St Mark’s Basilica opening hours
Independent guide — not the official website of St Mark’s Basilica. Official tickets: tickets.basilicasanmarco.it
For visitors, the Basilica is open 9:30 – 17:15, last admission 16:45, Monday to Saturday, and 14:00 – 17:15, last admission 16:45 on Sundays and public holidays, because the morning is for Mass. It opens earlier for prayer, every day, through a different door. Here are both timetables, and the Campanile’s.
Visiting hours
| Visit | Hours |
|---|---|
| Basilica, Monday to Saturday | 9:30 – 17:15, last admission 16:45 |
| Basilica, Sundays and public holidays | 14:00 – 17:15, last admission 16:45 |
| Museum and Loggia, Sundays and public holidays | Opens at 9:30 |
The Pala d’Oro and the Museum keep the Basilica’s hours, except that the Museum and Loggia also open on Sunday mornings. Times may vary with events, the month of the year and bad weather.
Your ticket is for a time slot, not for the day. Entry only in the time slot you booked. The conditions of sale allow up to 15 minutes before or after; the ticket shop’s own FAQ speaks of about 5 minutes, so arrive on time.
Sunday
Sunday is the day visitors get wrong. The Basilica is the Patriarch’s cathedral, and on Sunday mornings the nave is in use for Mass, so the church opens to visitors only in the afternoon, 14:00 – 17:15, last admission 16:45. What you can do on a Sunday morning is the Museum and the Loggia dei Cavalli (Opens at 9:30), which sell a separate ticket, €14.00, for exactly this situation. The Museum page explains what is up there.
A Sunday afternoon compresses a whole visiting day into less than three hours. If Sunday is your only day, book early.
Prayer and Mass
The Basilica is a working church before it is a monument. For prayer, Mass and the liturgy, entry is always free through the Porta dei Fiori, on the north façade (Piazzetta dei Leoncini), every day, 7:30 – 19:30.
| Day | Mass |
|---|---|
| Monday to Saturday | Monday to Saturday: 8:00 and 10:00 at the altar of the Nicopeia, and 18:45 (in the nave on Saturday) |
| Sundays and holy days | Sundays and holy days of obligation, in the nave: 8:00; 10:00, the solemn Mass sung by the Cappella Marciana; 12:00, the organ Mass; 18:45 |
Vespers at 17:45. The solemn Mass at 10:00 on Sunday is sung by the Cappella Marciana, the Basilica’s own choir.
This door is for worship. If you go in to attend Mass, you are there to attend it: the visiting route, the Pala d’Oro and the Museum still need a ticket.
What visitors report: the Porta dei Fiori leads to a chapel set aside for prayer, behind a barrier watched by staff, not to the rest of the church — so it is no way round a sold-out day.
The Campanile
The bell tower has its own hours and its own ticket (€15.00):
| Season | Hours |
|---|---|
| Summer | 9:30 – 21:15, last admission between 20:00 and 20:30 |
| Winter | 9:30 – 19:15, last admission between 18:00 and 18:45 |
It stays open hours after the Basilica closes, which makes it the natural end to a day. More on the Campanile page.
Planning around the hours
- Earliest visit: the first slot of the day, Monday to Saturday.
- Latest visit: a slot close to last admission, any day.
- Sunday: the Museum in the morning, the Basilica in the afternoon.
- Evening: the Campanile, open well after the Basilica closes.
Which of these is quietest is on the best time to visit page.
Frequently asked questions
Is St Mark’s Basilica open on Sunday?
For visitors, only in the afternoon: 14:00 – 17:15, last admission 16:45. The Museum and Loggia open in the morning (Opens at 9:30) and sell a ticket of their own, at €14.00.
Is it open on Monday?
Yes. The visiting hours are the same Monday to Saturday: 9:30 – 17:15, last admission 16:45.
What time is last entry?
Every day, last admission comes half an hour before closing: 9:30 – 17:15, last admission 16:45 from Monday to Saturday, 14:00 – 17:15, last admission 16:45 on Sundays and holidays.
Can I go in for Mass without a ticket?
Yes. For prayer, Mass and the liturgy, entry is always free through the Porta dei Fiori, on the north façade (Piazzetta dei Leoncini), every day, 7:30 – 19:30. It is for worship, not for sightseeing.
Which days is it closed?
The official pages do not list closure days. They say that visits can be suspended on days of religious services, and that hours may change with events and the season.
Last checked: September 30, 2026