Doge's Palace
Museo Civico Della Fondazione Musei Civici Di Venezia (MUVE); Within The UNESCO Venice And Its Lagoon Site (1987) · Venice, Veneto
The seat of the Venetian Republic for a thousand years, and its parliament, supreme court, civil service and prison in one building: a Gothic pile of pink Verona marble standing on a double arcade next to St Mark's Basilica, rebuilt from 1340 on the water side and from 1424 along the Piazzetta. Inside, the Golden Staircase climbs to state rooms redecorated after the fires of 1574 and 1577 by every painter Venice had, ending in the Hall of the Great Council, 53 metres long, where fifteen hundred noblemen voted beneath Tintoretto's Paradise, among the largest canvas paintings anywhere. The route then crosses the Bridge of Sighs into the New Prisons of the early 1600s, one of the first purpose-built state jails in Europe. Anonymous denunciations went into the lion's-mouth letter boxes set in the loggia walls. The Republic ended here in 1797 when the last doge abdicated. It has been a museum since 1923 and now takes over 1.3 million visitors a year, more than any other civic museum in the city.
Piazza San Marco 1, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
Daily 9:00-19:00 from 1 April to 31 October and 9:00-18:00 from 1 November to 31 March, last admission one hour before closing. Friday and Saturday to 23:00 from 1 May to 26 September 2026, last admission 22:00. Closed 25 December and 1 January; holiday hours are announced on the official site.