St Mark's Campanile and Loggia dei Cavalli

Two heights above the square

In St Mark's Square there are two places to see it from above, and they are bought separately:

• The campanile, the 98.6 m brick tower, the tallest structure in Venice. At the top, from the bell chamber, you see the whole city, the lagoon, the Lido and, on a clear day, the Alps.
• The Loggia dei Cavalli, the terrace on the basilica's façade, at the height of the bronze horses. From there you look at the square head-on, from mid-height, with the Clock Tower on one side and the Doge's Palace on the other.

If you are only going up one, the campanile gives the wide view and the Loggia gives the view of the square and the inside of the basilica from the museum.

The campanile

The one you see is not the original. The tower collapsed on the morning of 14 July 1902 and the city decided to rebuild it "where it was and as it was". The new campanile was inaugurated on 25 April 1912, St Mark's Day. Of the five bells, only the largest, the Marangona, survived the collapse; its name comes from the carpenters of the Arsenal, whose working day it marked. From up here Galileo showed his telescope to the Venetian nobles on 21 August 1609.

There are no stairs for the public: you go up by lift, installed in 1962, in about 30 seconds to the bell chamber. That is why it is a climb suitable for almost everyone, including children and older people. If you are at the top when the bells ring, the noise is very loud: bear that in mind with small children.

The Loggia dei Cavalli and the museum

The terrace is part of the St Mark's Museum, on the upper floor of the basilica. Inside the museum are the four original bronze horses; those on the façade are copies. From the interior gallery you see the basilica's golden mosaics up close, and then you go out onto the Loggia, above the main door.

Entry to the museum and the Loggia is bought as a supplement to the basilica ticket. Only when the basilica is closed for services and the museum is open is the museum ticket sold separately.

Tickets and prices

The St Mark's Procuratoria prices for 2026, for individual visitors:

• Campanile: €15.
• Basilica: €10.
• Basilica + Museum and Loggia dei Cavalli: €20.
• Full basilica (basilica, Pala d'Oro, museum and Loggia): €30.
• Museum and Loggia without basilica, only when the basilica is closed for worship: €14.

Young people aged 10 to 18, students up to 26 and over-65s get a 50% discount on those prices; under-10s get in free. Tickets are named and the basilica one has a fixed time slot. They are bought on the basilica's official ticket website; for the campanile, buy in advance too in high season, because the queues in the square are long.

With any ticket that includes the basilica you can visit, within the following six months, other churches in Venice and the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta in Torcello, which you will see if you take the excursion to Murano, Burano and Torcello.

Hours and how long it takes

The hours of the basilica, the museum and the campanile change with the season and with religious celebrations: check them in the hours section of the basilica's ticket website before choosing a slot. Allow half an hour for the campanile, with the lift queue, and an hour for the basilica with the museum and the Loggia.

Getting there and tips

The square is a step from the San Marco vaporetto stops. Travel light: large rucksacks and bags are not allowed in, and you will have to leave them beforehand at the left-luggage. For the basilica, keep shoulders and knees covered.

For the light, go up the campanile early in the morning or at the end of the afternoon. If you want to see the square from below after the visit, the vaporetto along the Grand Canal leaves from right here, and the Doge's Palace is next door.