General information
Program details
Discover the Doge’s Palace in the most complete and rewarding way possible: with an expert guide, entertaining anecdotes, and by exploring what 99% of visitors to the Doge’s Palace never get to see.
We’re talking, of course, about the secret passages, the palace’s hidden labyrinth of secret meeting halls, offices, torture chambers and top‐security prison cells! By exploring the secret passages, you get away from the crowds elsewhere in the Doge’s Palace and walk in the footsteps of Venice’s most colorful characters. Our favorite? Casanova, the legendary brigand (yes, he did exist!). As you’ll learn, he deserves all of the lore: Against all odds, he was able to escape his cell here in the palace, a cell you’ll get to see exclusively in the secret passages.
As well as hearing Venice’s juiciest stories, a visit to the secret passages means getting to walk through the hidden cells and rooms—parts of the palace that not only most visitors don’t see, but that the vast majority of Venetians in the past never knew about, either! Exploring the secret rooms, with their antique cabinets and creaky floors, will truly make you feel as if you’ve stepped back in time.
You will also discover the rest of the Doge’s Palace with your expert guide, from the Doge’s own lavish apartments to the Hall of the Great Council, where the city’s all‐important general assembly made decisions. Admire the beautiful and dramatic paintings by Veronese and Tintoretto and explore the magnificent halls that demonstrate the prestige of the Most Serene Venetian Republic. What the Vatican is to Rome, the Doge's Palace is to Venice: For seven hundred years, the remarkable palace has been the home of not only the Doge, but of Venice’s (independent!) government, courts, and even prisons.
At the end of your Doge’s Palace Tour, get a comprehensive introduction of St. Mark’s Basilica and Skip‐the‐Line Tickets to explore the basilica on your own. Leave no stone unturned—or door unopened—on this complete, comprehensive, and thoroughly VIP exploration of Venice’s most historic site!
Meeting/pick-up point: Just outside the entrance of the Correr Museum on Piazza San Marco.
Duration: 1.5 hours.
Start/opening time: At 12:45pm.
Languages: English.
Others: Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate guests with mobility impairments, wheelchairs or strollers on this tour. Due to Doge's Palace regulations, children under the age of 6 are not permitted inside the secret passages and therefore cannot take this tour.