Headout is an authorized and trusted partner of the venue, offering curated experiences to enjoy this attraction. This is not the venue's website.
Inclusions
We were the only English speakers on the tour and the company arranged our own personal guide. She was extremely informative and helpful. Her knowledge and enthusiasm were fabulous.
We were blown away by the magnificence of the cathedral and its mosaic details. The guide's explanations were excellent. We were very satisfied.
View original review in Portuguese
The tour guide was great. Very knowledgeable of history and art. Walked us through the cathedral and dome at a great pace. Given the number of stairs to climb to the top she was very clear so people could decide to continue or not. I did it and appreciate she guided us through steep and narrow stairs very smoothly.
It was a wonderful tour. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, kind and fun. We learned so much more than we would have had we gone on our own.
The ticketing experience was straightforward, and easy to access. The tour operators were friendly and efficient. The guide was fantastic, really knowledgeable, interesting and passionate about the city, and the basilica. It was an all round great experience.
This sigh is amazing to see! And our guide was very knowledgeable of history & meanings of the architecture! Thank you!!
Great to see the basilica. We booked last minute, and were still able to avoid the long line. Not the tor's fault, but flooding in the square made getting in difficult, and we ended up having to remove shoes and socks to get to the entrance.
We loved this experience. For us it was ideal because we have a low tolerance for long tours and only wanted to see the Basilica. Our guide, Gloria, was amazing. She was so knowledgible and incorporated a perfect blend of Venice history as well as history of the Basilica with detailed descriptions of the mosaics within. I highly recommend this tour to anyone that wants only the highlight of the main attraction, St. Mark's Basilica, and a lot of info in a short amount of time (a little over 1 hr.). PERFECTO!!
On a previous tour the audio device was able to go around my neck, this one needed to be handheld. It also only included one ear phone which made it difficult to hear some of the information. The guide had quite a strong accent as well which added to our difficulties in hearing and understanding.
Was worth paying the extra for the skip the line ticket, as the queues were long. The instructions and diagram of where to meet were clear
We were at the meeting point for the St. Mark's Basilica tour at the agreed time It went great Our guide was great and explained everything with a lot of love and enthusiasm Very gladly again
View original review in German
It was a lovely experience and. We learned a lot. The host was very knowledgeable and passionate about the rich history of the basilica. She provided us with plenty of time to explore the basilica. It was amazing to know the rich history and the spectacular gold mosaics of the basilica. It was more magical when they turned on the lights of the ceiling of the basilica. We were lucky to witness it during that time because she said that lights are turned on just only for one hour per day to conserve the mosaics and their splendor. This is a must place. You need to see it and explore it. You should book your tour around 11:30-12:30 to witness the ceiling with the lights on. It's more magical that way.
Denise was a wonderful Guide and extremely knowledgeable. We enjoyed the tour and feel that we walked away very well educated.
Brilliant guide, very informative. The app worked well and the radio sets were clear so we didn't miss any of the commentary
The guide was good but she was faced with a horrible situation with numerous people that spoke other than English and the staff didn't give them their correct vouchers so we missed out on over 20 minutes of our tour due to these logistical issues.
The guide was very knowledgeable and of course the basilica is beautiful and absolutely worth visiting! Having a guide to give context made it an even more enjoyable experience.
The beauty of the basilica is unsurpassed. Unfortunately, the crowds make it difficult to enjoy the experience to the maximum. The crowd noise made it difficult to understand the guide over the headset.
The tour started almost half an hour late, there are people who have trains or planes to catch so we had to abandon the tour in the middle!
View original review in Italian
I liked very much the introductory video presentation, the punctuality of the guide service and the quality of the audio equipment. I should also mention the excellent guide (I believe she introduced herself as Gloria). She was pleasant, thorough and provided a really interesting addition to what is the outstanding landmark of Venice, Saint Mark's Basilica .
We had a great experience , enhanced by our guide Paola . The tour is tough at times due the crowds of people around us , but she steered us through the masses , kept up our spirits and was very informative and entertaining throughout .
Our guide was amazing. She was well informed, providing insight and historical information in a very pleasant and engaging matter. I would highly recommend this tour. Skipping the long line was a big plus!
