How to Visit Venice St. Mark's Basilica: hours, prices, and everything you need to know

When organising a concise travel itinerary of thingsto see and do in Venice, three activities always come to mind: a visit to see the Doge's Palace, a gondola cruise on the Grand Canal and a tour inside St. Mark's Basilica. This impressive basilica is an important part of the city's religious tradition and history, so I recommend setting aside a few hours to get to know all its secrets guided by the following list.

The current appearance of St. Mark's Basilica is due to the renovations and reconstructions carried out in the 15th century. Due to its complex and intricate history, this Venetian monument combines several easily distinguishable architectural styles on its façade, predominantly Byzantine Romanesque and Gothic.

The upper part is dominated by large pointed arches of oriental influence, decorated with ceramic tiles characteristic of the Venetian flowery Gothic style. Statues of numerous saints are placed at the top of the arches, and the statue of St. Mark himself occupies the place of honour in the central part.

Unlike other great works of its time, the façade of the basilica is wider than it is high, with a predominance of horizontality in its design as a way of balancing the weight and distributing the loads evenly on the sandy ground on which it was built. Although the most famous façade is the one facing St Mark's Square, the basilica has three named façades: the west façade, the north façade and the south façade.

As you begin your tour inside St Mark's you will notice the intricate details that make up its decoration; this can be seen especially in the mosaics that decorate the lunettes or small access vaults.

Pay special attention to the only entirely original mosaic of the Basilica located in the portal of Sant' Alipio, dating back to the 13th century and representing the ancient church of San Marco before adding the superimpositions of the florid Gothic style that stand out especially on the main façade. The other mosaics in San Marco are in fact the result of various restorations carried out between the 17th and 19th centuries.

The beautiful floors of San Marco are another characteristic element you should pay attention to on your tour; composed of geometric patterns and animal designs depicting lions, eagles, griffins, deer, peacocks and other creatures from medieval bestiaries with enormous symbolic power.

The variety of intricate designs are achieved by combining a wide variety of limestones, serpentine and coloured marbles; the materials originate from different corners including Greece, Syria, Africa, Istri, Tuscany, Verona and the Alps. The large slabs of the floors of St Mark's are strategically placed to emphasise the longitudinal axis of the chapel; they are placed under the central dome and the western dome.

Possibly the most striking feature of the interior of St. Mark's Basilica is its gilded mosaics, which earned it the name of the Basilica of Gold. The golden mosaics cover almost the entire interior, from the walls to the domes to the vaults. Thanks to the way they are arranged, they shine in all directions, creating a fantastic interior composition. Amidst the sea of gilded mosaics you will find depictions of biblical episodes, the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the Apostle St. Mark.

The space dedicated to the High Altar at St. Mark's is slightly elevated from the rest of the church; set between ribbed vaults and four columns covered with sculptures possibly from the fall of Constantinople. The remains of St. Mark the Apostle have rested under the altar since the 18th century, although they had to be removed due to the flooding of St. Mark's Square and the surrounding buildings.

Pala d' Oro: located at the back of the altar, a dazzling painting decorated with precious metals and stones, commissioned in Constantinople in 1102, is considered one of the greatest treasures inside St. Mark's. It depicts religious scenes and saintly figures. It represents religious scenes and figures of saints in miniatures and according to documents from 1769 this masterpiece is composed of: 1300 pearls, 400 pomegranates, 300 sapphires, 90 amethysts, 15 rubies, 4 topaz, as well as metals such as gold and silver.

The St. Mark's treasure is the name given to the collection of liturgical objects used in the celebrations. The collection includes some 283 pieces of gold, silver and various precious materials of high value and of diverse provenance. The objects are mostly liturgical chalices, cups and patens; made from Byzantine goldsmiths' work and decorated with all kinds of hard stones.

