SAINT MARK'S BASILICA

Tour Highlights

• Admire St. Mark’s Basilica, one of the most majestic cathedrals in the world
• Embark on a 2-hour tour with a professional experienced guide for art and history lovers. Feed your eyes
• Admire the Pala d'Oro, the treasury and Museum of St Marks: a splendor of religious art collected along the centuries

Description

Enjoy Skip-the-line to St. Mark’s Basilica with a professional tour guided. You’ll discover the art and architecture of the most important and magnificent cathedral in Venice. Full of gold and art-masterpieces, it is in the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1986 with a fascinating history of La Serenissima.

Itinerary

The guide will meet you at the winged lion column at the Saint Mark's square and walk your way to the entrance of the Cathedral, which is just few minutes away and Skip-the-line at the entrance to the cathedral.

Inside this Golden Basilica, the guide with explains to you the famous fact about the incredible golden mosaics and the masterpieces of Byzantine arts which you’ll be awed! Byzantine arts are a unique artwork in Italy and mosaics are found in the church’s atrium, you’ll have the pleasure to savor beautiful gold mosaics and marble inlays of the floors, while the guide will show you the represented biblical scenes from the Old Testaments, the history and the particularities of this ancient basilica.

The guide will also point out a treasury view which is a splendor of religious art collection among the centuries, where you’ll admire the altarpiece of Pala d’Oro an exquisite example of the Byzantine art with its thousands of gems and precious stones. As you feast your eyes with treasures, the guide will narrate the history of this Byzantine artwork and the story behind each of it.

Later the guide will escort you to the most interesting visit inside the cathedral, to the Museum of St Marks. You’ll have the opportunity to observe the Bacoòoaas’c ceiling and the mosaics up close but also the chance to see the most impressive and magnificent original sculpture of the Horses of St Mark. These gold-plated bronze horses were originally in the Hippodrome of Constantinople and listen to the stories and history of the other artwork and of how the Horses of St. Marks was pillaged during the Fourth Crusade.

This two-hour tour will end at the museum, it’ll be a hassle free and not overwhelming tour. Our professional guides will guide you through, a perfect balance between art, architecture, and history. however, you are also welcome to stay back after the tour ends in order to visit the museum on yours.

Meeting Point

Piazza San Marco (in front of Colonne di San Marco e San Teodoro)