Buying tickets or booking tours to see the Doge’s Palace in Venice is not straightforward, as there is a bewildering number of ticket combination offers. Book tours in advance or buy time-slot reservation tickets.
The Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale or Ducal Palace) was for centuries the focal point of political and economic power in Venice. This impressive building remains one of the top sights to see in Venice. Time-slot reservation tickets are sensible, although regular tickets and passes allow for more flexibility. Many tours are available for easy entry. The palace is quieter in the afternoon.
Tickets for the Doge’s Palace in Venice
Unfortunately, there is no simple ticket to see just the Doge’s Palace in Venice. All tickets are either combinations with other sights or linked to tours.
The following basic tickets (full fare) are available to see the Doge’s Palace in Venice:
- St. Mark’s Square Museums Ticket (€30) — the most basic ticket that includes admission to the Doge’s Palace, the Museum Correr, the Archaeological Museum, and the Marciana Library (within three days). Available with or without time-slot reservations for the Doge’s Palace and Museo Correr. (It does not include admission to St. Mark’s Basilica or St. Mark’s Museum on the upper floor of the church!)
- Venice Museum Pass (€40) — the official Civic Museums of Venice Pass (Musei Civici di Venezia), includes admission to the Doge’s Palace (without a time slot or skip-the-line privilges) and the other St. Mark’s Square museums as above, as well as Ca’ Rezzonico – Museum of 18th Century Venice; Museum of Palazzo Mocenigo; Carlo Goldoni’s House; Ca’ Pesaro, International Gallery of Modern Art + Oriental Art Museum; Glass Museum – Murano; Lace Museum – Burano; Natural History Museum; and the Fortuny Museum. (Valid 6 months.)
- City Passes — a variety of combination offers from resellers. These could be good value, but read the fine print.
- Guided Tours — easy skip-the-line access, and some are good value for money too.
All tickets to the Doge’s Palace, sometimes simply referred to as the museum, include admission to the courtyard, Museo dell’Opera on the ground floor, and on the upper floors the institutional rooms with painted ceilings and walls, the armory collection, and a crossover on the Bridge of Sighs to the prison.
Guided Tours of the Doge’s Palace in Venice
Guided tours are a good way to visit the Doge’s Palace in Venice. Most tours use a separate entrance to ensure easy access.
The following basic tour types are available for the Doge’s Palace in Venice:
- Secret Intineraries and Hidden Doge’s Treasure Tours (€32) — the only official tours. These one-hour guided tours cover extra rooms before visiting the regular public halls unguided. A great deal to enter the Doge’s Palace at the reserved time but does not include admission tickets to the other St. Mark’s Square museums.
- Regular Guided Tours — a wide variety is available (Get Your Guide is popular with Europeans, although Americans often prefer Viator). Small groups are more pleasant, and even for tour groups, the afternoon is less crowded.
- Combination Tours — include several sights in a tour. These may save money, but more importantly, time, as the group only has to be put together once. Combinations with St. Mark’s Basilica are popular and a real time-saver, as admission to the church is often slow.
Tickets, Tours, and Pass Prices for the Doge’s Palace in Venice
Which tickets and passes are the best to buy to visit the Doge’s Palace in Venice?
Cheapest Doge’s Palace Entry Ticket
The cheapest option to see the Doge’s Palace in Venice is on the St. Mark’s Square Museums Ticket. If bought through the official website (and passed on to Vivaticket), the full-fare ticket is €30 (€5 discount if bought more than 30 days in advance) and includes obligatory time-slot reservations to enter the Doge’s Palace and the Correr Museum.
The St. Mark’s Square Museums Ticket is also available through many resellers — Tiqets are simpler to use than Vivaticket but check if the prices are the same. Tickets from resellers are often without time slots. Visitors without time-slot reservations may join the queue outside from noon onwards.
Children aged from 6 to 14, students aged 15 to 25, visitors over 65, holders of the Venice Rolling Card, and the International Student Identity Card pay around half price. Some discounts are only available if you buy directly at the ticket office.
Good Value Official Tours
The two official tours are €32 each (or €20 if qualifying for a discounted entry, or already having a Doge’s Palace ticket). The interesting Secret Itineraries Tour (maximum 25 people) takes visitors to the unglamorous back rooms where officials worked and to Casanova’s cell. The Hidden Doge’s Treasure Tour (maximum 10 people) visits some areas reserved for the Doge’s private use, loggias, and other rooms too small for larger public group visits.
