Venice · ST MARK'S BASILICA TOURS
56 reviewed
A thousand years of gold mosaic, and most visitors file through in ten minutes without knowing what they saw. These are the best St Mark’s Basilica tours, ranked: which skip the queue, which add the Pala d’Oro and the terrace over the piazza, what each costs, and which pair the Basilica with the Doge’s Palace next door.
Priority access to Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica terrace views. See Bridge of Sighs, Tintoretto frescoes, and bronze horses.
“Tour was great, but soooo much to see in a short time. Our guide, Lucia, was fabulous!”
Skip-the-line guided walking tour of Venice’s St Mark’s Square, Doge’s Palace, and St Mark’s Basilica with priority entry and standout views.
“Ana was amazing, really a great experience with her!”
Skip lines to Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica with a live guide, golden mosaics, and the Bridge of Sighs in about 3 hours.
“Great experience : very efficient from a starting point. The guide (Barbara) was very funny and captivating.”
Priority-entry guided tour linking St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace, plus museum access after. Skip the lines with a local guide.
“A very friendly , informative guide willing to explain the very complicated history and answer our many questions!!!”
Skip lines for St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs with Piombi Prisons, optional Campanile views and VR.
“Valentina was very good and knowledgeable about the history of the city, St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge Palace. Valentina’s historical background was exemplary and the information was very well communicated. The only negative was that she had to accommodate some people on multiple occasions who needed assistance with elevators which took away some extended periods of time from our tour while she was accompanying them to the elevators, this of course was out of her control. The touring company should have certain tours for people needing assistance with elevators or at least inform them that they need to be able to get up and down stairs on their own.…”
Skip the line for St. Mark’s Basilica via St. Peter’s Door, with expert commentary on gold mosaics, plus museum, horses, and terrace options.
“Tour was good, guide was a bit late so we were kinda rushed in the beginning. But the church itself was stunning. Not sure about how bad the lines are typically but might skip the skip the line tour next time. Overall A- 4.6/5”
Skip the lines at St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace, then take a shared gondola with mobile commentary plus a Venice VR history gallery.
“You need to run to the gondolas. Good luck you can not make it. Pick a different tour. You can't even give a bad review”
Skip the line to St Mark’s Basilica with a smartphone audio guide. See golden mosaics at your pace, with terrace options available.
“Our guide was very helpful and interested. She took real pleasure in answering our questions. It felt as if she cared about our experience, which is far from universal with tour guides.”
Skip the lines at St. Mark’s Basilica with hosted entry and app audio. Add the Campanile or Doge’s Palace for major views and stories.
“Very organized. Clear directions and straightforward (just like this review). St. Mark’s Basilica is very beautiful and a must-see.”
Skip-the-line guided tour of Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, with audio headsets and expert storytelling.
“Very good tour, well organized with great communication prior to the day, and our guide Monica was very informative as we progressed thru Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s. The museum upstairs in St Mark’s is an extra charge, but very reasonable and worth the time.”
Skip lines to Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica with audioguides or an English tour, plus optional terrace or Campanile views.
“We enjoyed the tour. The guide was very friendly and pleasant. Her knowledge and communication was excellent. The level of detail , and information she gave was well balanced and interesting to all. I was highly recommend this tour”
Skip the St. Mark’s Basilica line with a first-floor ticket and phone audioguide. See mosaics fast, with clear meeting help.
“Our hostess was extremely knowledgeable and lovely. Would recommend.”
Skip-the-line entry to St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace and Bridge of Sighs, plus Correr and Marciana Library. Guided or app options.
“Wonderful tour/guide, and the experience was very informative. Our tour guide, Denise, was very knowledgeable on the historical/architectural subjects concerning St. Marks’ Square and the Doge’s palace.”
After-hours calm at St. Mark’s Basilica with a guide and optional late access to Doge’s Palace, Prisons, and Bridge of Sighs.
“We did not get to do the tour because the guide did not show up. We arrived 20 minutes early and stayed 20 minutes past the tour time as did another 12 people that were supposed to tour with us. No other tours were available so despite booking months in advance we did not get to see the two most popular sites in Venice.”
1-hour St. Mark’s Basilica guided tour with a local guide. Optional Pala d’Oro add-on for Venice’s golden mosaic treasures.
“It was well organized with a kind knowledgeable guide.”
