Guided tour

Venice: Byzantine Tour and Skip-the-Line St Mark's Basilica

4.6 / 5

5 reviews

Activity provider:Venice Events srl
Guided tour

Venice: Byzantine Tour and Skip-the-Line St Mark's Basilica

Activity provider:Venice Events srl

From US$ 66.55 per person

For a Byzantine experience, join this combined walking tour of St. Mark's Square and the Castello area. Conclude with a visit to the Golden Basilica where you can enjoy special authorization unavailable to other tour providers to sit in the central nave.

About this activity

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Duration 2.5 - 4 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Skip the ticket line
Live tour guide
English, German, Spanish, French

Experience

Highlights
  • Enjoy a combined walking tour of St. Mark’s Square, the Castello area and St. Mark's Basilica
  • Visit two of the most popular attractions in Venice
  • Walk through a labyrinth of narrow alleys, many bridges, winding canals and wide picturesque squares
Full description

Discover the most important historical places and buildings of Venice on this combined tour. This tour is guided and divided into 2 parts. Your tour starts with a historical introduction of St. Marks’s Square and its architectural delights, allowing you to discover the history of the majestic St. Mark’s Basilica, the illustrious Doge’s Palace, once the seat of the power for the Republic of Venice, and the extraordinary, Renaissance clock tower. 

Leaving the square, head to the residential Castello area and explore this part of Venice in all of its elegance, through its labyrinth of narrow alleys known as calli, many bridges, winding canals and wide picturesque squares called campi.

Expect to see the Campo Santa Maria Formosa, one of the largest squares in Venice with its church named after its visitation of the Holy Virgin. Visit the Campo San Giovanni and Paolo, the equestrian monument of Bartolomeo Colleoni, the former residence of Marco Polo, and the Malibran Theatre. After returning to Saint Mark's Square, an official guide will provide you with a detailed tour of the Golden Basilica.

During the tour, you will be able to sit down in the church and absorb the atmosphere whilst listening to your guide who will describe the biblical scenes represented throughout the building, together with the history and particularities of this ancient basilica. 

Afterward, have the chance to add a classic gondola ride. This combined tour concludes outside the basilica in St. Mark's Square.

Includes
  • A guided walking tour covering the areas of St. Mark's Square and Castello
  • Guided tour of St. Mark's Basilica
  • Skip-the-line admission tickets to St. Mark's Basilica
  • Live tour commentary in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian
  • Shared gondola ride, if the option is selected
  • Personal audio system and headset for tour commentary
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Food and drink
  • Optional gratuities
  • Pala d'oro
Not suitable for
  • Wheelchair users

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Meeting point

Meet 15 minutes early at Calle larga de l’Ascension 1256 - 30124 next to the post office San Marco (opposite side of the Saint Marks Basilica). Look for the yellow Meeting Point sign on the wooden kiosk.

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Important information

Not allowed

  • Pets
  • Shorts
  • Baby strollers
  • Luggage or large bags
  • Sleeveless shirts
  • Backpacks

Know before you go

  • Until further notice, entrance inside St. Mark’s Basilica is not possible due to ongoing restoration work. Tours will visit the basilica's Terrace and its Museum instead
  • Check-in will be 15 minutes prior to booked tour start time
  • This activity is not wheelchair accessible
  • Shoulders and knees must be covered inside the basilica
  • Backpacks are not allowed inside the basilica
  • This tour operates rain or shine
  • From the 1 of November to the 31 of March, there will be no skip-the-line entrance to the basilica
  • Tour maybe affected in the case of high tides
Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.6 /5

based on 5 reviews

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September 2, 2022

Tolle Führung!

July 1, 2022

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Meeting point should be better described. Gide only came 5 minutes before, the guests were ordered 30 minutes before

May 31, 2022

Product ID: 132786