Private Venice Tour: Doge's Palace Early Entry & Basilica Terrace

Highlights

• Early entry to the Doge's Palace
• Skip-the-line St. Mark's Basilica
• Private local guide

What's included

Itinerary

1. 1

   Stop 1

   15min

   Meet the personal guide for your private group at 8am in St. Mark's Square, before the crowds that fill it by midday have arrived. Your guide introduces the history of Venice's political and religious center, setting up the story of the two buildings you're about to enter.

2. 2

   Stop 2

   1h 15min

   Step into the Doge's Palace on a specially secured early access, before the museum opens to the general public. Walk through the Hall of the Great Council, home to Tintoretto's largest painting, and the Doge's Apartments, hearing the history of Venetian politics, power struggles, and scandal along the way.

3. 3

   St. Mark's Basilica

   1h

   Skip the line into St. Mark's Basilica, where your guide explains the Byzantine architecture, the golden mosaics overhead, and the basilica's connection to St. Mark himself. Climb to the upper level and step onto the balcony for views over St. Mark's Square, Doge's Palace, and the Venetian Lagoon.

4. 4

   Stop 4

   30min

   Cross the Bridge of Sighs into the New Prisons, the cells that held the Venetian Republic's convicted. Small, windowless, and carved directly into the palace's stone foundations, they're a world away from the gilded halls you just walked through.

Before you go

Location