Vatican Catacombs and Basilica: St. Peter’s Tomb Underground Tour
Description
Discover the hidden heart of the Vatican on this exclusive underground tour, strictly limited to only a few visitors per day. This rare experience grants you privileged access to the Vatican Catacombs and Roman Necropolis, a sacred area located deep beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. Walk along ancient Roman burial streets lined with pagan and early Christian tombs as your expert guide reveals the secrets of this underground world. Visit the site traditionally believed to be St. Peter’s Tomb, the burial place of the Apostle and the spiritual foundation of the Christian Church — a once-in-a-lifetime privilege. After your underground visit, enjoy a VIP skip-the-line entrance directly into St. Peter’s Basilica. Continue with a guided tour inside the Basilica, the largest church in the world and a masterpiece of Renaissance art. Admire Michelangelo’s Pietà, Bernini’s majestic Baldachin, and richly decorated chapels. Due to extremely limited availability, early booking is strongly recommended.
Tour Options
Itinerary
St. Peter’s Necropolis Hidden beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Necropolis is an ancient Roman burial ground dating back to the 1st–4th centuries AD. It features original funerary streets lined with pagan and early Christian tombs and is traditionally believed to house the Tomb of Saint Peter, the Apostle. Access is extremely limited, making it one of the most exclusive and sacred sites in the Vatican.
St. Peter’s Basilica St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world and one of the greatest masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. Built over the Tomb of Saint Peter, it features iconic works such as Michelangelo’s Pietà, Bernini’s majestic Baldachin, and richly decorated chapels that reflect centuries of faith, devotion, and artistic genius.
St. Peter’s Square St. Peter’s Square is the grand monumental plaza in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the 17th century. Surrounded by majestic colonnades, it symbolizes the welcoming arms of the Church and is one of the most iconic and awe-inspiring squares in the world.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Meeting Point: Largo del Colonnato, 5, in front of the Galleria San Pietro Shop (near St. Peter's Square). Your guide and our staff will be there to welcome you. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before departure to ensure a smooth check-in. For assistance, please call +39 328 001 0018.
- Most travelers can participate. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult. Not suitable for children under 10 years old.
- All participants must carry a valid identification document (passport or ID) to enter the sites. Entry may be denied without a valid document, with no refund.
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
- There is no refund on reservation fees and tickets of monuments that are closed due to event that is out of our control.
- If this is not possible, we will operate the tour and will include other sites to compensate for the site/s being closed. No refund is given on unused tickets due to events that are out of our control.
- Customers have a mandatory meeting time stated 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time due to managing and organizational reasons.If you arrive late for the meeting time, it will not be possible to join the group or reschedule, unless you pay for the activity again. As per "No Show" rules you will not be entitled to a refund.
- Cancellations, changes or issues due, security and events held by the monument are beyond our control and are directly decided by their administration team. These issues will be reviewed by us and dealt with on an individual basis but are the responsibility of the monument.
- Small group tour (max 15 people). A maximum of 10 people per booking.
- The catacomb temperature is about 60°F and the moisture content is high; please dress appropriately
- Without notice the Basilica or parts of it can be closed for unforeseeable events. In this case, partial refund can be requested.
- It is forbidden to remove any object and/or material
- No photos allowed
Reviews(17)
Our guides were fantastic. The first in the Necropolis was very informative and great at explaining the significance and history of everything we saw. Able to answer our questions and clearly loved her job and the site. Our second guide who took us around the Basilica was very kind and always had our attention, a great personality. She not only talked about the history of the things we saw but went into detail about the philosophy and theology of every small detail, clearly holding a great respect and admiration for her job and this place. Both guides were excellent, would highly recommend to anyone.
Wonderful way of seeing the basicilica and mausoleum together its a long tour we started at 10 and finished by 2 pm so worthit having the history and artistic experience of tye basilica was so much more than i hoped Sabrina was a great guide. Very enthusiastic and knowledgeable
This was a very cool experience overall. You end up in a self guided tour of Vatican. Sabrina started our tour and was very informative.
The catacombs were magical. Our tour guide, Cindy, while very knowledgeable, was very patronizing toward our group. Sabrina was our tour guide for the basilica. She was very passionate about sharing her knowledge of the entire space and we saw the great artists renderings in new and fascinating ways!
