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Inclusions
Exclusions
St. Mark's Basilica
Doge's Palace
Inclusions
Explore the best of Venice on this guided day tour as you skip the lines to St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace.
Explore the best of Venice on this guided day tour as you skip the lines to St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace.
Inclusions
Half-day tour
Full-day tour
St. Mark's Basilica
Doge's Palace
Venice Gondola Ride
Standard entry
Guided tours
Secret itineraries tour
Is Bridge access included?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Why go for it?
This is a budget-friendly option to cross the historic bridge and see the New prisons —one of the stellar highlights of Doge's Palace—at your own pace.
Elevate your visit with a guided tour. You local guide will share fascinating stories about the bridge's origins, its role in Venetian justice, and the legends surrounding it.
If you wish to explore in-depth, this exclusive tour is specially curated to delve deeper into the lesser-known stories and intriguing secrets of the bridge, haunting prisons, secret passages, offices, and the notorious interrogation rooms.
Recommended tickets
Doge's Palace Skip-the-Line Tickets
Doge's Palace Guided Tour
The Bridge of Sighs, despite its relatively small size, boasts a captivating design that blends functionality with Baroque flair. Here's a closer look at its key architectural features:
Constructed from white Istrian limestone, from Istria, modern day Croatia. It was a popular choice for building materials in Venice during that era due to its durability and elegant appearance.
Unlike most bridges, the Bridge of Sighs is fully enclosed, creating a sense of isolation. This design likely aimed to maintain prisoner privacy and security during their transfer.
The bridge has two small, arched windows on each side, fitted with intricately designed stone bars. These windows offer limited views of the San Giorgio and the Lagoon, allowing light to filter through the stone lattice.
The 11 m long bridge features a single, lightly curved arch that spans the Rio di Palazzo canal. This design element not only provided structural support but also contributed to the bridge's overall aesthetic appeal.
The bridge features macaron faces on the bottom arch, which are a characteristic of the Italian Baroque style, intended to ward off evil spirits. These faces depict a range of emotions, with 10 showing fear and sadness, while only one is smiling.
The design of the bridge complements the architectural styles of the Doge's Palace and the New Prison, seamlessly integrating with their Gothic and Renaissance elements.
The evocative name, credited to Lord Byron, the famous Romantic poet, comes from the legend that prisoners, crossing from the Doge's Palace interrogation rooms to the New Prison, would sigh deeply as they took one final look at Venice through the bridge's small windows, filled with sorrow and longing before their imprisonment or execution.
According to a romantic myth, lovers who kiss under the Bridge of Sighs at sunset, as the bells of St. Mark's Campanile ring, will be granted eternal love and happiness. This belief has made the bridge a popular spot for couples seeking to seal their love.
The legendary Giacomo Casanova, famed for his romantic exploits, briefly added to the Bridge of Sighs' mystique. Though he wasn't imprisoned via the bridge, his daring escape from the Doge's Palace in 1755 fueled the romantic image of the bridge, further cemented by his own accounts.
Since the Bridge of Sighs was built to connect the Doge's Palace to the New Prisons, serving as a passageway for prisoners it played a crucial role in the functioning of the Venetian justice system and is now a symbol of the city's rich history and architecture.
Indeed! There are exclusive guided tours like the "Secret Itinerary" tour, which lets visitors explore areas of the palace and prison not typically accessible to the public, including the Bridge of Sighs. Led by knowledgeable guides, the tour provides insights into the history, architecture, and legends surrounding the bridge, offering a unique and immersive experience for visitors.
The Bridge of Sighs itself isn't directly illuminated at night. However, the surrounding area of the Doge's Palace is often lit up, casting an enchanting glow on the bridge. You might be able to capture a picturesque image with the bridge bathed in the soft light of nearby buildings.
While you can't enter the bridge itself without a special tour, getting to the Doge's Palace complex, where the bridge is located, is easy. Most visitors rely on vaporetto (water buses). Depending on your starting point, lines 1, 2, 5.1, or 4.1 will get you close to the San Zaccaria stop, a short walk from the palace.
Initially, the bridge served a practical function within the Venetian justice system. Over time, the "Bridge of Sighs" name emerged, likely linked to a romantic legend about prisoners sighing. Today, the bridge is a popular tourist attraction, symbolizing both Venetian history and a touch of melancholy.
Conditions in the prison (Prigioni Nuove) varied depending on the severity of the crime. Some prisoners faced harsh conditions, while others might have had more privileges. However, crossing the Bridge of Sighs undoubtedly marked a turning point, signifying the start of their confinement.
The Doge's Palace housed a fascinating mix of prisoners. Casanova, the infamous escapee, rubbed shoulders with Marco Polo (possibly) and political prisoners like Pellico. Even a Doge, Marino Faliero, met his demise there. Garibaldi, a future Italian unifier, also spent a brief stint within its walls.