Our guide was very knowledgeable and expert at navigating the complexities of dealing with the flooding in St. Mark's Piazza and at the same time providing a very informative and engaging commentary on the basilica. The ticketing process was very organized and easy to follow, particularly given the rainy and flooded conditions. We enjoyed the tour very much."
Easy to find meeting spot for our tour. Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. She deftly navigated our small group through the throngs of tourists to the correct place for 'skip the line' - we never would have gotten in without her! St Mark's Cathedral is breathtaking- not to be missed!
We paid to skip the line and didn't skip the line. The guide was great. The venue is magnificent. Because no bathroom facilities are available, my husband has to leave the tour and missed the top floor. Disappointing to pay extra and not get extra.
Our guide was well informed,friendly and interactive.He showed us a lot of interesting things which would be hard to fingue out by ourselves.
Inclusions
Access to:
Exclusions
St. Mark's Basilica
Doge's Palace
We had a wonderful tour with Fransico!! He was very knowledgeable, friendly, and showed us the highlights of St Marks and Doge Palace. I would recommend this tour to anyone trying to see these iconic features of Venice!!
Ellena - our guide - was very informative and the way she took us through the history of Venice was simply amazing. Her command on facts and her way of story telling made the entire experience very enriching.
Me and husband would 1000%. Recommend our tourguide. She is passionate about the history and background of the premise and shared eith us some Venice history. Her stories are interesting and her explanation is clear.
No problem with finding the guide and she was personable. But, she rambled. Although the tour lasted the prescribed time, we felt rushed.
We were unable to visit the Coreer museum. The guide didn't suggest the library either. My husband and I found the guide uninteresting, staying long on things that weren't worthwhile and moving on to others that were. We didn't go upstairs to the basilica either.
View original review in French
the tour was divided in two parts. First a representative walked us from the tour booth to the Doge's Palace where we met the guide. Could have had meeting place at the Palace. Guide was pleasant but difficult to hear and understnd at times. Headsets were good quality. At end of tour group had 30 mins free and then reported back to the tour booth where the Basilica tour assembled and walked to the tour start at the Basilica. Waste of time for a 3 hour tour. The Basilica tour was very superficial, the guide seemed to want to finish as soon as possible. We were shown to the Ca'Doro included in the tour and the tour was to end there. We felt there should have been more to the tour, so we bought the balcony and museum ticket while in the Basilica and so glad we did. This is where you see close up some of the dome mosaics, very different from viewing from the main floor. This was such an interesting part of the Basilica that it should be included or at least encouraged for people to see. If you are coming this far, see the museum and balcony, amazing sites. Balcony provides closer views of the clock tower and the square. Glad we explored on our own, it's only 7Euros more, weren't too sure what we would see, but it was the best part. Visitors should be encouraged to see this but it was hardly mentioned. Sorry for those who did not see the whole Basilica treasures.
Great guide and great experience. Sad tour of St Marks had to be cancelled due to an event at the church. Great communication from tour company about the change. Tour guide provided extra time at the palace with tour of the prison cells and glass blower demonstration
The guide was a nice person but very difficult to understand and we felt very disconnected from her. I don't remember her name, I don't think she even told us she just wandered off and started talking and it was incredibly hard to follow her/get much out of the tour.
The guide was nice but to much time speaking about architect and art and basically ran thru the armor and weapons area.
Overall the experience was good, as I had indicated. The 2 venues were great, but the first guide, for the Doge's Palace, was not very entertaining - actually, he was boring, going on & on in a monotone with poor English language skills. The second guide, a woman, however, was very good, very personable while still informative.
The guide was really exceptional; she knew the history of Venice and the basilica very well. She was also very kind and had a good sense of humor.
View original review in French
Ticketing quick and easy .office convenient to St Mark's square....tour leader was outstanding . Very knowledgeable and helpful.. enjoyed immensely and no lines
The tour guide was very knowledgeable and explained things to the level that we were able to understand without knowing the history
The guide was knowledgeable and clear. She answered all questions and made sure to wait for late arrivals which was considerate of her. Would highly recommmend.
The first Guide we had for St. Mark’s Basilica was a good one and we enjoyed her tour. The second guide for the Doge’s Palace was late. The second guide seemed unorganized and scattered. I would not want to go on a tour with the second guide again.
