Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale)

Price guide: Mid-range

Piazzetta San Marco, San Marco 1, Venice

Price guide: Mid-range

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Doge's Palace
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By Anne Hanley, your Venice expert

I write for CSMA Magazine, Departures, .... Read more
#13 of 22
expert-rated things to do in Venice
Expert overall rating:4.8 out of 5
Value for money:
4.5
4.5
Recommended for:
Backpackers / Students, Culture vultures, Families with teenagers, First-time travellers, Seasoned travellers, Art, Design and architecture, History

Best for History - Expert review of Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale)

Last updated 10 November 2010

Art-filled halls and dank prisons in the republic's power hub.

The Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale) was the official residence of Venice's doge (duke) and seat of government – the nerve centre of power in republican Venice. The structure we see today dates mostly from the 15th-16th centuries.

Grandiose public rooms with immense artworks by Veronese, Tintoretto and Palma il Giovane are a magnificent contrast to the cramped, unadorned rooms where officials and clerks kept the mighty republic ticking, and the dank prison cells located across the iconic Bridge of Sighs. Book a Secret Itinerary tour to explore torture chambers and yet more prison cells – very popular with children.

Price advice: 

The €13 ticket (€7.50 reductions) allows access to all the museums of St Mark's Square (though not the paying parts of the basilica) and is valid for three months for one admission to each. Inexplicably, in Nov-Apr, this ticket costs €12 (€6.50 reductions). You can get an afternoon-only version for €10 (€4.50 reductions) only through the www.veniceconnected.com website.

Expert tips: 
The fascinating Secret Itinerary tour (+39 041 5209070 or online, €16, €10 concessions, includes admission ticket) must be booked in advance.

More information on Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale):

Price guide:
Mid-range
Type:
Castle / palace, Historic site, Museum
Address:
Piazzetta San Marco, San Marco 1, Venice
Telephone:
041 2715911
Website:
http://www.museiciviciveneziani.it
Months open:
All year round
Opening times:
Apr, May: daily 9am-5pm. Jun-Oct: daily 8.30am-6.30pm. Nov-Mar: daily 9am-6pm.
Indoor/outdoor?:
Both
Free tags / Keywords:
Tintoretto, Rainy days

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