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Skip-the-Line: Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Guided Small-Group Tour

star-4116 Reviews
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Venice, Italy
Skip-the-Line: Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Guided Small-Group Tour
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Skip-the-Line: Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Guided Small-Group Tour
Doge's Palace Ceiling
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From $79.42

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Up to 24 hours in advance. Learn more
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Safety measures
icon2 hours  (approx.)
Mobile ticket
iconOffered in: English

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Overview

The entrance lines at Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica can sometimes feel like they last forever. Bypass the annoyance of waiting in long queues by prebooking this Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica Skip-the-Line Small-Group Tour. Perfect for those with a limited time in Venice, you’ll visit both big attractions with a guide leading the way and loading you with historical info you wouldn’t hear otherwise.
  • Get special, skip-the-line access to Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica
  • Avoid large tour groups with this small-group tour of up to 15 people
  • Audio headsets are provided so you don’t miss your guide’s commentary
  • Choose from a morning or afternoon tour time depending on your preference
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From $79.42

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Expert, English-speaking tour guide
Skip the line Access and entrance ticket to the Doge’s Palace
Skip the Line Access to St. Mark’s Basilica
Small groups of 15 people or less
Audio headsets when appropriate, so you can always hear your guide
Food/Beverage
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Ponte della Paglia , 30124 Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy
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Next to Ponte della Paglia, the bridge with the view of the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs), in front of the Doge's Palace, facing the lagoon

Doge's Palace , P.za San Marco, 1, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
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This tour ends inside Doges' Palace.

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
  • OPERATED BY City Wonders Ltd
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
  • 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.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Learn more about cancellations.

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Q:
What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Skip-the-Line: Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Guided Small-Group Tour?
A:The policies on face masks and attendee health are:

  • Face masks required for travelers in public areas
  • Face masks required for guides in public areas
  • Temperature checks for travelers upon arrival
See all safety measures taken by Skip-the-Line: Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Guided Small-Group Tour.
Q:
What is the social distancing policy during Skip-the-Line: Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Guided Small-Group Tour?
A:The policy on social distancing is:

  • Social distancing enforced throughout experience
See all safety measures taken by Skip-the-Line: Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Guided Small-Group Tour.

