St Mark's Campanile tickets

Separate ticket, same website

The bell tower belongs to the same body as the Basilica, the Procuratoria di San Marco, and you book both on one platform. The tickets are separate, though: a Basilica ticket won't get you up the tower and vice versa. The individual price is €15; ages 10–18, students up to 26 and over-65s pay half. These discounts aren't restricted to EU citizens.

Tickets are in your name and tied to a time slot. On lateness the site isn't consistent — the access rules say 15 minutes either side, the FAQ says about 5. Plan on 5.

Where you buy matters. The Procuratoria says tickets from non-accredited sellers are invalid at the door. On the partner side, Tiqets sells Campanile entry and a version with a short walking tour, and GetYourGuide has Basilica-and-tower combos and guided tours that go up. They all cost more than €15; they're useful when the official slot you want is gone or when you want a guide.

A lift, not a climb

People expect a climb. There isn't one: since 1932 a lift inside the shaft has taken visitors to the bell chamber in about 30 seconds. The tower is 98.6 metres high, and from the top you get the Basilica's domes below you, the Bacino di San Marco and the Giudecca. It's the easiest viewpoint in Venice for anyone with bad knees or travelling with grandparents.

The one thing it can't give you is a view of the Campanile itself. If the shot you want is the square with the tower in it, you need a different high point.

When to go

Open daily from 9:30am. Summer closing is 9:15pm, with last entry between 8 and 8:30pm; winter closing is 7:15pm, last entry between 6 and 6:45pm. The Procuratoria warns that hours change with events and bad weather, so check on a windy or stormy day.

The best hour is the one before sunset, when the light drops over the lagoon — in summer the slots run late enough to catch it. The first slot of the morning is the quietest for photos. Midday slots, with the square at its busiest, sell out first.

If you want the piazza from above without going this high, the Loggia dei Cavalli on the Basilica's façade is the alternative; it comes with the Basilica + Museum ticket.