Venice Doge's Palace Combined Ticket Guided Tour - Caffè Florian Meeting Point & New Prisons

A priority-entry guided tour of the Doge's Palace
starting from Piazza San Marco

You meet your guide at the square next to Caffè Florian, skip the line and enter the Doge's Palace with priority access. Depending on the option, there is a 1.5-hour tour covering the Doge's Palace, the New Prisons and three nearby museums, or a 2-hour tour of the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica. The 2-hour tour also has a small-group option, and the tour is conducted in English.

Walk through the halls and Golden Staircase of the Doge's Palace

With your guide, you explore the Doge's Palace, once the center of power of the Venetian Republic. You pass the grand halls, the secret rooms and the Golden Staircase, and see large paintings that are part of the story. You also admire masterpieces by masters such as Titian and Tintoretto.

The guide's commentary can be heard clearly through an audio system. You also see how Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance architecture come together.

Cross the Bridge of Sighs to the New Prisons

Inside the palace you cross the Bridge of Sighs. It is a short walk, but one carrying centuries of emotion.

On the other side, your guide leads you into the New Prisons. These cold, narrow stone cells once held people convicted by the Venetian courts, and they contrast sharply with the splendid palace, showing the darker side of Venice.

Visit the square's museums and St. Mark's Basilica

Your ticket includes entry to the Museo Correr, the National Archaeological Museum and the monumental rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana. You visit the museums on your own without a guide, and you can go within 3 days. They generally close around 4 pm in low season and around 6 pm in high season.

On the 2-hour option that includes St. Mark's Basilica, you admire the Basilica's golden mosaics with your guide.

※ When high tide occurs, entry to the Doge's Palace may be delayed. Especially around October, November and December, the palace authorities may temporarily suspend pre-booked priority entry.
※ Wheelchair users cannot take part.