The Doge’s Palace is visited with the St Mark’s Square Museums ticket: €35 full price (€30 online more than 30 days before the visit), €15 reduced. It is open from 9 am to 7 pm from April 1 to October 31 and from 9 am to 6 pm from November 1 to March 31, with last entry one hour before closing.
Seat of the government of the Republic of Venice, the palace links the Great Council Hall to the prisons by the Bridge of Sighs. This page sets out the official prices of the MUVE foundation, the question of Venice’s access fee and a route according to the time you have. For the rest of your stay, see our guide to visiting Venice. For St Mark’s Square, see our dedicated page.
Our travel deals for Doge's Palace
Affiliate links: we earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
FlightsKiwi.comCompare flights and airline combinations to Doge's Palace.Compare flights- Tickets and toursTiqetsEntry tickets and guided tours to book online; compare with the official price.See tickets
Visiting the Doge’s Palace: key facts
- Hours: April 1 – October 31: 9 am–7 pm (last entry 6 pm); November 1 – March 31: 9 am–6 pm (last entry 5 pm).
- Full price, recorded on 15 October 2026: €35 (€30 online more than 30 days ahead); reduced €15.
- Ticket: a single ticket for the Doge’s Palace, the Correr Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the monumental rooms of the Marciana Library.
- Booking: recommended for the online rate; compulsory for the Secret Itineraries (guided tour).
- Information checked on 15 October 2026 on palazzoducale.visitmuve.it.
Tickets: official site or resellers?
The official ticket office is that of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE), at palazzoducale.visitmuve.it.
| Ticket | Full | Reduced |
|---|---|---|
| St Mark’s Square Museums (standard) | €35 | €15 |
| St Mark’s Square Museums (online, more than 30 days ahead) | €30 | €15 |
| Secret Itineraries (guided tour + square museums) | €40 | €20 |
| Hidden Treasures of the Doge (guided tour + square museums) | €40 | €20 |
| Museum Pass (civic museums, valid 6 months) | €50 | €25 |
Reduced rate: children aged 6 to 14, students aged 15 to 25, over 65s, and holders of the Rolling Venice or ISIC card. Free: children aged 0 to 5, people with disabilities and their companion, Venice residents and natives, and ICOM members, among others. A « Seniors + Junior » rate applies to groups of two adults with at least one young person up to age 16.
Resellers: several websites with similar names (« doges palace… ») sell tickets or guided tours. A resold skip-the-line ticket is not cheaper than the official online price: book more than 30 days ahead on the MUVE website to pay €30.
Opening hours and closures
Closing procedures begin 30 minutes before the stated time: arrive at least two hours before closing. The palace can be opened outside normal hours on request, at least 5 working days in advance (extraordinary opening, paid). The official website also publishes special openings and announcements: check them for your date.
Venice access fee: which days apply
On certain days Venice charges an access fee to day visitors who do not stay overnight in the municipality. In 2026 the trial period ended at the end of July (Italian press). The 2027 calendar had not been published as of 15 October 2026: check the municipality’s website (cda.ve.it) before you come. If you sleep in Venice, you pay the tourist tax at your hotel and are exempt. The fee is separate from the palace ticket.
Best time to visit
- Time of day: at opening (9 am); St Mark’s Square fills up as the morning goes on. The foundation publishes no crowd figures: we give none.
- Season: April to June and September to October; July and August are hot (average high of 28.5 °C / 83 °F in July) and very busy.
- Winter: closing at 6 pm, but the city is calmer; risk of acqua alta in the square in November and December.
Climate data: ISPRA 1991–2020 normals for Venice-Tessera, taken from our page on the best time to visit Venice.
What to see: suggested route
- 1 hr 30 min: Giants’ Staircase and Golden Staircase, Sala del Collegio, Senate Hall, Great Council Hall (Tintoretto’s Paradise), Bridge of Sighs and the prisons.
- 2 hr 30 min to 3 hr: add the armory, the Council of Ten room and the Correr Museum, included in the ticket.
