Doge's Palace and Bridge of Sighs Guided Tour

Explore the spectacular Doge’s Palace, the political heart of the Venetian Republic where magnificent art and architecture sit side-by-side with forbidding prisons, before visiting the iconic Bridge of Sighs.

Highlights

The Great Council Chamber

The Bridge of Sighs

Superb Renaissance Frescoes

Hidden Gems

The Scala d’Oro
The Doge’s Chambers
The Armory and Prisons

Tour Includes

Skip-the-line tickets
Expert English-speaking private guide
Complete tour of Doge's Palace and Bridge of Sighs

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Step inside the heart of the Venetian Republic on a guided journey through the Doge’s Palace, where art, politics, and power were inseparable. Skip the lines and enter a world of soaring Gothic architecture, monumental staircases, and vast council chambers designed to impress allies and intimidate rivals. As you move through the palace, your guide unpacks how Venice governed itself – not through kings or emperors, but through a tightly controlled republic with a vast bureaucracy built on secrecy, ambition, and diplomacy. Masterpieces by Tintoretto, Veronese, and Titian form the backdrop to stories of intrigue, justice, and surveillance. The experience culminates with a crossing of the Bridge of Sighs, which led into Venice’s most-feared prisons: a sobering reminder that the Serenissima had its dark side.

Create Your Custom Journey

Our dedicated team is here to help you design the perfect trip. We’re happy to assist every step of the way.

GET STARTED

The Doge's Palace

The nerve center of Venetian power for centuries, the sprawling Doge's Palace offers up an intriguing mix of stunning art and architecture which formed the backdrops for the shadowy politics that kept the bureacratic machine of the Serenissima running.

The Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs once carried prisoners from the courts of the Doge’s Palace to their cells, offering a final, fleeting glimpse of Venice through its narrow windows - hence the sighs.

The Golden Staircase

Designed by the renowned architect Jacopo Sansovino in the 16th century, this lavish gilded staircase was the stunning formal entrance to the Doge’s apartments for visiting dignitaries, leaving no doubt about the all-encompassing power of the Doge himself.