Meet your guide
The meeting point is by the Alilaguna ticket office near San Marco Giardinetti; follow your confirmation.
Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica guided tour
Meet your guide in St Mark’s Square and step into the rooms where Venice’s rulers once governed. Explore Doge’s Palace, cross the Bridge of Sighs and follow the route into the New Prisons. The combined visit also takes you to St Mark’s Basilica’s first-floor area and terrace when the church is open, bringing the square’s history into view from inside.
What is included?A guided visit to Doge's Palace and access to St Mark's Basilica when it is open to visitors.
Which areas?The palace route includes the Bridge of Sighs and New Prisons; the basilica visit includes the first-floor area and terrace.
Group formatThe English group ticket is shared, with up to 25 people. A separate private choice allows up to seven.
If the basilica closesA substitute visit may be offered, depending on availability.
At a glance
Highlights around St Mark’s Square
- Explore the square and its landmark interiors with a guide.
- Enter Doge’s Palace through its priority entrance.
- See the palace rooms and cross the Bridge of Sighs.
- Follow the route into the New Prisons.
- Visit the basilica’s first-floor area and terrace when it is open to visitors.
The experience
Two sides of St Mark's Square
Inside Doge’s Palace, the route moves from the grand public rooms across the Bridge of Sighs and into the New Prisons. At St Mark’s Basilica, you see the church from its first-floor area and terrace when it is open to visitors. Your guide takes you through both visits in one outing around the square.
The palace ticket includes priority access. You will still pass through security, so allow time at the entrance.
From arrival to finish
From the square to the palace
Follow your guide’s order of visits on the day. A basilica closure changes the route.
Explore St Mark’s Square
Hear how the buildings fit into the history of Venice.
Visit the basilica
The first-floor area and terrace are included when the church is open; an alternative visit may replace a closure.
Enter Doge’s Palace
Explore the public rooms before crossing the Bridge of Sighs into the New Prisons.
Continue exploring
You may remain in the palace after the guided visit.
Find your fit
How much company do you want?
01Shared or private
The English-language group tour has up to 25 guests. A separate private English tour takes up to seven. Choose the group visit if you are happy to explore with other travellers; choose private if you want the guide with your own party.
02Plan your time
Check the time shown for your ticket when planning the rest of your day.
Make it your visit
When a combined tour makes sense
This tour brings the palace and basilica into one guided visit. It suits you if you want to hear how the two buildings fit into Venice’s story while moving through them with a group. For a slower visit focused on one building, plan that visit separately and set your own pace.
Your ticket
What your guided ticket includes
- 01A guided visit with an expert guide.
- 02Priority admission to Doge’s Palace.
- 03St Mark’s Basilica first-floor area and terrace access when open.
- 04San Zaccaria church and crypt or the Correr Museum as the closure alternative, subject to availability.
Priority admission does not remove the security checks. If the basilica interior is the main reason for your visit, read the closure conditions before choosing your departure.
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Before you set out
Before you reach the door
The English group meets near the Alilaguna ticket office by the San Marco Giardinetti ferry stop; use the precise address on your confirmation. St Mark’s Basilica visitor terms require covered shoulders and knees and restrict bags. The first-floor route includes steep stairs, and this tour is unsuitable for wheelchair users.
Services or other closures can prevent a basilica visit. If that happens, the guide may take the group to San Zaccaria church and crypt or the Correr Museum, subject to availability. Keep this in mind if seeing the basilica interior is your main reason for booking.
Get your ticketsPlan with confidence
Frequently asked questions
Tickets, timing and what to expect on the day.
Yes. Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica have separate entry arrangements. This guided ticket includes the palace route and access to the basilica’s first-floor area and terrace when the church is open to visitors.
A combined guided tour takes you through both buildings with one guide. It is a good fit if you want the palace rooms, Bridge of Sighs and basilica in a single visit. Check the basilica access conditions for your date before booking.
The palace gives you the rooms of Venetian government, the Bridge of Sighs and the prison route. The basilica gives you the church interior and terrace. Neither replaces the other; the better single visit depends on what you came to see.
The time for an independent palace visit depends on how much you choose to see. This combined tour covers both sites; check the time on your selected ticket rather than treating a general palace estimate as the tour length.
Your Venice experience
See the two landmarks together
Find a guided departure and read the basilica access details for your visit.
See guided departures