Venice Skip the line St Mark's Basilica Guided Tour

Overview

Available languages

German

English

Italian

French

Spanish

1 hour

Mobile ticket

Discover one of the world’s most majestic cathedrals, a true masterpiece of Byzantine art in the heart of Venice.

An official guide will provide you with a wealth of information regarding St Mark's Square and then accompany you on a detailed tour of the Golden Basilica, once the private chapel of the Doge of Venice, the only one of its kind in Italy, thanks to the sumptuous golden mosaics and impressive marble inlay flooring. During the tour you will be able to absorb the atmosphere whilst listening to your guide who will describe the biblical scenes represented throughout the building, together with history and particularities of this ancient Basilica.

Visit Saint Mark's Basilica first floor museum and see the famous horses

and admire Saint Mark's Square from the Basilica's terrace.

The tour lasts one hour and concludes outside the Basilica in Saint Mark's Square.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Check-in is 15 minutes before the tour start time

Backpacks and large bags are not allowed inside the church

A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements

On very few occasions the Basilica may be closed due to high water, the tour will not be cancelled but the explanation of the Basilica will take place from the outside

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

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

Personal audio system and headset for tour commentary

Guided walking tour of Saint Mark's Square and its Basilica

Saint Mark's Basilica first floor museum and the terrace

Local guide in English, Frenche, German, Italian and Spanish

Skip the line and entrance fee

Food and drinks

Hotel pick up and drop off

Pala d'oro

What To Expect

Piazza San Marco

An official guide will provide you with a wealth of information regarding Saint Mark's Square and then accompany you on a detailed tour of the Golden Basilica, once the private chapel of the Doge of Venice, the only one of its kind in Italy, thanks to the sumptuous golden mosaics and impressive marble inlay flooring.

20 minutes•Admission Not Applicable

Basilica di San Marco

During the tour you will be able to absorb the atmosphere whilst listening to your guide who will describe the biblical scenes represented throughout the building, together with history and particularities of this ancient Basilica. Visit Saint Mark's Basilica first floor museum and see the famous horses and admire Saint Mark's Square from the Basilica's terrace. The tour lasts one hour and concludes outside the Basilica in Saint Mark's Square.

40 minutes•Admission Included

Options

French tour

Duration: 1 hour
Meeting point 15 min before

English tour

Duration: 1 hour
Meeting point 15 min before

Spanish tour

Duration: 1 hour
Meeting point 15 min before

German tour

Duration: 1 hour
Meeting point 15 min before

Reviews

3.90

307 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

165

terrible English speaking tour
Nancy J,
Jun 21, 2025
- Viator
1.00
It does not skip the line. We still waited an hour in the hot sun - it was very disorganized with having to buy tickets once we got in. We paid for English speaking tour guide but unfortunately we could barely understand him. Would have been better to just go in and read all the signs. This was a terrible guided tour and waste of funds.
Horrible Experience and False Advertising
Isabel S,
Jun 18, 2025
- Viator
1.00
When we showed up to the meeting spot, there was no direction on which guide to go with and we ended up with the wrong guide. Then we did not get our tickets from them and were taken to another guide that told us they stopped doing the skip the line tickets, even though we bought them ahead of time. The only reason we booked this was to skip the line and we ended up needing to wait in a long line. It was so long that we just left and did not even go through the tour. Completely false advertising, no communication about the change ahead of time (I think they overbooked), and no help while we were there. Do not recommend whatsoever.
Not a skip the line. False advertisement
Daniel K,
Jun 16, 2025
- Viator
1.00
This was NOT a skip the line option. We began our tour by walking to the back of the standard line and the tour guide killing time by telling stories of Venice. After about 30 minutes of waiting in line, and only getting through half the distance to the door, we elected to leave because of the time commitment(it says one hour, we invested an hour in our total committment) and we were leaving Venice. Although the guide was nice she was really hard to understand. Complete waste of time and on our last day so we couldn’t reschedule. Really disappointing and I hope Viator makes it right.
St. Mark's Basilica, Venice
Lourdes B,
Jun 13, 2025
- Viator
5.00
Excellent. The girl was very nice, she explained everything very well and the way she narrated the history of the basilica was very interesting because it explained the context of the time both historical As a politician and religious
Terrible tour. Couldn’t...
Don H,
Jun 12, 2025
- Viator
1.00
Terrible tour. Couldn’t understand the guide. Communication of poor audio equipment and tour guide’s poor language skills. Was not a skip the line tour. We stood in line for 20 minutes