We didn't receive our tickets to access the Corner museum and the agent at the entrance refused to let us in with our electronic tickets. The visit to the Basilica and the Doges Palace was good.
View original review in French
The overall experience was very good but not as in-depth in San Marco as I had hoped. I understand the time constraints due to the crowds but a pre-tour explanation of all the ceiling art and church's history via the internet would have allowed me to better appreciate the marvels of that church.
Barbara was very knowledgeable about the palace, basilica and Venice as a whole. She also injected a little humour every now and then.
The tour itself was great. There was no way to tell who our tour director was when we got to the meeting point. I finally asked a second person and it was the group we were supposed to be with. Other groups had a flag with their name on it.
Really great tour and tour guide. We definitely skipped the line (which was huge), so was grateful for that! Very knowledgeable guide who really made the tour memorable.
The whole experience was great the timing and information on the subjects we looked at was clear and interesting. All together a fine experience.
Fabulous guide who was so knowledgeable and approachable. Even though the crowds were huge she managed to move us through both St Mark's and the Palace without any stress and always ready to answer any questions. Absolutely recommend this tour especially the early start as it gives you the opportunity to see it all without the crowds!
Good information with a knowledgeable guide. The pace was good. The only suggestion is guide should have a sign to hold up after a portion of the tour when we came back to meeting location.
Excellent tour and our guide was great. She handled the crowds well and provided a lot of information. Highly recommend this tour to see the basilica and palace.
Wonderful guide and tour that included just enough time to explore St Mark's Basilica and Doges Palace. (Both worth visiting). The guide was personable and gave us many interesting historical facts. Highly recommend!
Inclusions
St. Mark's Basilica
Doge's Palace
We are very happy we decided to book this tour. Our guide was extremely knowledgable and very easy to understand. We found it so much better than trying to do it on our own.
Our tour guide, Virginia was very knowledgeable and shared history and facts in. Very interesting way. It was a great tour
Valentina was fantastic! She is so knowledgeable and knows so much about the history of Venice! We really enjoyed her tour and would like to have her as a guide again.
Martina is an attentive and passionate guide who described Venice and its history through her Venetian eyes. She shared her knowledge and anecdotes throughout our visit.
View original review in French
Very interesting and informative. Beat the queues tickets were a real bonus.
Guide was entertaining and really informative and really inclusive of the kids in the group.
Our tour guide Natalia was fabulous. Knowledgable engaging and inclusive. This was a great tour. Thank you
Miko was very personable and knowledgeable. He made the tour one of our highlights.
Nice tour and lots of explanations. The guide was top notch!!!
View original review in French
Tick off 2 bucket list experiences in Venice at once! Follow an expert guide through St. Mark's Basilica, then catch a famous water taxi.
Tick off 2 bucket list experiences in Venice at once! Follow an expert guide through St. Mark's Basilica, then catch a famous water taxi.
Inclusions
St. Mark's Basilica
Venice Gondola Ride
our guide speaks English but it was so hard for our party of 7 to understand him, he speaks so fast and his accent is strong, we were not able to ubderstand most if what he was saying. the head phones they provided are not the best either. for the price we paid, would be nice if we get our money's worth but did not.
I had to call customer service because it was not clear the meeting point and the area was overcrowded, with the guide Bianca everything was great and the lady was charming and very well explained. The gondola ride we had to cancel it because of the inclement weather and the storm.
View original review in Spanish
All great to do again absolutely 👍😉🎉🎉
View original review in Italian
It was great. The places are beautiful. The information on how to change the walcher was faulty and caused us difficulties.
View original review in Portuguese
Sehr gute Führung, viel erfahren sehr interessant
Great attraction well worth the money and the guide was excellent
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The guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about the basilica and Venice generally. We were able to visit the main part of the basilica and it was beautifully lit up at night which was wonderful, and to do so without the huge crowds was amazing. We were able to sit for some time and soak in the incredible architecture, and the guide added detailed descriptions of the art and it's meaning. It was also fascinating to go down into the crypt.
We really enjoyed our night tour of St. Mark's Basilica. It was so nice because it was quiet. Only one other group was there with us as we toured inside with our guide, Martina. She was a wonderful guide who shared very interesting stories and information about the Basilica. I only wish the Doge's Palace option was available with this tour.
