Basilica di San Marco

What makes it special

A smuggling tale

The church was founded in the 9th century to house the relics of St. Mark, after two clever Venetian merchants smuggled the saint's body out of Egypt. They hid it in a barrel of pork fat to conceal it from Muslim guards.

Where East meets West

With its blend of Byzantine, Gothic and Romanesque styles, the church is a unique architectural marvel that reflects the city's cultural connections.

Endless gilded mosaics

The upper levels of the interior are completely covered with intricate mosaics crafted over the course of eight centuries. Many of them use 24-carat gold leaf fused onto the back of the glass to symbolize divine light. They vividly tell stories from the Bible and depict events from the lives of Christ, Saint Mark and other saints.

The numbers behind Pala d'Oro

As if the mosaics were not lavish enough, this 3x2 meter altarpiece is made of gold and silver, featuring 187 enamel plaques and a staggering 1,927 gems: 526 pearls, 330 garnets, 320 emeralds, 255 sapphires, 183 amethysts, 175 agates, 75 rubies, 34 topazes, 16 carnelians and 13 jaspers.

Sweeping views

The upper terrace offers a unique vantage point over the other landmarks in Piazza San Marco.

Horses of Saint Mark

The Horses of the Hippodrome of Constantinople are a set of copper statues from classical antiquity. They were placed on the facade of the church after the sack of Constantinople in 1204. Outside are replicas, while the originals can be seen inside the museum on the first floor.

Open Gallery for more insights

Your experience here

Open Gallery to get the feel

Take the exclusive evening tour

Step into the basilica like never before — shrouded in silence, untouched by the daytime crowds, as its golden mosaics ignite under special lighting, transforming the space into a realm beyond this world.

If you’ve visited before, this after-hours experience offers a completely new perspective — and might just be the most awe-inspiring way to truly appreciate St. Mark's.

It all begins with a 'let there be light' moment. Out of total darkness, light slowly rises, making the mosaics shimmer as the vast interior is revealed in a deliberate crescendo.

The effect is powerful — even for non-believers.

Book the evening tour

• Choose a provider:

• ---

• GGet Your Guide

• ---

• VViator

• ---

• HHeadout

Join a regular guided tour

Tickets & extras explained

Skip the line tickets

Onsite tickets are slightly cheaper, but you’ll face long queues and compete with hundreds of other visitors. Skip the wait by booking your ticket online for €6.

Official ticket website

Pala d'Oro

For an extra €6, enhance your visit by stepping behind the high altar — where the relics of St. Mark are kept — to admire the dazzling Pala d’Oro, the world’s only intact example of large-scale Gothic goldsmithing.

Museum and Loggia dei Cavalli

For an extra €9 (or separately for €10, but only on Sundays), you can enhance your visit with access to the basilica’s museum on the upper floor.

On your way up, you'll catch elevated views of the basilica’s interior and get a closer look at the shimmering mosaics.

Highlights include the original copper horses that once adorned St. Mark's facade and the chance to step out onto the terrace for sweeping views over Piazza San Marco and the distant lagoon.

Connect the dots

It started with a donation

In the 12th century, nuns from the San Zaccaria convent donated the land beneath St. Mark’s for the construction of what was originally intended to be a ducal chapel — which eventually evolved into the magnificent basilica we see today.

Besides its elegant white facade blending two architectural styles and a beautiful interior, San Zaccaria is famous for its ethereal flooded crypt, which you can visit.

Explore San Zaccaria

Venice’s other Pala

On rare occasions, visitors to San Salvador are treated to a glimpse of the Pala d’Argento — a dazzling silver altarpiece that rivals its golden counterpart at St. Mark's in both craftsmanship and splendor.

Explore San Salvador