- With the Secret Itineraries: the guided tour goes through the chancellery offices and the « Piombi », the cells under the roof.
Getting there
The palace is on St Mark’s Square (San Marco). The nearest vaporetto stops are San Zaccaria and San Marco (check the lines on the operator ACTV’s website). From Santa Lucia station, allow about 40 minutes on foot through the city.
Accessibility
People with disabilities and their companion enter free of charge. The palace has many staircases: see the « Services » section of the official website before you come; we could not read any detail there on accessible routes.
Common mistakes
- Buying the ticket less than 30 days ahead and expecting to pay €30: that rate requires more than 30 days’ notice.
- Arriving less than an hour before closing: last entry is at 6 pm (summer) or 5 pm (winter).
- Forgetting that the ticket includes the Correr Museum and the Marciana Library.
- Coming as a day visitor on an access-fee day without having paid it.
The Doge’s Palace in brief: a little history
For centuries the palace was the seat of the doge, the government and the courts of the Republic of Venice. Its present Gothic form dates mostly from the 14th and 15th centuries, with reconstructions after the fires of 1574 and 1577.
The Great Council Hall, one of the largest in Europe, is dominated by Tintoretto’s Paradise. The new prisons, across the canal, are linked to the palace by the Bridge of Sighs, built in the early 17th century. Giacomo Casanova escaped in 1756 from the Piombi, the cells under the roof, which you can see on the Secret Itineraries tour.
Since 1923 the palace has been a museum, now run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.
Visiting with children
- Under-6s enter free and ages 6 to 14 pay the reduced rate.
- The « Seniors + Junior » rate lowers the price for two adults accompanied by at least one young person aged 16 or under.
- The armory and the crossing of the Bridge of Sighs to the prisons are children’s favorite stops.
- The route includes many staircases: leave the stroller at the hotel if you can.
Checklist before your visit
- Ticket bought more than 30 days ahead on the MUVE website for the €30 rate.
- Proof for any discount (age, student card, Rolling Venice).
- Secret Itineraries booked if you want to see the Piombi.
- Arrival at least two hours before closing.
- Access-fee calendar checked if you are coming as a day visitor.
Is the visit worth it?
The Doge’s Palace is the most complete visit for understanding how Venice was governed for a thousand years. The ticket includes three other St Mark’s Square museums: allow half a day to get your money’s worth. Book more than 30 days ahead for the online rate and add the Secret Itineraries if you want to see the Piombi prisons.
What to see nearby
St Mark’s Basilica and its bell tower, the Bridge of Sighs seen from the Ponte della Paglia, the Clock Tower and the Correr Museum. Our Venice page details the sestieri; see also the Venice Carnival if you are coming in February.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Doge’s Palace cost?
€35 full price, €30 online more than 30 days ahead, €15 reduced (official website, 15 October 2026). The ticket includes the Correr Museum, the Archaeological Museum and the Marciana Library.
What are the Doge’s Palace opening hours?
9 am–7 pm from April 1 to October 31, 9 am–6 pm from November 1 to March 31; last entry one hour before.
How long does it take to visit the Doge’s Palace?
About 1 hr 30 min for the palace alone, 2 hr 30 min to 3 hr with the Correr Museum (estimate).
What are the Secret Itineraries?
A guided tour of the palace’s hidden areas (chancellery, Piombi prisons), at €40 full price, which also includes access to the square museums.
Do you have to pay Venice’s access fee to visit the palace?
The access fee applies to day visitors on certain days only; the 2027 calendar had not been published as of 15 October 2026.
Our sources
- Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, palazzoducale.visitmuve.it: practical information (hours, tickets, discounts), consulted on 15 October 2026.
- Italian press (Sky TG24, April 2026; GreenMe) on the 2026 access fee.
- ISPRA, 1991–2020 normals for Venice-Tessera, taken from our page on the best time to visit Venice.
- Our methodology
Updated November 2026. Practical information checked on 15 October 2026 on the official websites cited. Prices and hours may change: check before you go.