4 h

Skip The Line

By walk

Instant confirmation

About this activity

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Piazza San Marco, 31024 Venice Italy

Starting in Saint Mark’s square, this atmospheric walking tour will then whisk you away from the crowded streets into the treasure filled pockets of the Castello area.
A qualified guide will walk you through the hidden squares, winding canals and historical buildings providing you with a perfect introduction to the origins, symbols, traditions, architecture, and life in current day Venice.

The tour starts with a historical introduction of St. Marks’s Square, and its architectural delights, allowing you to discover the history of the majestic St. Mark’s Basilica, the illustrious Doge’s Palace, once the seat of the power of the Republic of Venice, and the extraordinary, renaissance clock tower.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Castello, Venice Italy

Leaving the square, you will be guided into the residential Castello area, allowing you to discover this part of Venice in all of its elegance, through its labyrinth of narrow alleys - “calli”, many bridges, winding canals and wide picturesque squares - “campi”.

You can expect to discover campo Santa Maria Formosa, one of the largest squares in Venice with its church, named after its visitation of the Holy Virgin.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Campo Santissimi Giovanni e Paolo, Campo Giovanni e Paolo Santissimi, 30122 Venice Italy

Campo Santi Giovanni and Paolo where you will be able to admire the famous church, the resting place of several Doges; and the equestrian monument of Bartolomeo Colleoni, an Italian mercenary Captain.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Casa di Marco Polo, Calle Scaleta, 30121 Venice Italy

The former residence of Marco Polo in Corte Seconda del Milion, probably the most famous Venetian merchant.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Teatro Malibran, Campiello del Teatro, 5873, 30131 Venice Italy

The Malibran theatre (only external) is also part of the itinerary.
The theatre of San Giovanni Grisostomo was built in only four months at the end of 1677.
It was renovated many times and the renovation of 1919, gave us the theatre, as we know it today.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Doge's Palace, Piazza San Marco, 1, 30124 Venice Italy

Our guide will accompany you to the Doge’s Palace, which dominates Saint Mark's Square, the heart of Venice, standing out for its size and its extraordinary structure, where Byzantine, European and Oriental architecture collide. Immediately entering the Palace you will pass through the great courtyard and admire the wealth of detail on the famous Golden Staircase.
Once inside the Palace, you will visit the halls where the Duke (Doge) and his Council controlled the fate of the Serene Republic, whilst surrounded by hundreds of artistic masterpieces and discover the political history of Venice and its people. You will be able to admire the paintings realised by some of the most important artists of the Italian Renaissance, amongst them, the world's largest oil painting by Tintoretto. Passing through the famous Bridge of Sighs, you will reach the new prisons. The bridge was given its name by the English poet Lord Byron, probably referring to the last breath of the prisoners, who had their last view of the lagoon and of Venice from the window of this bridge, before they were to be imprisoned.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Basilica di San Marco, San Marco 328, 30124 Venice Italy

During the second part of the tour you will visit the Basilica, once the private chapel of the Doge of Venice, and the only one of its kind in Italy, thanks to the sumptous golden mosaics and impressive marble inlay flooring.
During the tour you will be able to sit down in the church and absorb the atmosphere whilst listening to your guide who will describe the biblical scenes represented throughout the building, together with history and particularities of this ancient Basilica.
The tour includes the visit of the famous Pala d'Oro, an altarpiece made of gold and silver and an exquisite example of Byzantine art with a myriad of gems and precious stones.

Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Museo Correr, Piazza San Marco San Marco 52, 30124 Venice Italy

At the end of the tour, keep your Doge's Palace ticket to visit on your own: Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale and Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Saint Mark's square, opposite side of the Saint Mark's Basilica.

Duration: 1 hour

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Included

Headsets to hear the guide clearly
Professional guide in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Skip the line entrance
Entrance fees
Entry/Admission - Doge's Palace
Entry/Admission - Basilica di San Marco
Entry/Admission - Museo Correr

Not included

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Entry/Admission - Casa di Marco Polo
Entry/Admission - Teatro Malibran

Additional

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements;
Large bags or ruck sacks are NOT allowed on this tour;
On very few occasions the Basilica may be closed due to high water, the tour will not be cancelled but the explanation of the Basilica will take place form the outside;
Check-in is 15 minutes before the tour start time;
From November 1 to March 31, there is no skip-the-line entrance to the Basilica;
For all late arrivals or no show, NO REFUND.
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level

Features

Cultural

90%

Tourism

85%

Sport

25%

Reviews

4.4

11

C

Christina C

5 | 2019-08-19

So I’m usually not into tourist activities but decided I needed to see as much as possible in my last few days here. This tour is very good my guide was very knowledgeable and I certainly felt it was worth the spend. In fact it was so rich with history and knowledge I was amazed at what we had covered in the time. Do this one it’s worth the spend.

A

ALFREDO O

4 | 2018-09-17

This tour could have been slightly better. The tour guide was nice and knowledgeable but for the walking tour I would have prefer seeing a couple of different sights that was not seen within the area walked. As for the Doges Palace and the San Marco Basilica, they were worth seeing.

A

Alison R

5 | 2017-11-01

Great overview of Venice whilst visiting the highlight locations and some lesser known sites. Good to do as soon as you get to Venice to help get around. Guide was very knowledgeable and informative and utilised a radio system so everyone could hear the commentary.

G

Giovanni D

5 | 2017-10-07

Excellent Time!

G

Giovanni D

5 | 2017-10-07

Excellent Time!

I

Irene B

4 | 2017-06-04

I have given this tour 4 stars as the only part which was not so good was the walking aspect. The group was too large, the streets too crowded and we didn't really see much on the walking part of this tour. The Golden Bisilica and Doges Palace were unbelievable and not to be missed. The guide provided good background info on these two places.

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Robert K

3 | 2017-04-05

The guide, Rosanna, was very good, knowledgeable, passionate about her subject and had a good sense of humour. Just as well really because whilst the content was great we were dogged with interference on the radio sets and spent a good amount of time trying to avoid other guides using the same technology/frequency. The first part walking tour was excellent with interesting insights into the history and culture of Venice. The second part Doge's Palace apart from the technology was also very good. Both these parts had a group size of about 20. The third part Basilica with the technology finally sorted out could also have been great except that the group size more than doubled 40 and if you were at the back you lost the impact of some of the highlights. All in all a worthwhile experience which could have been excellent value but for the faulty equipment and oversized group.

l

llbacurin

2 | 2017-01-29

I don't remember our guide's name, but she had a large, brown, fur Russian-style hat. Our tour guide's accent was extremely, extremely difficult to understand I heard several others on the tour say the same. Even with the headset, we couldn't understand much of what she said. She was also a bit rude when people couldn't understand her. We asked her for a restaurant recommendation, and I really question whether she perhaps got a kick-back from the place she recommended. On other tours we took, we asked for restaurant recommendations, and the guides always gave great ones with reasonable prices. The place she took us to was ridiculously expensive and was not very good at all. We later passed a number of restaurants with the same food for a third of the price.

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