Very interesting! Both guides were so knowledgeable and very helpful! We highly recommend both guides!
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the Vatican Catacombs and Basilica Tour, including the fascinating visit to St. Peter’s Tomb. It's great to know that both of your guides were knowledgeable, helpful, and contributed to making the experience so interesting and memorable. Thank you for your recommendation. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you back for another tour in Rome soon! Best regards, The Vatican Guided Tour Team
extremely rushed, was 45 min late and the basilica guided tour was canceled last minute because of “new policy”
Hi McKenzie, We are sorry that the experience did not meet your expectations. As previously explained, access procedures, timing, and operational decisions regarding the Vatican Necropolis are managed directly by the Vatican authorities and are outside our control. Regarding St. Peter’s Basilica, our guides are required to comply with the Basilica's official regulations, including restrictions on guided visits and access times. These rules can occasionally affect the planned itinerary, particularly when operational changes occur on site. Although the difference between the tour received and the standard Vatican Necropolis tour would normally have resulted in a significantly smaller refund, we issued a €46 refund as a gesture of goodwill in recognition of the inconvenience experienced. We regret that the tour did not fully meet your expectations and appreciate your comments, which help us continue to improve our services.
The tour is interesting, but it is disappointing there is no photography and no post cards available. It is very rushed and the end is weird, plus there was no Basilica tour. But overall it was worth seeing the necropolis.
Hi, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're glad to hear that you found the Necropolis worth visiting and that you enjoyed this unique and fascinating site beneath St. Peter's Basilica. Regarding photography, please note that the Vatican Necropolis is managed directly by the Vatican, and photography is strictly prohibited inside the site. Similar restrictions apply in many other Vatican locations, including the Sistine Chapel, in order to preserve these important historical and religious spaces. We also understand your disappointment regarding the Basilica tour. However, the product you booked included a guided tour of the Vatican Necropolis and skip-the-line access to St. Peter's Basilica. The Basilica itself was not included as a guided tour, as specified in the tour description. We appreciate your comments and will take them into consideration. Thank you again for your visit, and we hope to welcome you back to Rome in the future.
The tour was cancelled 15 hours beforehand. We could not get tickets for another tour because of how late it cancelled
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation. However, we would like to clarify that our company is the only authorized operator selling this specific Vatican Scavi and St. Peter’s Tomb Underground Tour. Access to the Vatican Necropolis is strictly controlled by the Vatican authorities, and availability and operational conditions can change at any time for reasons beyond our control. As clearly stated both in the tour description before purchase and on the voucher received after booking, this experience may be cancelled at any time, even shortly before the scheduled start, if required by the Vatican authorities. By completing the reservation, guests acknowledge and accept these conditions. We understand your disappointment at not being able to secure an alternative tour on short notice, but unfortunately this was an exceptional circumstance outside our control and fully covered by the terms communicated before booking.
Fantastic experience to see the deep underground excavation. And of course, St. Peter's thumb. Our guide was terrific.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We are delighted to hear that this was the best tour on your list and that you enjoyed the unique opportunity to explore the underground excavations beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. Discovering this extraordinary archaeological site and the history surrounding St. Peter’s tomb is truly a memorable experience. We're also very pleased to know that your guide helped make the visit even more special. Your kind words will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for choosing our tour, and we hope to welcome you back for more unforgettable experiences in Rome! Kind regards, The Team
This particular tour was very unorganized, felt chaotic and unprofessional. It started 30 min late. No explanations or updates given throughout the time waiting. The staff at Omnia check in desk were unfriendly, uninterested. We were shoved in an office quickly to wait even further. No explanations. Frankly, this whole experience was weird from start to finish. Tour guide was difficult to identify. Unprofessional attire, no name tag or visable identification. This was unlike any other experience I've had with Viator.
We are sorry that your experience did not meet your expectations. However, we would like to point out that all our other guests have left excellent reviews about this tour and our staff. Regarding the delay: As noted in the tour description, access times may be delayed by up to 30 minutes due to the special nature of Vatican Necropolis access. We would also like to remind you that visiting the Necropolis of St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Tomb is not only an extremely exclusive experience but, above all, a moment of spiritual reflection and recollection, which requires compliance with strict Vatican procedures and timings. We still appreciate your comments, as they help us improve our service.
