The Venice Pass: How It Works, Info, Prices and Services

What does the practical combination offer include? There is no visit to Venice without a tour of St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace, a classic gondola ride, as well as a trip by water bus through the famous Grand Canal with its legendary Rialto Bridge. The world-famous lagoon city on the Adriatic must be experienced from the water and explored on foot.

Must-sees include the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica, which you can visit for free, but often only after a long wait. You can get each necessary ticket individually or find everything in a Venice Pass, which includes all the highlights of the fantastic lagoon city.

What does the Tiqets Venice Digital Pass include?

Here is an overview of everything that is included in this ticket:

• St Mark’s Basilica with fast track entry, terrace & Pala D’Oro
• Doge’s Palace with Fast Track Entrance
• Self-guided tour of the Doge’s Palace: Audio Guide App
• Classic Gondola Ride
• 10% discount code for each additional individual reservation

How much is the Venice Digital Pass?

Here are the current prices for the pass:

Value of the pass contents in detail

Admission without queuing to St Mark’s Basilica is only available together with a guided tour for around 39.00 €. Furthermore, the entrance to the Doge’s Palace costs about 30.00 €, a classic gondola ride about 38.50 €. Together with the self-guided tour of the Doge’s Palace – Audio Guide App, the total cost is already higher than the price for the Venice Pass.

For whom is the Venice Pass worthwhile?

Those who travel to Venice naturally want to experience as much as possible of this unique city with its extraordinary sights. Many travelers book some additional sightseeing and definitely public transport with the legendary water buses. Popular suggestions are, for example, the following:

• The Islands on Venice – 30.00 €
• Peggy Guggenheim Collection – 18.50 €
• Teatro La Fenice without queuing – 14.00 €
• A burger at the legendary Hard Rock Cafe – 20.00 €
• Public transport – from € 30.00 for a day ticket

There are many other booking options at Tiqets for your exciting stay in Venice.

It’s easy to add up to €100.00 and a 10% discount code is always an advantage in expensive Venice.

How to use the discount code?

When you book your Venice Pass, you will receive a personal discount code. Then you can choose one or more attractions from the Tiqets offer.

If you press the Book Now button, the next step on the following page will ask you: Do you have a discount code? Enter the discount code and continue with the booking.

When should you buy this pass?

When planning your stay in Venice, you should already prepare as much as possible, especially to avoid waiting times on site. Booking the Venice Pass is therefore an advantage, as you already have all the important tickets printed out in your hand or on your smartphone when you arrive in the lively lagoon city.

The entire booking process at Tiqets is in English. This often helps to avoid misunderstandings or surprises with the prices.

✅ The Venice Pass is best suited for travelers who spend at least 2 full days, i.e. 3 nights, in Venice. Staying longer is of course allowed!

What could a stay with the Venice Pass look like?

Here are two ideas for a suitable visit that will appeal especially to first-time visitors to Venice

Suggestion 1

Accommodation in the historic center of Venice. For this, you can read my tips in Top 10 Hotels. Then let’s go

• Waterbus on the Grand Canal (book for one or more days).
• Take the vaporetti to Murano or the Lido (water bus already booked)
• Doge’s Palace without queuing (Venice Pass)
• Visit St Mark’s Basilica with fast-track entry (Venice Pass)
• Peggy Guggenheim or La Fenice (book with discount, see above)
• Gondola ride in the evening (Venice Pass)

After arriving in Venice by plane or car, spend the first night in a romantic and quiet Venice. The day visitors have disappeared and the city once again belongs to the locals and hotel guests, who have found their quarters in the completely car-free historic center. For the evening, you should check out the city’s culinary offerings.

The canals of Venice are the landmark of the world-famous lagoon city. There is nothing better for sightseeing in Venice than with the somewhat outdated water buses. So first take the Vaporetti lines 1 or 2 along the impressive Grand Canal with your pre-booked public transport tickets. Information in Canal Grande and Rialto. There is time for a stroll through the famous Piazza San Marco with its eternal doves. To make the most of the water buses, I suggest an afternoon excursion to Lido di Venezia, line 1 from St Mark’s Square, or to the island of Murano, with its sensational glasswork. Departures to Murano are from Santa Lucia station, line 3, from Fondamente Nouve, lines 4.1 and 4.2 or from Piazza San Marco, line 7. There are also two detailed articles on public transport in Venice with its traditional vaporetti, i.e. water buses.

The early bird can also connect the Grand Canal, Murano, and Lido. Line 18 runs between Lido di Venezia and the lagoon island of Murano there and back. The journey takes about 30 minutes.

The next day, the visit to the Doge’s Palace is definitely on the agenda. The visit to St Mark’s Basilica is free of charge. There are no queues for holders of the Vendig Pass.

For the rest of the day, there are still plenty of opportunities to visit the various museums or the Teatro La Fenice. The highlight, however, is probably the gondola ride in the evening.

