Has anyone ever used TickItaly.com to purchase tickets? I am looking to buy tickets for the Doge's Palace secret tour and found their site. Are they reliable, dependable. Is there another company out there that does this that anyone may have experience with?

If you have a low-cost long-distance service, why not call them directly and save the cut that TickItaly probably adds? There is an on line booking service on the site, but I find it confusing. You might not.

http://www.museiciviciveneziani.it/main.asp?lin=EN

We just got back from Italy 3 days ago and I realized on thing about these reservations. You have to pick the ones that you need to reserve because some places really dont need a reservation, the wait is only 20 mins because the line moves really fast. If you are staying in a hotel, I would recommend having the hotel make the reservation for you doing it through these other websites can be a ripoff sometimes. We paid 16 Euro for both the entrance fee and the reservation to get in the Doge's palace. If we stayed in line we would have waited maybe 10 mins to get in. It depends on the time of day and the actual date you will be there but to be safe I would make a reservation for the Doge's Palace secret itineraries tour.

We asked our hotel to make the reservation, which they very graciously did for us.

Also, be sure to request an English-speaking tour.

Our guide on the tour was a last-minute replacement, and she was really not that good, but we did enjoy the tour...and the Palazzo is just fabulous.

Carol

We did the Secret Itinerary tour last week, and booked through Select Italy before we left. Our guide spoke English very well, and was very entertaining. Have fun!

quote:

We did the Secret Itinerary tour last week, and booked through Select Italy before we left. Our guide spoke English very well, and was very entertaining. Have fun!

I did the same in March--and I agree, it was a good tour. It was also nice to have it taken care of before I left home.
Sharon

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Thayer:

Why is it called the Secret Tour? Or maybe better, what grounds are given for the name?

The name signifies an "insider's look" at the Plazzo Ducale. Below is a discriptive quote:

"The regular tour of the Doge’s Palace (the Palazzo Ducale) in Venice is extraordinary enough. The building is a quite remarkable example of Gothic civic architecture. Every stone, passageway and artwork evokes the power that the Serene Republic wielded over a millennium of unparalleled imperial power. But real aficionados will want to dig even deeper – to explore the hidden corners of the palace on the Itinerari Segreti del Palazzo Ducale (the secret tour of the Doge’s Palace).

This follows in the footsteps of the most important (or infamous) leaders of Venice. On their trips through the palace, these men wouldn’t use the public doors and stairways, they would slip through hidden passageways and concealed doors: somehow appropriate in this smoke-and-mirrors city where mask and illusion are so popular and where subterfuge was always an essential element of the politics.

Take the Itinerari Segreti and you discover these hidden passages, also the administrative offices of the men who ran the Venice of medieval and Renaissance times. You’ll even visit the city gaol, and the very cell from which notorious lover Giacomo Casanova made his escape in 1775."

The tour is excellent and recommended. As previously suggested, e-mail your hotel to make your reservations. Why unnecessarily pay extra
.....use those saved euros for gelato or vino. BTW, do have the exact change; don't arrive to purchase your ticket with only a 20 or 50 euro note.

Thanks for explanation Patricia, I also wondered what was special about 'secret tour.'

Because there are five of us and we are staying in an apartment for a week, is there somewhere locally in Venice that we can book?

I would rather wait until we get there to book, than go ahead before we leave. The reason being that some of our party may just wish to give it a miss and paying for a booking would then be a waste of money.

Elly

quote:

Originally posted by Lorac:
We asked our hotel to make the reservation, which they very graciously did for us.

Also, be sure to request an English-speaking tour.Carol

I agree, this is the easiest way to do this. And good point about being sure you get the English speaking tour.

quote:

Originally posted by Elly:
Because there are five of us and we are staying in an apartment for a week, is there somewhere locally in Venice that we can book?

You can book in person at the ticket office on the Riva degli Schiavoni. It's just to the right of the Doge's Palace.

Elly,
When Rob and I wanted to do the tour we went to the 'box' office and booked our time and they reserved us space. We were able to book for the next mornings eleven o'clock tour. We did not pay when we made the reservation but when we arrived to take the tour, reserved for an English speaking guide. There are only a couple of English speaking tours a day, at least when we did it. (Our quide was wonderful and the tour was well worth doing. Some interesting rooms/spaces and some very interesting views/angles.)
W

Thanks Colleen and Wendy, will do as you suggested.

I'm definitely interested, however the two men in our group may be all 'museumed' etc. out! Venice will be our fifth and last week in Italy

Elly

This sounds like alot of fun. The four of us will be in Venice August 18-21, given that it will be high season, would you advise us to reserve/purchase the tickets to this secret tour ahead of time (ie. before leaving home)or as soon as we arrive in Venice? I wouldn't want to miss it!

This is such a fun and informative tour (find out how Casanova really escaped!), and it also gives you access to the entire Doge's Palace once you're done. It's also extremely popular, so if you have the time and know your schedule, you might want to book ahead just to get it out of the way.

Your hotel can book with no problem, but I would not be at all intimidated to call and book this tour directly, I do it all the time for visiting friends, in English. It's quick, painless, and you avoid booking fees:

From the U.S.:

011 39 041 520 9070

from 9am-6pm (Mon-Fri) and
9am-2pm (Sat), Italian time

Confirm English tour times of 9:55, 10:45 and 11:35. You can book online at the Venice Civic Museum site that Eloise posted above, but as she noted it's a bit clunky (but manageable, if you're determined). Doge's Palace/Info/Bookings/scroll to the bottom, VISIT IN ENGLISH.

I would advise booking in advance. When we tried in '04 we couldn't get in and we only had 2 days left. So 3 or 4 days out is a good idea. We did manage to do it in '05 and really enjoyed it. Good for teens, too.

jan