Maximize time in Venice with an express tour designed to feature the city’s top sights in a short time period. Explore Venice with a walking tour that includes entry to St. Mark’s Basilica, and skip-the-line entry to the popular Doge’s Palace. To fully appreciate the grandeur of Venice, finish your tour in style with a scenic gondola ride.

See Venice’s popular landmarks in one express tour
Learn about the city’s history from a local guide
Hop into a gondola for a canal tour
Skip getting lost and follow your guide to see St. Mark’s Basilica and more

What's Included

Gondola ride
Skip The Line Entry in the Doges Palace
Entry Into St Marks Basilica
Professional art historian guide
Small-group size, maximum 20 participants

Food and drinks
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

P.za San Marco, 3, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Please Arrive 15 Minutes Early. Between the two big columns in St. Mark’s Square (columns of San Marco and San Teodoro) located on the south side of the square, near the canal. Your guide will be holding a "The Tour Guy" sign.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Basilica di San Marco

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Doge's Palace

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Venice

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate

Since we will be entering a church, please make sure that your shoulders and knees are covered. Also, please refrain from bringing big back packs or bags, because they are not always allowed inside.
On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

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 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.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Amanda_D

This was such a good tour. Natalia was amazing, so knowledgeable and just a great personality and sense of humor. So happy we booked this tour and will recommend to friends headed to Venice.

Reviews

4.5

217 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 217 reviews

Great guide and overall great experience!

aaggrwal2000, Apr 2024

Great guide and very well planned trip!! Loved all the places covered. Will definitely recommend this trip

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you for your feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the trip and found the guide to be great. We're glad you appreciated the places covered and that the trip was well-planned. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you back on another tour soon!

Covered the important sights

SCOTT_T, Apr 2024

Very knowledgeable guide. Good overview of St Mark's square. Tour of St. Mark's could have been longer. The Doge's Palace was covered more thoroughly. The gondola ride was very pleasant and enjoyable, not corny like I thought it might be. The price was a little steep, but it got me into St Mark's and Doge's Palace with skip the line tickets that I couldn't get on my own.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you for your feedback! We're glad to hear that you found the guide knowledgeable and appreciated the overview of St. Mark's Square. We'll take note of your feedback regarding the length of the tour at St. Mark's and ensure it's considered for future tours. We're pleased to hear that you enjoyed the thorough coverage of the Doge's Palace and that the gondola ride exceeded your expectations. We understand your concern about the price, but we're glad that the skip-the-line tickets provided added value to your experience. We hope you had a memorable visit overall, and we appreciate your support!

Nice tour but bad earpiece

James_T, Apr 2024

Great tour guide, great tour, but cheap earpiece made it impossible to hear. The earpiece was one of those that go into the ear. It hurt and fell out all time. I saw others experiencing the same issue. The clip on your ear earpiece works the best. Maybe bring your own?

Response from Host, Apr 2024

It sounds like the earpiece issue was a significant inconvenience during your tour. Thank you for sharing your feedback about this. Bringing your own earpiece or headphones with a clip-on design could indeed be a good solution to ensure better comfort and sound quality. We will pass this information to our team in Venice.

Welcome to Venice

Karen_W, Apr 2024

Chiata gave us a wonderful tour of The Doges Palace and St Marks Basilica. She was so informative and left no questions unanswered. What a wonderful introduction to Venice!

Excellent your

Amanda_D, Apr 2024

This was such a good tour. Natalia was amazing, so knowledgeable and just a great personality and sense of humor. So happy we booked this tour and will recommend to friends headed to Venice.

Guide very knowledgeable,...

Elaine_K, Apr 2024

Guide very knowledgeable, truly an art history encyclopedia. I wear hearing aides, so the ability to increase volume would have been appreciated.

Definitely do this tour while in Venice!

Joanie, Apr 2024

Phillipe was hilarious and so knowledgeable! We had a great time and the tour was perfect! Venice is such a beautiful city!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

It sounds like you had a fantastic time with Filippo as your guide in Venice! His humor and expertise must have made the tour both informative and enjoyable. Venice's beauty combined with a great guide surely made for a memorable experience. Thank you for sharing!

A great tour

Margie_N, Apr 2024

We loved the convenience of the tour and pre-arranged gondola ride. All went smoothly with the tour. Well informed abd friendly guide.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

I'm glad to hear that the tour was convenient and smoothly organized for you. It sounds like the pre-arranged gondola ride was a highlight, and having a knowledgeable and friendly guide surely enhanced the experience. Thank you for sharing your positive feedback!

Great tour by a wonderful guide

Joline_A, Apr 2024

Our guide Philippe was exceptional. His knowledge was superb, English excellent and kind consideration of all participants made for a very enjoyable tour. Highly recommend!