After the one-hour tour, members enter the public rooms of the palace directly for an unguided visit. (This is unfortunate, as the main rooms of the palace are easier to enjoy on a guided tour.)
A major advantage of these tours is the easy and guaranteed entry at the designated tour time. It is also fair value if not planning to see the other St Mark’s museums. A bonus of the Hidden Doge’s Treasure Tour is that the group size is limited to ten.
Venice Museum Pass
The official Civic Museums of Venice Pass (Musei Civici di Venezia) is good value at €40 if planning to see at least two additional museums included on this pass. The museum pass is valid for six months but does not give any time-slot reservations or skip-the-line privileges.
Most of the museums are worth seeing but the most famous in Venice are not included, e.g., the Gallerie dell’Accademia (the world’s best Venetian art) or the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (the best modern art in Italy). Also, it does not include entry into St. Mark’s Basilica but some versions may add the Chorus 16 churches.
General Tours of the Doge’s Palace and Venice
Many guided tours of Venice include the Doge’s Palace. It is worth comparing what is included before booking. Always check that the admission ticket is included in the advertised price.
A lot of creative advertising (“from €very cheap”) is used for tours and tickets in Italy. A normal guided tour of the Doge’s Palace, including tickets, is unlikely to cost less than €60 and around €90 if St Mark’s Basilica is included. Add a gondola ride, and the package should be around €120.
If you have special needs or qualify for discounts, compare service providers. Many, but not all, providers may pass on the access tickets to the other St Mark’s Square museums for free. Some pass on the senior discount for visitors over 65.
As always, small groups and private tours are more pleasant than large ones. (Small groups are only small if the actual number is stated!) The palace is quieter in the afternoon than in the morning, whether on a tour or traveling alone.
How to Buy Doge’s Palace Tickets at Vivaticket
The cheapest admission tickets and the official tours of the Doge’s Palace are booked through the Venice Civic Museums’ official agent, Vivaticket. The site is not well-designed and can be confusing. It also frequently changes to Italian, but there is an English option somewhere on the page.
If you buy through Vivaticket, you must specify a timeslot for both the Doge’s Palace and the Correr Museum. Resellers also sell the St. Mark’s Square museums ticket. Some allow booking with entry times but many are without reserved time slots, which are more flexible but, of course, do not guarantee admission at a specific time.
The museum pass, audio guide, and the Secret Itineraries or Doge’s Hidden Treasures tours are available from Vivaticket.
Vivaticket is also the agent of other major Italian tourist sites, including The Last Supper in Milan and the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. Although all these sites use different subdomains, you may use the same Vivaticket account to buy tickets for any.
Visitor Information: Doge’s Palace in Venice
Opening Hours of the Ducal Palace
The Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale) in Venice is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm (closing at 7 pm from April to October). Last admissions are an hour before closing time but rooms are already cleared half an hour before closing time.
The Doge’s Palace is busiest in the mornings. If on a time-slot reservation ticket, either enter at 9 am sharp or in the afternoon after 3 pm. If you get the first time slot in the morning, try not to waste time with the cloakroom lockers. Go directly upstairs and see the courtyard area and ground floor museum on the way out.
Visitors without time slots are generally admitted after noon only. However, on a quiet day, it is often possible in the morning too.
Entry Gates and Lines
The various entry gates and queue areas for the Doge’s Palace are well signposted but it never hurts to ask too. Currently, the four lines for individual travelers are:
- Visitors with tickets — entrance facing San Marco Piazza
- Queue to buy museum tickets for the Ducal Palace
- Groups with a guide
- Queue to buy tickets for special exhibitions, NOT for regular Doge’s Palace entry. Entrance for the official tours (Secret Itineraries & Hidden Doges Treasure).
Transportation to the Doge’s Palace in Venice
The Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale) is on Piazza San Marco at the political and tourism heart of Venice. All travelers, including thousands of day trippers, end up here eventually. Fortunately, the palace is far less busy than the square.
Many boats stop at the various San Marco or San Zaccharia landings, including Vaporetto Lines from the station and Alilaguna from the airport. Traveling time from Piazale Roma or Santa Lucia train station is around 45 minutes by boat via the Grand Canal, while walking takes about the same time (if not getting lost).
The main entrance to the palace is from Piazza San Marco, while some visitors have to use the door facing the water (and San Giorgio Maggiore Island — go there for the best views of Venice and skip the lines at the campanile of San Marco).