How To Visit St. Mark’s Basilica in 2023: Tickets, Hours, Tours, and More
Brandon Shaw
With all its hidden wonders and masterpieces, you’ll definitely want to visit St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. But discovering it on your own might be tricky. Keep reading for all the history, interesting facts, and tips on how to visit St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice.
St. Mark’s Basilica has been a work in progress for the last 1,100 years or so. It has a long and interesting history. The original church that stood here was similar in layout, but the design and ornamentation have evolved greatly.
Doing a tour in Venice is by far the best way to understand the Church of Gold and our tours include much more than that. In this guide, we share everything you need to know about how to visit St. Mark’s Basilica, from tickets to guided tours, what to see inside, and where to eat nearby. here’s what we’ll cover:
St. Mark’s Basilica is a church, so you’ll need to cover your knees and shoulders to enter. Here are the opening hours and ticket prices of the various areas of St. Mark’s Basilica you can visit.
St. Mark’s Basilica
Hours: Mon – Sat, 9:30 am to 5:15 pm (last admission at 4:45 pm); Sundays and public holidays, 2 pm – 5:15 pm. Opening hours are subject to seasonal changes, so it’s best to check the official website before your visit.
Admission: €3 (€5 including the Pala d’Oro) | Free for children under 6 years old
If you’re the kind of person who just likes to get a feel for a monument, then 60 minutes is perfect without delving in too deep. If you prefer going into the specifics to really get to know your way around the church, then you should set aside 1.5-2 hours, especially if you’re going to include the museum. There are some stairs to climb up to the 2nd floor, but nothing too intense.
How To Get To St. Mark’s Basilica
St. Mark’s Basilica is located right in St. Mark’s Square or Piazza San Marco. It is probably one of the most iconic piazzas in the world. St. Mark’s Basilica is very central, so follow the signs for San Marco and you’ll easily find it.
Most likely you will be arriving from the direction of the train station, which means you’ll first cross the square and then just look to your left. It’s impossible to miss. Here are some walking times from Venice’s other popular sights:
The ultimate tour of Venice. You’ll get skip-the-line access to the most important buildings in Venice, plus a gondola ride, and private transportation to the islands of Murano and Burano. It’s a full day of touring that will make for the best memories in Venice ever.
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Venice in a Day Combo Tour with Gondola Ride
Only have a day in Venice and want to explore the best places? You’ll love this tour that includes skip-the-line access to St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace so you don’t waste time! Not to mention, you’ll wander through the Cannaregio district and learn about Rialto Bridge before floating through the canals on your own gondola.
The layout of St. Mark’s Basilica is shaped like a Greek cross, divided into three aisles with five domes. As you enter, you’ll be under the Arc of the Apocalypse, followed by the Dome of Pentecost and Dome of Ascension until you reach the incredibly decorated presbytery. Here’s what to see in St. Mark’s Basilica:
Pala d’Oro
The Pala d’Oro was created in Byzantium for the Doge Ordelaffo Falier in 1102. Completed in 1105, it was created as a screen to go over the high altar.
This is definitely one of the main highlights of visiting the church. The word Pala comes from the Latin word Palla for cloth. The church would, at times, decorate the images of saints with this cloth, and over time, it was replaced with gold or silver.
The Treasure of St. Mark’s
The Treasure of St. Mark’s is a collection of precious objects and masterpieces kept inside the basilica throughout the centuries. You’ll see ancient vases, amphorae, and enameled glasses covered in precious stones displayed throughout the perimeter.
The collection consists of 283 pieces of Gold, Silver, and other precious metals. The most interesting objects and also the bulk of the collection were brought to Venice after the conquest of Constantinople.
Golden Mosaics
There are over 8,000 square meters worth of mosaics covering the interior of the basilica, including the five domes. You could spend hours just looking at the ceilings.
The artwork tells stories from the Holy Bible, myths and local legends, episodes from the Virgin Mary and Jesus’ life, and most of all, St. Mark’s. The contrast between the bright ceilings and darker marble floors actually represents the contrast between life in heaven and life on earth.
The Basilica Terrace
The terrace overlooking St. Mark’s Square is also worth a visit. On your way up, you’ll see a display of rare tapestries and precious textiles, and the original horses of St. Mark’s Basilica. The ones you see on the facade outside are replicas to preserve the real masterpiece. Enjoy the view out over the city of Venice.
The Floor
While we don’t usually add the floor of a church as something to see, in St. Mark’s Basilica it is definitely a must-see. There are over 22,000 square feet ( 2,099 meters) of flooring covered in exquisite marble.
Executed in Opus Sectile (small pieces of marble cut to form various geometrical shapes) and Opus Tessallatum (tiny pieces of marble or glass cut to form motifs or animal figures), it is possible to see the advanced stages of artists living in Venice already in the late Middle Ages.
St. Mark’s Museum
The museum was established towards the end of the 19th century. As with most church museums, it houses various objects with origins in the church’s history.
