In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The St Mark’s Square Museums ticket is €35, or €30 online for a visit at least 30 days away. It opens the Doge’s Palace, the Museo Correr, the Archaeological Museum and the Marciana Library rooms. A ticket without a time slot is admitted from 12:00. The Secret Itineraries tour is €40, which is €5 more than the ticket it includes, in English at 10:00, 11:30 and 13:00. Luggage over 1 m (the three sides added up) is refused; backpacks go in the free cloakroom. The Palace is open every day. Or book: GetYourGuide’s official reserved-entry ticketad is the same €35, and the Doge’s Palace, New Prisons and Basilica tourad is from €79.
The tickets
The Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE) runs the Palace. Visitor information is at palazzoducale.visitmuve.it, and tickets are sold on the MUVE ticket site. Search results for “Doge’s Palace tickets” include sites with the Palace’s name in their web address that say on their own pages they are independent and not affiliated with the management.
The Doge’s Palace from the Molo. Photo: Gary Houston, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
| Ticket | Adult | Reduced | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mark’s Square Museums, standard | €35 | €15 | The Doge’s Palace, the Museo Correr, the National Archaeological Museum and the Marciana Library’s monumental rooms, with the MUVE app audio guide |
| St Mark’s Square Museums, online 30+ days ahead | €30 | €15 | The same, for a visit at least 30 days after you buy |
| Secret Itineraries tour | €40 | €20 | The guided tour, plus free-flow entry to the Palace and the Square museums |
| Doge’s Hidden Treasures tour | €40 | €20 | The guided tour, plus the same entry |
| Clock Tower | €15 | €11 | A guided visit, plus the Correr, the Archaeological Museum and the Marciana rooms. See below |
| Museum Pass | €50 | €25 | The Palace and eleven other civic museums, over six months |
- Reduced is for ages 6 to 14, students 15 to 25, over-65s, and holders of the Venice Rolling Card or an ISIC card. Children under 6 go free, and so do disabled visitors with a helper.
- A seniors and junior offer gives the reduced price to every paying member of a group of two adults and at least one young person up to 16.
- Time slots. Online tickets are for an entry time. A ticket without one is admitted to the Palace from 12:00.
- Entrance. The public enters by the Porta del Frumento, on the Piazzetta.
- The €5 saving applies only to online purchases made at least 30 days before the visit date.
GetYourGuide’s Doge’s Palace Reserved Entry Ticketad is sold by Venezia Unica by Vela Spa, the city’s ticketing company, is labelled an official ticket, and is €35, the museum’s own standard price. It is non-refundable and cannot be rescheduled, and it covers the Palace and the three Square museums.
Which ticket to buy
- Buy the standard ticket to go round on your own. It includes an audio guide in the MUVE app, so download the app before you go.
- Buy the Secret Itineraries tour if you want a guide. It includes the standard entry, so it is €5 on top of the €35 ticket.
- Buy online 30 days ahead if your dates are fixed. It saves €5.
- Add the Basilica on the Procuratoria’s site. It is not on this ticket. See St Mark’s Basilica tickets.
- Take the Museum Pass for three or more civic museums. The Palace (€35), Ca’ Rezzonico (€15) and Ca’ Pesaro (€15) are €65 separately, against €50. Venice Museum Pass: is it worth it? has the sums.
The guided tours at the Palace
Secret Itineraries
€40 · about 1 hour 15 minutes · English at 10:00, 11:30 and 13:00
The Secret Itineraries tour goes through the rooms where the Republic’s administration and justice worked. It starts in the courtyard and passes the Pozzi cells, the torture chamber, the Piombi cells where Casanova was held, the attic and the Inquisitors’ chamber. A specialist guide takes 2 to 25 people. From 15 June to 31 August the 13:00 English tour moves to 9:30. Italian tours run at 11:00 and 12:30 and French at 10:30 and 12:00.
Book it on the MUVE site. Anyone more than 15 minutes late loses the tour. It is not for people with claustrophobia, vertigo or heart or breathing conditions, or for pregnant visitors, and children under 6 are not admitted.
Doge’s Hidden Treasures
€40 · about 1 hour 15 minutes · English at 11:00 and 16:00
The Hidden Treasures tour is for up to 10 people. It goes through the Doge’s private rooms, the Sala dei Forzieri and the Chiesetta, and the price includes the same free-flow entry to the Palace and the Square museums.
The Clock Tower
€15 · guided only · not for under-6s
The Clock Tower on the Square is visited with a specialist guide, in about an hour, from the Correr ticket office, where you meet five minutes before the start. It is not accessible for people with walking difficulties, and the Museum Pass does not include it. The ticket also opens the Correr, the Archaeological Museum and the Marciana rooms, so it replaces the Square ticket for those three. The English visits are:
| Day | English visits |
|---|---|
| Monday | 11:00 and 14:00 |
| Tuesday and Wednesday | 12:00 and 14:00 |
| Thursday | 12:00 |
| Friday | 11:00, 14:00 and 16:00 |
| Saturday | 14:00 and 16:00 |
| Sunday | 11:00 |
Tours worth paying for
A guided tour of the Palace adds a guide to the ticket; the entry is included. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.
