Basilica, Doge's Palace, History Gallery & Bell Tower Option

It was a very informative tour especially of Doge’s Palace. Our Guide, Marco, was very knowledgeable of all of it and was also very funny in his personalization of it. I would highly recommend this tour if you want to see Doge’s Palace or the Baciilica.. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Use a maps app to find the tour office as it is on a side street. We really liked our guide but felt she was repetitive in her information and we wanted more depth either on the Republic or the history of the art (painter/specific characters/symbolism analysis). The church was basically a quick walkthrough. The bell tower was well worthwhile for the views; try to avoid being there when the bells ring as it is loud. These are unique, extraordinary places to visit and see. Being able to skip the lines makes the price a bargain, especially if you have limited time. Our package included entrance to Museo Correr(?). Make sure to go. I’m a museum buff and this one was interesting (don’t miss the second floor).

Really great guide (Francesca). She is very knowledgeable and had a nice manner with the group. The group was larger than 15, though. Also the group was a combination of people who had selected different sites.

Easy instructions to get to the pickup point. Guide was good and engaging. She was very knowledgable and had a good pace throughout- didn’t feel rushed and didn’t feel too slow. Some confusion with the bell tower option. We thought we had booked as our booking said it was with bell tower option so might need more clarity when booking. Great experience overall though and would recommend

Our guide was excellent in taking us through the highlights of the Doge’s Palace and the Basilica. She made the descriptions of the life of the Doges and how the Republic operated under their rule. She pointed out the most interesting aspects of the Basilica. Our tickets included the Bell Tower and the Museum. We assumed that the tour would include a guided visit of the Museum but it did not (the only “con” in the activity). The views from the Bell Tower were absolutely fantastic and not to be missed. You get a panoramic view of the entire area including the Grand Canal and the Lagoon. Really impressive!

We had such a wonderful tour with our tour guide. It ended up being just my husband and I and so it was very personalized. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable in the Venetian history and we learned so much.

Great information, pace of tour, and fun. Full of historical information and anecdotes of the Venetian story. Excellent guide, Valencia.

Amazing experience. Hot but worth it. Make sure women have shoulders and knees covered. Bring a fan.

Easy to get to. Elevator is for all! Great photo opportunities, many overlooks stations facing each side- go at your own pace.

I tried contacting the tour company almost 20 minutes before the scheduled time to ask if I could arrive 10 minutes late, but no one responded at all. I arrived at the meeting point only 2 minutes late. I found the sign and the tour desk there, but there was no staff present — no one at all. I tried looking around to find where the tour company's office was, and tried contacting them again, but still got no response. After about 10 minutes, a staff member finally came and told me I needed to go to their office, which was another 200 meters away. I walked there, and by the time I arrived it was almost 11 o'clock — meaning I was now about half an hour "late," through no fault of my own. When I got there, the staff spoke to me rudely and laughed in my face. When I pointed out that they hadn't responded to my messages, they said it was "normal" for them not to reply at all. I asked what I was supposed to do if I couldn't find the location, and they told me I should have called — but as a tourist using their tour, I had no way of knowing that was the procedure since no one had explained it to me beforehand. The staff member laughed at me mockingly, then called over two other colleagues who surrounded me and tried to push me out, insisting I go talk outside. They ended up calling the police as well. Everyone was shouting at me aggressively. Overwhelmed, I tore up my ticket, threw it at the staff member, and ran off crying out of humiliation.

Overall a good experience. It was crowded that day but the tour still seemed a bit slow and unnecessarily drawn out. We were disappointed the Basilica tour did not include the balcony. The gap of time between the guided tour and the self guided bell tower ticket was too long. 45-60 minutes between the tour completion and the bell tower ticket felt like a long time to wait around in Piazza di San Marco. But overall we’re glad we did the tour.

Wonderful experience! Guide was knowledgeable and energetic. The bell tower gave a wonderful view of Venice. Highly recommend.

This is a great way to experience the highlights of Venice if you don’t have a lot of time there.

If you’re really into art history, you will love this tour. Our guide really knew his stuff and was determined to share every detail. As a result, we found it a bit tedious.

