Vatican: St. Peter’s Basilica, Dome & Tombs Reserved Entry & Tour
Description
Visit sites like St. Peter’s Square and Basilica with reserved entry. Meet your guide in Piazza della Città Leonina and dive into the ancient history of the Vatican City. Admire the statuesque columns and majestic pilasters in St. Peter’s Square. Walk through the walk close to the 1st balcony which is decorated with amazing frescoes. Enter the Basilica and reach the summit of the Dome after 320 steps, where you are rewarded for the climb with views of the city center. Have some free time to enjoy views of monuments like the Roman Colosseum and Pantheon. Be captivated by the Basilica's interiors which are filled with masterpieces from masters like Bernini and Michelangelo. See pieces from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Follow your guide towards the Vatican’s historic Grottoes to get a closer look of the rooms, chapels, and the papal tombs, where many Popes, royals, and other dignitaries are laid to rest.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Enjoy an early morning tour with our local guide starting from the statuesque St. Peter's Square all the way through the famous Basilica.
Set foot on the summit of the majestic St. Peter's Dome and get a 360 degree view of the city centre and its main archeological attactions such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon.
Head back to the Basilica with an easy access, marvel around the sacred church and witness the acclaimed masterpieces of Michelangelo and Bernini, as well as some of mosaics, paintings and structures of the Renaissance and Baroque era. To end the journey, get ready to walk through the emblematic Papal tombs, a resting place of the majority of the deceased Popes at your own leisure.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- - Provide each participant’s full name as on their passport when booking; tickets are nominative and valid only for the assigned participant.
- - Present a valid ID or passport for verification during the visit.
- - Entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica is free. This ticket grants access through a designated entry point but does not include skip-the-line privileges.
- - All guests are required to undergo airport-style security. During high season the wait may be up to 2 hours.
- - Late arrivals will neither be accommodated nor refunded.
- - The elevator of the Dome only takes you to the first balcony, to climb up to the main Dome you will have to use the stairs (320 steps) which require 20 extra minutes
- - The St. Peter's Basilica Dome might not be accessible during bad weather conditions
- - The Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and Vatican Necropoli are not part of this tour
- - Wear clothing that covers at least the shoulders and knees, if your clothing does not comply with the rules, you may be denied entry
- - Some parts might not be accessible & are subject to unexpected closures until further notice due site’s restrictions
- - What to bring: Passport or ID card (mandatory), Comfortable shoes, Weather-appropriate clothing
- - Not allowed: Shorts, Baby strollers, Luggage or large bags, Short skirts, Sleeveless shirts, Backpacks, Umbrellas, Tripod, Animals, Potentially dangerous objects
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and people with serious medical condition (vertigo and heart problems)
Reviews(27)
We ended up with a private tour. Our guide was great. Be prepared for a serious climb. But worth the work! Great views!
This was amazing our guide Valerio was so knowledgeable and spoke excellent English as Catholics he made this tour extra special and knew so much history behind it going above and beyond to ensure we saw everything he was very friendly he knew most of the Vatican staff so getting up close was extra special including skipping a few lines highly recommend this guide and their tours thank you for a great experience
This tour vender was not organized. They closed down and told us to GET IN LINE NEXT TO THE WALL!! 2 hours later we were told to go to the r d of the line. We went back to the meeting place and there was a guide there who was helping out. He took our tour in a different line and said we would move quickly because we were with a guide. It took 11/2 hrs. By then it was 5 pm. We were u able to go to the top of the dome and were unable to go to the crypts
My husband and I were very happy with the tour. Valerio was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information. Highly recommended to join the tour.
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and the Papel tombs and St. Peters Basilica were amazing. The only downside was that we spent too long in St. Peters Square due to prayers inside the Basilica so found it a bit rushed and missed the Dome Climb due to another booking.
Tour does not start at advertised time. We scheduled this tour at 3 pm since we had another tour scheduled at 5 for the Sistine Chappel. Others were being sold this tour to start 1/2 hour later. Thus we only got a tour to the first balcony. Countdown not walk up the steps, no time. We had to take off from the tour just to see the inside of St. Peter’s by ourselves. Never did make it to the papal tombs….this was a waste of our time and money..
It was a really good time. Guide Valerio was very good and helpfull; he is so very dedicated; important informations, nice presentation! Also, he manage to facilitate us a good visit. It is much better to have a guide when visit!
Never happened it got canceled and I’m going to need to get a refund because I didn’t get the service
My wife and I got very lucky and we were the only ones in this tour. The guide was very nice and gave us history and facts non stop. He was great. This tour though is not a skip the line tour, you stand in line with the guide. The guide though talks the whole time so we found it to be enjoyable. The top of the dome Was very good and afterwards the guide took us into the church and walked us around somewhat quickly on what I would all a highlight tour. I would recommend this tour to anyone.
We had an amazing tour! From start to finish just taking everything in and learning about the history of these places was such a great experience.