Doge’s Palace, New Prisons and Basilica
From €79 · 2 to 3 hours · 1,106 reviews
Doge’s Palace, New Prisons & St. Mark’s Basilica Guided Tourad by Crown Tours is in English, Italian, French or German, in a private or small group. It takes in the Great Council Chamber, the Bridge of Sighs, the New Prisons and the Basilica, and the price includes a three-day ticket for the Correr and two other museums. The official Palace and Basilica tickets are €45 together. It is not suitable for wheelchair users. Cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
Basilica, Palace and the secret passages
From €109 · 3 hours · up to 20 people · 541 reviews
Venice: St Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace & Secret Passagesad by Walks of Italy is in English, in a small group or privately. It uses the Secret Itineraries route, then crosses the Bridge of Sighs to the New Prisons and finishes in the Basilica. The Secret Itineraries tour and the Basilica ticket are €50 at the operators’ prices, so the extra is the guide and the three hours. Cancel up to 3 days ahead for a full refund. It is not suitable for children under 6, pregnant visitors or wheelchair users.
Basilica and Doge’s Palace
From €72 · 3 hours · 3,951 reviews
Venice: St. Mark’s Basilica & Doge’s Palace Tour with Ticketad by Walks In Europe is in English, with headsets, and includes both tickets and the Square museums. It allots two of its three hours to the Palace. See St Mark’s Basilica tickets for the detail.
What to see
The Palace was the seat of the Venetian Republic’s government and courts. MUVE’s suggested route does not climb floor by floor: it goes up and down several times.
The Giants’ Staircase in the Palace courtyard. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- The Museo dell’Opera and the courtyard. The ground-floor museum holds the original capitals taken from the facades, and the courtyard leads to the Giants’ Staircase, topped by Sansovino’s Mars and Neptune of 1565.
- The loggia and the staircases. The Censors’ Staircase and the Gold Staircase climb past the “lion’s mouths”, the slots for anonymous denunciations.
- The Institutional Chambers. The Great Council, the Senate, the Collegio and the Council of Ten met in rooms decorated with work by Tintoretto and Veronese. This is the longest part of the visit.
- The Armoury. More than 2,000 exhibits.
- The Picture Gallery. Works by Giovanni Bellini, Carpaccio, Titian and Tiepolo.
- The Prisons. A narrow corridor crosses the Bridge of Sighs to the New Prisons, which MUVE calls one of the first purpose-built state prisons in Europe.
The Bridge of Sighs between the Palace and the New Prisons. Photo: Didier Descouens, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Allow about two hours for the Palace: the Basilica and Doge’s Palace tour above allots it two of its three hours. The Correr, the Archaeological Museum and the Marciana rooms are on the same ticket, and the Correr’s entrance is on the Square, through the Napoleonic Wing.
What to skip: the Armoury, if the Chambers have used up your time. The Bridge of Sighs and the prisons are the last stop on the route.
Hours, rules and getting there
| Site | 1 April to 31 October | 1 November to 31 March |
|---|---|---|
| Doge’s Palace | 9:00 to 19:00, last admission 18:00 | 9:00 to 18:00, last admission 17:00 |
| Museo Correr and the Square museums | 10:00 to 18:00, last admission 17:00 | 10:00 to 17:00, last admission 16:00 |
- Closing: closing procedures begin 30 minutes before the closing time.
- Bags: suitcases, trolleys and luggage whose three sides add up to more than 1 m are refused. Medium bags, backpacks and umbrellas go in the free cloakroom, so leave bulky items there.
- Groups: unorganised groups of more than 10 must use whisper headsets, at €1 each.
- Where: the Palace is on the Piazzetta, beside the Basilica. The vaporetto stops are San Zaccaria and San Marco Vallaresso, on line 1.
The Basilica and the Campanile are next door and sold elsewhere, and best museums in Venice covers the Correr’s neighbours across the city. What to book before you go to Venice has the closed days for every sight, and Venice in one or two days fits the Palace around the weekly closures. To stay nearby, see hotels near St Mark’s Square and where to stay in Venice.
Common questions
How much is a ticket for the Doge's Palace?
€35 for the St Mark's Square Museums ticket, which covers the Doge's Palace, the Museo Correr, the National Archaeological Museum and the Marciana Library rooms. Bought online for a visit at least 30 days away it is €30. The reduced ticket is €15 for ages 6 to 14, students 15 to 25 and over-65s, and under-6s go free.
Do I have to book the Doge's Palace in advance?
You can buy at the desk or online. Online tickets are for an entry time, and a ticket without one is admitted from 12:00. Buying online at least 30 days ahead takes €5 off.
Is the Secret Itineraries tour worth €40?
It costs €5 more than the €35 ticket, which it includes: the €40 covers the guided route through the Pozzi cells, the torture chamber, the Piombi cells where Casanova was held, the attic and the Inquisitors' chamber, plus free-flow entry to the Palace and the Square museums. It is guided only, runs in English at 10:00, 11:30 and 13:00, takes about 1 hour 15 minutes and needs at least 2 people.
What bags are allowed in the Doge's Palace?
Suitcases, trolleys and any luggage whose three sides add up to more than 1 metre are refused. Medium bags, backpacks and umbrellas go in the free cloakroom.
Is the Doge's Palace open every day?
Yes. From 1 April to 31 October it is open 9:00 to 19:00, last admission 18:00. From 1 November to 31 March it is open 9:00 to 18:00, last admission 17:00.
Is the GetYourGuide Doge's Palace ticket official?
GetYourGuide's Doge's Palace Reserved Entry Ticket is sold by Venezia Unica, the city's ticketing company, is labelled an official ticket and costs €35, the same as the museum's standard price. It is non-refundable.
