Doge’s Palace

For more than a thousand years the Doge's Palace was where Venice was governed, judged and administered, and it remains the best place to understand how the Republic worked. A palace stood here from the ninth century, but the building you see today was largely rebuilt from 1340 in Venetian Gothic style, and fires in 1483, 1574 and 1577 led to major reconstruction. It became a museum in 1923 and has been run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia since 2008.

The visit leads from the courtyard, where Sansovino's statues of Mars and Neptune have guarded the Giants' Staircase since 1567, up through a sequence of council rooms. The highlight is the Sala del Maggior Consiglio, the Great Council Chamber and one of the largest rooms in Europe, whose end wall carries Tintoretto's Paradise, painted between 1588 and 1592. From there the route crosses the Bridge of Sighs, built in 1614 to link the palace with the New Prisons, and you can peer out through its stone windows as prisoners once did. Casanova was among those held in the cells under the roof.

The palace is covered by the St Mark's Square Museums ticket, which also includes the Museo Correr, the National Archaeological Museum and the monumental rooms of the Marciana Library. Buying online lets you choose an entry slot, and tickets without a time slot are only admitted from midday. Two small-group visits, the Secret Itinerary and The Doge's Hidden Treasures, take you into offices, archives and prison cells that are otherwise closed, and they must be booked in advance. Opening hours change between summer and winter, so check the official site before you go.

Allow two to three hours for the main route. History enthusiasts and art lovers get the most from it, and older children usually enjoy the armoury and the prisons. A cloakroom, lift, café and shop are on site, and the MUVE app works as an audio guide. Large bags are best left at your hotel.

The public entrance is the Porta del Frumento on the Piazzetta, facing the lagoon. The nearest vaporetto stops are San Marco Vallaresso and San Zaccaria, and St Mark's Basilica stands right next door.