St Mark's is the main landmark of Venice and one of the most iconic buildings in Italy. It belongs to the neighbouring St Mark's Basilica, although it is not directly connected to it, nor was it built together with the basilica.

St Mark's Campanile is an unmissable structure and, at 98.6 metres, by far the tallest in Venice.

The base of the bell tower is a massive tower of ochre bricks, on top of which, at a height of around 65 metres, is a viewing loggia surrounded by 5 bells. The lookout point of the Venetian bell tower offers the most beautiful views of Venice and you should definitely not miss this attraction, despite the large crowds of tourists.

The construction of the bell tower and its collapse

The history of the Campanile dates back to the 9th century, when the building was started along with the adjacent St. Mark's Basilica, but it wasn't completed until almost 300 years later in the 13th century. During the following 3 centuries, the bell tower was severely damaged by lightning several times and had to be extensively modified.

It was not until the beginning of the 16th century that the bell tower took on its final form as we know it today, more precisely in 1513, with the ceremonial placement of a gilded statue of the Archangel Gabriel on top of the roof and the emblem of the winged lion, the symbol of St Mark.

In 1902, however, several cracks appeared in the tower for no apparent reason, and a few days later the whole thing collapsed. On the day of the collapse, it was decided to rebuild it in its exact original form, which was completed 10 years later in 1912.

Admission and opening hours

The lookout is open daily from 9:45-21:15. The last entry is possible at 20:45.

The entrance fee is 10 eur for all ages (children under 6 free).

We strongly recommend to buy tickets online on the official website basilicasanmarco.skiperformance.com with an additional fee 2 eur. This is the only way to make sure you get to the tower at all. Please buy your tickets online at least 1 month in advance.