Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The seat of the Venetian government and home of its ruling duke, or doge, this was the most
powerful half-acre in Europe for 400 years. The Doge's Palace was built to show off the
power and wealth of the Republic. The doge lived with his family on the first floor, near the
halls of power. From his once-lavish (now sparse) quarters, you'll follow the one-way tour
through the public rooms of the top floor, finishing with the Bridge of Sighs and the prison.
The place is wallpapered with masterpieces by Veronese and Tintoretto. Don't worry much
about the great art. Enjoy the building.
Cost and Hours:
€16 combo-ticket also includes Correr Museum, daily April-Oct
8:30-18:30, Nov-March 8:00-17:30, last entry one hour before closing, café, next to St.
Mark's Basilica, just off St. Mark's Square, vaporetto stops: San Marco or San Zaccaria, tel.
041-271-5911,
http://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it
.
Avoiding Lines:
If the line is long at the Doge's Palace, buy your combo-ticket at the
Correr Museum across the square; then you can go straight to the Doge's Palace turnstile,
skirting along to the right of the long ticket-buying line and entering at the “prepaid tickets”
entrance. It's also possible to buy your ticket online—at least 48 hours in advance—on the
museum website.
Tours:
The audioguide tour is dry but informative (€5, 1.5 hours, need ID or credit card
for deposit). For a 1.25-hour live guided tour, consider the Secret Itineraries Tour, which
takes you into palace rooms otherwise not open to the public (€20, includes Doge's Palace
admission but not Correr Museum admission; €14 with combo-ticket; three English-lan-
guage tours each morning). Though the tour skips the palace's main hall, you're welcome
to visit the hall afterward on your own. Reserve ahead for this tour in peak season—it can
fill up as much as a month in advance. Book online at
http://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it
or
reserve by phone (tel. 848-082-000, from the US dial 011-39-041-4273-0892), or you can
try just showing up at the info desk.
Visiting the Doge's Palace:
You'll see the restored facades from the
courtyard.
Notice
a grand staircase (with nearly naked Moses and Paul Newman at the top). Even the most
powerful visitors climbed this to meet the doge. This was the beginning of an architectural
power trip.
In the
Senate Hall,
the 120 senators met, debated, and passed laws. Tintoretto's large
Triumph of Venice
on the ceiling (central painting, best viewed from the top) shows the city
in all its glory. Lady Venice is up in heaven with the Greek gods, while barbaric lesser na-
tions swirl up to give her gifts and tribute.
The
Armory
—a dazzling display originally assembled to intimidate potential adversar-
ies—shows remnants of the military might that the empire employed to keep the East-West
trade lines open (and the local economy booming).
