St. Peter’s Basilica from Top to Bottom with Dome Climb & Crypt
2.5 hours
Max 20
Why take this tour?
Highlights
- Discover St. Peter's Basilica in its full glory with our most comprehensive tour
- Avoid waiting for hours in line with early entry
- Climb (or walk!) to the top of the dome and see one of the best views of Rome
- Experience the magnificence without the crowds with an early start time
- Sites Visited
- St. Peter’s Basilica
- St. Peter's Square
- Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica
- Crypt of St. Peter's Basilica
- Tour Includes
- Expert English-speaking guide
- Skip the line access to St. Peter’s Basilica
- Pre-reserved ticket to St. Peter’s Basilica dome (with elevator access)
- Headset
Take the time to explore the most magnificent Basilica in Rome
Book Now
Total Customer Reviews: 539
Verified Ratings
4.7 /5
based on 484 Walks' reviews
Rating summary by category
Latest reviews
Excellent
Great tour, great guide and very informative !! A great way to visit the Vatican and St Peter's . Definitely recommend it...however, you must be in fairly good shape to climb to the top.
Viator customer · Sep 18, 2023
Great
Our tour guide, Julia, was very knowledgeable and made the tour very pleasant and interesting
Verified · Aseneth · Sep 17, 2023 · USA · Female · 45 to 54 years
Excellent
Our tour guide, Jaber, really made the day, he was so knowledgeable about the basilica and the general catholic history of Italy, and clearly had a real passion and love for what he was doing. It was a really interesting day. The square is beautiful to begin with. The view from the top of the dome was amazing, but if you get claustrophobic easily, probably not the climb for you. We took the elevator but it was still about 300 steps and was quite narrow, the view was definitely worth it though. The inside of the basilica was astounding, in size and detail, just absolutely beautiful. A great day and super informative.
Viator customer · Sep 13, 2023
Excellent
The tour was excellent overall and the view from St Peter's Dome can't be beat. It is a somewhat demanding walk up to the top, even with elevators taking you part of the way up, so just be aware of that. Sara was a fantastic guide and she told us lots of interesting facts about every part of St Peter's Basilica that we went through. She kept us engaged and also gave us plenty of info/warning about the climb up (its not bad at all but the stairs get very narrow so claustrophobic people would have appreciated the warning I think). Overall a great tour and well worth it.
Verified · Benjamin · Sep 12, 2023 · Australia · Male · 18 to 24 years
Great
The guide Juliet was just lovely and light hearted and knowledgable, my kids aged 11 and 9 thoroughly enjoyed her engagement with them. Tour came to an abrupt end. There was not opportunity to ask any questions and so much more info to have gained.
Viator customer · Sep 02, 2023
Meeting Point
Meeting Point
This tour meets in front of 'Bar Leonina', in Piazza Citta' Leonina, just outside St. Peter's Square. Your guide will be holding a green Walks sign.
If arriving by metro, take the Red Line and get off at the "Ottaviano/San Pietro" stop. Exit to the street level and walk down Via Ottaviano, cross straight through Piazza Risorgimento, and proceed on Via di Porta Angelica. At the end of Via di Porta Angelica you will see two arches ("Il Passetto"), which would lead you into St. Peter's Square. Your tour meeting point is located to your left, just before these two arches, in front of 'Bar Leoninae' (in Piazza Citta' Leonina).
Please meet 15 minutes prior to the tour start time.
FAQs
Is this tour accessible for wheelchairs, strollers or for those with mobility impairments?
Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments, or for wheelchairs or strollers. Please contact us at [email protected] so we can arrange your visit.
Does St. Peter's Basilica have a dress code?
Yes, although you aren't expected to dress as formally as if you were attending a mass. Unless you actually are attending a mass. The most important rule is NO SHORTS, that applies to both men and women. Shoulders must also be covered, so no tank tops. Small bags and umbrellas are permitted inside but large bags have to be checked at the entrance, next to the official audio-guides desk.
Is there elevator access to the dome of St. Peter's Basilica
The elevator up St. Peter's dome only goes as far as the first level, to the mosaics. After that, the only way to get to the top is to walk up the 281 steps.
Does this tour visit the Vatican "Scavi" including the tomb of St. Peter?
No. The Papal Crypt and the "Scavi" are different sites. In order to visit the latter you have to make special arrangements with the Vatican.
I'd like to climb to the top of the Dome of St. Peter's. Anything I should know?
The St. Peter's Dome climb requires separate tickets, one allows you to take the elevator up part of the way then climb a further 320 steps, while another permits you to climb the entire 551 steps. Either way the view from the top is worth it!
Is there a long line to enter St. Peter's Basilica?
On our exclusive tours of St. Peter's we avoid standing in the notoriously long line by showing up early. It’s amazing how few people are able to get out of bed in time to be there when the doors open. Even in the height of summer, you can miss the worst of the line by simply sucking it up and getting an early start. Aside from getting there early there is no way to skip the line. In high season (May – September) it can stretch over 2 hours and even in the low season it might reach an hour. The only other alternative is to take a certified Vatican Museums tour with a certified tour group – there is a passageway that runs from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter’s that is specially reserved for tour groups. Currently, it is the only way to circumvent the line at the entrance to the Basilica.
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