100% worth booking

Axita_B, Apr 2024

This tour was absolutely fantastic and worth every penny! Skipping the queue was such a time-saver. Our guide was not only interactive and incredibly knowledgeable but also had a great sense of humor, making the experience even more enjoyable. Our family of 9 unanimously rated it highly

Response from Host, Apr 2024

It's fantastic to hear that you had such a wonderful experience on the tour! Skipping the queue can indeed save valuable time and allow you to make the most of your visit. Having an interactive, knowledgeable, and humorous guide must have made the experience even more memorable and enjoyable for your family. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback and high rating—I'm sure it will be helpful for others considering similar tours!

Very golden Saint Mark’s Basilica

Kathy_B, Apr 2024

Very knowledgeable tour guide, Doges Palace is incredibly impressive and so is Saint Mark’s Basilica and the gondola ride was romantic, worth every penny to pay for this tour

Response from Host, Apr 2024

It sounds like you had an amazing experience on the tour! Doge's Palace, Saint Mark's Basilica, and the gondola ride are indeed iconic attractions in Venice, and having a knowledgeable guide to enhance your understanding and appreciation of these sites must have been fantastic. I'm glad to hear that you found the tour worth every penny and that you enjoyed the romantic gondola ride. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback!

Great 3 hour tour!!!

Jamie_R, Apr 2024

Grace, our guide, was so knowledgeable about each place we visited. This tour allows you to truly understand and appreciate Venice and some of the magical sites!

Excellent tour!

Jonathon_A, Apr 2024

Marco was a very good guide. He was very knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor. We highly recommend!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

It's wonderful to hear that Marco provided you with an excellent tour experience! Having a knowledgeable guide with a great sense of humor can truly make the experience enjoyable and memorable. Thank you for sharing your positive feedback and recommendation—it's sure to be helpful for others considering a tour with Marco. If you have any further insights or need assistance with anything else, feel free to let me know!

Do The Doge!

Gabrielle_J, Apr 2024

Loved our Venice tour of Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Cathedral and Gondola ride. Our guide Marco was really entertaining and informative. He spoke clearly and was very knowledgeable about all the historical aspects and artifacts. The only suggestion I might add is our walk through St. Mark’s Cathedral could have been longer with a little less time spent at Doge’s Palace. I wish we had more historical details about St. Marks. It is such a magnificent church, I would have liked to see more. The gondola ride was awesome! Loved floating along the various canals.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

It sounds like you had a fantastic experience overall, with Marco providing entertaining and informative guidance throughout the tour. Your suggestion about spending more time at St. Mark's Cathedral to delve deeper into its historical details is valuable feedback. Since it's such a magnificent and significant site, a more in-depth exploration would enhance the experience for visitors. It's great to hear that you enjoyed the gondola ride and the unique perspective it offered on Venice's canals. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Arianna was a GRANDE tour guide!!!

Wendy_C, Apr 2024

We spent the most amazing day with our guide Arianna!! Her fabulous personality and vast knowledge made the tour both informative and fun!!! I highly recommend this tour and the gondola ride at the end was the perfect way to wrap up this spectacular afternoon!! !!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

It sounds like you had an absolutely delightful experience with Arianna as your guide! Her combination of personality and expertise made the tour both educational and enjoyable, creating memories that will surely last a lifetime. And ending the day with a gondola ride sounds like the perfect way to conclude such a spectacular afternoon in Venice. Thank you for sharing your recommendation and positive feedback!

Way too long

Cristi_W, Apr 2024

We went with a group and while our tour guide was nice, we felt like she dragged everything out forever. We couldn’t wait to be done and get to our gondola ride, which was awesome.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the gondola ride. However, we apologize if you felt that the tour dragged on longer than expected. Your feedback is valuable to us, and we will use it to improve the pacing and timing of our tours in the future. If you have any further comments or suggestions, please feel free to let us know. We appreciate your input!

Great Experience!

Kathy_P, Apr 2024

Our guide, Martina was great, knowledgeable and able to get through the floods of the square! Would highly recommend!

Great Visit

Steve_S, Apr 2024

The Doges Palace tour was excellent. The only drawback of the day was the weather and St. Marks was filled to the brim with visitors!

Jewel

jewel_m, Apr 2024

Tour somewhat boring but overall it was good. Didn’t get a chance to go on the gondola due to bad. Tour guide good and knowledgeable

Tour of the Doge Palace

Gabriel_C, Mar 2024

Elena, our tour guide, was excellent. She gave us a tremendous amount of historical background about Venice. Unfortunately the rain caused the gondola ride to be cancelled and the visit to St Mark’s Church was not allowed due their preparation for Holy Thursday liturgy. Elena was able to give us background history about St Mark’s from the outside of the church. Please thank Elena for a job well done.

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