Venice In a Day: St Mark's, Doges Palace Gondola Ride & City Tour
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
First time in Venice? Maximize your time in the city with a full-day itinerary that ticks off all the most memorable attractions. Stroll across the Rialto Bridge and browse the lively Rialto fish market, then hop aboard a traditional gondola for a romantic cruise along the Grand Canal. Next, access St. Mark’s Basilica and gaze in awe at the stunning gold mosaics. Finally, enjoy skip-the-line entrance to the grandiose Doge’s Palace. The 8:30am tour is limited to 20 people and includes a lunch break on your own, while the 8:15am tour does not include a lunch break (shorter duration of 4 hours) and a maximum of 25 people in your group. If you're short on time, you can also select our Venice Express Half Day Option at time of booking for a 4-hour expertly guided tour of Venice's highlights including St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments or with wheelchairs, or strollers.
If access is restricted due to private events inside St. Mark's Basilica and/or Doge's Palace, we cannot be held responsible. This is a situation beyond our control. No refund will be issued.
In case of unforeseen circumstances such as bad weather (heavy rain, strong wind, high tide) conditions that prevent the gondola ride from taking place or any operational or safety reasons beyond our control it may be substituted for another experience, but no refund will be provided.
Due to the religious nature of sites on this tour, all individuals (regardless of gender) must cover their shoulders and knees. It is acceptable to bring extra coverings to put on just before entering a holy site. Walks cannot be responsible for anyone denied entry.
This tour is non-refundable. All guests must supply their full name that matches a valid ID at the time of the booking. Should you fail to provide these, your reservation will be canceled. Name changes are not permitted.
Venice Express Option: Gondola is not included.
Please note that a photo ID is required to visit the St. Marks Basilica. Failure to bring an ID can result in the security staff refusing your entrance to the monument.
8:30am tour is limited to 20 people and includes a lunch break on your own, while the 8:15am tour does not include a lunch break (shorter duration of 4 hours) and a maximum of 25 people in your group.
St. Mark’s Basilica can be subject to closures due to particular liturgical celebrations, especially during major religious holidays such as Easter or Christmas. In the event that the Basilica is closed, explanations will be provided from the outside.
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.<br>If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
What To Expect
Ponte di Rialto
Your tour starts at ground level with a guided walking tour of the city's most famous and most interesting sights. See the Rialto Bridge and learn about Venice's food culture at the Rialto Fish Market. Along the way hear tales of famous Venetians like Marco Polo as well as how Venice came to be—and how it survived against the odds. (1 hour if Express option selected)
Sightseeing & Photo Stop
What‘s Included
Gondola Ride (Venice Express Half Day Option excluded)
Local English-speaking guide
Pre-reserved ticket to the Doge's Palace (25€)
Headset
Skip-the-line ticket for St. Mark's Basilica (12€)
Expertly guided walking tour
Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
Lunch
Gratuities
Options
Private - Venice in a Day
Explore Venice from top to bottom in just one day, visit St. Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace, & a picturesque gondola ride
Duration: 6 hours
Venice Express Without Gondola
Duration: 4 hours
Half-Day Tour: See Venice’s top sights in just 4 hours with skip-the-line access to St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge’s Palace.
Venice in a Day
Small Group Tour: 8:15 AM tour only - Experience Venice in a Day in about 4hrs, without lunch break
8:30 AM tour - Full 6hrs Venice Experience
Duration: 6 hours
Reviews
3,760 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Very well done and...
Syed A,Apr 5, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Very well done and thorough tour. Phillipe was an amazing guide, very funny and extremely knowledgeable. Highly recommend!
Magnificent
ferdinandf164,Apr 5, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Denise was very friendly and she really did a great job.
