Finding the concert door

Not the Doge's Palace entrance

The most common mistake is joining the queue at the Doge's Palace. The Doge's Palace and the Prisons Palace are two buildings on either side of a narrow canal, and the concert meets at the second. The booking page asks guests directly not to go to the Doge's Palace entrance, and the staff who check vouchers are in the Prisons Palace. If you are already in a museum queue, step out of it and follow the route below. Your confirmation also lists the meeting point, which is worth a look before you leave your hotel or your lunch table.

The route in four steps

From St Mark's Square, head for the Doge's Palace entrance where visitors queue. From there the route runs in four steps, in this order, and each one is a landmark you can see. The steps are short, and the one instruction that matters is to cross the bridge to the right of the Doge's Palace entrance. Take the Prisons Palace's main entrance rather than a side door, and look for the Information Point once you are inside. If the waterfront is crowded, keep to the steps in order, because the Doge's Palace entrance is the fixed point from which everything else is measured.

• Stand at the Doge's Palace entrance.
• Cross the bridge that lies to the right of it.
• Go in by the main entrance of the Prisons Palace.
• Find the Information Point on the right-hand side.

What happens at the Information Point

Staff at the Information Point check your voucher and give further instructions, so this is where you show your confirmation, on your phone or on paper. The ticket is for a shared concert, not a private tour, so expect other guests to be arriving at the same time as you. Once your voucher is checked, you follow the staff's instructions for the rest of the way.

Arriving in time

The ticket asks for arrival at the meeting point 10 minutes before the start. Take the start time itself from your confirmation rather than from memory. The route is short, but Venice can make short routes slow when the waterfront is busy, so treat 10 minutes as the minimum rather than the target.

Before you set out

A short checklist saves a stressful moment at the door. Have your booking confirmation open on your phone, or printed, with the start time for your date visible. Know which bridge you are crossing and where the Information Point is, using the steps above. Wear comfortable shoes and layers, since guests describe the room as warm. Leave pets at your hotel, because they are not allowed.

What the building looks like

The Prisons Palace, the New Prisons, is a white stone building with barred windows, a plain arcade and a row of carved heads above the arches. Its south front faces the Riva degli Schiavoni and the lagoon and is the only elaborate wall of a building that is otherwise bare of decoration, in the architect Antonio da Ponte's design. Knowing the look of the front helps you spot the right door among the busier palaces nearby.

Who this isn't for

The ticket is not suitable for wheelchair users. The booking page also says the concert is not fully wheelchair accessible and may be difficult for people with walking difficulties, so guests who need step-free routes should treat it as unsuitable. Comfortable shoes are suggested, and pets are not allowed. Guests also say the small room gets warm, so choose layers that come off. If any of this is a problem, a different Venice concert may suit better, and the guide to choosing one compares the options.