The most famous and prestigious work is the bronze chariot, which was taken from Constantinople after the conquest of that city during the Fourth Crusade. It has been moved here from its original position outside on the terrace of the church in order to preserve it.
The museum also contains Persian carpets, liturgical vestments, illuminated manuscripts with the texts of St. Mark liturgies, and fragments of ancient mosaics removed during restoration in the 19th century.
St. Mark’s Basilica Tour Options
On our St. Mark’s Basilica tours, you’ll get to skip the lines to see Venice’s jaw-dropping landmark and explore the Church of Gold’s 45,000 square feet of gilded mosaics constructed over eight centuries.
The interior of St. Mark’s Basilica is unlike anything you’ve ever seen and your local guide will share the basilica’s long and interesting history with you.
See both of Venice’s top St. Mark’s Square attractions in this 3.5-hour tour with skip-the-line tickets and a gondola ride. You’ll start at the impressive basilica where you’ll see the tomb of St. Mark!
Next, explore a little of Venice’s darker history at the Doge’s Palace. You’ll see the original dungeon cells, the famous Bridge of Sighs, and all the exquisite art, of course. Cap it all off with a 30-minute gondola ride on the canals to see Venice from the water. This is a great way to experience the highlights of Venice in a short amount of time.
If you’re looking to see as much of the Floating City as you can in a day, the Venice day tour is for you. You’ll get to see both St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace with skip-the-line tickets and a guide who knows all about these fascinating attractions and their rich history and art.
You’ll then head out on a gondola ride because you can’t really come all the way to Venice and not see the city from its famous canals! After lunch, rejoin your group to explore the islands of Murano and Burano. This is a great way to see a bit more of Venice than most do in a day.
You can visit St. Mark’s Basilica in our 6-hour Venice In A Day tour along with the Doge’s Palace, Rialto Bridge, and hidden areas of Venice. If you’re in Venice for a short time, this is a great way to see the city’s top sights and experience the history and culture in a day with a local guide.
For almost 1,000 years, St. Mark’s Basilica has been the main church in Venice. As with anything that has been around for hundreds of years, there’s an interesting history and sometimes unbelievable facts about the place. Here’s a brief history of the church, but for more details read more astounding facts about St. Mark’s Basilica.
In the Beginning
Did you know St. Mark’s Basilica wasn’t built to preserve the holy ruins of the saint, but as the private chapel of the Doge during the Venice Republic? Its original name was Basilica d’Oro or the Golden Basilica, because of the over a thousand square meters worth of golden mosaic tiles.
In A.D. 828, the Doge Giustiniano Partecipazio expanded the chapel linking it to the existing church when St. Mark’s body arrived in Venice from Alexandria, replacing the city’s protector St. Theodore. From that moment, a winged lion, St. Mark’s crest, became the official symbol of the Venice Republic.
The Middle Ages
After years of work, the Basilica was completed in 1071 and finally consecrated in 1094. In 1145, a devastating fire destroyed a huge part of the upper decorations inside the basilica.
To prevent it from happening again, it was then covered by the marble you see today. A bit later, in 1159, precious mosaic decorations were added to the walls and ceilings of St. Mark’s Basilica, replacing the old frescoes.
The Fourth Crusade and Today
In 1204, after the Fourth Crusade, Venetian crusaders brought back to Venice precious marble and works of art, which were taken from the conquest of Constantinople. This included the iconic four-horse chariot in bronze, the icon of the Madonna Nicopeia, enamels of the Golden Altarpiece, relics, crosses, and chalices.
The names of the architects and artists who contributed are unknown, but the predominant style is Greek-Byzantine with strong German and Arabic influences. The church served as the Doge’s chapel until 1807 when Napoleon turned it into a public basilica.
Places To Eat Nearby
If you are visiting St. Mark’s Basilica around mealtime, it’s important to plan where you want to eat. You may want to reserve a table if you’re having a fancy meal. Otherwise, walk-ins are welcome in Venice. Here are a few suggestions, but for more options check out our article on the best places to eat near St. Mark’s Square.
Cantina Canaletto: €€ | Outdoor Seating–A streetside restaurant a 4 minutes walk from Saint Mark’s square, is in fact located in the neighborhood of Castello. This place is a true gem, offering simple but highly qualitative dishes from all of the 20 regions in Italy, for a reasonable price.
Antico Martini: €€ | Long History–This historic restaurant has been welcoming guests from all over the world since 1720. Specialties in this restaurant include the black truffle pasta and the celery and coriander fish soup.
La Caravella: €€€ | Lovely Garden Setting–Just a 5-minute walk from St. Mark’s Square, you’ll find all the Italian classics but refined to the next level here.
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Brandon is a co-founder and owner of The Tour Guy and its subsidiary The Roman Guy. He left the States to travel the world at 18 and never looked back! As an official Tour Guide of Rome and Certified Sommelier, he loves to travel the world and share these experiences with his readers.
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