Celebrate Ancient Jubilee in Rome in the 4 Papal Basilicas
Description
Begun in the year 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII, the Church has encouraged pilgrims to come to the four most important churches in Christendom - the Major Basilicas - and to enter them through their holy doors. There are only 4 Major Basilicas in the world - the highest ranking of all churches - and they are all in Rome. Following in the steps of saints and pilgrims for centuries and millenia before you, we give you the chance to visit the official Four Papal Major Basilicas of Rome and dispose yourselves towards the receipt of the attached indulgences. The Ancient Four Major Basilicas of Rome are the Basilica of St Peter, the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, the Basilica of St Mary Major and the Arch-Basilica of St John Lateran. Pilgrims booked with us on this tour will have the chance to enter each of these Papal Basilicas through their Holy Doors with an expert guide. **Please inform us in advance if you have mobility difficulties so that we might better assist you**
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our tour begins at the Vatican with the Basilica of St Peter built over the place where St Peter's body still lies. Once you have entered into St Peters, our expert Catholic guide will give you a tour of the interior of the Basilica including Michelangelo's Pietà, the relics and altars of the major saints of the Catholic Church and the history involved and of course the body of St Peter buried underneath the High Altar here.
The Basilica of St Paul outside the Walls is where the remains of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, St Paul, are to this day. Pilgrims will see the chains that bound St Paul during his incarceration and house arrest here in Rome before also viewing his newly excavated Sarcophagus before being given a tour of the rest of this ancient Theodosian Basilica.
Arch-Basilica of St John Lateran (San Giovanni) - the Cathedral of Rome. Here, you will again receive a detailed tour of the interior and its history including the story of the ancient mosaics, and stand before the heads of Saints Peter & Paul, brought into the Basilica and placed above the altar in the year 1300.
St Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) - perhaps the oldest church dedicated to Mary in Rome, but certainly the most important - to once more marvel at it's golden interior and learn all about the fascinating features including the different popes buried here, the relics of the crib of the nativity of Christ, the miraculous icon of Salus Populi Romani and countless other stunning features.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Not recommended for travelers with mobility difficulties
Reviews(18)
We had a wonderful experience with Paul. He is so knowledgeable and kind, sharing history, faith, and tradition. This tour made our Jubilee visit a memory for a lifetime.
Ciao! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with Paul. He is a fantastic guide with a real connection to these sites, and it really shows on his tours. We hope to see you back in Rome soon. Safe travels!
This was a truly great experience and a wonderful way to visit the four major Basilicas in this Jubilee year! The guide was extremely informative and I felt confident that he could answer any question I had. The Basilicas are beautiful and meaningful and I’m really glad I got to experience them in this way. This tour made it very easy. Highly recommended.
Ciao Kate! many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enojoyed the tour with us. We pride ourselves on our guides, their knowledge and ability to deliver an engaging and informative tour is truly a skill. We hope to see you back in Rome soon. Safe travels!
We had no idea how difficult it would be to communicate with Roman Vacations and how unresponsive they were when we had concerns about the time for meeting for the 4 Basilicas tour. This was an important highlight to us and the biggest problem was the incorrect meeting time provided to us on the emailed confirmation form. What was provided to us via email was different from what their records provided. When we followed up with Roman Vacations, there was no open communication; according to them, we were the problem and they did not reimburse a cent of money for having missed the 4 Basilica tour. They were not truthful, which makes this company unethical and opportunistic to scamming tourists. I would NOT recommend using Roman Vacations to anyone who is thinking of traveling to Rome in the future. Beware! Do NOT employ this company!
Ciao! As per our previous discussions you were informed of the start time months before the tour date. You even acknowledged the new start time during the initial discussions. You attended the tour and then decided to leave the group and after our guide had spent a period of time trying to locate you, they had to make the decision to continue the tour as we have set entrance times we cannot miss. If you had stayed with the tour group you would not have missed out on anything. We hope you managed to enjoy the rest of your time in Rome
Our tour guide Paul was amazing. Very knowledgeable of the Basilicas, Rome, the Jubilee and the Catholic Church. He encouraged questions and we had some great conversations. So much more than your typical tour that is just filled with text book facts
Ciao Debbie! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with Paul. He is a wonderful guide who has a really deep connection to these sites and the history connected with them. We hope to see you back in Rome soon. Safe travels!
This was an amazing experience! Daniel was a wealth of information. If you are Catholic, this makes visiting the 4 Holy Doors for Jubilee a no- brainer!
Ciao! Thank you for your kind words, we truly appreciate it! We will tell Dan that you enjoyed the tour with him, he will be delighted!
Paul was a fabulous guide! He shared so many details about each Basilica and about some of his own personal experiences. He helped make the Pilgrimage through the Holy Doors into a wonderful, spiritual experience. We were lucky to have him!🙏🏼
Ciao! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with Paul. He is a fantastic guide and one with a real passion for the subject. We hope to see you guys soon in Rome. Safe travels!
Paul was an excellent tour guide! He was super informative and witty! It was also organized very well, and I felt safe with him. Thanks so much!
Ciao! Thank you so much for your kind review, we are glad that you enjoyed the tour with us!
Paul, our tour guide was the best! He was very knowledgeable about everything and was willing to answer any question. If you do this tour and I highly recommend it, I would request Paul if possible.
Ciao! Many thanks for your kind words. Paul is a wonderful guide with such an amazing depth of knowledge. We hope to see you guys back in Rome soon. Safe travels!
Daniel was an outstanding guide. He’s highly educated in the subject matter. Truly a 10/10. Very attentive to the needs of the group!
Ciao Daniel! We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with Daniel. He is a wonderful guide who truly cares about those on tour with him. We hope to see you back in Rome soon. Safe travels!
Small group made it easy to customize the topics to what we were interested in the most. Daniel was knowledgeable and guided us though the pilgrimage process
Ciao! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enoyed the tour with us. We hope to see you back in Rome soon. Safe travels!
