Legendary Venice: St. Mark’s Basilica with Terraces and Doge’s Palaces

Overview

Meeting in St. Mark’s Square we take a few moments to appreciate this incredible space before using our pre-reserved entrance tickets to enter the Basilica. Absolutely enormous, the Basilica has 43 000 square feet of mosaic alone! Its history, which dates back to the 9th century, is just as hard to get your head around. But there’s no understanding Venice without understanding St. Mark’s Basilica.

On our St. Mark’s Basilica tour, your guide will take you far beyond the guidebook to really understand St. Mark’s Basilica and Venice as a whole. Hear the swashbuckling tale of the Basilica’s founding (a story that involves an angelic prophecy and a bold theft!) and explore the church’s countless treasures. One such treasure is the bronze horses, which you will see up close during your special access visit to the balcony. With this access, your guide will also have an opportunity to speak with you inside the Basilica (not usually afforded to groups), using their time on the balcony to help you really appreciate the ceiling mosaics up close.

The cherry on top comes as you walk outside onto the terraces themselves. From here you’ll witness the most beautiful views in all of Venice, over St Mark’s Square and past the Doge’s Palace down into the lagoon.

Highlights

• Our most complete half-day Venice tour, Legendary Venice combines the top two sights of Venice for an insight into the history, art and architecture of Venice.
• Enjoy a St. Mark’s Basilica tour plus the Doge’s Palace, where you’ll see prisons, apartments, courtrooms and incredible art: with skip-the-line access you’ll have more time inside.
• Traveling in small groups of 25 with an expert guide passionate about the art and history of Venice, your experience is guaranteed to be fun and engaging.

Extended tour description