Skip the Line Doge's Palace & After Hours Access to St Mark's Basilica Tour

Itinerary
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Stop At: Doge's Palace, Piazza San Marco, 1, 30124 Venice Italy

Venice can be chaotic during the day so this tour will allow you to experience two of the city’s busiest attractions in a much calmer fashion. This tour includes Skip-the-line access to the Doge’s Palace in the evening. Follow your guide into the vast collection of paintings and mosaics that are displayed within this magnificent museum. Walk through the corridors and explore the opulent rooms as your guide regales you with tales of Venetian power struggles from when the Dukes of Venice controlled one of the oldest republics in the world. Gaze at the incredible paintings by masters such as Tintoretto which adorn the largest wooden suspended ceiling in the world.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Basilica di San Marco, San Marco 328, 30124 Venice Italy

After your Doge’s Palace visit, wander across St. Mark’s Square which Napoleon called “the drawing room of Europe”. Skip by the jazz orchestras as they try to entice you in for coffee and continue with your guide to the ornate basilica at the top of the square. Here you will see no lines whatsoever as this is an exclusive entry just for your group through a locked door.

Once you enter this opulent and much-visited church you will be struck by the aura of mystery and solitude that permeates the interior. History will surround you as you walk over marble floors decorated with geometric designs and symbolic animals such as griffins and peacocks. Even more treasures lie above your head as you look up at the spell-binding golden mosaics which glimmer in the evening light.

One of the highlights of this experience is when the lights are turned off in the basilica and your eyes slowly become accustomed to the natural shade. These mosaics were designed to be viewed in this way and to convey an intense evocative effect in the worshipper. Even in the darkness, you can make out the mosaics. Slowly, the lights are directed onto the frescoes one-by-one as your guide points out the biblical heroes and symbols in the ceiling.

Your guide will also show you around the many other elaborate designs of the basilica. You can count over 500 columns in the Golden Church or admire the alabaster columns of the altar which were brought to Venice after the sack of Constantinople in the 13th century. Listen as your guide explains how each detail in the church tells a tale of Venice’s growth as a superpower as it stretched across the seas into the East.

As this is an exclusive tour, you’ll have access to places which are normally off-limits to the daytime crowds. Descend into the cool crypts where Venetian pirates brought the bones of St. Mark from Egypt and where the Venetians buried their patriarchs. You’ll also be able to get closer to the fabulous gem encrusted Pala D’ Oro which represents the highpoint of Byzantine craftsmanship. Once you have taken in all the sights and the special atmosphere of this religious masterpiece, it is time to say goodbye to your guide and exit into St Mark’s Square.


Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes