🏨 Private 4 hrs Venice Tour: St Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace and Secret Venice Activity

Private 4 hrs Venice Tour: St Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace and Secret Venice

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From $339.12

210 reviews (4.59)

Price varies by group size

Lowest Price Guarantee

Pricing Info: Per Person

Duration: 4 hours

Departs: Venice, Venice

Ticket Type: Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Free cancellation

Up to 24 hours in advance.

Learn more

Overview

Enjoy skip-the-line access to two top Venice attractions — Doge's Palace and St Mark’s Basilica — on tours led by an expert local guide, and see the city’s highlights and hidden gems, too! Learn all about St Mark's Square and the Basilica, Doge's Palace and Hidden Venice from our expert guide.

What's Included

Guaranteed to skip the long lines to Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica

Headset to hear the guide clearly when there are more than 8 participants in the group

Professional English-speaking local guide

What's Not Included

Food and drinks

Gratuities

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Traveler Information

INFANT: Age: 0 - 6
CHILD: Age: 7 - 11
ADULT: Age: 12 - 99

Additional Info

At certain times it may not be possible to enter any of the visited churches due to religious functions taking place. These closures are beyond our control so no refunds or discounts will be issued
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Guides required to regularly wash hands
High season operational schedule (Apr - Oct): Skip the Line: St Mark’s Basilica tour starts at 11.10 am , Doges Palace tour at 2.30pm
Large bags and rucksacks are not allowed inside St Mark's Basilica
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
To ensure safety and well-being of our guests the itinerary of the tour has been amended to follow the Covid-19 guidelines. Visits to St Mark's Basilica may be subject to restrictions. Depending on the situation on the day of the tour the itinerary may be

A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
Beginning Friday 6 August 2021 and until further notice, access to the Doge’s Palace and all related areas will be permitted only to those in possession of a Green COVID-19 Certification (Green Pass or equivalent certificate). Please remember to also brin
Face masks required for travellers in public areas
Guaranteed skip-the-line entrance to St Mark's Basilica is compulsory from April to October due to high number of visitors. St Mark’s Basilica does not offer a fast entry service to anyone in other periods considered off peak season. No refund is due when
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Experience may be cancelled due to Insufficient travelers

What To Expect

Piazza San Marco

Your guide will give you a brief introduction to the history of Venice and of the Doge's Palace

• Admission Ticket Free

Doge's Palace

Enjoy a 2-hour in-dept tour of the Doges Palace and visit the famous Prisons.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Scala dei Giganti di Palazzo Ducale

While standing in the courtyard as your guide will introduce you to the Doges Palace architecture and history, see and learn about the Giant Staircase leading up to the Palace and used for formal entrances.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Ponte dei Sospiri

Walk over the famous Bridge of Sighs connecting the Doge's Palace to the Prisons and learn why it was given this name.

• Admission Ticket Free

Porta Della Carta

Learn about the Main entrance of the Doges Palace, the paper door that links the Doges Palace to St Mark's Basilica.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Basilica di San Marco

We'll discuss the famous landmarks of St. Mark's square, you'll enjoy an in-depth tour of St. Mark's Basilica, to admire the astonishing interior covered in rich and lavish mosaics and you'll learn about the strong Byzantine influences on the city that helped Venice realize its own unique style of architecture.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Chiesa di San Zaccaria

During the tour you will also see the beautiful San Zacharia's church (exterior only), set in a quiet square, with its rich façade, a blend of gothic and renaissance style.

• Admission Ticket Free

Campo Santa Maria Formosa

Admire from outside the Renaissance S. Maria Formosa church built on the site of a former 7th century church. The name "formosa" refers to an apperance of Holy Virgin in the form of a voluptuous woman.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Calle del Paradiso

Cross Ponte del Paradiso bridge and enter a typical Hidden Venice alley "calle" to admire examples of Byzantine and Gothic architecture.

• Admission Ticket Free

Reviews

Awesome guide - Marina!

Linda_N, 12-11-2022

Our guide, Marina, from Avventure Bellissime was awesome. She was punctual, friendly, and extremely knowledgeable. We learned so much from her. We would highly recommend her to others.

Great tour

john_r, 07-08-2022

We had the best guide ever, very passionate about her work but Worked with us to make it the best ever. The place we visited where rich in history but we got to get a feel of the people of Venice. Thank you Christina. P

Birthday in Venice

rui_m, 06-07-2022

Excellent tour, knowledgeable guide and skipping the queue a must on a hot day.
We learnt so much about the cities beginnings, architecture, customs and commerce. Ciao Rui

Great introduction to Venice

ALFREDO_Z, 03-07-2022

Very knowledgeable and passionate local guide. Provides a great introduction to Venice. Guide brings you to less well-known neighborhoods so you see a side of Venice not many people see.

Viator didn't come through

Larry_S, 06-07-2022

The tour itself was fine -but the viator confirmed time was not accurate. I called the actual Guide agency - fortunately- to confirm our time and was told that Viator had made an error. They could not provide a guide for us at the time we wanted and had been promised, but we could do it at a different time with one guide for the first half and another for the second half. This change meant that we could not do the Murano glass tour offered by our hotel. So the guides were very good and the sights marvelous, but no thanks to Viator.

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