Guided Tours

St. Mark's Basilica Skip-the-Line Guided Tour

Name: St. Mark's Basilica Skip-the-Line Guided Tour
Start: 2024-11-06T14:00:00
End: 2024-11-06T15:00:00
Location: Venice

Tour guide leading a group of tourists in front of St. Mark's Basilica, Venice, with skip-the-line tickets, under a clear blue sky

Mosaic in the St. Mark's Basilica - Venice

Head into the most visited site in Venice, St Mark's Basilica renowned for its Byzantine art and rich biblical importance.

Highlights

Discover St. Mark's Basilica on this concise guided tour with skip-the-line entry, ensuring an efficient exploration of this iconic landmark.
Gaze at golden mosaics and celestial chapels beneath the basilica's towering domes, and opt for an aerial view of Venice from its terrace.
Explore the treasures of St. Mark's Museum, from intricate gold tesserae to royal fabrics like the Doge's red velvet.
Personalize your experience with expert guides fluent in English, Italian, German, French, or Spanish, and select between 45-minute or 1-hour tour options.
Get access to high altar retable of the Basilica di San Marco, the Pala d'Oro with an English or Spanish-speaking guide once you upgrade.

Inclusions

45-min or 1-hour guided tour of St. Mark's Basilica with skip-the-line entry
Expert English, Spanish, German, Italian or French-speaking guide
Headsets for groups of 10+ people
Access to St. Mark's Museum (optional)
Access to the basilica terraces (optional)
Access to Pala d'Oro with a Spanish or English-speaking guide (optional)

Cancellation policy

You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

Reviews

4.1

2.9K ratings

5/5

1.5K

4/5

780

3/5

223

2/5

113

1/5

248

Vicki

5/5

Nov, 2024

This sigh is amazing to see! And our guide was very knowledgeable of history & meanings of the architecture! Thank you!!

Victor

3/5

Nov, 2024

Great to see the basilica. We booked last minute, and were still able to avoid the long line. Not the tor's fault, but flooding in the square made getting in difficult, and we ended up having to remove shoes and socks to get to the entrance.

Natalie

5/5

Oct, 2024

We loved this experience. For us it was ideal because we have a low tolerance for long tours and only wanted to see the Basilica. Our guide, Gloria, was amazing. She was so knowledgible and incorporated a perfect blend of Venice history as well as history of the Basilica with detailed descriptions of the mosaics within. I highly recommend this tour to anyone that wants only the highlight of the main attraction, St. Mark's Basilica, and a lot of info in a short amount of time (a little over 1 hr.). PERFECTO!!

Katie

3/5

Oct, 2024

On a previous tour the audio device was able to go around my neck, this one needed to be handheld. It also only included one ear phone which made it difficult to hear some of the information. The guide had quite a strong accent as well which added to our difficulties in hearing and understanding.

Tamzen

5/5

Oct, 2024

Was worth paying the extra for the skip the line ticket, as the queues were long. The instructions and diagram of where to meet were clear

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Your experience

This guided tour of St Mark's Basilica will be nothing short of exhilarating. Indulge in the seamless synthesis of Venetian art with unique Byzantine and Romanesque elements in the form of gleaming golden mosaics, marble inlays, and precious pearls and stones.

From Monday to Saturday, the basilica guided tour includes a visit to the Terrace, where you will find the Horses of Saint Mark. Dating back to classical antiquity, these horses, also known as the Triumphal Quadriga, are a set of Byzantine bronze statues, originally part of a monument depicting a quadriga (a four-horse carriage used for chariot racing). At St. Mark’s Museum, you can admire objects of various kinds and origins belonging to the Basilica. The tour begins from the ground floor, and you will get to see the gold mosaics (the Basilica has 43,000 square feet of mosaic alone!). On Sundays, feast days, and in case of unplanned religious celebrations, the tour foresees the visit with direct access to the Terrace and to St. Mark's Museum situated on the first floor. On festivity days, the Holy Mass takes place on the ground floor, and it is possible to admire the mosaics partially from the first floor.

Know before you go

What's not allowed

Strict dress code: All guests must wear clothing that covers their shoulders and knees to enter the basilica.
Keep your camera tucked away – photography is strictly not allowed at the venue.
Keep in mind luggage and large bags are not allowed on this experience. Pack wisely!

Accessibility

This experience is wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible.
A ramp is available at the Porta del Fiori (Door of Flowers) entrance on the left-hand side of the basilica.
The Museum on the upper floor of the basilica is served by both a lift and stair lifts.

My tickets

Your voucher will be emailed to you instantly.
Please display the voucher on your mobile phone with a valid photo ID at the meeting point.
Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled time of your tour to avoid any delays.