Tour of St. Peter's Basilica, Holy Door and Dome
Description
Tour of St. Peter's Basilica with the possibility of climbing to the Dome Discover St. Peter's Basilica with an expert guide who will lead you through unique masterpieces. Admire Michelangelo’s Pietà, Bernini’s Canopy and the imposing papal altar, exploring the history and hidden details of Christianity’s most important church. At the end of the visit, you can choose to climb the Dome. From the internal terrace you will see the mosaics up close, while from the top you will enjoy breathtaking views of Rome and the Vatican. The climb includes a first section by elevator and a second of 320 steps on foot. An unmissable experience for those who want to discover the Basilica and admire Rome from above.
Tour Options
Itinerary
You will discover the majesty of St. Peter's Basilica, the heart of Christianity and one of the most extraordinary architectural masterpieces in the world. Our path will lead you through the immensity of the central nave, where you will be enchanted by the perfection of the decorations, the imposing columns and the precious marbles. We will admire Michelangelo's famous Pietà, a masterpiece of extraordinary beauty and refinement, and continue to discover Bernini's Canopy, the imposing bronze structure overlooking the papal altar, located exactly above the tomb of St. Peter. Passage of the Holy Door, open only in the Jubilee year We will guide you through the works of art and hidden details that make this Basilica unique, revealing its history, symbols and secrets kept over the centuries. At the end of the tour, you can continue your visit independently, with the possibility of descending to the papal necropolis, where numerous Popes rest.
An unmissable experience for those who want to admire Rome from above! You will start by climbing to the inner terrace of the Basilica, from where you can see up close the magnificent mosaics of the dome and the grandeur of the interior. Continuing towards the top, facing the last 320 steps through a narrow and fascinating passage. Once at the top, you will be rewarded with a spectacular view: a 360° panoramic view of St. Peter's Square, the rooftops of the city and the main monuments of Rome.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Dress code: Legs covered up to the knee and shoulders covered
Reviews(28)
Paid reservation. Waiting for the guide who never arrived. Promised refund never received. They do not respond to messages and phone calls. Missed visit and lost money.
The tour itself was good but you still have to wait in lines for security and to get to the dome. Our guide was hard to understand so we didn’t learn as much as we hoped.
Hello, thank you for your comment. As you may have noticed, when entering the Vatican you are entering another State, and therefore it is necessary to queue to undergo security checks.
Our tour was moved up by 2 hours, but we were notified in advance. Also we skipped the long line, only that is worth the 5 stars. The very prepared guide. Touring the basilica with her was exceptional, The advice
A truly unforgettable experience with Dom our guide who was friendly, articulate and had great knowledge of the Basilica and its history. My wife has read the Bible for each of the last 4 years daily and Dom reiterated what she has learned and read plus educated us on some other information going back in time as well. He had the perfect pace for us and again had tremendous knowledge. HIGHLY recommend Imperial Tours and Dom. Biggest challenge was meeting location as “kiosk” can have different interpretations in Italy & US. Pictures included of meeting space, and they were out looking for us as we were trying to navigate.
Amazing experience with Dom, who was very well prepared and knowledgable about all aspects of the Vatican and its history. He was exceptionally personable and easy to follow. Highly recommended. Biggest challenge was identifying meeting spot which is listed as a “green kiosk” it is an outdoor drink/food venue. Picture attached, but again highly recommend this experience and guide Dom.
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! Dam is an amazing guide and we’re very lucky to have him on our team. We hope to see you again for another experience to enjoy together in Rome! See you next time!
Never use Viator!! We followed the map in viator to meet our guide. We arrived in advance of the meeting time. I used the app to get a hold of the guide. He responded once just asking where we were and then went silent. I was on the phone for 1 hour with viator and showed them the chat. We were charged $400 and they refuse to give us a refund. In a separate tour of the pantheon the guide cancelled on the day of the tour and we did not get into the pantheon. We will never use viator again. They treat their customers terribly.
First of all, I recommend you double-check and think carefully before posting a review like this. You did not have any tour of the Pantheon with us; you were likely with another agency, so we don’t understand why you’re writing that here. As for your visit to St. Peter’s Basilica, we were in contact with both you and Viator support. All the other participants were at the meeting point and had no trouble finding the guide and taking the tour. If you encountered difficulties on two tours, clearly the issue is not with those working, and perhaps you should review your own organization. Viator is a reputable company used all over the world—please be careful about what you write and how you write it.
This company is A MAJOR SCAM ‼️‼️‼️ GIULIO from Imperial Tours STOLE my Money AND cancelled my tour and refuses TO GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK‼️ IF he does the right thing I will take my review down But he hasn’t responded since he cancelled my tour‼️DO NOT DEAL WITH IMPERIAL TOURS IN ITALY‼️‼️🤬🤬
What you wrote is very serious, and even liable to legal action. Truly shameful, especially towards people who work — something you clearly know nothing about, otherwise you would have shown respect. Obviously, as soon as you receive the refund (which we had already said would be issued shortly), we expect an apology at the very least. Shame on you.
Angela was an amazing tour guide. She went above and beyond to make sure that we had an amazing experience and catered her time and knowledge to what interested us most. I would recommend this tour and would request her specifically if possible. Climbing the dome was amazing but not for the faint of heart! If you are claustrophobic this is NOT for you. We loved it but woo were those tunnels small! The view was amazing.
She was very informative knowing that she is a Muslim. Very nice lady; She even went an extra mile to help me see a Medic for I was not feeling well upon entering the Vatican. I am grateful!! 😊🙏
Very positive experience. The guide was very knowledgeable and willing to answer questions. He well explained all the details of the works seen.
