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
(485)
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!
St. Mark’s, Doge’s Palace, and Gond...
Select participants and date
Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance!
Travelers
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
485 Ratings
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Anna Dupree
Verified Review
April 16, 2025
A wonderful morning
Harry Allen
Verified Review
April 16, 2025
Our guide was very knowledgeable and really made the tour come to life.
The included gondola ride really was the icing on the cake.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you, Roberta!!!
STELLA KIM
Verified Review
April 15, 2025
Our trip to Venice was immeasurably enriched by Roberta’s tour. Not only were we able to enter the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica without waiting, but Roberta gave every square inch of the visit a new meaning. I promise you there is SO much to know about these places that you cannot find out from a label or plaque, and Roberta is the most spellbinding and enchanting storyteller. At no point did the tour drag, but we never felt rushed either. She was incredibly warm, attentive, and answered all of our questions. We cannot recommend this experience enough, and we are so grateful to Roberta for sharing her enthusiasm and expertise with us.
Fantastic tour
Darla Dulin
Verified Review
April 14, 2025
We really enjoyed our tour in Venice. Our tour guide Chiara was very knowledgeable!
Mark
Mark Robins
Verified Review
April 13, 2025
Fantastic tour, very good value for money! Our tour guide was amazing & very knowledgeable pointing out so things that we would have missed. Gondola ride was the perfect way to end the morning!
I learned so much… and it was fun too 😂
Yvonne Marshall
Verified Review
April 13, 2025
My husband and I visited Venice for a couple days… This was our first trip to Italy. Our first tour was with Elena for the St. Mark’s Basilica & Doge’s palace. OMG, the information and history we learned was incredible and so so interesting. Elena had the perfect mix of knowledge, enthusiasm and patience! I would highly recommend a tour with her. She really made the experience worth every penny!
Yvonne & Todd Marshall
Colorado, USA
TERESA WIDDICOMBE
Verified Review
April 10, 2025
Roberta was terrific! The tour was well paced, she was passionate about the history of her city, the art, the people, the government and the church. I would highly recommend this tour!
Julie Beal
Verified Review
April 09, 2025
Tashnuva Chowdhury
Verified Review
April 09, 2025
Great experience
MANDEEP SIDHU
Verified Review
April 09, 2025
We had an amazing experience on this tour, largely thanks to our guide, Phillipo. He made the tour truly special by sharing so much fascinating history and detail without ever making it feel boring or overwhelming. His storytelling kept everyone engaged from start to finish. Phillipo also paid great attention to the needs of everyone in the group, making sure we were comfortable and enjoying ourselves throughout the day. His passion, knowledge, and care made this tour unforgettable. I highly recommend taking a tour with Phillipo!
Jan Hurley
Verified Review
April 08, 2025
Brian E. Morey
Verified Review
April 08, 2025
Roberta was a gem !
Explaining everything with careful detail
Miranda Wentlandt
Verified Review
April 08, 2025
Shey Cooper Drake
Verified Review
April 07, 2025
Phillipo is an outstanding tour guide learned so much from him. He was also very helpful in getting the people who booked back to back tours to fast places to eat. He was very knowledgeable and the four in my group throughly enjoyed his tour.
Belinda Boshier
Verified Review
April 07, 2025
Sylvia Artiga
Verified Review
April 06, 2025
Kathleen Pink
Verified Review
April 06, 2025
Jim Cunningham
Verified Review
April 04, 2025
Linda Locklar
Verified Review
April 02, 2025
Elaine Zukerman
Verified Review
April 02, 2025
Great experience overall
Arika Gupta
Verified Review
April 01, 2025
Marco was a great tour guide and pointed out all the important highlights along the way. My only critique is that it was hard to understand him due to his accent at times, particularly while listening to him through the provided heaphones. I think this would have been better in a smaller group without the use of headphones, if possible.
Thomas Suckling
Verified Review
March 31, 2025
Sylvia was great!
Kristina Boyer
Verified Review
March 29, 2025
We had a great tour with Sylvia. She was very friendly and knowledgeable! Highly recommend!
