We, 3 adults, will be in Venice Touring Oct 3, 4, and 5. I am trying to get an idea of the realistic amount of time needed at some locations so that I can purchase timed entry tickets without packing them too close together or even too far apart to get the most out of our time we have. In order to give me a rough idea, how long would you estimate for a visit to Basilica San Marco? We were going to get the ticket to see the cathedral, the Pala, and the museum. I didn't know if it would be an hour or 2 or more hours. How about the Doge's Palace? We would not be doing a guided tour, just a standard ticket. And finally, the Campanile at San Marco?
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
18154 posts
Basilica with Pala and Museum, maybe up to 2 hours
Palazzo dei Dogi, 2 hours is enough, unless you want to visit every detail with an audio guide.
Campanile, once you are on top, 15 min is enough, since all you need is admire the panorama and take some photos. So maybe half hour including going up and down with the elevator.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
2196 posts
I would allow 2 hours - and maybe a little more - for the basilica and museum. If you skim some of the museum stuff then 2 hours is probably about right. Unless you are very interested in altars or gold work I didn't consider the Pala all that interesting compared to everything else. The museum ticket, however, is very interesting and allows access to the roof top overlooking Piazza San Marco and the Grand Canal so that alone is worth it. The museum access also gives up close views to the cathedral and overlooking views from the upstairs that regular ticket does not.
A few years ago we the Basilica, had an 1.5 hours for a quick lunch and then took a tour of the Doge's Palace and it was a full day in the end.
Don't rush everything and spend some time away from the super touristy areas. Venice has a fascinating history so I'd suggest a little research in the 1,000 year Republic and the weirdness that was the office of Doge could add some real context to the sites themselves.
Venice is amazing, enjoy!
=Tod
Posted by
Switzerland
115 posts
And don't forget that the Doge’s Palace ticket also includes the Museo Correr, which can easily take another 1-4 hours, depending on how deeply you want to explore. The only 'catch' is that you need to visit both on the same day.
My suggestion, since you have multiple days in the city, would be to visit the Basilica and its Campanile on one day, and the Doge's Palace (+ Museo Correr) on another. Btw, the Secret Itineraries guided tour at the Doge's Palace is truly captivating (and it only adds one hour or so to the duration of the visit).
Posted by
OP
Overland Park, KS
109 posts
Thanks so much for great information!!