Subscribe To This Site
Doge's Palace - one of the top Venice attractions
Taking a cruise line organized Venice water bus transfer from the Venice Stazione Marittima cruise terminal, is one way of getting you to St Marks square downtown Venice and the Doge’s Palace. If you do decide to take it, there’s one big perk you get with it: the sea view from the boat as you approach the Piazza San Marco (in case you missed it as your ship was sailing-in early in the morning). Right there, in the palm of your hand, picture perfect, will be some of the top Venice attractions: the cupolas of Basilica di San Marco, the Bell tower of the cathedral, the Clock tower right there further back, and in front… overlooking the Venetian lagoon… a beautiful, delicate pink and white marble structure - the Doge’s Palace. 
Looking at such fragile, lace-like architecture as the Doge’s Palace… one would never say it was once the seat of a powerful, shrewd and, some might say, cruel government of the Venetian Republic… also known as La Serenissima. The Doge’s Palace was, as the name already suggests, the official residence of the Doge. The Doge was a noble, elected by other nobles in order to rule the Republic. Once elected, a Doge held the position for life.
Different Doges ruled the Venetian Republic for over 1000 years. At the time when any other European power was ruled by crowned heads, Venice wanted to stop power from falling into the hands of one dynasty.
Apart from being the Doge’s residence, the Doge’s Palace had 2 other major roles:
The palace also served as archive and prison up until the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797. Today, the Doge's Palace is used as a museum and any Mediterranean cruise ship guest visiting Venice should definitely try to set aside an hour or two to visit and experience it. The interiors of the Doge's Palace are quite spectacular, including numerous magnificent paintings glorifying the Venetian Republic and a multitude of excellent architecture and decoration. If you appreciate these, then it will quite simply be a feast for your eyes! Enjoy!
Visiting the Doge's Palace - one of the top museums in VeniceEntrance for the public to the Doge's Palace is from the San Marco Piazzetta (facing the Doge's Palace, go to the right-hand side, the entrance is by the façade facing the waterfront). 
You will need to purchase a ticket: - The basic single ticket (which also includes a visit to a few other museums in and around St Mark’s square) is €12. It is reduced to €6,50 for children aged 6-14 and students aged 15-19. - Only purchase the Museum Pass if you wish to visit all the museums in and around St Mark’s square (which honestly as a Med cruiser, you’ll hardly have enough time for), one bonus is that it does also include entrance to the Glass Museum on Murano Island. The cost of this pass is €18. For more information on tickets and bookings, you can visit the official site here. THERE ARE 4 MOST COMMON WAYS OF ORGANIZING YOUR VISIT TO THE DOGE'S PALACE: 1. Wandering around on your own – if you don’t have too much time or concentration to follow organized tours around, this is the way to go. After a while it might become a bit overwhelming, as there is so much to see and you will have no idea what you’re looking at unless you have a good guidebook with you (although for the basic information you can refer to the information board in every room). Good enough for those in a rush (as a Mediterranean cruiser you might be one of them) and those who just want to say: “I’ve been there!” For a little help with seeing the Doge's Palace on your own, download a free mini audio guide here. 2. Wandering around on your own accompanied with an audio guide – you will like this if you have enough patience and you are genuinely interested in Venetian art and history. The audio guide is a €5 charge and it takes about 90 minutes. 3. Visit the Doge’s Palace as part of your cruise ship organized Shore Excursion. For more information visit your cruise line’s website. 4. Pre-book a Secret Itineraries Tour - this tour will not give you a general overview of the Doge’s Palace and it’s most attractive rooms. It will concentrate more on the little nooks and crannies not normally accessible to those with a regular ticket. In about 1.5 hours this tour will take your Doge’s Palace experience to another level. If you want to learn more about the palace’s prisons, torture rooms, walk over the Bridge of Sighs, and hear spicy stories about Casanova’s prison escape… you will enjoy it! For only a few euros more than the basic admission, you will get both a tour, learn the history background and after that be left to explore the Doge’s Palace on your own. This tour is organized into smaller groups for up to 25 people so make sure you make your bookings ahead. Before you choose the time of your tour, make sure you double check the time of your ship’s arrival into Venice (some arrive early in the morning while others arrive only in the afternoon), and allow enough time for getting downtown from the cruise ship terminal. Many websites offer to process the online booking for you but they also charge a fee for that service. To make sure you go straight to the source and don’t pay extra, go to the official site of Musei Civici Veneziani. Practical info on the Doge's Palace
9am – 6pm (ticket office open 9am – 5pm) 9am – 7pm (ticket office open 9am – 6pm) Closed on 25th December and 1st January There are a number of services available to you when you visit the Doge's Palace in Venice:
The Doge's Palace in Venice is wheelchair-accessible and has wheelchair-accessible lifts. However, the Secret Itineraries tour, the Prisons and the Armory are not wheelchair-accessible. Doge's Palace tips
From DOGE'S PALACE to Mediterranean Cruise Ports Easy HOME PAGE
|
