Inside the Doge's Palace

The Doge's Palace, or Palazzo Ducale, is one of the iconic landmarks of the Piazza San Marco in Venice. For years I've been appreciating its Gothic architecture from the outside, but this year Gareth and I finally toured the interior as well.



If you don't mind queuing, you can buy tickets at the entrance on the day you want to go, but if you'd like to get a more in-depth look at the palace with a guide, then you need to book the Secret Itineraries tour months in advance. We opted to walk through the palace on our own and listen to snatches from tour guides as we passed them, which was good enough for us, along with my Top 10 Venice guide book, but doesn't really give you a clear idea of the history and an appreciation of the beautiful art inside.

Some of the highlights of the palace for us were the maps and globes, the armory, the lavish ceilings, the view over Venice from the windows on the top floors, walking across the Bridge of Sighs and feeling claustrophobic inside the dark and dingy dungeons.










Have you been to the Doge's Palace? Would you consider it one of the must-sees of Venice?

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For more posts in the Ciao Italy 2014 series, click here.

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