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Reviews

4.0
star-4
116 Reviews
5 stars
75
4 stars
15
3 stars
4
2 stars
5
1 star
17

Reviews by Viator travelers

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Showing 1-10 of 116 reviews
star-1
Horrible experience
Vera_K
, Jun 2022
The tour was canceled several hours before we were supposed to start, and we could not reschedule because we we in town only for a couple of days
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star-5
Great Guide and Tour of Duomo
Jonathan_T
, Jun 2022
Highly recommend this tour guide and tour of the Duomo residence, St Marks square and church. Educational and fun. Highlights importance of paintings, architecture, and history. She was great.
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star-4
Exploring the palace
Steph_C
, Jun 2022
Our tour guide was Carla who was very easy to find on the day from the instructions in the email. She was very friendly and informative and guided our group of about 13 around the Palace, including the prison below. This was a really interesting tour, a good length of time (not too long not too short) and definitely worth having a guide to help navigate the palace and provide commentary. We were all given little headphones so we could hear Carla clearly even though it was busy. If you have a backpack you'll be asked to leave it at the bag drop at the beginning of the palace - this is secure and free. Unfortunately, we were not able to do the Basilica part of the tour as tickets were not available even to the tour companies - apparently the influx of tourists after Covid has made obtaining skip the line tickets very difficult. Carla told us this straight away and we were able to claim back a refund via the Viator website easily and within a few days. Other than this, the tour was brilliant and definitely worth doing!!
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star-5
Sandra was excellent! She was very knowledgeable, friendly, and efficient!
Robert_B
, Jun 2022
Sandra was respectful of our time and handled all the different members of our tour very well. Her English was perfect, with a touch of a British accent!
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1 traveler found this review helpful
star-5
Well worth the money
Christine_T
, Jun 2022
Our tour was so good because of our brilliant guide Rita , she ensured everyone especially me ( I limp a bit ) could keep up. She was very knowledgeable. Thanks Rita
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star-5
Amazing tour guide. Very...
Jane_D
, Jun 2022
Amazing tour guide. Very knowledgeable and interesting! So helpful to skip the line and have someone help explain the history and significance
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star-4
St Marks tour was rushed
Walter_M
, Jun 2022
On the plus side, our guide was very knowledgeable. The Doge’s Palace part of the tour was excellent. The St Marks tour was very rushed and we felt like the guide wanted to get the tour over with rather than spend time in the Church, it was disappointing since we wanted to see and know more. The tour ended earlier than the time indicated on the website.
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star-5
Worth the value
Christine_P
, Jun 2022
Excellent tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable. There are a lot of stairs at the Doge Palace so be prepared to climb. Definitely worth not having to wait in line plus learning the history behind the palace and cathedral
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star-4
Doge’s Palace was great!
PerTore_S
, Jun 2022
Doge’s Palace was magnificient and well worth a visit. Great tour guide. We were not able to visit St. Marks Basillica due to new restrictions for small groups. We were not informed of this in advance. Which was a bummer. 😟
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star-2
Only half of tour done!!!!!!!
lalgeyer
, Jun 2022
Did not go to St Mark’s because you did not get tickets. Promised refund of 20% haven’t received refund yet! Where is my refund?
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star-5
A perfect way to see the best historical sites of Venice
Jennifer_G
, Jun 2022
Our guide, Sandra, was a walking history book on the Doge’s Palace and the Basilica. We learned just the right amount of history about Venice, the art and spaces. We had a nice size group- just 8 of us. I highly recommend this tour to all!
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star-5
Great tour well worth the price
Brucie_F
, Jun 2022
Amazing palace. Sandra was incredibly knowledgeable! I learned so much about the history of the government hints on how to interpret the art. Gave me an appreciation of the art, architecture and building of the palace
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star-2
Disappointed we did not get to see the Basilica.
Juan_H
, Jun 2022
When we arrived at the meeting point the guide announced there would be no visit to the Basilica. According to her, we should have received a notice from Viator which we never did. Had I known, I would have cancelled as we had already visited the Doges Palace in an earlier trip. The guide said there were no Basilica tickets available but we observed other groups going in so it appears it was the tour operator's fault where they failed to purchase enough tickets. The guide did her best and actually did a good job with the visit to the Doge's Palace. It seems this is not an isolated case as I saw other reviews mention the same issue. Viator should do better.
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star-4
Amazing Doge’s Palace but no Basilica tickets on the day
Shareen_K
, Jun 2022
Doge’s Palace was very impressive and Carla was a knowledgable guide. Meeting place was easy (in front of the bridge). We were told on arrival there were no tickets available for St marks Basilica. This seems to be a pattern so I would definitely ONLY book for Doges palace tour and don’t pay for the Basilica part because it will not reliably be provided as numbers are restricted due to covid rules. we were offered only 20% refund so you feel ripped off and can do nothing about it. The Doges Palace part was really excellent though.
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1 traveler found this review helpful
star-1
City Wonders Ltd……Incredible disappointment …for our one day in Venice
Peg_M
, Jun 2022
I arrived at the meeting place with my 4 friends at the specified time. The guide had no sign, so it was hard to identify her but that is just the start. She immediately asked if I had been “notified”about the change….I had not. We were then told that they did not have enough tickets for San Marco Basilica so that part of the tour would be skipped. What??? The Basilica was the main part of the tour…and they did not have enough tickets for our little group of 8. The guide was poor at best. She did lead us through the Doges Palace , There were 2 children in the group and she focused the entire tour on them. Her voice was annoying. She went from whispering to add “dramatic effect” to shouting. All very difficult on to adjust for the audio system. 24 hours later , I have not heard anything from City Wonders Ltd. in terms of an apology, and explanation or a refund.
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star-1
Totally disappointing!
Jane_G
, Jun 2022
When we met the guide she told us that we would not be going to the Basilica as it was too crowded. That was the purpose of this booking- to skip the line at the church!!
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1 traveler found this review helpful
star-5
Great tour!
Grif_H
, Jun 2022
Rita was perfect…knowledgeable, passionate and friendly! We felt like we had an insider’s perspective of Venice.
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star-5
Sandra was a great guide!...
Emil_C
, Jun 2022
Sandra was a great guide! Informative, kind, a few jokes, very good. We would recommend this tour to others.
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star-4
Good tour, good guide, shame about the Basilica
sarada_n
, May 2022
This was en excellent tour with a very knowledgeable guide who was able to answer all our questions about the palace and the history of Venice. The Palace is well worth a visit and there are some great photo opportunities. Unfortunately, the tour was cut short as the Basilica was unexpectedly closed. The guide offered our tickets so we could attempt to use them the following day however we were booked on another tour so that wasn't an option.
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star-5
Worth the money!
Colleen_K
, May 2022
Sandra was our tour guide and she was lovely! She had a vast knowledge of both the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Bascilica. We loved all of Theo title details and stories she shared along the way. Be aware, the Bascilica tickets are only for 15 minutes which truly isn’t enough time in this beautiful church. We went back on our own and spent more time. The money was well worth spending for Sandra’s expertise! Would 100% recommend!!
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