Our guide did not show up for our tour. By the time they got us a guide we were over an hour late starting so put our day behind schedule and we missed another tour we had planned and paid for. Once we started the tour it was good but you could tell she was trying to make up time.

Very knowledgeable guide which made the experience all the more enjoyable.

Valentina’s knowledge of history, passion for Venetian culture, vocal cadence and attention to her guests fostered a deeper understanding and appreciation for the beautiful places we explored. If I could choose her as a guide for more tours I would!

Valentina was amazing, informative, kind, and attentive!

Our guide was very knowledgeable and had many entertaining stories regarding each of our stops.

Valentina gave us a great tour with insights based upon her unique perspective as a Venetian !

Valentina was very informative and spoke at good pace. Would recommend for those that want a quick highlight.

Valentina was great. knowledgeable and helpful.

Overall good experience. Enjoyed the journey.

Iole was a delightful and knowledgeable tour guide. Doges palace is overwhelming and immense but she was able to focus our attention in the right direction to get the most of our time.

We had a wonderful tour guide, Francisco. He was very knowledgeable!! Recommend!

Very experienced tour guide with great insights.

A magnificent place, and Giuliano is an amazing guide - I guarantee You'll learn a lot, and laugh even more!

Paola Palma was fantastic knowledgeable and pleasant historian. Recommend highly!!!!

The tour of the Palace was impressive and well organized. The guide did a great job of balancing the art (the Tintoretto in the Great Council Chamber is mind-blowing) with the "secret" parts of the building. The contrast between the Golden Staircase and the dark, damp prison cells is something I’ll never forget. It’s a lot of walking and some narrow stairs, but the stories of Venetian intrigue and politics make it fly by. 5 stars! The skip-the-line access we really appreciated. Highly recommend for the history and the views alone!

Our guide, Valentina is a Venetian with great knowledge and insights on Venice and its history. Our tour of St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace was informative and very interesting.

We had a wonderful tour with Valentina did an excellent job. She was very though with her explanation of both the Doge and St Mark's and she was entertaining Both places were amazing.

Valentina was amazing, so much knowledge. She was patient, thoughtful. She knew her history.

Very original and truly a proper Venetian tour by sincere and heartfelt stories by our Venetian guide Valentina

Valentina was excellent. Superior understanding and communication in her descriptions especially the Doge Palace. Thanks

Valentina was just fabulous!!! She gave an incredible tour. I could have listened to her forever.

Sara is a very knowledgeable guide, was happy to give a lot of information and insights during our tour. She is very kind and caring and it was a pleasure taking the tour with her.

Great friendly service, lots of vital information about history and culture, very interesting for all ages. Sara is the best guide.

Michaela is very knowledgeable and presents the information very clearly in English. Using whisper headset.

Wonderful tour with Paola. Very informative.

Was a thorough and comprehensive tour, our guide was pleasant, knowledgeable and a delight to listen to. 2 hrs was probably enough, but glad we did it. Top job!

Sarah was an amazing guide....Amazing tour with beautiful sites and knowledge about Venice 🥰🥰🥰 i would highly recommend ❤️

5 / 5 experience it was so much fun and an amazing walking tour. We learned so much! Mr. G was amazing and a good time. Worth it!

Great tour, and Giuliano was a wonderful guide.

Super nice guide, took the time to speak slowly so we understood what was being shown or described. A definite must for anyone looking for a great, informative guide.

Fantastic tour, highly recommend very knowledgable guide.

Valentina was a wonderful guide, she told beautiful anecdotes to make the tour more memorable. One of the highlights of my trip.

We have been on a beautiful tour withour guide Iole. Not only were we able to see the most important parts of the palace, Iole always had something more to tell about history and art. We enjoyed the tour and recommend it. More than Worte the money! Thank you!

Thank you for such an informative history of this wonderful place, Our guide, Paola, went above and beyond to explain the history of Venice in perfect English. Highly recommended!

Valentina was amazing, very descriptive and kind. Her voice was very pleasant and her love for Venice and its illustrious (and sometimes dark!) history was very clear throughout. A joy to participate in the tour and would highly recommend.