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Doge's Palace: the seat of the Venetian Republic

For almost a thousand years Venice was governed from this building on the water's edge. Its halls, painted by Tintoretto and Veronese to glorify the Republic, are among the grandest rooms in Europe, and a covered bridge leads from them to the prisons.

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From €35
Open
Daily from 9:00
Closed
Holidays: see the site
Allow
2 to 3 hours

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    What to see at the Doge's Palace

    1. The Hall of the Great Council

      The vast hall where every noble of the Republic had a seat, with Tintoretto's Paradise on the end wall and portraits of the doges round the frieze.

    2. The Golden Staircase

      Sansovino's staircase of gilded stucco, which led the Republic's visitors up to the doge's apartments and the council rooms.

    3. The Bridge of Sighs

      The enclosed bridge of white stone over the canal behind the palace, which took prisoners from the courts to the cells. You cross it inside the visit.

    4. The prisons

      The New Prisons across the canal, with their stone cells and the graffiti of those held in them.

    5. The courtyard

      The arcaded courtyard with its bronze well-heads, and the Giants' Staircase, where the doges were crowned.

    Tickets and tours for the Doge's Palace

    • Sold by GetYourGuide

      Venice: Doge's Palace Reserved Entry Ticket

      Entry to the Doge's Palace at the time you choose, over the Bridge of Sighs and into the prisons.

      Included

      • Entry to the Doge's Palace at the time you book
      • The Bridge of Sighs and the prisons

      From

      €35

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    Visiting the Doge's Palace: hours and admission

    Opening hours

    Every day, 1 April to 31 October
    9:00 to 19:00
    Every day, 1 November to 31 March
    9:00 to 18:00
    • The last entry is an hour before closing.
    • The Secret Itineraries tour runs in the morning and is booked separately.
    • Hours can change for events: the palace's site lists any changes.

    Who gets in free

    • The palace's own site gives the days and the visitors who enter free.

    Getting there

    Vaporetto
    San Zaccaria, on lines 1, 2, 4.1 and 5.1 among others, about two minutes away.
    On foot
    On the Piazzetta, beside St Mark's Basilica.
    From the station
    Venice has no cars. From Santa Lucia station or Piazzale Roma, take the vaporetto down the Grand Canal, or walk: the city is small, but its lanes wind.

    Address

    Palazzo Ducale
    Piazza San Marco 1
    30124 Venice, Italy

    Entrances

    The visitors' entrance is the Porta del Frumento, on the lagoon side of the palace, facing the water.

    On the map

    Before you go

    • Book a time: the palace sells timed tickets and the queues on the Piazzetta are long by mid-morning.
    • The Secret Itineraries tour, booked separately, shows the offices, the archives and the cell Casanova escaped from.
    • Allow two hours at least. The route is long and one way, and ends in the prisons.
    • The palace's ticket also opens the Correr Museum on the other side of St Mark's Square.

    The palace of a republic that lasted a thousand years

    The doge, the elected head of the Venetian Republic, lived here, and the councils that really ran the state met in its halls. The building that stands today is mostly of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, its two long Gothic fronts of pink and white stone resting on open arcades.

    Fires in the 1570s destroyed much of the inside, and the Republic called on its best painters to decorate the rebuilt rooms. Tintoretto's Paradise, behind the doge's throne in the Hall of the Great Council, is one of the largest oil paintings in the world.

    The Republic fell to Napoleon in 1797. The palace became a museum in 1923 and is now run by the city's museums, the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.

    Doge's Palace: common questions

    What are the opening hours of the Doge's Palace?
    Every day, 1 April to 31 October: 9:00 to 19:00. Every day, 1 November to 31 March: 9:00 to 18:00. The last entry is an hour before closing. The Secret Itineraries tour runs in the morning and is booked separately. Hours can change for events: the palace's site lists any changes.
    Is the Doge's Palace ever free?
    The palace's own site gives the days and the visitors who enter free.
    What does the ticket include?
    Entry to the Doge's Palace at the time you book. The Bridge of Sighs and the prisons. It is sold by GetYourGuide.
    Is the Bridge of Sighs part of the Doge's Palace visit?
    Yes. The visit crosses the Bridge of Sighs from the palace to the prisons and back.
    How long does a visit to the Doge's Palace take?
    About two hours for the halls, the bridge and the prisons, and an hour more with the Secret Itineraries tour.
    Why is it called the Bridge of Sighs?
    The name was given in the nineteenth century, by Lord Byron's time: the sigh is said to be that of prisoners taking a last look at the lagoon through its stone windows.

    What visitors say about the Doge's Palace

    Rating from Google

    4.7

    40,625 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 27 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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