Venice Walking Tour plus Skip the Lines Doge's Palace and St Mark's Basilica Tours

The name of the tour was the Absolute Venice Tour. It is a 2-part, 4-hour walking tour. Because the tour took us through Basilica San Marco (St. Mark’s Basilica), we were required to wear appropriate clothing – no bare knees or shoulders. We met our guide near the Church of San Zaccaria which was built between 1458 and 1515. It is a small but picturesque church. We were provided with earphones so that we could easily hear the guides. Our first guide took us on a vigorous walk through many Venice streets and alleys, across several bridges, through several of the 6 districts of historic Venice, and back to the Church of San Zaccaria. She spoke English quite well. She stopped regularly and explained the history of the city, the architecture, the establishment of settlements on the islands, the construction of the foundations supporting the buildings, and many more fascinating facts. She answered our questions thoroughly. The second guide also spoke English very well. This part of the tour started with a brisk walk from the Church of San Zaccaria to St. Mark’s Square. During this walk, the guide described what we were seeing. She gave interesting information about the regular flooding of the area and the efforts to keep certain areas from sinking. Once inside St. Mark’s Square, the guide described the various buildings and their uses over the years. We entered the Basilica San Marco after going through metal detectors. The present structure is the third church at this location and began construction around 1063. It is a beautiful display of Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic architecture and has some Islamic influences. The interior is fabulously decorated. Many of the columns, reliefs, and sculptures were stripped from other churches, palaces, and public monuments in other cities and countries. Among the plundered artefacts brought to Venice were four ancient bronze horses. The horses are now located in the Basilica’s Museum and replicas are placed prominently over the Basilica's entrance. The horses were originally located in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), which was sacked and looted in 1204. The guide took us through the Basilica’s Museum and provided details about several of the items we saw on display. She also led us to a balcony over the entrance to the Basilica where the replica horses are. The view of St. Mark’s Square from this location location is breathtaking. From there, we were taken to the Doge’s Palace. The guide led us through several of the chambers and gave details about the primary functions of each area including the politics and legal systems used throughout the history of these chambers. She took us through the court chambers and then over to the old prison. We also crossed the Bridge of Sighs which spans the narrow canal between the Doge’s Palace and the prison. The Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. We enjoyed the historic details provided by both of our guides and highly recommend this tour. Please note that you should wear comfortable and sturdy walking shoes. This tour covers quite a bit of area and includes walking on uneven surfaces and up and down stairs. We are a healthy 70+ year old couple and we didn't have any trouble keeping up with the guides.

Be sure you understand what is included in the tires of St. Mark and Doge before you book. Spent most time outside of basilica on balcony when I would have liked to pray at St. Marks tomb or at least have 5 minutes to visit to pray. Martina who led us in walking tour in an was 5 star! Donato was ok.

Si vas a Gandia de vacaciones o turismo no dejes de ver este palacio de esta familia de las más poderosas de la época medieval les faltó poco para hacerse los dueños de toda Italia llegaron a tener tres Papás esta familia de origen español de Gandía dejaron este palacio que refleja el poder que tenían no dejes de verlo, tienes o por ocho euros entrada y por algo más visita visita con guía "IMPRESIONANTE"