The relics of St. Mark are kept in the ancient rooms that link the church to the Doge's Palace and the most significant pieces are usually placed on display on the altar of St. Mark, so pay attention to these details on your visit to the Basilica. Some pieces are on loan to temporary collections in major museums around the world.

According to historical records, of the 283 pieces that make up the collection, one part is made up of the booty stolen from Constantinople between 1204 and 1261. The collection is divided into four main groups or sections: Ancient and Middle Ages objects, Byzantine art objects, Islamic art objects and Western art objects.

The St Mark's Museum was established at the end of the 19th century, is located on the inner terraces of the basilica and is the place where the relics of Byzantine sacred art are kept.

The collection includes a number of interesting and historically valuable objects such as ancient carpets, liturgical vestments, manuscripts and old mosaic fragments removed during restoration work in the course of the 19th century. It is said that in former times the collection of objects was much larger, but due to various events such as fires and thefts, the collection has been diminishing.

After Venice's participation in the Fourth Crusade, various treasures were taken from Constantinople. The sculpture of the horses, located in the hippodrome of the fallen city, is part of the booty taken by the Venetians. Made entirely of copper with mercury additions, it depicts a chariot of strong and imposing horses in spectacular detail.

It has not been possible to establish the exact dating of the work; while some are from the Greek period, others are evidently Roman. Antiquities experts place it between the 2nd century BC and the 2nd century AD. It is known to be the only sculpture of its kind to have been recovered from antiquity.

Another interesting fact is that in the 19th century Emperor Napoleon had the imposing sculpture transported to Paris to create a replica. Today, the chariot of horses on display on the façade of St. Mark's Basilica is also a replica of the original, which is well protected inside the church.

Among the treasures extracted by the Venetians during the Crusades in Constantinople you will find several valuable artefacts or treasures placed throughout the basilica. Near Porta della Carta, one of the main attractions of the Doge's Palace, hugging a pillar is I Tetrarchi.

Sculpted in red porphyry, it has a total height of 136 cm. Although the sculpture is linked to the Roman Tetrarchs, there is no final consensus, evidence suggests that the sculptures may be much older and may have been taken from Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilisations.

The Venetians christened them the Four Thieves and they were placed to guard the outer wall of St. Mark's Treasury; they function in part as a warning to any malicious person who might want to desecrate the precious goods inside the basilica.

The Acritan columns are the name given to the duo of columns from the ancient and fallen city of Acre. Placed on the south side of the Basilica of St. Mark, they contain an extremely interesting historical context. Acre was a very ancient city located in what is now Israel. These territories were highly coveted by the Venetian overlords, but also by the Genoese. After violent clashes between the two maritime powers, the Venetians were victorious.

After the victory they destroyed the church of San Giovanni d'Acri, removed the two beautifully decorated columns and placed them outside St. Mark's as a message of warning to their enemies.

When visiting St. Mark's Basilica you should take into account certain details that will help you save time and effort; add the following important points to the list of tips for seeing Venice.

If you want to avoid queues

St Mark's Basilica is one of the most important monuments inVenice, being one of the most attractive tourist attractions in the city, there are always queues at the entrance. The only way to easily avoid this inconvenience is to book a guided tour in advance, however groups available in English may be limited, so it is best to book your tours in advance.

Dress appropriately

On the day of your visit to St Mark's be aware that you will be visiting a religious monument, it is important to behave respectfully and adopt the prescribed dress code. The prescribed dress code consists of trousers or long skirts with the shoulders covered for both men and women. This applies equally to the other Venetian churches.

Take into account the visiting conditions

St. Mark's Basilica has a capacity limit of 200 people, and the average time inside the Basilica is about 30 minutes. During peak tourist seasons in Venice the tour period may be shortened by a few minutes.

You should behave in a respectful and silent manner in keeping with the sacredness of the place. Luggage and travel bags are not allowed inside the basilica, there is a dedicated luggage storage area in the Ateneo San Basso; access to this area is through an alleyway to the left of the basilica.