St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience St. Mark's Basilica. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Legendary Venice: Doge's Palace, St Mark's & VIP Terrace Access

• Venice in a Day: St Mark's, Doge's Palace, Gondola Ride, and City Tour

• Venice's Best: Basilica, Doge's Palace, Gondola, and History Gallery

• Venice: St Mark's Basilica After-Hours Tour With Optional Doge's Palace

• Venice: St.Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Tour With Tickets

Entry to St. Mark’s Basilica costs €10; entry to St. Mark’s Bell Tower costs €15. You can also purchase admission to see the Pala d’Oro, a gleaming Byzantine altarpiece, explore the museum, or take in views from the Loggia dei Cavalli balcony: A combo ticket for all of these, plus the basilica but excluding the bell tower, costs €30. Children under 10 go free.

Yes, St. Mark's Basilica is absolutely worth visiting. Venice's signature sight and spiritual center, with its spectacular exterior, dominates St. Mark's Square—and its equally grand interior is a blaze of glistening mosaics. While it's hard to visit Venice without at least passing by St. Mark's, joining a guided tour can help you understand the place this monument occupies in Venetians' hearts and appreciate its precious treasures too.

Per one customer who booked the Private or Semi Doge's Palace & Saint Mark's Basilica Guided Tour, "Our guide, Tullia, was excellent and made this private tour a wonderful experience. It was important for us to understand the art, architecture and history of these two remarkable structures. Tullia is an expert historian of the medieval and Renaissance eras and also very knowledgeable as an art historian. We learned a great deal! She has excellent English language skills and is a pleasure to accompany us as a guide. We highly recommend this private tour! Ciao!"

No, visitors can enter without a ticket, but the lines for free admission are very long. To avoid the wait and skip the line, purchase St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) tickets for timed entry to the church. You can also buy a combination ticket for the church plus the Pala d’Oro, Loggia dei Cavalli, Museum, and bell tower.

Yes, if you want to bypass the long line for free admission to the church. Skip-the-line tickets are timed, so they sell out quickly and must be purchased in advance. The same applies to the church’s museum, loggia (terrace overlooking the square), and bell tower.

Yes, St. Mark’s Basilica is a religious site, and modest dress is required. Choose clothing that covers shoulders, knees, and midriff to enter; jeans and sandals are permitted. Visitors are not allowed to bring large backpacks and bags inside.

Yes, there is a public toilet on the Museum and Loggia level of the complex. Alternatively, public restrooms in St. Mark’s Square have wheelchair access and a changing station for infants; there is a small fee to enter.

No, visitors cannot take photos or videos inside the church, and some guards enforce this rule. The only location where photography is allowed is the Loggia dei Cavalli overlooking St. Mark’s Square outside.

There are tons of fun things to do when you're done visiting St. Mark's Basilica. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions in Venice:

• Doge's Palace

• St. Mark's Square

• Rialto Bridge

• Grand Canal

• Venice Islands

View Viator's guide to all the best attractions in Venice.