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Walking Tours

Venice Walking Tour with St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Guided Tour

Tour guide leading a group at St. Mark's Basilica with a gondola ride in Venice, Italy
Gondolas on a canal during a photo walking experience in Venice, Italy.
Campo SS. Giovanni e Paolo Venice
Gondola on Venice canal during 2-hour walking tour.

Walk the streets of Venice with a certified guide, experience the charm of this city and gain priority access to 2 prime attractions in Venice.

Highlights

  • Explore the charm of the floating city on foot with a certified guide narrating gripping commentary about everything you walk by, on a walking tour of Venice.
  • Waltz into the Doge's Palace and St Mark's Basilica with your priority access tickets, allowing you to skip the infamous queues.
  • Enjoy a guided tour in the language of your choice with an exemplary guide narrating interesting facts, important fragments of history, and gripping tales.
  • You can even add in a typical Venetian gondola ride if you choose an English tour.
  • Benefit from a free optional coupon to witness the famous Venetian glassblowing technique during a 20-minute demonstration near St. Mark's Square.

Inclusions

  • 1-hour shared walking tour of Venice
  • Guided tour of St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace with skip-the-line entry
  • Headsets for groups of 10+ people
  • Access to Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale & Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana
  • Complimentary glass craftsman demonstration (9am slots only)
  • 30-minute gondola ride (as per option selected)
  • Expert English, Italian, German, Spanish or French-speaking guide (as per option selected)

Cancellation policy

You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

Reviews

4.3
662 ratings
5/5
396
4/5
173
3/5
26
2/5
13
1/5
54
Daniel Drabik

Daniel

5/5

Sep, 2024

We are very happy we decided to book this tour. Our guide was extremely knowledgable and very easy to understand. We found it so much better than trying to do it on our own.
Laura Basadre

Laura

5/5

Jul, 2024

Our tour guide, Virginia was very knowledgeable and shared history and facts in. Very interesting way. It was a great tour
Laura J PIerce

Laura

5/5

May, 2024

Valentina was fantastic! She is so knowledgeable and knows so much about the history of Venice! We really enjoyed her tour and would like to have her as a guide again.
PREVOT LAURE

Prevot

5/5

Dec, 2023

Martina is an attentive and passionate guide who described Venice and its history through her Venetian eyes. She shared her knowledge and anecdotes throughout our visit.
View original review in French
Marek Rarok

Marek

4/5

Jun, 2024

Very interesting and informative. Beat the queues tickets were a real bonus.

Traverse the lengths of the floating city

Discover the essence of Venice, by walking the streets of Serenissima Republic with our experienced guide. Quench your thirst to know everything about the city while walking through the Piazza San Marco bestrewed with monuments like Basilica San Marco, Bell Tower, Clock Tower, and Procuratie. While you're here, admire the Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Campo SS. Giovanni e Paolo (the “Pantheon” of Venice), the Great school of Charity, Marco Polo’s House and the Malibran Theatre.

Return to San Marco through the main shopping area Mercerie where you can shop but not until you drop as you have a lot more to see!

Plunge into Doge's Palace

Skip the line and walk into the Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale) and immerse yourself in the political history of Venice while you're here. Live it together with your guide who will show you the halls of power, and tell your stories that have rarely left the walls of the palace. Admire the Renaissance painting adorning the palace and relive the anguish of the prisoners crossing the famous Bridge of Sighs, and entering the Venetian prisons, famous for hosting the Venetian lover, Casanova.

Explore the opulent St. Mark's Basilica

Jump the queue again and follow your tour guide through St. Mark's Basilica, one of Italy's most majestic cathedrals. Walk on delicate marble floors and gold mosaics while viewing masterpieces of Byzantine art and learning about the biblical importance of this monument.

After the Basilica, the guide will leave you to explore other buildings of importance around St. Mark’s Square. You can walk around and discover the Venetian way of life from their paintings, libraries, coinages and sculptures. Some of the building you can't afford to miss are the Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale and Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana.

Enjoy additional benefits

After the Basilica, you will have the opportunity to do the optional tour the Glass Craftsman Demonstration visiting a Glass Factory very close to Saint Mark’s square. Please follow the instruction that our staff will provide to you locally. This optional demonstration lasts for 20 minutes but could take longer than the scheduled time and we do not recommend participating if you have other reservations scheduled on the same day.

This ticket also gives you access to a few other places of importance (Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale and Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana) around St Mark’s Square which you can set out to explore on your own. Note: All Museums restrict entry one hour before closing time.

If you only have a short period of time to see the absolute best that Venice has to offer, this tour is the perfect way to maximize your time and experience the wonders of the city in the company of an expert local guide and priority access to Venice's most iconic attractions.

What to bring

  • Wear walking shoes and bring along your water bottle. Sunscreen is also recommended in the summer.

What's not allowed

St. Mark's Basilica

  • Strict dress code: All guests must wear clothing that covers their shoulders and knees to enter the basilica.
  • Keep your camera tucked away – photography is strictly not allowed at the venue.

Doge's Palace

  • Shutterbugs, take note: Flash photography, tripods, selfie sticks, and any type of commercial photography is a no-go inside the venue.

Accessibility

  • Both venues are wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible.

St. Mark's Basilica

  • A ramp is available at the Porta del Fiori (Door of Flowers) entrance on the left-hand side of the basilica.
  • Both a lift and stair lifts serve the Museum on the upper floor of the basilica.

Doge's Palace

  • Please note that the Secret Itineraries, Prisons, and Armory are not wheelchair accessible.

Additional information

  • In case of high tides, flooding, or heavy rain, the gondola ride may be replaced with an alternative experience.
  • Your voucher will be emailed to you instantly/shortly.
  • Display the voucher on your mobile phone with a valid photo ID at the meeting point.
  • Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled time of your tour to avoid any delays. Bring a valid photo ID proof for verification.

Meeting Point

Please check your final voucher for the meeting point details and specific instructions.

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