Private Venice Tour Sain Marks Doge Palace and Rialto

Rialto Market and Rialto Bridge

Begin your private tour in Rialto, the ancient commercial heart of Venice.

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Walk through the historic market area, where Venetians have purchased fish, fruit and vegetables for generations. Learn how Rialto developed into one of Europe’s most important trading centres and how merchants, bankers and sailors contributed to the wealth of the Venetian Republic.

Market activity depends on the day and starting time of the tour.

Continue to the magnificent Rialto Bridge, the oldest bridge crossing the Grand Canal. Enjoy beautiful canal views while your guide explains the bridge’s history, construction and essential role in Venetian commerce.

Marco Polo’s District and Hidden Venice

Leave the busy Rialto area and follow your guide through quieter streets, small squares and atmospheric passageways.

Visit the area traditionally associated with the house of Marco Polo and hear the story of the Venetian merchant, explorer and author whose travels connected Venice with the distant cultures of Asia.

Continue through Hidden Venice, where everyday local life unfolds beyond the city’s principal landmarks.

Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo

See the exterior of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, one of the finest jewels of the Venetian Renaissance. Covered with beautifully coloured marble, this elegant church is often described as Venice’s “marble treasure chest.”

Continue to Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, one of the city’s most impressive squares. Learn about the great Dominican church, the funerary monuments of Venice’s Doges and the history of the Scuole Grandi.

These important Venetian confraternities combined religious devotion, charity, social welfare and artistic patronage, commissioning works from some of Venice’s greatest artists.

Optional Private Gondola Ride – 30 Minutes

Before continuing to St. Mark’s Square, experience Venice from the water during an optional private gondola ride.

Glide through atmospheric canals while passing historic palaces, graceful stone bridges and picturesque waterside buildings. Your guide will explain the gondola’s distinctive design, how these traditional boats are constructed and their historical role in Venetian life.

The gondola ride is operated by a professional gondolier and is payable separately on-site.

St. Mark’s Square and Basilica – Approximately 30 Minutes

Arrive in Piazza San Marco, Venice’s magnificent ceremonial centre and one of the most celebrated squares in the world.

Learn about the square’s principal monuments and their importance in the political and religious life of the Venetian Republic.

Enjoy skip-the-line access to St. Mark’s Basilica and follow your guide through its spectacular interior. Admire the golden Byzantine mosaics, impressive domes and richly decorated architecture while discovering how the basilica became the spiritual heart of Venice.

Your guide will also explain the history and artistic importance of the celebrated Pala d’Oro. Access to the Pala d’Oro may require a separate ticket, depending on the selected tour option.

Doge’s Palace – Approximately 90 Minutes

Conclude your experience with a guided visit to the Doge’s Palace, the greatest symbol of Venice’s political power.

Enjoy skip-the-line admission and explore the palace’s magnificent institutional chambers, where the government of the Venetian Republic operated for centuries.

Visit the Great Council Hall, where members of Venice’s powerful assembly met to make important decisions affecting the Republic. Admire masterpieces by Tintoretto and Veronese while learning about the Doges, magistrates and institutions that governed Venice.

Finally, cross the famous Bridge of Sighs and enter the New Prisons, where your guide will reveal stories of justice, political intrigue and imprisonment in the Venetian Republic.

The guided experience concludes at the Doge’s Palace in St. Mark’s Square.