julies

I've read all the old posts, and people are of mixed opinions. We have 5 nights and 4 full days in Venice. What exactly do we see in this tour? I've read about rafters, small rooms etc. I should add that we've enjoyed and remembered very unusual tours of other places such as way up in the interior of the Regensburg cathedral as it was being rebuilt, a house in Charleston S.C. that is still in exactly the same condition as when it was built in 1856, a church we found in the Czech Republic that had not been maintained due to lack of funding (interesting to see what all of these beautiful churches would be like if they were unmaintained). I just threw out these examples to demonstrate that it isn't always the most beautiful or outstanding things that we remember from our travels. So, what do you think? Would we like the secret itineraries tour? Thanks.

J62

We enjoyed the Secret Itineraries tour. You get to see parts of the palace off limits to others.

With 4 full days in Venice why not?

ellenem

I just returned from my tenth visit to Venice--had never done the Secret itineraries tour before, though I had toured the Doge's Palace. Now, in retrospect, I wouldn't consider a visit to the Doge's Palace, nor my understanding of the building and the behind-the-scenes functions of the Venetian government, complete without participating in this tour.

julies

Thanks to both of you. ellenem--your explanation of the significance of the tour has now move it on to my to-do list.

galelstorm

I am tagging onto this post with additional questions for our trip as we have only three nights in Venice.
We arrive (hopefully on time at 10:30 in the morning) on Sept. 15th and will train out to Umbria on the 18th. I really want to visit the different districts of Venice and get lost along the way. San Polo/Santa Croce visit the Rialto Market in the early morning, the Arsenale, Dorsoduro Santa Maria della Salute, Cannereggio, maybe Burano, see the gondola boat yard, etc. Is the Doge's Palace basic ctour or the Secret Itineraries tour really well worth a visit?

ellenem

I believe so. Part of understanding the place that is Venice is understanding its history and importance in the world of its heyday. A visit to Doge's Palace (which is easily seen on your own with an audio guide or just reading the very detailed didactic panels) and Secret Itineraries guided tour will help you to understand all that and probably only take 2-3 hours total. You will have 2.5 full days remaining for all that wandering.

ellenem

I wrote: You will have 2.5 full days remaining for all that wandering.

Sorry I miscalculated but still think you will have plenty of time for all your other sights.

yk

galestorm, we enjoyed the Secret tour on our visit. There's a recent post, but about taking kids on the secret tour. While it may not apply to you, many posters complained about how HOT it was on that tour during summer. Not sure how hot Venice is in mid-Sept:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...alace-tour.cfm

galelstorm

ellenem-thank you for responding so quickly. Should you reserve and purchase tickets in advance for the secret itineraries tour (they are non-cancellable per their website) or can you just purchase when you arrive?

hobbitthefoodlover

Did the secret tour too! Would recommend it but I did find a lot of information that they covered on this DVD:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Francescos-V.../dp/B000F3T918

ellenem

I think it depends on when you are traveling, but if you know you want to do it, I'd reserve ahead, especially if you want to be able to plan you other days. We had not trouble getting tickets after we arrived, but it was the end of November. We took a morning tour (10:30am?) and then toured the rest of the palace on our own using the didactic panels. We left the palace just before 1:00pm and headed to lunch. Some might linger longer, but that was enough for my Venice novice friends.

galelstorm

hobbit-thanks, this is the DVD that Peter_S_Aus recommended and it is on my list!
ellenem-I wish I could confidently book it for our first day but you never know with airlines. I will go for the second day at 10:30 or 11:30 to be safe. Thank you!

MyTwoToodles

We took it during our visit two weeks ago and was glad we did. Go early in the morning before it gets hot. Climbing stairs, small hit rooms, low ceilings are all on tour. It was fascinating and did not last over 2 hours. Our tour guide was very knowledgable and was able to answer all the groups questions about the palace and it's history without missing a beat. I would recommend (as ling as your not traveling with small children). Reserve and pay online beforehand if possible.

ira

Hi GS,

It is nice, but not a first priority.

You go up a lot of narrow stairs - even across the area between the roof on the top floor ceiling - into various small rooms reserved for the bureaucracy. You will see the jail where Casanova was imprisoned.

hobbitthefoodlover

Have to agree with Ira. If you are short on time/money, I would definitely not do it. But do get the DVD and it will give you a nice info on the history of Venice and the Doge's Palace.

travelphile

Ira nailed it. I was underwhelmed by the tour, but had done the public tour of the Palace before. I suppose the Casenova escaping story is intriguing, but I'm taking 2 'newbies' to Venice this Sept and have no plans to do that tour, whereas I've done other tours I would happily go on a 2nd time. Just my $.02

galelstorm

toodles, ira, hobbit, and travelphile - I think this clinches it. We will be traveling with another couple and they might have a difficult time with the stairs, and they have been there beofre. Personally, I would rather spend my time in Venice exploring the beauty of the city and not in the confines of Palazzo Ducale. I have ordered the DVD to watch before we go. Thank you all for confirming my gut feeling on this one!

BRR

we enjoyed it , but it was new years so not hot...best part was we watched the movie "Casanova" on our ipods on the train up from Rome to Venice...made it fun...