I liked the tour of the St Mark's Basilica. It was worth it to go at night. But I was looking for headout company and would have missed the tour if I did not ask the Walk's person if I was part of that tour. Also, the tour said we were supposed to go up the tower as well and that did not happen. I think the headout webpage needs some updating.
Small group visit to Saint Mark's Basilica. A privileged moment that dazzled our 2 teenagers, who were not very keen on church visits. This rare moment will live long in our memories!
View original review in French
Well worth the price to have the wonderful opportunity to see the grnadeur of St Marks Basilica away from the crowds. The tour guide (Nico) was fantastic - likeable, clear, concise, witty and most importantly he clearly knew his stuff. The head phones worked perfectly, the location was phenomenal and I would highly recommend. 10/10 to Nico for providing such an outstanding tour.
great guide... interesting, memorable memories. You never get bored for a second.
View original review in German
Guide was very good Nice to see inside without crowds
Guide was superb. And being able to experience the basilica in a small group at night was extraordinary.
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Sonata our tour guide was very informative, clear spoken English and was great with us, giving us lots of information Thank you so much Donata. Would definitely recommend
The guide Paula was good & caring My disappointment was that I thought I was booking the "Doge's Palace Secret Itineraries tour"but actually your Tour company 's title for the tour was "Doge's Palace Guided Tour - Mysteries and Secrets English Guided Tour". There was nothing 'secret' about the tour it went to all the conventional tourist areas. When I went back to your offices after the tour to query the lack of 'Attic tour, Bonaparte ballroom, etc' your representative advised me that the 'Secret Itineraries tour' is only available direct from the Doge's Palace. Tough luck. I agree I should have reviewed the tour details more closely but I feel that your company by naming the tour as you have is trying to pick up on tourists to Venice like myself who do an online search and expect truth in advertising. I am disappointed with your company. I would also like to mention as a warning to other tourists in the area - that there were 2 well dressed young Asian lady pickpockets who almost stole my wallet from my bag just prior to my arriving at your Office. The walkway was not crowded so I was able to hear them undo the zip on my backpack, luckily. My warning is a general one and is not a reflection on your Company.
Our guide was very personable, knowledgeable and interacted well with the group. She made the experience more enjoyable by moving our tour to areas in rooms providing the best views. Overall she was excellent.
Being inside the palace was awesome Finding Headouts office beforehand was a bit challenging and I recommend giving yourself plenty of time before the tour. Skipping the line with our guide was brilliant. Whilst the tour was called "mysteries and secrets" it was really just a history... not many secrets revealed.
The Ducal Palace tour did not disappoint in terms of the incredible construction and artistic masterpieces. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.
The best thing about the tour was Elisabeth, our tour guide. Very knowledgeable, she rounded off her knowledge with humorous interludes and conducted the tour in a very pleasant manner. Thank you very much!
View original review in German
The guide was fantastic and the tour itself very worthwhile - we got a lot more out of the experience than we would have if we just walked around on our own.
A must go place to visit in Venice. The history, culture and civilisation of this place is amazing. One can just imagine the amount of trade that was happening during that time. Max our guide was very knowledgeable. Ask and he will answer. Don't miss it
Our guide was excellent, lots of information but easy to understand. Experience at our meeting place made it an easy start to the tour
Our ticketing experience was pretty straightforward, and the meeting point for our tour was quite clear. We enjoyed our experience, our guide was very informative
The lady who guided us had an excellent knowledge of history. She managed to explain the essential things in detail and limit the excess of pictures and impressions to the essentials. Everything was clear and understandable, leaving a lasting impression.
View original review in German
Guide was pleasant and helpful and it's an amazing place, the additional VR experience was also very good. The skip the line element didn't seem very smooth and it seemed slower than those who were just joining the queue
The tour itself was fine but I paid for access to the Piombi and didn't get it. I asked the guide and she said the cells where Casanova had been held were up at the top of the building .... but the tour had finished and there was no mention of getting to see them. She was in a rush to go to another tour so i was feeling confused and disappointed. I felt as though we spent a lot of money and didn't really get what I paid for and it felt a bit rushed.
The guide Elena was very informative and funny. She made it very easy to understand the history of Venice and the Palace.
