--- title: Venice in A Day: St Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace & Gondola Ride lang: en type: tour city: Venice country: Italy price: 98 currency: EUR price_unit: per_person availability: bookable rating: 4.65 reviews: 717 duration_minutes: 360 languages: [en] free_cancellation: true rank_in_category: 21 of 22 (Walking Tours) schedule_checked: 2026-09-22 data_updated: 2026-09-25 canonical: https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/tours/venice-in-a-day-st-mark-s-basilica-doge-s-palace-gondola-ride/ --- # Venice in A Day: St Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace & Gondola Ride **Guidekin's take:** Built for a first visit: timed guided entries to St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace, a walk over the Rialto into calmer districts and a shared gondola ride, with free time for lunch at your own cost. A semi private tier exists; names must match photo ID at the basilica and shoulders and knees must be covered. 4.65 from 717 reviews at €98 per person. ## Overview This Venice tour is built for travelers who want the city’s major sights and quieter corners in one efficient day. Pre-reserved tickets help simplify entry for St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, two of Venice’s most important landmarks, while your guide connects the city’s golden mosaics, maritime power, council halls, and old prisons into one clear story. Between the headline sites, you’ll follow narrow lanes and tucked-away courtyards toward the Rialto Bridge, seeing a side of Venice many visitors miss when they stay only in St. Mark’s Square. The experience also includes a 30-minute shared gondola ride, so you see Venice from the canals as well as on foot. With timed-entry tickets, a guided walking route, and free time for lunch, this tour gives you a practical, well-paced way to cover Venice’s essential sights in a single day. ## Before you book - Meeting point: Please Arrive 15 Minutes Early. - Entry ticket included: skip the ticket desk - Max 12 people: small group - Starts 09:30: one departure a day - Food included: Free time for lunch - Strollers OK: infants accepted ## Key facts - Price: from €98 per person - Duration: 6h - Rating: 4.65/5 from 717 reviews (collected from Guidekin & Viator & Tripadvisor) - Free cancellation (see policy below) - Likely to sell out - Recommended by 91% of travellers (share of four- and five-star reviews) - Operator: The Tour Guy ## Tour options Prices are the operator's current list price for two travellers (whole euros); options sold only to bigger parties say so; pick the option on the booking page. | Option | Price | Guide languages | Details | |---|---|---|---| | Venice in A Day: St Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace & Gondola Ride | €98 / person | English | - | | Semi Private Venice in a Day | €196 / person | English | Semi Private: Max 12 guests Duration: 6 hours Included: Guided tour of St. Marks Basilica and Doge's Palace with tickets, walking tour of Rialto Bridge, shared gondola ride. | ## What's included - Timed-entry ticket and guided tour of Doge’s Palace - Timed-entry ticket and guided tour of St. Mark’s Basilica (€12) - Walking tour of Rialto Bridge and Venice’s quieter areas - Expert English-speaking guide - 30-minute shared gondola ride - Free time for lunch ## Not included - Lunch - Guide tips ## Itinerary 1. **Piazza San Marco** (15m) - Your tour begins in St. Mark’s Square, Venice’s central public plaza. Meet your guide and learn about the history of this iconic piazza, home to St. Mark’s Basilica. 2. **Basilica di San Marco** (30m; admission included) - Known as “The Church of Gold”, St. Mark’s Basilica’s elaborate design features gold mosaics and marble slabs. Use timed entry tickets and learn about the basilica’s storied history during a guided tour of the stunning Basilica. 3. **Ponte di Rialto** (25m) - After your visit to the basilica your journey continues into the hidden back alleyways of Venice, guided by a knowledgeable local. Learn about the history and legends surrounding the Rialto Bridge, a magnificent architectural gem that spans the Grand Canal. 4. **Check off a bucket list item as you board a shared gondola with others from y...** (30m) - Check off a bucket list item as you board a shared gondola with others from your group (max 5 guests). Drift through canals for 30 minutes and see the postcard views Venice is famous for. 5. **Venice** (1h 30m) - Enjoy 1.5 hours to choose your own lunch nearby. Grab a quick panini or enjoy some cicchetti, and ask your guide for a few local recommendations. 6. **Palazzo Ducale** (2h; admission included) - After lunch, explore the fascinating Doge's Palace with an expert guide and timed entry tickets. This Palace used to be the home of Venice's public administration. At the same time, it operated as a prison, where some of Venice's criminals saw their last days. Explore the... ## Schedule - Runs: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat - Departures: 09:30 - Schedule last checked: 2026-09-22 - These are published departures, not a live seat count; availability is confirmed at checkout. ## Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. ## Meeting point Please Arrive 15 Minutes Early. Your guide will meet you between the two big columns in St. Mark’s Square (columns of San Marco & San Teodoro) located on the south side of the square, near the canal. A representative will be there holding a sign with ''The Tour Guy'' on it. ## Good to know - Public transportation options are available nearby - Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness - Knees and shoulders must be covered for both men and women to enter St. Mark’s Basilica; entry may be refused otherwise. Please avoid wearing sandals, hats, shorts, skirts, or tops that expose your shoulders. - A valid government-issued ID is required for entrance to St. Mark's Basilica. The name on your ticket (entered at check-out) must match the name on your ID, or you may be refused entry. - On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. - The order of stops may change due to timed entry schedules, crowds, or operational reasons, but you will still visit the same key sights listed. - We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any walking impairments that require special assistance on our group tours. We are also unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages. ## Compared with other Walking Tours | Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | Group | |---|---|---|---|---| | **This tour · #21 of 22** | €98 | 6h | 4.65 (717) | shared, max 12 | | [Gondola Ride with Private Walking Tour in Venice](/italy/venice/tours/gondola-ride-with-private-walking-tour-in-venice/?format=md) | €79 | 3h | 4.95 (325) | private | | [Venice: Commissario Brunetti Walking Tour for Donna Leon Fans](/italy/venice/tours/venice-commissario-brunetti-walking-tour-for-donna-leon-fans/?format=md) | €83 | 2h | 4.93 (178) | shared | | [Tour of The Real Hidden Venice](/italy/venice/tours/tour-of-the-real-hidden-venice/?format=md) | €39 | 2h | 4.85 (2274) | private | Ranked #21 of 22 in Walking Tours by Guidekin score (rating weighted by review volume). Prices here run from €14 to €450, median €90; typical length 2h 30m. 9 of 22 are private. Figures are live from the tour cards; the rubric is our handpicked set, not the whole market. Full list: https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/walking-tours-venice/?format=md ## More in Venice - All Venice tours: https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/?format=md - This page as HTML: https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/tours/venice-in-a-day-st-mark-s-basilica-doge-s-palace-gondola-ride/ ## Query this catalogue with URLs Every listing accepts filter parameters directly in the URL, so you can hand a user a link that already matches their constraints. Combine freely on https://guidekin.com/italy/venice/: | Group | Parameters | Values | |---|---|---| | Language of the tour | `language` | any ISO 639-1 code an operator lists, e.g. en, es, fr, de, it, pt, ru, uk, tr, hi. 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