St Mark’s at night: the evening visit and the crypt

What the Basilica sells

The official tariff lists, among its tickets, the evening visits of the lit Basilica and crypt (visite serali in Basilica e Cripta illuminate). They begin at 19:30 or 20:00, run in one-hour slots until 21:30–22:00, and are sold only with a guide.

The price is for the group, not for each person: €1,500 for up to 30 people, €2,500 for 31 to 50 and €5,000 for 51 to 100. The tariff adds that finding the guide, and paying for one, is up to the visitor.

For a couple or a family that settles the question: you join a group that a tour company has already booked, and pay for a place in it.

Why go in the evening

The light. By day the church is lit mostly by its windows, and the Basilica publishes no timetable for switching on the lamps. The evening visit is sold as a visit of the lit Basilica, and visitors who have done both describe it as the time the gold comes alive.

The crypt. It is the only way in. Under the presbytery and its side chapels the crypt has three apsed aisles; in the central one, under the high altar, is the old shrine that held Saint Mark’s body for centuries, until it was moved up into the altar where it lies today. West of it, lower still, are the tombs of the Patriarchs of Venice since 1807. More on the architecture page and in the story of Saint Mark.

The space. A small group, instead of the daytime crowd.

Before you book a tour

• Is the crypt in it? The Basilica’s evening ticket includes it, but read the tour’s own list of inclusions.
• Is the Pala d’Oro in it? Some tours include it, some do not.
• Can you cancel? After-hours tours are often non-refundable; the card shows it.
• Is the Doge’s Palace part of it? Some evening tours add an earlier visit to the Palace, which may leave a gap before the Basilica.

The church is the same by night: dress as you would for the day visit (see the dress code).