More about: Doge's Palace in Venice Tickets and Tours
The Doge's Palace, located in St. Mark's Square, is one of Venice's most important attractions. This 10th-century Gothic building served as the residence and centre of political power of the Republic for almost 1,000 years.
Best tickets to visit the Doge's Palace
If you want to know about tickets and prices for the Doge's Palace, I recommend you the best options: from fast-track tickets to guided tours and even passes that add access to other of Venice's most important museums.
- Fast-track tickets to the Doge's Palace in Venice - from £26
- Guided tour of the Doge's Palace of Venice - from £59
- Guided tour of St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace - from £80.
Skip the line tickets to the Doge's Palace of Venice
If the Doge's Palace is impressive from the outside, inside it takes you straight back in time. Among its luxurious halls and chambers you will wander from one place to another inside the Palace surrounded by masterpieces by Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto.
Within the walls of the infamous prison of this Palace suffered hundreds of convicts, the famous Casanova among them; whose sighs, on seeing the city of Venice for the last time from the prison bridge, led the English poet Lord Byron to christen it the 'Bridge of Sighs', which you can cross today. With this fast-track entrance to the Doge's Palace, you can enter the interior without waiting in the long queues.
What's included
- Entrance to other museums located in St. Mark's Square (Biblioteca Nazionale, Museo Archeologico Nazionale and Museo Correr)
- Tourist guide with details of the Doge's Palace, the Basilica and St. Mark's Square and up to seven different itineraries to explore Venice
- Detailed map with information on the city and its public transport by boat
Guided tour of the Doge's Palace in Venice
If you prefer to visit the Doge's Palace and soak up the incredible stories behind its majestic halls and gloomy prison walls, this professionally guided tour is perfect, priced at 59
What's included
- Fast-track entry to the Doge's Palace
- Professional guide
- Guided tour of 1 hour with explanations in English
Guided tour of St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace
In addition to the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Square is home to another of Venice's most important religious buildings, St. Mark's Basilica. Both attractions can be visited in the same morning, so booking this guided tour with fast-track access to the Doge's Palace and St Mark's Basilica is really convenient.
This type of ticket gives you fast-track access to the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica and includes entry to the important Pala d'Oro, the gold and silver Byzantine art altarpiece inlaid with gems and precious stones housed in the church. Includes a private guide for a more personalised service and a 2 hour guided tour with explanations in English.
Why I like this option
In one morning and without waiting in line, you will learn the interesting history behind the luxurious decorations and works of art of the Doge's Palace from the golden age of Venice and the most relevant facts about St. Mark's Basilica, the only one of its kind in Italy. You should know that St Mark's has hundreds of gold-plated mosaics, some dating back to the 13th century, and on its black marble floors, there are 10th-century Byzantine domes and 500 columns dating back to the 3rd century.
Your guide will also give you information about St. Mark's Square, in the heart of Venice, which stands out for its size and extraordinary structure, blending Byzantine, European and Oriental architectural styles. If you choose this fast-track ticket, you can also customise it with two options:
- Option 1: Includes entrance to the three museums of St. Mark's Square: This is the more advisable ticket of the two as it also includes access to visit on your own the three most important museums of St. Mark's Square: Correr Museum, National Archaeological Museum and National Library.
- Option 2: Includes priority access to St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace: This ticket includes fast-track entry to both buildings accompanied by a guide. The price is 80.
Pass to the Doge's Palace and 3 museums in St. Mark's Square
This pass will allow you to visit the museums of St. Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace on your own, saving queues with its fast-track access and for a long period of time, as it is valid for 3 months, with one visit per museum included, among which you will see:
Correr Museum
This is the most important museum in Venice. It is named after its founder, Teodoro Correr, who donated it to the city of Venice in 1830. Its design and first construction dates from the time when Venice was part of the Kingdom of Italy (1806-1814) ruled by Napoleon.
Monumental Halls of the Sansovinian Bookshop
This building was built between 1536 and 1560 to house valuable Greek and Latin codices donated to the Republic of Venice by Cardinal Bessarione in 1468. It is now part of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, where valuable manuscripts such as Fra Mauro's Mapamundi, the 16th-century Grimani Breviary and ancient books, such as those by Aldo Manuzio, are kept.
National Museum of Archaeology
One of the oldest public museums not only in Italy but also in Europe, it exhibits a rich display of Greek and Roman sculptures, bronze objects and sculptures, ceramics, jewellery, coins and a collection of Egyptian, Babylonian and Assyrian antiquities. These collections formed what was known as the "Public Statuary" during the Renaissance, founded by Frederick Contarini in 1596 in the antechamber of the Library of San Marco.
