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Venice Highlights: St. Mark's Basilica, Doges Palace, and Gondola Ride Adventure
4.5
326 Ratings
Venezia
Experience the best of Venice in just 3.5 hours with a tour of St. Mark's Basilica, Doges Palace, and a gondola ride. Skip the lines and explore the highlights before enjoying the rest of your day in Venice.
Duration:
3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Basilica di San Marco - We provide the skip the line tickets, so walk right past the long queue and go right on inside. During November through March, St. Mark’s Basilica does not offer skip the line entry because lines are generally non-existent.
- Doge’s Palace - As you explore the Doge’s Palace, you’ll hear about the wild ways of the Venetian Republic under the rule of elected magistrates. This tour not only showcases the interior of this ornate palace, but also goes in depth about the crime and legal system that was once in place in the city of Venice. Admire classic works of Venetian art and visit Doge’s Palace’s main sights, such as the Grand Staircase and the Bridge of Sighs.
- Venice - After your visit to St Marks and the Doges Palace conclude, it’s time to partake in that quintessential Venice activity. That’s right, step right up to your gondola boat! Left in the care of a trusted gondolier, enjoy the beauty of Venice from the water. Fun fact: in the Venetian dialect, “gondolier” translates into “rowing master”.
What's Included
- Skip-the-line access to Doge’s Palace
- Small-group tour with a maximum of 20 guests
- Guided by a professional art historian
- Admission to St. Mark’s Basilica
- Venetian Gondola ride experience
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
If your visit to Venice is brief and you would rather use your time indulging in local cuisine, shopping, and relaxation, there’s a way to maximize your experience. Many people only spend a short while in Venice, so time optimization is key if you plan on exploring the major sights. Embark on a 3.5-hour tour to see the best of Venice, still leaving you ample time to leisurely explore the charming canal alleyways with no need to hurry. This 2.5-hour tour features:
• A visit to St. Mark’s Square and St. Mark’s Basilica
• ‘Skip the Line’ entry to the Doges Palace
• A professional guide who can explain in English
• A tranquil gondola ride
- Since we will be entering a church, please make sure that your shoulders and knees are covered. Also, please refrain from bringing big back packs or bags, because they are not always allowed inside.
- On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
Location
P.za San Marco, 3
Piazza San Marco
Please Arrive 15 Minutes Early. Between the two big columns in St. Mark’s Square (columns of San Marco and San Teodoro) located on the south side of the square, near the canal. Your guide will be holding a "The Tour Guy" sign.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(326 Ratings)
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Jacqueline_f
Jun 20, 2024
Kept us smiling - Marco was a amazing guide with great humor that kept things interesting! He and Scilia helped accommodate my mom and I because we had to leave quickly after the tour to catch a train.
Review provided by Viator
Elizabeth_a
Jun 19, 2024
Best tour of Venice - Our tour guide Natalia was amazing, she really drew the group together, especially the teenagers! She understood when we wanted more information and when we had just enough.
Review provided by Viator
Valerie_r
Jun 19, 2024
Wonderful - Phillipo was extremely knowledgeable and thorough. Enjoyed the excursion immensely. Great way to get the highlights for a short stay.
Review provided by Viator
Kathryn_f
Jun 19, 2024
Venice in a day - Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and fun to listen to. Her style was very engaging and kept the tour moving and on time. I would recommend this tour. We saw a lot in a short amount of time.
Review provided by Viator
Mike_l
Jun 17, 2024
Great tour! - Great tour! Our guide, Valentina, was very knowledgeable. Having her around to point out and explain the significance of all the little details in all of the paintings, mosaics and sculptures in both Doge’s and St Mark’s added so much to our experience. And finishing it all off with a gondola ride? Perfect ending to a great tour. Thanks Valentina!
Review provided by Viator
Maria_m
Jun 16, 2024
Informative - Philipio was very informative. We enjoyed his stories and history of venice.
I would totally recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Lori_t
Jun 15, 2024
Interesting tour and a nice gondola ride! - Having a guide makes all the difference in the world. They explain the significance of each site and are also able to answer questions. Our guide was very knowledgeable and patient with our group. She made sure she had our entire group before moving on to the next site. The gondola ride was good, but the gondolier never said anything about what we were seeing or even when we went onto the Grand Canal to say that’s what it was. 🤷🏻♀️. The description didn’t say the gondolier would speak about where we were, but I think it would’ve been nice to just point out a couple of things.
Review provided by Viator
Tracey_c
Jun 15, 2024
Great tour - We loved this tour! Very pleased that it covered a lot in just a few hours as we only had one day to explore Venice. Our guide was very knowledgeable and appeared to love her job. Would recommend wholeheartedly
Review provided by Viator
Audra_z
Jun 20, 2024
Okay tour - We would probably rate 3.5. Meet up was easy. They gave us ear pieces so we could hear. The guide was very knowledgeable. She lost the interest of all the kids in the group pretty quickly. It was a full group of 20 people on a hot day. Most groups had a personal gondola. The gondolas only take 5 people. A group of 6 was split and put with a group of 3.
Review provided by Viator
Pradeep_s
Jun 20, 2024
A tour to forget - The Venice in a day tour guide (don’t want to name names, but the tour people can find out who it was) was rude when I wanted to take my daughter out for a breather, as she was nauseous and stated I can’t leave the group even when I told her that we will join later. Probably did not realize that I was a customer who paid for being in this tour group (The Tour Guy). I had to tell her that the health of my daughter was more important than the history lesson she was giving us. A mother daughter were dealt in a similar manner when the mother needed a restroom break. Overall a tour to forget in a place like Venice.
Review provided by Viator
