Visiting St. Mark's Basilica in Venice
 

On our up-coming trip to Venice, I plan to purchase skip the line tickets for St. Mark's Basilica. I read they only allow you 10 minutes inside the church. Is this strictly enforced? I can't imagine seeing the whole of the cathedral in that little time.

Thanks for any input.

You can spend an hour in San Marco if you attend a service there. I think there is one every morning. Check the web site for the hours of the service. When I was there in May, I went to the Sunday morning mass, and it was lovely. All the lights were lighted, and the music was very good, too.

You enter by the side door next to the lions.

PLEASE don't be tempted to pull this cheapskate stunt of pretending to go to Mass, then wondering around the church. Whatever your personal beliefs

It's uncivilised, and seriously disruptive to people attending Mass. It also demonstrates contempt for the tens of thousands of people who built this church, or who've contributed to it over the past 1200 years, so it can be used for worshipping God.

The "beat the queue" tickets have a window of ten minutes you can enter during. There's no procedure, once you're inside, for forcing you to get out inside 10 mins.

You can also check your back and get a pass to the front of the line. The pass is your claim ticket. The bag check is on Calle San Basso.

I agree, although it sounds like Saraho was not wandering around, but it's hard to say.

I don't really understand the concept of attending religious services of a faith you don't believe in as a kind of tourist activity, but I guess some people do.

PLEASE don't be tempted to pull this cheapskate stunt of pretending to go to Mass, then wondering around the church. Whatever your personal beliefs>>

I don't think that anyone was or would suggest that, Flanner.

Christina - it is possible to have a spiritual experience without having a faith as such and I confess that we did go to the Easter Sunday mass one year in San Marco; I particularly wanted to experience the music and the atmosphere of such a service.

We did not wander around and gawp but sat quietly and joined in when appropriate [not often] or possible [even less].

PLEASE don't assume just because someone is inside a church which is having a service not of their (if any) faith they are being a cheapskate.

Being Catholic, I would love to attend Mass. But I would like to look around the Basilica afterwards, as I did in Rome at St. Peter's. Is there a posted list of what time Masses are? Again, In Rome, they were continuous in different languages - Confessions, too - but that could have been because we were there on a Sunday.

No, they are probably ignorant Asian tourists wearing hats, snapping photos and selfies, and chattering away, though the girls are usually giggling.

I cannot imagine Western tourists behaving similarly in Shinto or Zen or Hindu Islamic holy places, though I am always learning of new ways of behaving badly.

I think all tour guides and ticket sellers who take their groups "to the head of the line" should be required as a condition of their licenses to instruct their charges on respectful behavior in religious institutions and should lose their licenses if their charges continue to behave badly.

I've attended mass in the Duomo of Florence. The mass was in a side chapel, reached through a side entrance. The nave was blocked off, so that if you wanted to "see" the Duomo afterwards, you had to leave, get in line with the tourists and pay for your admission. Apparently, they're wise to that trick.

If I remember correctly, the situation is similar in Westminster Abbey. I've been to a number of Evensong services there, as well as Sunday Eucharist, and I don't think there was any opportunity to sightsee during or after the service.

In Rome, there is free admission to all churches, which removes the main incentive to gawk during prayer, and it seems to me that many people remain after mass to visit the churches as tourists.

It has sometimes happened that I've gone to see a work of art in a church, and found a service going on. In that case, I've often remained for the service and admired the art afterwards. In large basilicas in Rome, the congregation often occupies a very small part of the church, and tourists are free to visit other parts of the church, as long as they're quiet and respectful, and stay away from the service itself. If this is not acceptable, there will be a sign stating that tourists are requested not to visit during religious functions.

I did not wait in line.

A friend of mine was a tour guide in Venice and when the two of us arrived the lineup was a block long.

My tour guide friend went up to the security guard,, they laughed and joked for a minute then we walk in the side door.

I was fortunate.

However, once inside, no one tells you that you now have to leave.

blvenci -Thanks that is good information. I will attend 9 AM Mass and pre-purchase tickets for 10:15. If they make us leave and I can't walk around afterwards, I can go out and come back in. If they let us stay, I will have only spent 4 euros- a donation to the church.

Ladylyn,

we had a few minutes to stand and "gawp" after the end of the service we attended but the guards soon ushered us all out; probably because they wanted to open up the Basilica for the public.

I don't remember being rushed out of San Marco when I've entered as a tourist but it was February the last time I was there.