# Secret Itineraries of the Doge's Palace Guided tour · 1 h 15 · From age 6 · €40 Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/veneto/venice/things-to-do/doge-palace-secret-itineraries · Revisado: 2026-11-11 Dónde: Venice The normal visit shows the power of the Republic; this one shows how it worked on the inside: where things were written, where people were judged and where they were locked up. There is no Spanish tour: choose English, French or Italian. ## Why do it The Doge's Palace that everyone sees is that of the great halls: the Scala dei Giganti, the Great Council Hall, the ceilings by Tintoretto and Veronese. But behind those walls there was another palace of narrow corridors, archives, offices and cells, where the secretaries of the Council of Ten worked and where prisoners were locked up. This itinerary opens those doors and explains how the Republic of Venice was governed and watched over. The story of Giacomo Casanova's escape from the Piombi, which the guide tells in the reconstructed cells, is the moment people remember most. The practical reason is the price. Entry to the St Mark's Square museums costs €35 at the ticket office, and the secret itinerary, €40, includes the guided tour and, afterwards, independent access to the Doge's Palace, the Correr Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the monumental rooms of the Biblioteca Marciana. For €5 more you see what almost nobody sees. ## Who it suits and who it doesn't It suits teenagers and adults with a curiosity about history, and anyone who already knows the palace and wants to return with a different eye. Children aged 6 to 14 pay the reduced rate and are usually hooked by the cells and the torture chamber. It is not for under-6s, who cannot enter, nor for people with mobility problems: there are narrow staircases. The museum advises against it with claustrophobia, vertigo, cardiorespiratory problems and during pregnancy. ## Hours and when to go There are tours in Italian at 11:00 and 12:30, in English at 10:00, 11:30 and 13:00, and in French at 10:30 and 12:00. From 15 June to 31 August, the 13:00 English tour moves forward to 9:30. As they are all in the morning, you have the afternoon for the rest of the palace, which opens from 9:00 to 18:00 in winter (1 November to 31 March) and from 9:00 to 19:00 in summer, with last entry an hour before closing. The first tour is the best: you come out into the big rooms before they fill with groups. ## Getting there The public entrance is the Porta del Frumento, on the Piazzetta di San Marco. By vaporetto, from Piazzale Roma or the station, line 1 drops you at San Marco Vallaresso or San Zaccaria, and line 2 at San Marco Giardinetti. ## What it costs €40 full price and €20 reduced. Reduced rates apply to children aged 6 to 14, students aged 15 to 25 with ID, over-65s and Rolling Venice holders, among others. ## There is another itinerary: the doge's hidden treasures If you are more interested in art than in prisons, the palace offers another guided route of the same length and price through the Foscara loggia, the chest room, the doge's apartment, Titian's fresco of St Christopher and the doge's private chapel. Groups are a maximum of ten people and there are also tours in English, Italian and French. ## Paso a paso ### Before · Book Online on the Vivaticket portal, by phone or by email to the booking centre. Groups are a maximum of 25 people. ### Start · The courtyard The group meets in the palace courtyard with a specialist guide and enters through a narrow door. Arrive in good time: if you are more than 15 minutes late you don't get in. ### The Pozzi The cells on the ground floor, damp and dark. ### The offices of power The Ducal Notary's office, the room of the secretaries of the Council of Ten, the Grand Chancellor's office and the Secret Chancellery. ### Torture chamber and Piombi The cells under the lead roof, where Casanova was imprisoned, and the attic with its wooden structure. ### Finale · The Inquisitors The Inquisitors' room, with a ceiling by Tintoretto, and the Three Heads' room, linked by a secret passage to the Council of Ten's room. ### Afterwards · The palace on your own When it ends you continue alone through the great halls of the palace and, if you have energy left, through the Correr Museum, on the other side of the square. ## Qué llevar - The booking with the tour time - Comfortable shoes: there are narrow staircases - A light layer: the attic is cool in winter and hot in summer - Little luggage: suitcases and large bags do not get in, and rucksacks and umbrellas go to the free cloakroom ## Consejos ### Book in advance Groups are a maximum of 25 and the English tours fill up. ### The ticket includes museums The ticket also gives access to other museums in St Mark's Square. ### Take the first tour At 10:00 in English, or at 9:30 in summer. You come out just as the palace starts to fill up. ### Don't buy the normal ticket beforehand The itinerary already includes it. Buying both is paying twice. ### Download the MUVE app The app's audio guide is included and works for the part you do on your own. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How much does it cost? €40 full price and €20 reduced, for children aged 6 to 14, students aged 15 to 25 and over-65s. ### Is there a tour in Spanish? No. Tours are in Italian (11:00 and 12:30), English (10:00, 11:30 and 13:00) and French (10:30 and 12:00). ### Can children go? From age 6. Under-6s cannot enter. ### Is it suitable for everyone? It is not recommended with mobility problems, claustrophobia, vertigo, cardiorespiratory problems or during pregnancy. ### Does it include the rest of the palace? Yes. After the guided tour you can explore the Doge's Palace, the Correr Museum, the Archaeological Museum and the rooms of the Biblioteca Marciana on your own. ### How do you book? On the Vivaticket portal linked from the palace's website, or by phone and email with the booking centre.