Alone in St. Mark's & Doge's Palace:
Venice's two icons, all to yourself
Destination
Venice, Italy
Duration
3.5 hours
Tour size
Max 25
Language
English
Overview
By day, St. Mark’s Basilica welcomes thousands. On this Doge’s Palace night tour, it welcomes you.
- •Enter the Doge's Palace after closing time and walk the halls, apartments, and council chambers with almost no one else inside
- •Stand in the Hall of the Great Council, face to face with Tintoretto’s Paradiso
- •Cross the Bridge of Sighs into the prisons, the same passage Casanova famously escaped from
- •Watch as the lights inside St. Mark's Basilica are turned on around you, illuminating 43,000 square feet of gold mosaic
- •Walk straight to the Pala d'Oro, a Byzantine altarpiece covered in 1,900 gems, then descend into the crypt where water pumps keep the tombs dry at lagoon level
What's included
- After-hours ticket to the Doge's Palace
- Exclusive after-closing access to St. Mark's Basilica
- Access to the Pala d'Oro (Byzantine altarpiece)
- Access to the crypt beneath St. Mark's Basilica
- Local English-speaking expert guide
- Headset
You will visit
- Doge's Palace after hours
- Hall of the Great Council
- The Doge's apartments
- Bridge of Sighs (interior)
- New Prisons
- Palace Armory
- St. Mark's Basilica after closing with special access
- The Pala d'Oro
- St. Mark's Basilica Crypt
- St. Mark's Square
Get a taste of Alone in St. Mark's & Doge's Palace
Select a start time
Choose a tour date
No time slots available for this date
Select tickets & quantity
Total price
What to expect
The Doge's Palace: the rooms, the frescoes, and no one else
Your Doge’s Palace night tour begins just as the doors close to the public. Your group enters alone. Your guide leads you through the Doge’s apartments and into the Hall of the Great Council, where Paradiso by Tintoretto stretches across the far wall, uninterrupted by a single column. The row of Doge portraits circling the room is broken by a single black veil. Your visit ends inside the Bridge of Sighs, where you’ll look out through the stone lattice at the canal below—the same passage Giacomo Casanova once crossed in his legendary escape.
St. Mark's Basilica: the lights come on
An official custodian unlocks the doors and your group enters St. Mark's Basilica in near-darkness. You'll be seated. Then, over the course of ten minutes, the lights are turned on section by section, and more than 86,000 square feet of gold mosaic begins to glow around you. With the Basilica nearly empty, your guide will walk you to the Pala d'Oro, a Byzantine altarpiece covered in over 1,900 gems, and down into the crypt beneath the building, where water pumps run day and night to keep the tombs dry at the level of the lagoon.
"From complete dark, the mosaics just start shining. There's no other way to see it like that."
Silvia,
WalksDevour Venice guide
"You enter the Doge’s Palace fifteen minutes after the last group. For most of the visit, it's just you."
Elisa,
WalksDevour Venice guide
Postcards from Venice
Alone in St. Mark's & Doge's Palace
Alone in St. Mark's & Doge's Palace
Alone in St. Mark's & Doge's Palace
Recent reviews & recommendations
Frequently asked questions
Our guides love answering your questions. Here are some things they’d like you to know before you arrive.
Seize every moment in Venice
Alone in St. Mark's Basilica: The gold mosaics, all to yourself
Doge's Palace secret itineraries tour: Casanova’s cell & St. Mark's Basilica
Legendary Venice: St. Mark's Basilica, terraces, and the Doge's Palace
