Step inside the Doge's Palace — the Gothic seat of the Venetian Republic, where gilded council chambers, the world's largest canvas painting and the Bridge of Sighs tell a thousand years of power.
See ticket optionsAll visitors — includes 4 museums
€49
“We walked straight past a huge queue on the Piazzetta and into the palace. The Great Council Chamber is jaw-dropping, and the Bridge of Sighs is a moment you don't forget.”
“Four museums on one ticket was incredible value — we did the palace one day and the Correr the next. Booking was instant and entirely in English.”
“The audio guide they sent beforehand made the gilded chambers come alive. Skipping the ticket-desk line in August was worth every cent.”
5-minute audio guide
Hand-written and narrated by a heritage host, sent to every customer before their visit. Five minutes that turn the gilded ceilings into a story — how the Republic ran the seas from these rooms, what to look for in the Great Council Chamber, and why the Bridge of Sighs got its name.
Included free with every ticket. No app, no download — plays in any browser.
For a thousand years the Doge's Palace was the beating heart of the Venetian Republic — part royal residence, part seat of government, part court of law. From these rooms, a merchant city without a king ran one of the great maritime empires of the medieval and Renaissance world. To walk it today is to walk the corridors of that power, beneath ceilings dripping with gold and canvases by the masters of the Venetian school.
The palace you see is a masterpiece of Venetian Gothic, its airy pink-and-white facade resting on a double tier of arches that seems impossibly light for the weight it carries. Its origins reach back to the 9th century; the wing facing the lagoon was rebuilt from 1340, the wing toward St Mark's Square from 1424, and the Renaissance courtyard between 1483 and 1565. Fires in 1574 and 1577 scorched the interiors, but careful restoration preserved the look that astonishes visitors still.
Inside, the route climbs the ceremonial Golden Staircase to the Doge's Apartments and the great institutional chambers, culminating in the vast Chamber of the Great Council. Here, behind the Doge's throne, hangs Tintoretto's Paradise — reckoned the largest canvas painting in the world, a swirling heaven of hundreds of figures. From the splendour of state, the path leads across the enclosed Bridge of Sighs to the New Prisons, where the view of the lagoon is the last a condemned prisoner was said to see.
Your ticket is the St Mark's Square Museums ticket, which opens not only the Doge's Palace but three more treasures around the square — the Correr Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, and the Monumental Halls of the Marciana Library. One ticket, four museums, and the whole civic and artistic story of the Venetian Republic. The Doge's Palace is inscribed, with the rest of the city, on the UNESCO World Heritage List as 'Venice and its Lagoon'.
“We walked straight past a huge queue on the Piazzetta and into the palace. The Great Council Chamber is jaw-dropping. The ticket was in my inbox within the hour.”
Doge's Palace Tickets is an independent ticket-concierge service that helps international visitors book entry to the Doge's Palace and the St Mark's Square Museums. We are not affiliated with the site or its operator. Our service fee is included in the displayed price, and we refund you in full if a booking cannot be secured.
Plan your visit
When to arrive for the shortest queues and the quietest chambers — a concierge timing guide to Venice's most popular palace.
By vaporetto to San Zaccaria or San Marco, or on foot through the lanes to St Mark's Square — how to reach Venice's Doge's Palace.
The Golden Staircase, the Great Council Chamber and Tintoretto's Paradise, the Bridge of Sighs and the prisons — a room-by-room highlights guide.
You book the St Mark's Square Museums ticket, which covers four museums on one pass: the Doge's Palace, the Correr Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, and the Monumental Halls of the Marciana Library. The Doge's Palace is the highlight; the other three sit on or beside St Mark's Square.
Your ticket is reserved for a chosen date rather than a rigid minute-by-minute slot. You select the day you plan to visit the Doge's Palace and we secure your dated entry. We'll confirm any entry details for your date in your confirmation email.
The St Mark's Square Museums ticket allows one admission to each of the four museums. After your first visit, it remains valid for the other included museums for up to three months — so you can spread your visits across your trip if you like.
The Doge's Palace is open daily, generally 09:00–19:00 from April to October (last admission 18:00) and 09:00–18:00 from November to March (last admission 17:00). There is no weekly closing day. Some summer Fridays and Saturdays have extended evening openings.
Follow the route from the courtyard and the Giants' Staircase up the gilded Golden Staircase to the Doge's Apartments and the great institutional chambers. The climax is the Chamber of the Great Council, where Tintoretto's Paradise — the world's largest canvas painting — hangs behind the throne. Then cross the Bridge of Sighs to the New Prisons, and don't miss the Armoury.
It is widely described as the largest oil painting on canvas in the world. Tintoretto's vast Paradise fills the wall behind the Doge's throne in the Chamber of the Great Council — a swirling vision of heaven crowded with hundreds of figures. It is one of the unmissable sights of the palace.
The enclosed white limestone bridge links the Doge's Palace to the New Prisons across a narrow canal. Legend holds that prisoners 'sighed' at their last glimpse of Venice and the lagoon through its small windows as they were led to the cells. Your route through the palace crosses it.
It stands on the Piazzetta beside St Mark's Square. The nearest vaporetto stops are San Zaccaria and San Marco–Vallaresso, both a short walk away. From the train station or Piazzale Roma, take Line 1 or Line 2 down the Grand Canal.
For a standard full-price ticket, no ID or name is needed — just your e-ticket QR code. A valid ID is only required if you are entitled to a reduced or free category of ticket, to prove eligibility at the entrance.
No. Your ticket is a digital e-ticket — simply show the QR code on your phone at the entrance. We email it to you after you book, usually within a few hours, so it's ready well before your visit.
Plan two to three hours for the Doge's Palace itself — the route is long and richly detailed. If you also want to see the Correr Museum, the Archaeological Museum and the Marciana Library halls on the same ticket, allow the better part of a day.
Much of the main route is reachable by lift, but some historic sections — including the Bridge of Sighs and the prisons — involve steps and narrow passages. If you have specific access needs, contact us before booking and we'll share the latest accessible-route information.
Yes. It forms part of 'Venice and its Lagoon', inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987 — a recognition of Venice as an extraordinary architectural and artistic achievement built on water.
Get in touch as early as you can and we'll help you find the best option. Changes depend on availability. Because tickets are secured on your behalf once you confirm, please double-check your date before booking — our full terms set out the refund and change conditions.
The price you see is an all-in concierge price covering your official four-museum admission ticket, our work securing and dating it on your behalf, a free audio guide, English-language support and instant delivery to your inbox. There is nothing extra to pay at the gate.