Tour Details
Duration
3 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
- Doge's Palace
- Bridge of Sighs
- Grand Council Hall
Photos & Highlights
- Explores the history of Venetian power through art and architecture
- Led by a local historian
Select a date
Tour Description
For a thousand years, the Doges ruled Venice. An elected official who held office for life but could not pass the title down to his heirs, the role of the Doge is a crucial piece of the Venetian puzzle. During this three-hour Doge's Palace tour, we'll join a local historian for an in-depth look at the figure of the Doge and the complex and unique nature of the Venetian Republic's political system and visit one of the most iconic buildings in St. Mark's Square—Doge's Palace.
Doge's Palace Tour
For over a thousand years, the Doge of Venice ruled over the Republic of Venice—often referred to as the Serenissima. We will begin our time together with a discussion of the role and the overall political structure of Venice from the medieval period until Napoleon took the reins of the city in the 18th century. Our Doge's Palace tour will take us into the first rooms of Doge's Palace, where we will look at the economic underpinnings of Venetian power and the role that various Doges played in commerce and trade—especially with Eastern empires.
Art for the Serenissima
During our Doge's Palace tour, we will have the opportunity to discuss how the building itself, including major architectural and decorative components, was used to reflect the power of the government. A palace that constantly changed throughout the centuries, both due to fires and changing tastes, the structure contains works by top artists of the Renaissance period, such as Tintoretto and Veronese, whose works grace the Grand Council Hall.
Take Aways
The Ducal Palace is a key component to understanding the history of the Venetian Republic and the political mechanisms that allowed it to function. Our Doge's Palace tour will allow us to come away with a strong knowledge of the basics of Venice's system of government with all its complexities and intrigue and create a newfound understanding of how these systems supported the overall culture of the Serenissima. For more on the opulence of Venetian art, try our Venice Art Tour: Titian and Tintoretto, exploring the city's art and culture in the High Renaissance.
Experts
What are skip-the-line tickets?
For this tour, your tickets to the Doge's Palace are pre-purchased, which allows you to directly enter the security line at the palace without waiting to purchase tickets. You may still have to wait in a security line or in a line to have your pre-purchased ticket scanned.
Does this tour include the Bridge of Sighs and the prison area?
Yes, this tour will include both the Bridge of Sighs and the prison area.
What is the "Secret Itineraries" option?
The Secret Itinerary is a section of the Doge’s Palace that includes the rooms and chambers where the Venetian administration was carried out, such as the Council of Ten private office, the Ground level and attic level prisons, Great Chancellery, torture room, and bureaucrats' offices. This option is not included in the regular Doge's Palace ticket and requires a special reservation with very strict time slots currently available only in the mornings and with very limited availability. This portion is not confirmed until we let you know we have secured tickets for you, but the Doge's Palace normal entry is confirmed.
Do you reserve headsets for this tour?
What is the "Secret Itineraries" option?
The Secret Itinerary is a section of the Doge’s Palace that includes the rooms and chambers where the Venetian administration was carried out, such as the Council of Ten private office, the Ground level and attic level prisons, Great Chancellery, torture room, and bureaucrats' offices. This option is not included in the regular Doge's Palace ticket and requires a special reservation with very strict time slots currently available only in the mornings and with very limited availability. This portion is not confirmed until we let you know we have secured tickets for you, but the Doge's Palace normal entry is confirmed.
Do you reserve headsets for this tour?
Depending on your group size, we may be required by the venue to order headsets in which case you’ll see a “Headset Fee” added to your order. If you would like to guarantee headsets for your tour regardless of your group size, please email us, and we’ll be happy to get them reserved for you.
Is this tour accessible to people with mobility issues?
The regular portion of the tour, including only Doge's Palace without the Secret Itinerarie,s is completely accessible. The spaces included in the Secret Itineraries portion, unfortunately are not: the spaces are very small and are connected by steep and narrow stairs. This section is not accessible to those with mobility issues, claustrophobia, vertigo, or cardio-respiratory conditions. It is also not suitable for pregnant women and not allowed for children below the age of 6 years old.
Is this tour accessible to people with mobility issues?
The regular portion of the tour, including only Doge's Palace without the Secret Itinerarie,s is completely accessible. The spaces included in the Secret Itineraries portion, unfortunately are not: the spaces are very small and are connected by steep and narrow stairs. This section is not accessible to those with mobility issues, claustrophobia, vertigo, or cardio-respiratory conditions. It is also not suitable for pregnant women and not allowed for children below the age of 6 years old.
Where You'll Start
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276 Reviews
Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.
Matteo met me on time and was completely knowledgeable and articulate about the Palace. He added to the historical content by relating some of it to current Venetian conditions and the way of life. I enjoyed every minute of my time with him.
Heidi
Reviewed on:
Jun 12, 2013
The palace was, like many places we ultimately visited, so extensive and overwhelming, we were so glad to have a docent. I don't know how you can do a tour without one and still glean the history and knowledge by going to the key items as well as the obscure things we could never know. That was perhaps one of the key differniators for us - the ability to have someone who knew it all and could guide us in the limited windows of time.
Nadia was delightful and certainly of Monica's caliber and we enjoyed her narratives.
Neil
Reviewed on:
May 31, 2013
As we mentioned before, we have taken numerous Context Guided Walks throughout our travels in Italy, and we have come to develop very high expectations for docents and our Guided Walks. Davide seemed to have an excellent grasp of the general knowledge of Venetian history as well as the Doge’s palace, however the guided walk seemed to lack the in-depth detailed knowledge and background that we expect from our docents and from a Context Guided Walk. The walk seemed to cover a more of general breadth of Venetian politics and a general walk through of the Dodge’s Palace. Unfortunately, we had already gained this historical context by reading the various tour guides covering Venetian history and the Palace itself before our trip. Overall, we felt that the Doge’s palace walk felt very much like a standard guided walk you experience when you are part of a Tour Bus trip traveling throughout Italy
During the start of the walk, we spent a significant time outside the Doge’s palace reviewing general Venetian history which we already had a firm grasp with before even registering for the walk. Once inside the palace this high level review lesson continued to proceed throughout the Palace itself. This tour gave us the feeling that the docent was not really interested in giving the tour and that the tour was more of a burden to conduct.
Luckily, we had already arranged through the Palace itself to take the Secret Itineraries tour on our own at a later time. The guide provided by the Palace for the Secret Itineraries tour was excellent, and very detailed and thorough; this second tour provided us with a much greater appreciation for the Doge’s Palace itself. The Secret Itineraries tour actually saved our overall Doge’s palace experience.
Jonathan
Reviewed on:
Apr 22, 2013