Half Day Tour
Rcmc85,Apr 5, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great Tour, lots of information. Despite St. Marks being closed for Easter, the guide filled the gap with as much info on other areas or interest as she could
Perfect way to see Venice highlights
598juliannab,Apr 5, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Denise was an incredible tour guide. She was so knowledgeable, kind, fun, and entertaining. We went on Easter Sunday and were a little nervous about navigating the city on such a busy day, so we were especially grateful for such an engaging tour. Denise was so great that, even though we weren’t able to see St. Mark’s on account of holiday closures, we didn’t feel like we missed out. Thanks for a great experience!
The best tour
Maria T,Apr 5, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Moise the best guide ever. High quality tour with a balanced mix of culture and history and charm. The palace was so beautiful.
Missed Doges Palace
Michele G,Apr 5, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00The majority of the tour was great Matteo was adorable. The only negative was that we didn’t get to see Doges Palace. The line was eternal and it never moved. It wasn’t Matteo’s fault. I’m not sure what happened at the venue but they were not honoring timed tickets.
Guide excellent, ticket operator public holiday problem
Zoe M,Apr 4, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Excellent local Venetian guide who gave us a great tour around Venice. Lots of historic information and very knowledgable. Broken up well with gondola ride and food break so 12/14yr olds managed well. Only disappointment was on arrival finding St Marks was closed for Good Friday - sounds like this was well known but no alteration to advertised tour on this date despite beng a local expert company. We would have booked a different day if had known. Refund to be given. Guide made up well with lots of external information and probably more time in Doge’s palace.
Worst tour ever
Shahenda A,Apr 4, 2026
- Review from Viator
1.00It is the worst tour I have ever had!!! The tour guide was a horrible story teller. I could not understand what he is saying with his thick accent. Moreover, we waited for a long time to get into the Doges palace. The tour started at 8:25 and time was wasted in the Gondola ride and other non important stuff. But the time we arrived at the Doges palace, it was too late and it was so crowded. I am going to ask for my honey back. Not only I wasted a lot of money but also wasted precious time of my vacation!
Highly recommend early morning tour
jordansG1346CV,Apr 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I had a great time on this tour. Our tour guide, Roberta, was excellent. She was very friendly and gave historical and current day information about Venice that made me appreciate the city so much more. You could really feel her passion for her home. As advertised, the tour educated me about all the major points of Venice in a day. I appreciated that we started by walking around some of the normal streets of the city, before moving on to the gondola ride, basilica and Doge’s Palace. I would highly recommend the tours starting in the early morning, as the city was beautiful in early light and it was fun to watch the day start, plus less tourist crowds. All in all, a great tour.
I can say that I did it.
Patricia M,Apr 3, 2026
- Review from Viator
2.00We didnt love this tour.We were instructed to stay in a line because the locals would cuss at us and we learn bad words in french if we didnt stay on the right side of the streets.We were a group of roughly 20, Consequently our head sets were out of range being in the back of the line, so we couldn't hear the guide most of the time. We paid for entry to the Basillica and we were not able to do so.We waited in line for about 35 minutes to take the Gondola ride, while the operator was yelling over our heads the entire ride, talking to the operator from the Gondola in front of us., and or he was on his cell phone. There were so many people in the other attractions and the guide was explaining the history (not very well may i add) before everyone could get close enough to hear her on the headset because they were trying to move through the people. There were a few people that were a little older so they had taken the elevator up in the Doges, and she left them upstairs with out telling them where to go to get back down the elevator or any warning thst she was moving to the next floor. When she was informed of them being out of the group she went to find them,as they had made thier way down the stairs at that point, like 10 minutes later, and sent them straight to the exit from the elevator and told them to wait outside. Pretty disheartening. The group was way to large for the guide. I wouldn't recommend this tour unless it was 6 to 8 people in a group. Dont take any older people that might need the elevator because the stairs in the Doges are hefty. You would be better off doing this one without a guide. You can look up the history if you dont know it already. Everywhere tour throughout our 2 month travel has been fantastic..This one...I think I will request my m9ney back on.
From €104.00
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