Q. Is photography permitted inside St. Mark’s Basilica?

A. Unfortunately no. Photography and filming is strictly prohibited inside the Basilica .

Q. Are there free visits to the St. Mark’s Basilica on selected days through the year?

A. Yes! From April to October, there are free daily guided tours (excluding Sundays and holidays) organized by the church administration. These tours depart at 11 AM from the atrium next to the center doorway, on the right side.

Q. Any recommended route for a self guided tour of St. Mark’s Basilica?

A. Absolutely! After entering the atrium, start from atop and climb up the stairs to the Loggia – Museo di San Marco (San Marco Museum). After exploring the museum, make your way down and amble through the Treasury, view the Pala d’Oro and sarcophagus of St. Mark. After this, follow the north aisle and exit the church. Once you’re outside, spend some time looking at the extraordinary exterior facades of St. Mark’s Basilica.

Q. Is there a constraint on the time one can spend inside the Basilica?

A. Yes. If you’re simply entering the Basilica for free ( not as a part of a tour) you are allowed to be inside only for 10 minutes. This is to regulate the dense crowds.

Q. Are there Skip the Line entry only tickets to the Basilica?

A. Yes. If you want to skip the excruciatingly long lines for the Basilica entry, you can purchase priority access tickets for 2 Euros. Note, this is only an entry ticket and does not include a guided tour or access to the Pala d’Oro altar, Museum, Treasury, Campanile and Crypt.

Q. Will I have to wait in any sort of queues with my Skip the Line tickets?

A. Unfortunately yes. Skip the Line tickets are so popular that a considerable amount of people do purchase them and the security lines do take up some time. However, if a skip the line ticket was to involve 15 minutes of waiting, a normal queue would take 45 minutes to an hour. Hence, skip the line tickets are still a better bet!