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The Doge's Palace, Venice

No. 56 Top 100 Most Visited Art Museums 2025 · 1,355,689 visitors in 2025

Palazzo Ducale

Venice, Italy · City guide: Venice

Venice's Gothic Doge's Palace: gilded halls, Tintoretto's Paradise and the Bridge of Sighs.

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Photo: kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

The Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) is No. 56 in The Art Newspaper's survey of the world's most visited art museums, with 1,355,689 visitors in 2025, up 2% on 2024. For centuries it was the residence of the Doge and the seat of the Republic of Venice's government and courts.

The Gothic palace stands beside St Mark's Basilica, facing the lagoon. Its halls are decorated with paintings by Tintoretto, Veronese and other Venetian masters, and the Bridge of Sighs links it to the prisons across the canal.

A statue in the courtyard of the Doge's Palace
A statue in the courtyard of the Doge's Palace. Photo: Moonik, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Best time to visit

Go at opening time or in the late afternoon to avoid the busiest hours, and book online in summer.

Highlights & collections

  • 1

    Giants' Staircase

    The courtyard staircase topped by Sansovino's statues of Mars and Neptune.

  • 2

    Golden Staircase

    A stairway with a gilded stucco ceiling leading to the upper floors.

  • 3

    Hall of the Great Council

    One of the largest rooms in Europe, with Tintoretto's huge painting of Paradise.

  • 4

    Bridge of Sighs and the prisons

    Cross the enclosed bridge to the New Prisons, as prisoners once did.

  • 5

    Secret Itineraries

    A guided tour of hidden offices, archives and the cell of Giacomo Casanova; book ahead.

Getting there

The palace is on Piazza San Marco. The nearest vaporetto stops are San Zaccaria and San Marco.

Visiting tips

Tickets & hours
Tickets usually also cover the Museo Correr and other museums on Piazza San Marco. Check the official website for prices and hours.
Time needed
Two to three hours.
Currency
Euro (EUR). Cards, including contactless, are accepted almost everywhere.
Visa & entry
Italy is in the Schengen Area. Many visitors, including citizens of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) now records non-EU travellers' entries and exits at the border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is due to follow. Check the official EU site travel-europe.europa.eu and your own government's travel advice before you go.

Official information: Palazzo Ducale (official website). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

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