If one has booked this tour, is it possible to view the regular part of the Doge's Palace beforehand? Or, is it possible to take a break anfter the tour, maybe grab lunch etc, then return, show one's receipt perhaps, and then go through the rest of the Doge's Palace?
Am I also correct in figuring out that it is impossible to take any of the Secret Itineraries tours in English and the St. Mark's tour in English on the same day, due to scheduling and the length of each respective tour?
I'm fairly certain that you can only view the main palace after the Secret Itineraries Tour and that you can't re-enter. However, if you do need a lunch break, there's a cafe in the basement of the palace. I didn't eat there, but it looked decent.
There is plenty of time to do the entire tour of the Doge's Palace and then St. Mark's. There is no tour of St. Mark's that I'm aware of (although Rick Steves' free iPod audio tour is great). You can book admission in advance (for free), but the basilica itself doesn't take much time. Once inside, however, there are other sections (can't reserve in advance and you do have to pay): the Golden Altarpiece, Treasury, and the Museum. We didn't go to these, but I can't imagine that they take a lot of time either.
We did the 11:35 Secret Itineraries Tour, spent some extra time in the Palace, grabbed some lunch, checked out St. Mark's Square a bit and went into the Basilica at our reserved time of 3:15. We didn't want to be rushed, but it turns out that we could have reserved an earlier slot than 3:15 without any rushing.
Leslie,
Thanks again for the info. Rick mentions in his book that there is a tour in English around 11 ("chek the noticeboard on the right inside the atrium as you enter"). That is the one to which I was referring. I am counting on being able to do both sights in one day because that's basically all we have for museums!
Tracy
Thanks Judy,
I just figured that if a (free)tour is offered it's great if one can take atvantage. That way I don't have to have my nose stuck in a book while I'm walking around (Maybe getting pick pocketed, but also often the guides can tell you additional details not in the book (if you get one who cares, which at this point in the season isn't guaranteed.) I do also like to ask questions, but quai sera sera.
My guide book is the 2008 version, and so far tour times match.
thanks again,
Tracy
Scott,
That's great news. D I have to show a reservation confirmation or what?
Tracy
Both in one day is fine.
At Doge's, you can do the "regular" tour either before or after your Secret Itineraries tour.
Tracy....Not sure what year edition you have of Rick's book. I have one that is a couple of years older and his times for the Secret Itineraries tour did not match what was available through the musei civici veneziani website.
I have found that in most churches, we have not needed to take a tour when one was available. Just make copies of Rick's pages for the site and follow along as you go through the basilica.
