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Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism represent two expressions of a similar clinical pathological process traditionally referred to as venous thromboembolism. Several population studies evidence venous thromboembolism as a leading healthcare problem worldwide, highlighting the need for early and reliable diagnosis to enable appropriate triage of affected patients and to optimize outcome. There is still debate, however, on which thrombotic markers to use, as well as their most suitable position within diagnostic algorithms. This article aims to review the pathophysiology and clinical usefulness of past, present and future markers of thrombosis, including soluble fibrin monomers, fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products, thrombin–antithrombin complex, plasmin–antiplasmin complex, fibrinopeptide A and B, prothrombin fragments 1 + 2, thrombus precursor protein, D-dimer, activated protein C …