Our guide was amazing! Im so bad with names but I think her name was Eleonora. Anyways, she really made the story come to life, making it relatable. The only down side was that I thought I booked a secret guided tour and this felt like a regular guided tour.
It was advertised as a mysteries and secrets tour to make it sound similar to the secret itineraries tour but was in fact a generic tour of the palace which is not what I wanted
Our guide provided a detailed account of the political significance of the Palazzo Ducale, and its history. We were then able to wander through the rooms of state and the prisons at our leisure. Directions to the meeting place were easy to follow and our guide spoke very good English.
We had the secrets tour thought we would be shown casonova jail and main prison. We were shown neither but walked ourselves around the prison. When we queried we were told had to get the tour with Secrets which is what we had.
The guide was excellent, entertaining as well as informative. We thought we had booked the secrets tour but got the regular tour
Our guide was fantastic! He took the time to answer our questions and make the tour fun and informative. We loved how he immersed us into the history of Venice and the Doge's palace
Our tour guide was excellent, she was very knowledgeable and passionate about Venice and this came across during our tour. I would highly recommend this tour and highly recommend our guide.
Number of groups were taking from the ticket office to the Palace and we had to run through crowded street. It would be easier to meet at the skeep the line sign. Only there groups had been assembled in our case. The tour began 35 min later... the guide had a pation ... to finish the tour as fast as possible. She made this tour so boring and not informative. Most of painting were not even pointed out at. The audio guide would be a much better option.
Valentina, our guide, was excellent. Very knowledgeable and passionate about her subject. It was an informative and enjoyable hour
Although the guide was giving us a lot of information, and try her best, the pronounciation was quite bad. Was very hard to understand. She had a very strong Italian accent. We paid 198€ and for this money the tour was very overpriced.
Very easy and well organized! Your guide was excellent with good information it not dry & did her best to keep the tour moving and yet accommodate the different speeds among the group.
Inclusions
Getting tickets at the news stand was easy with no wait. No wait either at the skip the line entrance. The Doges palace was beyond incredible.
It was very good , but when I asked the lady for the audio guide she said I didn't purchase the audio guide even though the ticket said inglese , so I had to pay again money for the audio guides. I don't know what happened. Thanks
The amazing history and room decoration. Also the fact that you could access all areas with no additional cost
The place is amazing... Really a must-see when you are in Venice.
View original review in Spanish
The palace tour was as expected, receiving the ticket could have been more pleasant.
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Exclusions
This ticket has the following options:
Convenience of having pre booked ticket. Some confusion with entrance attendants who didn't think my printout ticket would scan???? But it did!
Everything was good and easy to understand
Easy to purchase the passes and very easy to use on our holiday. We will use this again on other city breaks.
Find yourself amidst stunning buildings: St. Mark's Square is surrounded by magnificent architecture on all sides. The Doge’s Palace, the Bell Tower, and the Basilica San Marco are a few of the area's prominent attractions.
Do some café hopping: Caffe Florian and Caffe Quadri, the two famous cafés on the square, offer plenty of old-world charm and are the best places to soak up the ambiance of Venice.
Soak in some breathtaking views from the Campanile di San Marco: The brick Campanile di San Marco is the tallest structure in Venice, at 98.6 metres high.
Spot Horses & Lions: Visitors are likely to notice the four splendid bronze horses, known as the Cavalli di San Marco in Italian on the exterior of Saint Mark's Basilica.
Recommended Tours
St. Marks Basilica Skip The Line Guided Tour
Skip The Line: St. Marks Basilica with Walking Tour of Venice
Venice Icons Tour: Doge’s Palace & St. Mark’s Basilica with Skip-the-Line
Venice 3-Museum Pass with Correr Museum & Doge’s Palace Skip-the-Line Tickets
Recommended Tours
Guided Tour of The Doge's Palace
Skip The Line Tickets to Doge's Palace with Guide Book
Guided Tour Of St. Mark's Basilica with Gondola Ride
Venice In A Day: Guided Tour with Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica
The Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale), a stunning Gothic building facing the Venetian lagoon, is situated next to St. Mark's Basilica. The Doge's Palace houses numerous works of art by famous artists like Bellini, Carpaccio, Veronese, and Titian. Your breath will be taken away by the Scala d'Oro in Sansovino, which is made of gold, and Tintoretto's enormous oil painting in the Sala del Maggior Consiglio will definitely entrance you.
