St. Mark's Basilica in Venice – Basilica di San Marco

St. Mark’s Basilica (Basilica San Marco) is the main attraction in Venice. With its beauty and architectural splendor, it dominates St. Mark’s Square. In addition to the Campanile, which is impressive simply because of its height, St. Mark’s Basilica is the main attraction on St. Mark’s Square. That’s why the area right in front of the church (Basilica San Marco) is the busiest. It doesn’t matter whether you’re touring the church, climbing up to the gallery, or simply admiring the numerous mosaics. So beautiful, so fascinating, so extraordinary that it simply draws in every visitor to Venice. As you can see in the photo, the basilica is currently undergoing renovation. The residents of Venice can tell at a glance when the photo was taken—depending on which part of the facade is currently covered.

Is admission free?

It used to be said that St. Mark's Basilica is a church. This is where the faithful pray to God. That's why admission is, of course, free. But …

All the tourists in Venice rightly thought that if this church was so impressive from the outside, just how beautiful and unique it must be on the inside. So let’s all go right in—as many of us as possible at once. And flashes, cameras, cell phones—anything that could capture a souvenir photo was put to use. The devout Venetians could no longer pray in peace. There's not a trace of peace and quiet.

So simultaneous access The number of visitors was limited to a tolerable minimum. And it wasn’t the entire church interior that was accessible to everyone, but rather a walking path lined with protective mats. This had the unpleasant consequence of endlessly long lines at the entrance. This situation, too, was actually unbearable.

Online reservations are required

Starting in July 2025, there will therefore be a new solution that has since proven effective: Every visitor to Venice who wants to enter St. Mark's Basilica, must be done in advance and online Specify a specific visit time. Visitors are only allowed to enter the cathedral during that time. There is NO ticket office at the cathedral itself anymore. Admission quotas are managed exclusively online. Each visitor is assigned a 30-minute time slot during which they are permitted to enter the cathedral. Not before, and not after. The current price is 10.00 euros per person.

Our tip: Be sure to make your reservation well in advance; once the daily quota is filled, there will be no way to enter St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.

St. Mark's Basilica in Venice: Reservation QR Code

On the page that this QR code takes you to, scroll down until St. Mark's Basilica is displayed. Or Basilica + Pala d’Oro, or Basilica of St. Mark + Museum

Then click the button: Buy tickets >
First, you must select a date and then a time in 30-minute intervals. Admission is 10.00 euros. Children up to 9.9 years old get in free. (Bring ID!) Summer hours: 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. You can book just St. Mark’s Basilica (10.00 euros), St. Mark’s Basilica plus the Pala d’Oro (20.00 euros), or St. Mark’s Basilica plus the museum and balcony (Galeria) (20.00 euros). Full access to St. Mark’s Basilica: 30.00 euros

Important Note: „“None of the tickets are refundable. Once a reservation is completed, it cannot be modified." (You CANNOT cancel or change a confirmed and paid reservation.)

The link as text: https://tickets.basilicasanmarco.it/en/store#/en/buy?skugroup_id=2524

The 5 mosaics on the 5 portals of St. Mark's Basilica

• Everyone looks up to you.
• Everyone admires her.
• Everyone is fascinated.
• But almost no one knows what the five mosaics above the five entrance portals depict.

On the following pages, you will find an explanation, starting with Mosaic 1 on the far right. This is currently the entrance to St. Mark's Basilica for guided groups.

Mosaics located above a portal are also called supra-portal mosaics. The five portals at St. Mark's Basilica are examples of such mosaics.

The five Supra-Porten mosaics depict the legend in which the remains of the city's patron saint, Saint Mark, are rescued and transferred to St. Mark's Basilica.

Mosaic No. 1 (far right)

The mosaic sequence begins with Mosaic No. 1, located above the far-right portal, and ends with Mosaic No. 5, located above the fifth portal on the far left.

Figure 1 shows the return (from Alexandria, Egypt) of the relics of Saint Mark. (Relic = an object of religious veneration, a mortal remains, a body part, or a personal possession of a saint.).

Mosaic No. 2 (halfway to the right)

This mosaic depicts the arrival of Saint Mark in Venice. Note: There’s always renovation work going on in Venice, including at St. Mark’s Basilica. So you might not be able to see all five entrance portals, since one or more of them may be hidden behind scaffolding. By the way, in Italian, St. Mark’s Basilica is called the Basilica di San Marco.

Mosaic No. 3 (center)

The medium-sized mosaic depicts the Last Judgment, a well-known motif from the Bible. It is the largest portal.

Mosaic No. 4 (half-left)

This painting depicts the magistrates of the lagoon city in their Venetian official attire. They are paying homage to St. Mark the Evangelist. The scene depicts the reception of St. Mark by the Doge and the people. This is currently (2026) the entrance to St. Mark’s Basilica for visitors who can present an online reservation.

Mosaic No. 5 (far left)

Portal No. 5 (far left) is the oldest mosaic and depicts the exterior of St. Mark’s Basilica as it appeared in the 13th century. It shows the procession in which the relics of St. Mark were carried into the church that bears his name.

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