Venice: St Mark's Basilica After Hours & Doge Palace Option

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Venice: St Mark's Basilica After Hours & Doge Palace Option

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Experience St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace without the crowds on an after-hours guided tour. Choose to visit just the Basilica or both sites and immerse yourself in the peaceful silence.

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Highlights

Enjoy after-hours access to St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice’s most popular landmark
Explore special areas not usually seen by visitors
Look at the Pala d’Oro altarpiece without the crowds.
Walk across the Bridge of Sighs from the inside.
Enter the Doge's Palace after it closes. (If Doge Palace option selected)

Description

Your guide will meet you at St. Mark’s Square for this special after-hours visit to St. Mark’s Basilica. With thrilling anecdotes and swashbuckling stories, your guide will tell you about the history of Venice and St. Mark’s. Hear how the Basilica received its precious relics via a 9th-century kidnapping. Passersby will wonder where you are going as a custodian unlocks the Basilica’s doors for you to enter. Inside, take a deep breath as you experience St. Mark’s Basilica as almost no one else has ever been able to, aside from the doge himself. There is no standing elbow-to-elbow with other tourists and no crowd noise. Instead, you are alone with your guide and the custodian. In tranquility and peace, experience the Basilica. You can even go where the others cannot during the day. See the crypt where the bones of St. Mark are said to be kept. Plus, you can see the walls stained by the past floods that devastated Venice. The crypt used to be flooded every time high tide hit the city. The evening is also the best time to visit because it is the time of day that the mosaics are at their most beautiful. All 43,000 square feet are illuminated, glimmering and sparkling in the dark. If you choose the Optional Doge's Palace you'll enter the Palace just as it closes for the day to learn more about the center of power during the Venetian Republic. See the sumptuous apartments of the Venetian rulers, as well as the Hall of the Great Council with its stunning frescoes by Veronese and Tintoretto. Your guide is passionate about Venetian art and history. Hear the tale of how St. Mark’s became St. Mark’s, a story that pivots on a kidnapping and a dangerous sea voyage. Learn where the precious marbles decorating St. Mark’s come from in one 1-hour tour or choose the 3 1/2 hour tour and get the best of the two most famous landmarks in Venice on this exclusive after-hours guided tour.

Includes

St. Mark's Basilica after-hours ticket Doge’s Palace after-hours ticket (if option selected) Guided walking tour

Important Information

Our group tour utilizes multiple areas that are not wheelchair accessible. Those with wheelchairs should contact us so we can arrange your visit.
The Basilica is a holy place and attire must be appropriate. Both men and women are asked to wear clothing that covers at least the shoulders and knees. Your tour operator cannot be held responsible for entry denied due to improper dress
This tour operates rain or shine. However, occasionally St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace are closed to the public, without previous notice, due to high tides or particular festivities
If you select the Doge's Palace option, please note that on certain days there may be a short break between the visit to the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica (never more than one hour). This may extend the overall length of the tour.