spiritual experience at the St Marks Basilica. I can recommend this tour wholeheartedly.
Jeff Keefer
May 28, 2025
Doge’s Palace, Palace and Gondola Ride
Michele Colbourne
May 28, 2025
Fantastic tour. Our Guide was great and very knowledgeable and helpful. The tour was great and gave us a lot of information about the palace and basilica.
Tour of Basilica and Doge’s palace
Teresa Schmaltz
May 27, 2025
Had a very informative and educational tour with Donata. She explained the areas we saw very well and was engaging. We also really enjoyed getting to have a gondola ride. Would recommend this tour. It was great!
Tour guide Roberta
Victor Marinello
May 27, 2025
We absolutely loved Roberta. She was charming, engaging, knowledgeable and added much to our enjoyment of the tour.
Unforgettable Experience with a Fantastic Guide
Lisa Lynn Callahan
May 26, 2025
We had a wonderful time on this tour of Venice, and we can’t recommend it enough! From start to finish, everything was smooth, informative, and enjoyable—largely thanks to our amazing guide, Roberta. As a born-and-raised local, Roberta brought Venice’s rich history to life with stories and insights we never would have discovered on our own. We arrived knowing very little, and left with a deep appreciation for the city’s art, architecture, and unique past. The skip-the-line access was a huge plus, especially in such a popular city. It gave us more time to actually enjoy the sights rather than wait in long queues. St. Mark’s Basilica was breathtaking with its golden mosaics, and the Doge’s Palace was equally impressive, especially the Golden Staircase and the haunting Bridge of Sighs. The gondola ride at the end was the perfect way to wrap up the tour. It felt exclusive and peaceful, since we only shared the boat with others from our small group. It really added value and made the whole experience even more memorable. This tour is well worth it—especially with Roberta as your guide. Highly recommended! I’ll post a review on TripAdvisor too! Thank you for the incredible experience.
Richard Hancock
May 26, 2025
Nico was the BEST tour guide
Carol Reinhart
May 26, 2025
Nico gave us the total history of Venice, the Doge’s Palace and the Basilica. His attention to detail was fabulously presented. Nico made certain our group of 14 stayed together and had enough time to absorb the history and beauty. Highly recommend this tour!
Mark Tuttle
May 25, 2025
Great!
David Slonaker
May 25, 2025
Venice Doge Palace halfday tour in early May 2025
Kam Chin
May 25, 2025
This halfday tour was Awesomeeee!. our tour lead Philippo was great and very knowledgeable. walk thru many of the history and story inside the Doge Palace. He managed well the group and timing. This tour was around 20 to 25 people and good group size go into the palace. Tour started very much on-time and no waiting in the line to get inside. This tour included 30 min gondola ride. I definitely and highly recommend it.
Gary Anthony Halicki
May 24, 2025