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Private tour

Mantova City Center and Ducal Palace: 3-Hour Guided Tour

4.9  / 5
27 reviews
Activity provider:Manuela Roversi
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Private tour

Mantova City Center and Ducal Palace: 3-Hour Guided Tour

Activity provider:Manuela Roversi
4.9  / 5
27 reviews

From US$ 116.38 per group up to 5

Enjoy a guided walking tour of Mantova, the city where Virgil was born, Shakespeare’s Romeo fled after leaving Verona, Verdi set Rigoletto and the Gonzagas built the Ducal Palace. Explore the fine art at the Ducal Palace, now Italy's largest museum.

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
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Keep your travel plans flexible — book your spot and pay nothing today.
Covid-19 precautions
Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details.
Duration 3 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide
Spanish, English, German, Italian
Private group

Experience

Highlights
  • Discover Mantova, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its ancient palaces and well-preserved city center
  • Visit the palace where famous artists and musicians worked
  • Enjoy a walk through the ancient town and visit Italy’s largest museum
Full description
Surrounded by 3 small lakes, Mantova rises almost magically from the waters. The relationship between Mantua and water is a very close one: the Mincio River, the lakes and the medieval canal known as Rio are all entwined in Mantovan traditions. On a 3-hour walking tour in the city center you’ll discover how water and earth are unexpectedly interwoven. See stunning buildings, squares and churches. Learn about the importance of the Gongaza family in fine art and how they transformed their home into what is today the largest museum in Italy. The Ducal Palace was built between the 14th and the 17th centuries as the family’s royal residence in the capital of their duchy. The buildings are connected by corridors and galleries and feature inner courts and gardens. The complex includes about a thousand rooms and occupies an area of 34,000 square meters. Although most famous for Mantegna's frescos in the Camera degli Sposi (Wedding Room), there are many other very significant architectural and painted elements. Visit Rigoletto's House, see the exterior of the Saint George Castle and visit Piazza Castello, Piazza Santa Barbara and Piazza lega Lombarda. At Piazza Sordello you’ll have views of the Ducal Palace façade, the Cathedral, Vicolo Bonacolsi, Piazza Broletto with the medieval Palazzo del Podesta and Palazzo del Massaro and Arengario. Piazza delle Erbe is surrounded by the Palazzo della Ragione, the Clock Tower and the Saint Lorenzo Church. See the façade of the Merchant's House, Piazza Mantegna with the Basilica of Sant'Andrea built by Leon Battista Alberti and Piazza Leon Battista Alberti with the former cloister of the Sant'Andrea Monastery. No entrance tickets are needed on this city center tour, unless you’d like to visit the beautiful Bibiena Theatre where Mozart played when he was 13 years old (entrance €2). Churches close at noon and re-open at 15.00. During services entrance to visit churches is not permitted. For the Ducal Palace the entrance fee is €13. The Castle and Ducal Palace limit entrance to groups not larger than 25 people. For larger groups additional guides are needed and bookings are required in advance. On the first Sunday of every month, entrance to the Ducal Palace is free of charge, but cannot be booked in advance. As only 1,500 people per day can enter the room painted by Mantegna, on these special Sundays it may be impossible to enter that particular room.
Includes
  • 3-hour guided tour
  • Assistance in booking Ducal Palace admission
  • Entrance fees
  • Bibiena Theatre ticket (€2, optional)

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Participants

Date

Meeting point

At Rigoletto's House, Piazza Sordello 23, Mantova, near the inner courtyard entrance

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Important information

Know before you go

  • Shoulders must be covered when entering churches. A wide sarong is suggested. Shorts are not allowed in the churches.

From US$ 116.38 per group up to 5

Reserve now & pay later to book your spot and pay nothing today
Reserve now & pay later to book your spot and pay nothing today
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Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.9 /5

based on 27 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    5/5
  • Value for money
    4.8/5
  • Service
    5/5
  • Organization
    5/5

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I had a magnificent experience in Mantua with my guide. She was patient and waited for me since I was 15 minutes late, but we started at the Palazzo Ducale reviewing its history so that I could understand and fully appreciate the history and therefore the importance of this palace. I also had a wonderful reconnection with my past--I had gone to an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC around 2005 of medieval tapestries all over the world that had been sent to the Museum to be repaired. There was one in particular that I remembered by Raphael--it included the painting that was done to guide the creation of the tapestry. When my guide told me of this exhibit, I exclaimed, "I was there!!!" and when we walked into the room, I pointed to the tapestry, and said, "That's the one that was in NY!!" I was very pleased with this experience although it had nothing to do per se with the tour itself. Nonetheless it only enhanced a very wonderful experience. I would strongly recommend this tour.

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May 23, 2023

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Product ID: 59487

  • Italy
  • Lombardy
  • Things to do in Mantua
  • Ducal Palace, Mantua

Top Attractions in Mantua

  • 1Basilica of Sant'Andrea
  • 2Rotonda di San Lorenzo
  • 3Ducal Palace, Mantua
  • 4Palazzo della Ragione
  • 5Rigoletto's house, Mantua
  • 6Mantua Cathedral
  • 7Piazza delle Erbe, Mantua
  • 8Te Palace
  • 9The Merchant House
  • 10Mantua Castle Square
  • 11Basilica of Sant'Andrea
  • 12Piazza Erbe
  • 13Sordello Square, Mantua
  • 14Castello di San Giorgio, Mantua
  • 15Basilica palatina di Santa Barbara, Mantua
  • 16Arch Palace, Mantua
  • 17Giardino dei Semplici, Mantua
  • 18Podestà Palace, Mantua
  • 19Pallone Square, Mantua
  • 20Broletto Square, Mantua

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