Italy

St Mark’s Basilica: E-ticket with Audio & Venice City Tour on Your Phone

Skip the Line Tours

From $ 19,25 per person

Entrance e-ticket

Use your phone or print the voucher
Self-guided audio tour

Follow the story at your own pace
English, Italiano

For both audio and stories included

Add to cart

From $ 19,25 per person

Book now

Overview

3h 30min
80 stories
5km distance
17 stops

Experience the Saint Mark’s Basilica at your own pace with a skip-the-line e-ticket and an audio tour and the city of Venice with a fascinating self-guided audio tour on your smartphone.

Receive your ticket by email, download the app and the audio tours on your phone, prior to your visit, and travel back in time to experience the grandeur of Saint Mark’s Basilica, a sacred space that has served as the spiritual heart of Venice for centuries. Do not also miss to discover the hidden gems of Venice, from the winding canals to the bustling piazzas and historic landmarks with a fascinating self guided audio city tour on your phone.

Put on your headphones and explore the Pala D’Oro, the treasury and the Mascoli chapel, through the power of storytelling and learn historical information and uncommon stories and anecdotes from the days of the Venetian Republic to the present. It is also your chance to discover the city of Venice with a self-guided city walking tour on your phone and learn about the legends and traditions that have shaped this unique city. Tour’s content is the result of in-depth research, squeezed into brief original stories that will make your visit both engaging and informative. The audio tours can be used repeatedly and anytime, before or after your visit.

This is an unmissable opportunity to gain valuable insights into the complex symbolism and religious themes woven into Saint Mark’s Basilica intricate mosaics as well as the storied history and cultural treasures of Venice itself and relate to your surroundings in an entirely original way.

Audio Preview

The four stunning portals

The basilica has an impressive and intricate entrance, with four sculpted triumphal arches. The first arch above the door is decorated with scenes depicting humanity’s struggle against temptation. Built in the early thirteenth century, the second arch features the months of the year, signs of the zodiac, and seasonal activities. Coming after is the third arch from around 1250, which illustrates different Venetian crafts as the very foundation of the people’s liberty. Finally, the fourth arch from the first quarter of the fifteenth century, widely known as Arch of the Prophets, encloses the Window of the Horses and is decorated with the Evangelists, various prophets, and scenes from the Old Testament. The elaborate design of the central portal of the Republic’s iconic Basilica was a Venetian attempt to emulate something of the great Gothic Cathedrals of Northern Europe.

Leonidas Argyros

A grumpy man with a PhD. He is fascinated by words; when he sees them forming beautiful sentences he feels like an apprentice wizard who just produced fancy potions out of cauldrons full of frog legs and tears of bats. In his spare time he roams about town or watches anything produced and narrated by Sir David Attenborough, an inexhaustible source of similes. In Canada, he learned to love the cold, but he is much happier working in Athens.

Inclusions

Adult entry ticket for the Saint Mark’s Basilica
Skip-the-line service
Self-guided audio tour for the Saint Mark’s Basilica on your smartphone (Android & iOS)
Self-guided audio tour for the city of Venice in English and Italian
An activation link to access your audio tour
Offline content (text, audio narration and maps) to avoid roaming charges

Exclusions

Live Guide
Smartphone or headphones
Food and drinks
Transportation
App not compatible with Windows phones
Hotel pick-up and drop-off

Mandatory items

Charged smartphone
Headphones

Address

P.za San Marco, 328, 30100 Venezia VE, Italy

Directions to starting point

There is no meeting point.

The self-guided audio tour for the Saint Mark’s Basilica is designed to start at the entrance of the Basilica di San Marco (P.za San Marco, 328, 30100 Venezia VE, Italy). The easiest way to get there is by the train station Santa Lucia, by taking the water-bus ride 51 direct line. The tour ends at the entrance of the Βasilica.
The self-guided audio tour for the city of Venice is designed to start in Scuola Grande di San Rocco, located in San Polo district. The easiest way to get there is on foot. The tour ends at La Fenice Theatre, located in Campo S. Fantin.

Endings points:

Saint Mark’s Basilica: The tour ends at the entrance of the Βasilica.
Venice City Tour: The tour ends at La Fenice Theatre, located in Campo S. Fantin.

