Basilica di San Marco

A church that will stun you with its various forms and accents not to mention the story behind how all the materials came to Venice. The domes are two staged and optically perfect. The floors are works of art all
By themselves. We paid for a private one on one tour and it was worth every penny. A MUST see in Venice.

Beautiful basilica is the most famous known St. Mark Square. Thousands filled the square everyday to gaze upon the imposing architecture.

Sightseeing in the Square ~ Cathedral Tower for the highest view, Ornate Torre dell Orologio Clock,

Despite the myriads of folks, the opportunity to get a table at one of the cafes and people watch is easy to get.

Within a football field length you can stroll over to the Grand Canal, walk along the waters edge to see various historical statues and monuments.

A must visit for the Venice vacation.

You might as well wait in line to enter St. Mark's Basilica, but it is nothing remarkable. If you don't have time, then I do not recommend waiting in the long line. It is a beautiful church, but there are so many in Europe. You can walk around inside for a few seconds and be finished because going anywhere else except for the main area requires a fee. Their dress code requires shoulders and knees to be covered.

The focal point for the Piazza San Marco, The church is quite a structure. Be forwarned, buy your tickets ahead of time of wait in a ridiculous line. Venice, much like Florence, is all about the lines.

The interior is spectacular and the views of the Piazza is fantastic from the upper reaches. The main issue I had and yes it petty is that unlike the Mosques there is a charge or int his case multiple charges once you get in to say head near the altar etc. This drives me nuts.

The Church is part of the main Triad here. Add in the Doges palace and the belltower, plus say lunch at Cafe Florian, and you can easily eat up a day

The downside is that this is the most popular area in Venice, so the crowds are relentless from 8AM to 9PM

Beautiful cathedral that's a popular tourist draw. You can book a tour beforehand to skip the line, or you can wait to enter. It's 3 euros per person to enter and both cash and credit card are accepted. There's a separate entry charge to go up the stairs to the roof (7 euros) and another separate fee to go into the Gold section (Pala d'Oro) (5 euros). There's a rope that delineates the section where you can walk around.

We went around 10am and it was about a 40 minute wait to enter. Numerous online guides suggest getting there earlier rather than later to spend less time waiting in the queue. I would suggest having one party hike your spot in line and going to take photos while waiting, as there are a lot of sights to see. There is an active community that prays here too. Make sure your shoulders and knees are covered, otherwise there are scarves for purchase from the street vendors. Lockers are located in a different building.

Basilica di San Marco is the cathedral church of the Catholic Patriarchate of Venice. It is dedicated to and holds the relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of the city. You can find the history online. The current church is the Third St. Mark's built.
Naturally when I visited Venice I went to Mass one morning. If I had my iPhone back then I'd have about 200 photos of just the outside and inside of this artistic architectural wonder.
You may not be into churches or historic landmarks, but if you are this is a definite must visit. Charge your phone before you go.....

We toured St Mark's as a prearranged after hours group tour. The tour starts at 9pm and you enter the church after dark.

Our tour guide, Elena, was wonderful. She was born and still lives in Venice so she had lots of stories about local life on the islands.

The lights are only on in the church for about 30 minutes during the day so to see it at night with all the lighting was very special. The mosaics sparkled in the lights.

You enter the church through the typical exit. When you enter the main section of the church, the ceiling is dark. When all the tour groups are seated they dramatically begin to increase the lighting. There are so many scenes to behold. So beautiful.

You go into the crypts as well and see the many arches and low ceiling.

Definitely a must see.

Beautiful and breathtaking. This basilica in piazza di San Marco is a must see while in Venice. We did a daytrip to Venice while on our vacation to Italy and this was our first stop. We didn't get a tour but we were able to go inside and see the beautiful architecture, the mosaic work along the walls and the domes. The views from outdoor terrace is amazing. Photos don't do justice you have to see it in person and take it all in.
Venice has a special place in my heart now and I cannot wait to go back and actually stay for a few nights. Day-trip was not enough ...

"Hey...

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful angel
Love your imperfections, every angle
Tomorrow comes and goes before you know
So I just had to let you know..."

Venezia, Italia. I met an Angel at sunrise at breathtaking Basilica Di San Marco in Venice. A basilica that dates to one-thousand years ago. Grasp that for a minute... were the ancient Venetians that more superior in beauty in the arts and more refined in architecture as we see today? Perhaps.

As I walked the early morning grounds, before all the tourists arrive, I couldn't help hearing "Beautiful" by Bazzi. Admiring something so beautiful you know in your heart you can't have only for yourself. It's for you to admire at the moment. To cherish the time you have with her and to always keep her alive in your memories. In your heart she can always be with you.

I was on assignment taking photographs of the architecture of Venice and at the breathtaking Basilica Di San Marco is where I saw an Angel. And maybe I was swept up at the moment... but to me she was the most beautiful site I've seen in all my three lifetimes...

"Tomorrow comes and go before you know
So I just had to let you know
I just had to let you know
Swear to God you're beautiful (yeah)..." Ti amo

Admission was 3. Euros but the line looked endless moving quicker than it looked. There was a lot of construction & repairs as the basilica was damaged during flooding in November 2019.

We paid 6 more euros each Pala d'Oro is the high altar retable of the Basilica di San Marco in Venice. It is universally recognized as one of the most refined and accomplished works of Byzantine enamel, with both front and rear sides decorated.

We paid 7 more euros to go into the museum filled with tile, art, fragments, sculptures, tapestries, models & a lot of info. We went above & below the basilica.

The cathedral is the 3rd oldest, begun probably in 1063 to express Venice's growing civic consciousness & pride. Like the 2 earlier churches, its model was the 6th century Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, it was adjusted to meet the needs of Venetian state ceremonies.