Saint Mark's Basilica Express Tour: Skip-the-Line Access with Local Guide
4.7
62 Ratings
Venezia
Experience the awe-inspiring Saint Mark's Basilica in Venice with a local guide. Skip the line and learn about the history and symbolism of this iconic landmark.
Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Basilica di San Marco - Meet the local guide and start exploring the stunning world-famous St.Mark’s basilica.
What's Included
  • Expert licensed guide service
  • Admission to St. Mark’s Basilica and Museum
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pick up and drop-off
Additional Information

Join your local tour guide at Piazza San Marco for a brisk 1-hour tour to unveil the wonders of the city’s emblematic gem. The flash of gold from this spectacular basilica will leave you breathless and forever imprinted with the experience of stepping within Venice’s grandest religious monument. Serving as the epicenter of Venetian Catholicism, this church is an integral part of Italian daily life. Keeping the relic of Saint Mark within its walls, this holy place fosters an ardent devotion. Your guide will elaborate on Saint Mark the Evangelist and why his emblem, the lion, can be seen all over Venice.

You will then visit the St. Mark museum and its viewing deck for a breathtaking vista of Saint Mark’s Square, often referred to as ‘Europe’s Parlour’ due to its majestic edifices surrounding it and the lively crowd that it attracts every day. Your guide will delve into the history of the horse statues mounted high atop the basilica, allowing you to gain a unique perspective of the city.

  • This Tour runs rain or shine.
  • Saint Mark’s cathedral can be closed to the public in case of high tides. In this case, we will communicate it to the participants as soon as possible and we will arrange an alternative.
  • Minors must be accompanied by an adult
  • This tour is guaranteed with a minimum number of 2 participants
  • Please remember that you have to follow a precise dress code for the Basilica entrance: shoulders, knees and thighs need to be covered so please avoid short dresses, tank tops, shorts and hats (for men). It is not allowed to enter with large bags, animals, weapons, lighters and scissors
  • We kindly inform you that the Skip the line service for St. Mark’s basilica during certain periods of the year is NOT AVAILABLE
  • Please note that in case of adverse weather conditions (eg. bad storms, unexpected extreme events), or unforeseen circumstances (eg. monuments sudden closures, train/flight cancellations or delays) we do not guarantee a full refund. The company will examine each case and act accordingly.
  • On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
  • Please note that some parts of the tour may not be easily accessible for people with reduced mobility (or any kind of disability), if you are unsure of the details, feel free to contact us.
Location
P.za San Marco, 145
Piazza San Marco
Your guide will be in Piazza San Marco at number 145. The exact location is under the arcade, under the blue clock tower. Next to the meeting place you'll see a money change. The guide will be at the meeting point holding a yellow sign with "TOUR" written on it.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(62 Ratings)
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Petefi1739tv
May 31, 2024
Excellent tour - Excellent and knowledgeable guide, who was very pleasant and knew her way around the Basilica, providing a lot of context. I recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lynne_c
May 29, 2024
Must see! - A definite must see when you visit Venice! Our guide, Suzy was very informative and gave us so much information, it made the visit so much more enjoyable. Knowing the story of the Basilica and the history was truly amazing!
Review provided by Viator
Allisonk
May 28, 2024
Great tour - Excellent tour! Just the right length to get a good overview of the Basilica’s history and the amazing mosaics inside. Tour took us to the terrace which was wonderful to view the Grand canal, horses, clock tower.
Review provided by Viator
Kristie_g
May 21, 2024
Amazing experience - Rita was one of the best tour guides we had on our two week trip to Italy! Very knowledgeable and made sure everyone on the tour received personal experiences. Highly recommend that everyone does a tour of St. Mark’s Basilica.
Review provided by Viator
Nikkibb1901sq
May 9, 2024
Amazing! - Great informative small group trip, if you have the money and are interested in history it is very worth it. With this guide they give you roof access as well which other tours do not do.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ross_w
Dec 16, 2023
Glad we had the tour - We had a fun and informative tour. Laura made our experience great. In addition to making us laugh, we learned, and received great photos on balcony.
Review provided by Viator
Passport51053972303
Oct 27, 2023
A Brief Tour Through TIme in This Beautiful Basilica - Gabriela did a fantastic job of explaining the architectural details and history of the this beautiful basilica in an hour’s time. It was brief and we felt we came away with an understanding of its importance to Venezia.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rebecca
Sep 26, 2023
See above - Lara was an excellent tour guide, very professional, knowledgeable and engaging! Lara was sensitive to the group needs and kept an eye for each member of the group. We will really recommend Lara if you are interested in a tour of Saint Mark Basilica !
Review provided by Viator
Patricia_e
Oct 13, 2023
Quick skip the line tour - Had to wait for 15 min for another person on your who never could find meeting point. Don’t know if that was fair. But good. Tour guide knowledgeable and friendly. Very steep steps. For people with mobility issues might be a problem
Review provided by Viator
David_s
Apr 23, 2024
Waste of money - Worse tour ever operator didn’t provide headset and kept repeating herself couldn’t hear her we left half way through this tour I wouldn’t recommend to anyone waste of money and terrible.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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