Areas

The western facade (upper half) / Under the dome of the Ascension / Capital of the crucifix

Canal Grande / Palazzo Contarini / Basilica di San Marco / Doge’s Palace / Ponte dei Sospiri.

Opening hours

Opening hours for Saint Mark's Basilica

Monday - Sunday: 09:30 - 17:15 (last admission: 16:45)

Recommended visiting hours

St Mark Basilica from 9.30am (Sunday and Solemnities ‘of precept’ from 2pm) to 5.15pm (free for children up to 6 years of age), with the possibility to see also the Pala d’Oro (free for children up to 6 years of age) and the Museum – Loggia dei Cavalli ( free for children up to 6 years of age).
- On Sunday morning, from 9.30am to 2pm, you can visit only the Museum – Loggia dei Cavalli
Venice City Tour: This is a city tour, therefore, it is always available. It is recommended to take the tour before sunset.

This is a combination of two downloadable self-guided audio tours for your smartphone (accessible through our app) and an entry ticket for the Saint Mark’s Basilica.
No live guide or meeting point provided.
After booking, you will receive an email with further instructions on how to access and download your audio tour. Please check your email spam folder as well.
The course of the visit may be modified and special restrictions may be imposed. The visitors must always adhere to the guidelines of the site.
Book per device to be used, not per participant.
An Android (version 5.0 and later) or iOS (version 15.0 and later) smartphone is required. The audio tour is not compatible with Windows Phones, iPhone 6/6 Plus or older, iPod Touch 6th generation or older, iPad 4th generation or older, iPad Air 1st generation, iPad Mini 3rd generation or older.
You will need storage space on your phone (200-300MB).
Free and reduced admission tickets do not have to skip the line privileges and can only be acquired at the ticket booth on-site.
Saint Mark’s Basilica is wheelchair accessible.
Venice city tour is wheelchair accessible, but please note that some points of interest might not be easily reachable for people with mobility issues.

Download the ticket(s) & audio tour while on WiFi prior to your visit. Mobile signal may be weak at the site(s).
After booking, you will receive an email with further instructions on how to access and download your audio tour. Please check your email spam folder as well
Ensure that your smartphone is fully charged & that you bring your earphones
The entrance at the Saint Mark’s Basilica is free for children up to 6 years of age
Clothes and behavior must be appropriate for a place of worship
Professional and non-private use photographing and filming is forbidden
Loud explanations are forbidden (use earphones)
You cannot enter the Basilica with luggage
For the Venice City Tour prefer comfortable shoes suitable for walking.
During the hot summer months, it is highly recommended to wear a hut and use sunscreen

Contributors

Image Credits:
Saint Mark’s Basilica Tour: © Clio Muse Tours

Venice City Tour:

Stop 1: © Didier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons

Stop 2: © Didier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons

Stop 3: © Jakub Halun / Wikimedia Commons

Stop 4: © Veronika.szappanos / Wikimedia Commons

Stop 5: © Didier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons

Stop 6: © Zairon / Wikimedia Commons

Stop 7: © Luca Aless / Wikimedia Commons

Stop 8: © Zairon / Wikimedia Commons

Stop 9: © Andrew Balet / Wikimedia Commons

Stop 10: © Didier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons

Stop 11: © Anna Kudryvtseva / Wikimapia

Stop 12: © Didier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons

Download the app

To take this self-guided tour, you will need to download the Clio Muse Tours app on your iOS or Android device. Enjoy your tour!

Book Tour

Why book with Clio Muse Tours?

No booking fees
Support
Secure payments

Why take a self-guided tour?

This is a self-guided tour based on the award-winning storytelling concept developed by Clio Muse and the fascinating narratives prepared by our handpicked destination experts.

You can enjoy each multilingual tour by using your smartphone or tablet at your own pace even if you are offline. The interactive map on your screen will guide you step-by-step as you explore all points of interest along your route. Each stop comes with a selection of our signature stories allowing you to tailor the tour experience to your personal interests and schedule.

After downloading Clio Muse Tours app, you can access this tour and activate it any moment you wish and also repeat it any time. To best enjoy our multimedia self-guided tour (comprising maps, video, audio and text) we recommend the use of headphones.