Express St. Mark's Basilica and Gondola Tour

Meet your guide at Piazza San Marco

Your tour begins in Piazza San Marco, Venice's grand central square framed by arcades and cafés. Look for your guide near the basilica entrance, ready to share the first stories about this thousand-year-old church and the republic that built it.

St. Mark's Basilica

Step inside with reserved access and look up at walls covered in golden Byzantine mosaics. Your guide explains the basilica's origins as a shrine for the stolen saint's bones, its five domes inspired by Constantinople, and the marble floors that ripple like frozen waves. You'll learn why this cathedral became the spiritual and political heart of the Venetian Republic.

Traditional gondola ride

Board a sleek gondola and glide away from the crowds into quieter waterways. Float beneath arched stone bridges, past shuttered palazzos with faded frescoes, and through canals where laundry hangs between buildings. Your gondolier navigates turns with practiced ease while your guide points out architectural details visible only from the water.

Your tour finishes near Piazza San Marco

The gondola returns you close to where the tour began, leaving you with a fresh perspective on Venice from both land and water. Ask your guide for recommendations on where to find cicchetti or a quieter campo before they say goodbye.