I'll be there mid-May and I'm debating on reserving a time or winging it. I feel like Venice is a relaxing place, lots of wandering and enjoying the ambiance. I would prefer to just make our way eventually to St. Marks, but not if the wait time is horrible. What do you think?
Also, I am Catholic, and I'd like to attend Mass there. Can I just show up? Thank you!
We spent 3 nights in Venice last May - about middle of the month. The lines for St Marks were never ending, and it was hard to tell where the line to climb the tower ended and the line for St Marks was. When the cruise ships docked, the piazza was terribly crowded. We didn't even attempt to find the end of the line, or wait.
Unless you pre-book a tour with a skip the line option, you can plan on standing in line for a few hours for sure.
Didn't seem to matter how early we got to St Marks, it was packed with people...and it was raining...
There is a separate entrance for worship, usually on the side of the church; this is true for cathedrals in some other cities as well.
Even with a long line, the regular entrance line moves fairly quickly, in my experience. Be sure to check your bag (if you need to) before you enter the line.
I was at St. Marks in July 2012. Visited the cathedral early in the morning on a rainy weekday. No waits at all. It felt like I had the place to myself. Much more enjoyable than previous visit a few years before (weekend afternoon).
Like most popular sites, early morning or late afternoon tends to work best.
When I was there at the beginning of March there were short fast lines except at the peak periods. I've visited Venice in various months except mid winter and mid summer and the length of lines varies but it is always reasonably fast moving.
The same DOES NOT apply for the line for the campanile. That is much slower.
Yes, there are Masses scattered through each day. I'll send you a PM with the information.
At St. Mark's they clear out the tourists before the mass starts, however anyone (tourists included) can attend mass if you just come in through the side door (to the left as you're facing St. Mark's from the Piazza). They turn on all the lights for the mass and leave them on for a bit afterwards. When the mass is over, all of a sudden people start pulling out their cameras to take photos. Then you have a brief window of time for that before they flush you out.
One thing I found interesting at mass in Catholic churches in Italy is that when it's time for communion, it's just a free-for-all getting to the front, not orderly lines pew-by-pew as you find in a lot of other cultures. Remember, though, that the entire mass will be in Italian.
The website for the cathedral does allow you to reserve an entrance time – at least it did a few years ago when I tried. It's only one or two euro, so it's not a huge investment. The one time I did it, the line of people with reservations was the longest I saw anywhere during that trip, and you just got at the back of the line, regardless of your reserved time. However, the guard that day was particularly unhelpful, and I was never certain it actually was the "reserved entrance" line.
Since that visit, I haven't tried reserving a time again, but instead just get there really early or really late.
Last year when we were in Venice in mid-Sept, we hit St Marks around 11:30. The line was halfway across the square - but we were in within 15 min. It may look long, but it moves at a steady clip. That was our 2rd time going in to St Marks, and I think every time has been a 15-20 min wait.
Take a bag too big to take into the church. Check it at the little concert hall to the left, other direction from the line. You can then enter through the exit with now wait. So easy! Also, for mass there is a private entrance on the left side of the building. Also easy and a very moving experience!