Sightseeing Pass with access to the Doge's Palace and the 10 best museums in Venice
If you want to know a good part of the cultural offer of Venice, either in several days or even in one, this tourist pass of Venice is your best asset. For a cheap price you can save money on individual tickets to the 10 most important museums in Venice, the Doge's Palace among them, and time in the long queues for a period of 6 months, with one visit per museum. So I highly recommend it.
What's included
- Doge's Palace. The symbol of the power and glory enjoyed by the Republic of Venice.
- Correr Museum. Founded to house the collection bequeathed to Venice by Theodore Correr in 1830.
- National Archaeological Museum. One of the oldest public museums in Italy and Europe, with an important collection of Greek and Roman sculptures;
- Monumental rooms of the Marciana Library. Designed by Jacopo Sansovino, this impressive library was built and decorated between 1537 and 1560.
- Ca 'Rezzonico. This is one of the few oldest palaces in Venice that can still be visited, and certainly the most fascinating of them all. Inside it houses the Museum of Venice from the 18th century and is structured on three floors filled with all kinds of objects of the nobles who lived in Ca 'Rezzonico for centuries, as well as an old pharmacy and a gondola with felze (covered gondola to protect from the cold and rain). It was even the residence of Pope Clement XIII in the 18th century.
- Palazzo Mocenigo Museum. Housed in the majestic old Palazzo Mocenigo, this museum exhibits the history of Venetian fashion through an overview of the city's historical evolution.
- House of Carlo Goldoni. The house converted into a museum in homage to the famous playwright Carlo Goldoni.
- Ca 'Pesaro. The International Gallery of Modern Art and Museum of Oriental Art in Venice.
- Museum of Glass. This gallery contains the largest collection of Murano glass in the world.
- Lace Museum. This exhibition exhibits the history of the art of lace making in Venice from the 16th to the 20th centuries.
- Museum of Natural History. This important institution exhibits a wide range of collections and an important library.
Vicky's Traveller Tip
Consider the tourist pass option if you feel like visiting several museums or palaces in Venice.
What not to miss on your visit to the Doge's Palace of Venice
Scala d'Oro
This golden staircase will take you to the first floor of the Doge's Palace, where the ancient chambers where the doges resided, the voting rooms, the armoury, the courtyards and the prison are located.
The Duke's flat
This chamber contains a majestic decoration and paintings by geniuses such as Veronese, Titian, Bellini and Tintoretto.
Hall of the Maggior Consiglio
This was the voting hall, where more than 1,000 people chose the fate of the city, and contains the largest canvas in the world, Tintoretto's 'Paradise'.
Prison
Its dank dungeons and pits still haunt visitors to Venice's Doge's Palace prison, through which Casanova himself passed, having escaped a fateful fate across the rooftops after being imprisoned in 1756.
Bridge of Sighs
To reach the dungeons of the Doge's Palace, you will cross the same bridge that the condemned to death crossed on so many occasions as they sighed as they saw, for the last time, the city of Venice from the windows of the bridge.
Bocca di Leone
This curious mailbox was used at the time for citizens to report illegal activities.
Opening hours of the Doge's Palace
- Normal opening hours: Every day from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm.
- Special opening hours: From April to October, open until 7.00 p.m.
How to get to the Doge's Palace
You can reach the Doge's Palace, located in the central St. Mark's Square, on foot or by vaporetto:
- Direction San Zaccaria or San Marco
- Lines 1, 2, 41, 42, 51, 52, N and LN
Other places of interest in the surrounding area
In the imposing St. Mark's Square there are other interesting sights, museums and monuments that are well worth a visit, such as:
- St Mark's Campanile (at 73 m). The tall tower that you will see erected near St. Mark's Basilica is the Campanile Tower, which I recommend you climb because you will be able to enjoy panoramic views over Venice.
- St. Mark's Basilica (at 81 m)
- St. Mark's Square (at 143 m)
- Correr Museum (at 209 m)
Other interesting places to visit in Venice
Already decided on your ticket to the Doge's Palace in Venice? Then don't miss out on some of the other main activities in the city, such as gondola rides on Venice's canals and how to visit the interesting nearby town of Murano from Venice. Here are my practical guides to help you organise your visit: Venice Gondola Rides y Day Trips to Murano and Burano from Venice.