San Marcos tour options.

If you book a tour, you will want to stay with the guide (that's kind of the point of booking a tour anyway). If you just book a ticket there's no guide; you're free to wander at your own pace.

They've recently increased prices, so I wouldn't pay for the altar unless you're really interested in Byzantine enamels. I think the horses/balcony are worth it for the views. I'd skip the tower on St. Mark's Square and do the one on San Giorgio Maggiore instead.

If you queue, you can still buy all the addons and it may be a few euro cheaper but you obviously have to queue, which can be quite long.

Thank you Jeff. I wrote tours, but meant a ticket (through the official website). A ticket gets you inside to walk thru on your own, limited by your purchase choices. Right?

How was the museum?

Yes, with a ticket you can just wander wherever the ticket allows. There's sort of a flow set up just because of where the entrance and exit are, but no one enforces it. The museum is included with the horses and balcony. There's some old vestments and choir books. You can skip it if you want but there are some good views down over the interior of the church from the walkway to and from the main museum room.

If possible time your entry for when the Basilica interior is illuminated-around 11:30-12 ish