I see there are two options: Secret Itineraries and Hidden Treasures. Does anyone have an opinion on which tour is preferable. I have heard good reviews for the Secret Itineray tour but no mention of the Hidden Treasure tour.
Posted by
Pleasant Hill, CA, USA
473 posts
We did the Secrets tour in June and you got to see the upper floors where the general public cannot go. It does get hot upstairs and they move you on quickly. Very informative tour. Don't know about the other tour.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15771 posts
The SI tour has been going for years so lots of us have taken it and I haven't seen any bad reviews. Much of it is under the roof, no heating, no AC, so in summer it's very hot up there, in winter, very chilly.
The HT tour is pretty new. There are a few reviews on tripadvisor.com.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
360 posts
We did the Secrets tour and thought it was worth while, especially since it helps you go jump the ticket line to get in (but if memory serves, there's still a security line). You get to see some of the rooms the public can't see -- like where Casanova was imprisoned, along with some meeting rooms and offices. Our one mistake was not realizing how long the public part could take, so we tried to do it before our tour in about 30 min. and it was way too fast -- I'd allow yourself at least an hour or do it afterward.
Posted by
Texas
158 posts
I did the Hidden Treasures tour December 2016. I think it's a smaller group - 8 total people on the tour. The guide was really good, she spoke good English and had good humor about the questions people asked. We saw a room of 'treasure' although there wasn't much of it. We saw some holding cells in the palace part, some narrow passageways, some of the Doge's chambers and a meeting room / the Doge's private chapel. If I recall correctly, I should have put more detail in my travel diary :)