What to See Inside the Doge's Palace
The Golden Staircase, the Great Council Chamber and Tintoretto's Paradise, the Bridge of Sighs and the prisons — a room-by-room highlights guide.
The visit follows a one-way route that rises from the grand courtyard up through the ceremonial heart of the palace. Begin in the courtyard with the Giants' Staircase, guarded by Sansovino's statues of Mars and Neptune, then climb the gilded Golden Staircase — the route once reserved for distinguished guests — into the Doge's Apartments.
The great chambers and Tintoretto's Paradise
From there the great institutional chambers unfold, each more lavish than the last, culminating in the cavernous Chamber of the Great Council. Behind the Doge's throne hangs Tintoretto's Paradise, widely held to be the largest canvas painting in the world — a swirling heaven of hundreds of figures that repays long looking. Don't rush past the ceilings, gilded and crowded with allegories by Veronese and his peers.
The Bridge of Sighs and the prisons
The route then descends and crosses the enclosed Bridge of Sighs to the New Prisons, where small barred windows give the view of the lagoon that, by legend, drew a prisoner's last sigh. The Armoury, with its centuries of Venetian weapons and armour, completes the circuit. Allow two to three hours to do it justice.
Frequently asked
What are the must-see highlights inside the Doge's Palace?
The Giants' Staircase and Golden Staircase, the Doge's Apartments, the Chamber of the Great Council with Tintoretto's Paradise (the world's largest canvas painting), the Bridge of Sighs, the New Prisons and the Armoury.
Where is Tintoretto's Paradise?
It fills the wall behind the Doge's throne in the Chamber of the Great Council — the vast hall near the climax of the visit route. It is widely described as the largest oil painting on canvas in the world.