From the piazza we’ll head into a special entrance of the basilica accessible only to visitors joining a special night tour of St. Mark’s. It goes without saying that we won’t have to wait in line. As it is after hours, the church will be dark when we enter. But then as the lights are turned on one by one, the full majesty of St. Mark’s Basilica will be revealed in all its glory. The basilica’s glittering mosaics extend over more than 4,000 square metres, and this jaw-dropping expanse of gold has for good reason given St. Mark’s the nickname of the Church of Gold.
On our tour, your expert guide will teach you about the complicated iconography of these mosaics, how they were made and the enormous influence they were to have on the story of medieval art. From the oldest mosaics, crafted in the 11th-century, through the highpoint of medieval artisanship in the 1200s and right up to designs created by Renaissance and Mannerist masters like Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese.
Posted By : F7107ALmelaniek
Our guide Hazel was extremely knowledgeable. We received a tour of St Mark's basilica with access to beautiful artwork and artifacts which I'm sure is not available during daytime hours. Hazel did an amazing job of calling our attention to certain features and explaining the chronology of various styles and placing them in historical context.
The only reason I'm not giving this tour a 5 is that the description and length of time seemed to change between the time I booked it and the time we went. I seem to remember catacombs being included when we booked and that the tour would be 2 hours or perhaps longer. We did not see catacombs and the tour was 1.5 hours. We were exhausted anyway so we didn't mind. Not sure what happened with the catacombs. It would be nice to notify customers beforehand if you're going to change the itinerary.
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Posted On : 2024-05-18 03:29:08 
Posted By : Irene_C
Lack of crowds.
Personal attention to details by the guide.
Limited number of people in the group.
Con: did not bring his laser pointer.
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Posted On : 2023-10-03 15:27:14 
Posted By : piersy2020
this is the best way to see st marks. no crowds, quiet, light show, great guide (emanuel).
fantastic access
the only way to go!
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Posted On : 2023-10-02 16:34:11
Posted By : theresa_n
Im sorry to say we found this tour a bit boring, it was an audio tour and our guide was very monotone. The inside of the Basilica was beautiful inside, but I wish we had just wandered around ourselves
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Posted On : 2023-09-19 07:06:49
Posted By : Stephen_W
Beautiful at night and our tour guide was knowledgeable and passionate about the history of the Basilica
She was very knowledgeable
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Posted On : 2023-09-13 05:17:23
Posted By : Sheryl_B
Place was amazing and got to spend time at each part of it. Guide was very knowledgeable about history and was able to answer all questions
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Posted On : 2023-08-22 19:37:24
Posted By : Tonia M
Our tour guide Beatrice was incredible. She was friendly and took the time to make sure our questions were answered before we moved to the next item. Her commentary was engaging and you could tell she was truly passionate about the subject. My nephews and I were very pleased with the tour and how excited she was to share her experience and knowledge with us. I’ve been to Venice before but this was my first evening tour of St Marks. I highly recommend this tour as it is after hours, has limited guests and is much more personal.
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Posted On : 2023-08-17 14:27:20
Posted By : Roxanne_R
Gabriella, our tour guide, was absolutely amazing! She was so knowledgeable and friendly - her passion for the subject was evident and it made the entire experience enjoyable. The only downside was that the headset provided by the tour company was full of static, making it difficult for us to hear her. Luckily, we were a small group so we all decided to ditch the head sets and Gabriella just projected her a voice so we could all hear. Thank you Gabriella for sharing your city's rich history with us!
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Posted On : 2023-08-14 11:05:12
Posted By : 600rochelleg
Of course, the magic of the basilica at night. But my tour guide was THE BEST PART. Soooo knowledgeable and also clearly passionate about her subject matter. Friendly, kind, patient. The best guide ever.
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Posted On : 2023-08-01 03:49:44
Posted By : T3550HDadamb
The tour was insightful and interesting. It was beautiful to see the Basilica at night, and without having to stand in any lines. We were a little reluctant to spend 2hrs on the tour, but it ended up being about 90 minutes - which was plenty of time. Our tour guide was very knowledgable, but had a very strong accent, which made it difficult at times to understand what she was saying. It was a great experience.
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Posted On : 2023-06-12 13:48:08
