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Venice Travel Guide


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Enjoying Venice:


On the mainland:


San Giorgio Maggiore photo by Matthew Dixon

Aerial Venice
Explore Venice from the air, with explanatory text.


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From Viator:

Viator

Basilica di San Marco

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Continued from page 1

Basilica entrance photo

ABOVE: The main visitor entrance is on the Piazza side of the church; look for the crowd-control barriers and the stanchions with signs.

Visitor information

sign photoThe Basilica di San Marco is open for tourist visits from Monday through Saturday from 9:45  a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. (On Sunday mornings, you can attend mass, but wandering around isn't allowed.) Visiting hours can vary slightly by season; the sign in front of the Basilica will show current times.

Admission is free, but it's polite to leave a donation in one of the coinboxes. Unless you're on a budget or in a hurry, consider visiting the San Marco Museum, the Treasury, and the Golden Altarpiece. (You'll need to buy a separate ticket for each.)

Avoiding the queue:

The line to enter the Basilica through the main door can be long during high season and on weekends. To minimize waiting time, try one of the following strategies:

  • Reserve a free ticket in advance. See Alata.it's Basilica di San Marco booking page for details.

  • Check your bag or backpack at the Ateneo San Basso, a former church just around the corner and down the Calle San Basso from the Basilica's main entrance. (You'll need to do this anyway if you're carrying anything larger than a purse.) When you check your gear, you'll be given a plastic claim check that can be used to bypass the queue at the front of the Basilica.

  • Visit when the Basilica opens or late in the afternoon, when it's less likely to be packed with tour groups and daytrippers. (Downside: The gilded mosaics are most impressive at midday, when the church interior is illuminated.)

  • Join a tour. Book a sightseeing tour in advance through Viator, or look for freelance guides in front of the Basilica.

More tips:

  • Dress conservatively. Tank tops, shorts, and other "scanty" clothing aren't allowed. (Mankind may have been created in God's image, but the church authorities apparently think God has a body-image problem.)

  • Keep moving. The Basilica's interior is smaller than the typical cathedral's, and visitors are expected to shuffle more or less continuously along the roped-off sightseeing route. (In high season, you'll be lucky if you have more than 10 minutes to see the main floor of the church.)

  • Visit on a sunny day, or at midday if crowds aren't too heavy. (The lights are normally turned on between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and the illumination makes the gilded mosaics shine.)

  • "Pre-sightsee." Rick Steves has a PDF map of the Basilica on his Web site. You'll also find a Rick Steves audio tour in MPEG-4 (iTunes) format.

Official Web site:

The Procuratoria in Venice has an official English-language Web site about the Basilica, with historical information, a 3D "Virtual Basilica" tour, a liturgical calendar, etc.

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Photo by gianlucabartoli

Hotel Advice:

Location can be important in a car-free city with 400+ bridges, especially when you're walking with luggage. Before you book, see:

  • Aerial Venice Hotels
    Read our tips on choosing the right sestiere or district. Then view individual hotels and their surroundings in large satellite photos and aerial close-ups.

MSC cruise ship in Venice

Venice for Cruisers:


Venice canal reflections

A water taxi ride to Venice Airport
A warning about water taxis
Venice Railroad Station: a vaporetto view
Long lines at Venice Airport
Free boat trips to Murano
Need to pee? Prepare to pay
Crime in Venice
The perils of overpacking
Venetian daily life


Maggie in Venice

From Maggie in Venice:

A dog's life in Venice
A Beagle boards a water bus
Maggie in Venice video clips


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