invme Place
Everywhere
All cities · Everywhere →
EN
ENEnglish RURussian FRFrench DEGerman ITItalian ESSpanish PTPortuguese PT-BRBrazilian Portuguese ES-MXLatin American Spanish FR-CACanadian French EN-GBBritish English UKUkrainian PLPolish JAJapanese NLDutch KOKorean SVSwedish DADanish NBNorwegian FIFinnish CSCzech HEHebrew ELGreek ZH-HANTTraditional Chinese HUHungarian RORomanian HRCroatian SKSlovak SLSlovenian ETEstonian LVLatvian LTLithuanian BGBulgarian TRTurkish
Piazza San Marco — St Mark's Square with the Campanile and Basilica in daylightPhoto: Ramagliolo9 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · edited
Watch · 8

Piazza San Marco

Old towns ·Venice
4.7234K
#1Old towns in Italy#1Old towns in VeniceMost reviewed in Venice
Make a plan here
Directions Bookmark

Sign up free — See who's going and message them.

About

Piazza San Marco is Venice’s principal public square, in the San Marco district. St Mark’s Basilica dominates its eastern end, beside the Piazzetta toward San Marco basin.

More photos 10

1 / 10
Piazza San Marco — St Mark's Square and the Campanile illuminated at night Matthias Süßen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · edited
Piazza San Marco — St Mark's Square and the Campanile illuminated at nightPiazza San Marco — Open view across the square toward the Campanile and arcadesPiazza San Marco — The Campanile rising above the arcades and visitors in the squarePiazza San Marco — St Mark's Square with the Campanile and Basilica from the sidePiazza San Marco — The Campanile framed by the arcades and open squarePiazza San Marco — Late afternoon view of the Basilica and square from across the plazaPiazza San Marco — The Basilica and surrounding buildings seen from the crowded squarePiazza San Marco — Flooded square with arcades, the Basilica and people wadingPiazza San Marco — Historic view across St Mark's Square toward the BasilicaPiazza San Marco — Mist hangs over the square and its long arcades

What's on here

CARNEVALE di Venezia - Ritratto ambientato con le maschere del… CARNEVALE di Venezia - Ritratto ambientato con le maschere del… Sunday, 05:0075.90 EUR Venezia - Tour Fotografico Notturno fino all'alba Venezia - Tour Fotografico Notturno fino all'alba 3 Apr 2027 – 4 Apr 202797.25 EUR

Why go

  • The Campanile, St Mark’s bell tower, has an elevator to the top.
  • Small ensembles perform in alternation on café terraces around three sides of the square.
  • The basilica’s western façade has marble decoration, carved doorways and four horses.

Walking route

  • Piazzetta San MarcoContinue southeast toward the San Marco basin, between Doge’s Palace and Biblioteca Marciana.
  • Merceria passageWalk beneath the clocktower archway into the Merceria, which leads toward Rialto.

Photo spots

  • St Mark’s Basilica west façadeFrame the marble façade, Romanesque doorway carvings and four horses.At the western opening of Piazza San Marco, facing the basilica’s west façade.
  • Piazzetta columnsPhotograph the winged lion of St Mark and the statue of St Theodore against the lagoon.At the lagoon edge of the Piazzetta, beside San Marco basin.
  • Paving patternUse the geometric paving bands that link the basilica’s central portal with the square’s western opening.Across Piazza San Marco, along the line between the basilica portal and the western opening.

Tips for your visit

  • Walk under the clocktower archway to enter the Merceria route toward Rialto.
  • Look for the Pietra del Bando beside the basilica, where official proclamations were once read.
  • The square can flood during high water in the lagoon.

Legends and hidden details

  • A superstition says a true Venetian never walks between the Piazzetta’s two columns, possibly because executions once took place there.

Interesting facts5

1/5

  1. Piazza San Marco is Venice’s only square called a piazza; other square-like spaces are called campi.

    Piazza San Marco - Wikipedia

  2. The Procuratie buildings once housed the republic’s administrative offices.

    Markusplatz - Wikipedia

  3. The square is an irregular quadrilateral lined with arcades and notable buildings.

    Place Saint-Marc (Venise) - Wikipedia

  4. The pavement combines dark trachyte with white Istrian stone.

    Piazza San Marco - Wikipedia

  5. Three flagpoles before the basilica have bronze bases decorated in relief by Alessandro Leopardi.

    Piazza San Marco - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

The area developed around the relics of St Mark and the church built to house them. Sixteenth-century buildings gave the square its present outline. The Campanile’s collapse in 1902 damaged nearby structures; the tower was rebuilt in its former shape.

  1. 828–829Relics of St Mark arrived from Alexandria, and he became Venice’s patron saint.
  2. 836The relics were moved to the first church of St Mark.
  3. 976A fire destroyed the church and palace; both were rebuilt.
  4. 1172–1178Doge Sebastiano Ziani expanded the square westward and helped give it a recognizable form.
  5. 1268Two granite columns were erected at the Piazzetta beside the lagoon.
Show all
  1. 16th centuryBuildings around the square established its current outline. Jacopo Sansovino designed the Procuratie Nuove and Biblioteca Marciana.
  2. 1640Baldassarre Longhena completed the Procuratie Nuove.
  3. 1902The Campanile collapsed, destroying the Loggetta and part of the Libreria. It was rebuilt in its former shape.

Sources: Piazza San Marco - Wikipedia · Venice/San Marco - Wikivoyage (see) · Basilica di San Marco – .. · About Us – Basilica di San Marco · Markusplatz - Wikipedia · Place Saint-Marc (Venise) - Wikipedia · Piazza San Marco - Wikipedia · checked 5 Oct 2026

Where
P.za San Marco, Venice

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Can I visit the basilica and Doge’s Palace?

Both are open to visitors.

Where is the Museo Correr entrance?

In the Ala Napoleonica at the square’s western end.

What gives the pavement its contrasting colours?

Dark trachyte and white Istrian stone.

What happened to the basilica’s four horses under Napoleon?

They were removed and sent to Paris in December 1797, returning to the basilica in December 1815.

How invme works
  1. See who's going — faces, not ticket counts.
  2. Write to someone who shares your interests — no swipes, no matches, no paywall.
  3. Pick the event or the place to meet at — and go together.
Join free

Reviews on invme

Sign in to review
Comment Share
Loading comments…