St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace Skip-the-Line Guided Tour

Explore St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace with skip-the-line entry, a multilingual guide, and access to the Bridge of Sighs and New Prisons.

Getting started

Begin by meeting your expert guide at the designated meeting point close to St. Mark's Square. Join your group, collect your headset if you are in a group of 10 or more people, and follow your guide toward the entrances. Use your skip-the-line access to move past the regular queues and head straight inside the first monument on your itinerary.

What to expect

Doge's Palace

Step inside the historic seat of the Venetian Republic, where politics, justice, and ceremony once shaped the city.

Features

• Walk through grand audience rooms and halls as your English, Italian, German, Spanish, French, or Portuguese-speaking guide explains how the Doge and councils governed Venice.

• Cross the famous Bridge of Sighs to reach the New Prisons, seeing the enclosed passage that once linked courtrooms to cells.

• Hear your guide clearly with included headsets for groups of 10 or more people while you explore the palace interiors and prison areas.

St. Mark's Basilica

Continue to Venice's most important church, known for its rich decoration and blend of Eastern and Western influences.

Features

• Use skip-the-line entry to access the basilica, avoiding the general admission queues at this busy landmark.

• Learn about the basilica's treasured relics and artworks as your guide, speaking one of six available languages, explains how many of these objects arrived in Venice.

• For groups of 10 or more, headsets are provided so you can comfortably follow your guide's commentary inside the crowded basilica.

Secret itineraries at Doge's Palace (optional)

If you select the Secret Itineraries option, your experience inside the Doge's Palace extends into restricted areas that reveal a more hidden side of Venetian history.

Features

• Enter parts of the palace that most visitors never see, including secret prisons, archives, offices, and a torture chamber, with a professional guide.

• Visit cells associated with figures such as Casanova and hear about escapes, investigations, and how the Republic protected its secrets.

• This option still includes skip-the-line entry to Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica, access to the Bridge of Sighs and New Prisons, and headsets for groups of 10 or more people.