St. Mark's Basilica, one of the city's most well-known churches, is a premier example of renowned Italo-Byzantine architecture. St. Mark's Basilica contains more than 85,000 square feet of mosaic, the majority of it in gold, and the effect is nothing short of magnificent. Since this basilica is one of St. Mark's Square's key draws, you may anticipate crowds there at all times of the year.
With a height of 98.6 metres, the well-known Campanile or Venetian Bell Tower is the tallest structure in Venice. Once a lighthouse, the tower now serves as the city's emblem and is referred to as "El Paron de Casa" (Lord of the house). St. Mark's Campanile, provides the greatest views of the city and its lagoon.
Opening Hours: 9:30 - 17:15.
Address- P.za San Marco, 30100 Venezia VE, Italy
There are 118 bridges linking the islands of Venice's floating metropolis. St. Mark's Square, known as "Europe's most beautiful drawing room" by Napoleon, is the centre of Venice.
It's quite possibly the world's most stunning open-aired square. The Basilica di San Marco, which is encircled on all four sides, inspired the name of the square.
1. Island of Burano: Located in the northern Venetian Lagoon, this gorgeous island, Island of Burano, is well known for its vibrantly coloured fisherman's shacks and neighbourhood food stands providing seafood from the lagoon.
2. Scuola Grande di San Rocco: Scuola Grande di San Rocco, an art museum located in Venice, northern Italy, features more than 60 works of art by renowned artist Tintoretto and his son Domenico.
3.Museo Leonardo da Vinci: As the name suggests, this interactive museum features works of art by Leonardo Da Vinci, a famously creative individual. The anatomical studies, interactive devices, and multimedia exhibits at the Leonardo da Vinci Museum provide each visitor with a distinctive experience.
4. Peggy Guggenheim Collection - In Venice, this modern art gallery is located on the Grand Canal in the Dorsoduro district. Peggy Guggenheim's collection of masterpieces from the 20th century, which includes works in the styles of Cubism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism, by contemporary artists like Picasso, Pollock, and Calder draws tourists from all over the world.
A. Yes, St Mark's Square tickets are available online and it is recommended to book the tickets in advance to avoid long queues.
A. Entry to Venice's Square is free. However, to skip the entrance queue you can buy privilege tickets in advance. You can easily cut down on waiting time, ensure your spot is booked, and avail great deals on advance bookings.
A. You get to choose from a wide range of options from Skip the line tickets, and fast-track tickets to guided tours, combo tours and walking tour tickets depending upon your preference and requirement.
A. Entry to St. Mark’s Square is free of cost. Tickets are available for the other attractions at the Square like the Palace, and St Mark’s Basilica. The cost of tickets ranges from €20 TO €123.
A. St. Mark’s Square’s entry is free of cost. However, given it’s the prime attraction in Venice, you can purchase a privilege pass the beat the long queue at the entrance of the Square.
A. You can cancel the tickets and obtain a full refund up to 24 hours before the activity starts.
A. Once booked, you get instant confirmation and the tickets are valid for 2 hours.
A. Buy the tickets online in advance to get great deals and add-on benefits like guided tours and audio guides in many languages.
A. St. Mark's Square is known for stunning architecture, domes, and magnificent arcades. St Mark's Basilica. Doge's Palace, Correr Museum, St Mark's Museum, St Mark's Bell Tower, Caffe Florian, and Caffe Quadri are some of the highlights of St. Mark’s Square.
A. St. Mark’s Square is open for visitors all year round. The St. Mark's Basilica is open from 9:30 till 17:15 every day. Entry is only permitted after 2:00 PM on Sundays and other obligatory holy days. Weekends and holidays have shorter hours, so be sure to check the schedule before you go.
A. Early morning or late noons when the crowd is less are the best times to visit St. Mark’s Square to explore the attractions at your own pace.
A. Ramps are built in the Square to ensure wheelchair users and anyone with physical impairments can enter the Basilica through the Porta dei Fiori and gain access to the Treasury. In addition to the ramps, elevators, and stair lifts make wheelchair accessibility easier.