Suggestion 2

Staying overnight on the mainland

For visitors who want to stay a little cheaper and are also looking for a convenient place to park their car safely, there are some suggestions in my hotel recommendations outside the center, including the fantastic B&B Casa Lunia Guesthouse.

From Mestre the next morning, take the bus or tram to Piazzale Roma, then the water bus line 2 to St Mark’s Square and St Mark’s Tower. St Mark’s Basilica can now be visited without waiting. In any case, there is enough time for the obligatory photo with the pigeons on Piazza Marco. Then we continue with the tour of Doge’s Square and towards evening with the reserved gondola ride. If you stay a little longer in Venice, you can take line 1 for an excursion to the world-famous Lido. Recommended in fine weather. The walk and stay take about 2 hours, then it’s back to Venice, this time directly to Piazzale Roma with line 5.2 or 6, both of which run south of Venice between the island of Giudecca and the historic old town.

As an alternative to the trip to Lido di Venezia, you can also continue from the stop S. Zaccaria at St. Mark’s Square with Vaporetto line 7 to the world-famous glass-blowing island of Murano with its famous colorful glasswork. The journey takes about 30 minutes and everything you need to know about Murano can be found in the Islands section of my separate article Murano.

From Murano, take line 3 directly to Piazzale Roma and continue by bus or tram to your accommodation on the mainland.

Before heading to the mainland, you should opt for a delicious pizza at my insider tip Pizzeria Trattoria all’Anfora from Culinary Venice – Calle Larga dei Bari, 1223, 400 meters or 5 minutes walk from Santa Lucia station. Otherwise, there are also many excellent pizzerias and restaurants in Mestre, where everything tends to be a bit cheaper.

Important to know about the Venice City Pass

Both proposals include numerous and extensive rides on the water buses, almost always indispensable and a highlight of any stay in Venice. It is best to secure tickets for the entire stay in advance with a 10% discount. The visit to the Doge’s Palace and the gondola ride are included in the Venice Pass. The visit to St Mark’s Basilica is a must and can be done quickly with the Venice Pass without any annoying waiting times. Additional information for the visit to the Doge’s Palace is available in the Audio Guide App – Self-guided tour of the Doge’s Palace -.

When booking your visit, please remember that the use of the water buses is not valid for the calendar day, but for 24 hours / 48 hours / 72 hours or 7 days from the first validation. This can be very practical!

The tickets for St Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, and the gondola ride can be selected from the offer on the booking page for the Venice Pass.

✅ If you are traveling by car, you should also read the page Parking in Venice or reserve a secure parking space next to the historic old town right here.

The visit to the Doge’s Palace also includes a visit to other museums.

➡️ Museo Correr – The seat of the collection of this municipal museum of Venice is located directly on St Mark’s Square in the Napoleonic wing of the Procuraties, the medieval Venetian building authority. The Correr Museum houses a vast collection of books, prints, representations of the city, paintings and other valuable artifacts, all relating to the history of Venice. From here you also have a fantastic view of St Mark’s Square. The visit is included in the price of the Venice Pass, as described. So make sure you visit it too!

➡️ National Museum of Archaeology – This museum is also located directly on St Mark’s Square. It is one of the oldest in Venice. It was founded in the 16th century and mainly exhibits ancient Roman and Greek sculptures. The museum pieces are complemented by bronze statues, and ceramics, as well as precious stones and coins, some of which date back to the 1st century.

➡️ Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana – This is one of the largest libraries in Italy and Europe. It houses important and significant collections of Greek, Latin, and Oriental manuscripts. The origins of the Biblioteca go back to the Republic of Venice, to the 7th and 8th centuries. Everything is housed in a monumental Renaissance building, south of St Mark’s Square. The magnificent building with its high-quality furnishings is worth seeing both inside and out. Works by famous Venetian artists adorn the walls and ceilings here. All close to the Doge’s Palace and included in the price.

The gondola ride, already included in the price of the pass, is of course one of the classics of a Venice trip. Of course, the 30-minute tour is not cheap in general, but the ride on the canals of Venice remains an unforgettable experience.

Venice Discovery Pass for air travelers

While the Venice Digital Pass described above covers the indispensable basic program of a visit to Venice, the Venice Discovery Pass is particularly interesting for air travelers. The price includes a one-way boat transfer from Marco Polo airport to the center of the historic old town. In addition, the use of the popular water buses, admission to the Doge’s Palace, and much more. Ideal for guests who have booked a hotel in the core of the lagoon city!

Everything else about the features of the Venice Discovery Pass can be found on the provider’s page

Short conclusion

✅ In my opinion, one of the main reasons for buying a Venice Pass is the advantage that you have already booked all the important tickets, have the documents in your hands, and can therefore plunge straight into the Venice experience.

✅ It also helps to plan the holiday budget and those who want to experience Venice extensively will also save some money.