St Mark's Square: what to see

St Mark's Square, Piazza San Marco, is where many of Venice's best-known sights stand within a few steps of each other: St Mark's Basilica at the east end, the Campanile rising from the square, the Doge's Palace on the Piazzetta that opens to the lagoon, the Clock Tower on the north side and the Procuratie along the long sides. The square itself is free to walk; each building has its own ticket, hours and rules. This page is a map in words of what is where and how to plan it.

How is the square laid out?

Think of it in two parts:

• The Piazza, the large rectangle with the Basilica at one end and the Procuratie along the long sides.
• The Piazzetta, the smaller space that runs from the Basilica's corner down to the waterfront, with the Doge's Palace on one side.

North of the Basilica is a small square of its own, the Piazzetta dei Leoncini, where the Basilica's Porta dei Fiori opens for worshippers.

St Mark's Basilica

The church that gives the square its name was begun in 1063 and consecrated in 1094 to hold the body of St Mark. Inside are the mosaics, the Pala d'Oro and, upstairs, the Museum with the four original bronze horses.

• Price: €10 for the Basilica; €20 with the Pala d'Oro or with the Museum and Horses' Loggia; €30 for all of them.
• Hours: Monday to Saturday 9.30am–5.15pm, Sundays and holy days of obligation 2pm–5.15pm, last entry 4.45pm.
• Rules: timed, named tickets with ID; shoulders and knees covered; bags no larger than 40×30×20 cm.
• Free: entry for prayer and Mass through the Porta dei Fiori, daily 7.30am–7.30pm.

Everything about buying entry is on St Mark's Basilica tickets; the dress code is on rules and dress code.

The Campanile

St Mark's bell tower is 98.6 metres high: a brick shaft 12 metres square and 53.75 metres high, topped by the Archangel Gabriel. It collapsed on 14 July 1902, without victims, and was rebuilt "as it was, where it was", reopening on 25 April 1912. In August 1609 Galileo used it to show his telescope to the Doge.

Since 1932 a lift has taken visitors up to the belfry in about 30 seconds, and it is the only way up. The official full price is €15 (€7.50 reduced), and it is a separate ticket from the Basilica; the residents' free entry doesn't apply here. It opens at 9.30am; closing times change with the season, and the official pages give more than one version, so check our Campanile page for the details.

At the foot of the tower is the Loggetta, by Jacopo Sansovino, built in 1537–1549, destroyed in the 1902 collapse and rebuilt by 1912.

The Doge's Palace

The seat of the Venetian government stands between the Basilica and the lagoon, and is run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, not by the Basilica.

• Hours: 1 November to 31 March, 9am–6pm, last entry 5pm; 1 April to 31 October, 9am–7pm, last entry 6pm.
• Price: €35 standard, €15 reduced; €30 online if you buy more than 30 days before your visit.

Combined Basilica and palace tickets and guided tours are on Basilica and Doge's Palace.

The Clock Tower

The Torre dell'Orologio, on the north side of the square, was finished on 1 February 1499, when its mechanism was installed. The two giant bronze automata known as the Mori were cast by Ambrogio delle Ancore in 1497, and the lion of St Mark looks out from the front.

You can only go inside on a booked guided visit run by the Musei Civici, from age 6 (€15 full, €11 reduced). Times, languages and how to book are on our Clock Tower page.

The Procuratie and the museums

The Procuratie are the buildings that line the long sides of the square. Two things there connect directly with a Basilica visit:

• The Human Safety Net has its home in the Procuratie, and any St Mark's Basilica ticket includes free entry to it.
• The Museo Correr ticket office is the meeting point for the Clock Tower tours, and the Clock Tower ticket includes entry to the Museo Correr, the Archaeological Museum and the rooms of the Marciana Library.

The cafés under the arcades are part of the square's life; they are private businesses with their own prices, and we don't list them.

How do you fit it all into one day?

Each sight works on its own clock, so plan around the fixed slots:

1. Basilica first if you can: weekday slots start at 9.30am, and on Sundays it opens only at 2pm (the Museum is open in the morning).
2. Doge's Palace next door: it opens at 9am and stays open later than the Basilica.
3. Campanile last: it closes in the evening, after the Basilica.
4. Clock Tower only at its set tour times.

A single partner pass can cover several of these; see Venice passes. The Basilica route lasts at most 20 minutes, so the timetable, not the visit, is what takes the time.

Practical points

• The square floods during acqua alta; walkways are set up and a glass barrier protects the Basilica. See acqua alta.
• The Venice access fee has not applied since 27 July 2026.
• The access fee returns on 72 listed days between 26 March and 15 August 2027; the dates are on our acqua alta page.
• The nearest vaporetto stop is San Zaccaria; directions on getting there.
• To understand the symbols around you, read about the Lion of St Mark and the history of the square.