Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale)

The Doge's Palace was the seat of Venetian government for a thousand years and the most important Gothic civic building in the world. The exterior is a visual paradox: the building appears to stand on a lace of pointed arches and marble screens, with the heavy upper mass of pink and white diamond-patterned stonework sitting on top. Inside, the Council chambers are overwhelming in scale and decoration. The Sala del Maggior Consiglio is 52 metres long and the walls are covered in massive paintings including Tintoretto's Paradise on the back wall, which at 22 by 7 metres is the largest oil painting in the world. The Bridge of Sighs connects the palace to the old prison: the name comes from prisoners sighing as they glimpsed their last view of Venice through the small windows. The Armory (upstairs) has the actual armour of Doge Francesco Morosini including his horse's armour. EUR 30 includes Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, and the Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana. Book online to skip the ticket queue. The Secret Itineraries tour (EUR 30 extra, separate booking) goes behind the scenes to the interrogation rooms and the prison where Casanova escaped in 1756.