Guided tour

Rome: St. Peter’s Basilica, Dome Climb, and Underground Tour

4.4 / 5

828 reviews

Activity provider: City Wonders Ltd.
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    Guided tour

    Rome: St. Peter’s Basilica, Dome Climb, and Underground Tour

    Activity provider: City Wonders Ltd.

    4.4

    828 reviews

    Likely to sell out

    From US$ 35.51 per person

    Likely to sell out

    Discover St. Peter’s Basilica from a new perspective as you climb to the top of the dome. Then follow your guide to explore the stunning interior and the Vatican crypts.

    About this activity

    Free cancellation
    Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
    Reserve now & pay later
    Keep your travel plans flexible — book your spot and pay nothing today.
    Duration 3 hours
    Check availability to see starting times.
    Live tour guide
    English

    Experience

    Highlights
    • Climb to the highest point in the Vatican City and enjoy spectacular views
    • Experience the famous splendor of the dome from the first level balcony
    • Enjoy fast access to the basilica when you descend and avoid the lines
    • Make the most of your visit with a guided tour of the basilica and vatican crypts
    • Learn about the Renaissance era from an expert English-speaking guide
    Full description

    Experience St. Peter's Basilica from the top of the dome and admire views of the Vatican and Rome. Follow your guide to see the dome's interior and the Vatican crypts.

    Meet your guide in St. Peter’s Square, then head up to the first level of the dome to the viewing balcony. Admire the array of incredible mosaics depicting the saints, the magnificent Latin scripts which circle the dome, and the top of Bernini’s 3-story canopy below.

    Listen to your guide share facts and stories about the history of the dome, and everything you need to know about the Dome’s artists and Renaissance splendor. From the first level, take the spiral staircase to the top of the dome and enjoy some free time to explore at your own pace. Then head above the double structure of the dome and pass by windows that give a tantalizing glimpse of the Vatican rooftops below.

    After 320 steps find yourself on the viewing platform 448 feet above the basilica floor. From the highest point within the Vatican, admire breathtaking and panoramic views of the city, including the Vatican Gardens below.

    Looking into the distance, you can also marvel at the monuments of ancient Rome, including the Colosseum and the Pantheon. The only point above you is the cross containing the timbers from the True Cross. When you leave the dome there is no need to line up again to get inside the basilica, the stairs bring you directly down to the basilica floor so you can avoid the long lines which you’ll have seen growing across St. Peter’s Square from the top.

    With your guide, navigate through the basilica, admiring the array of statues, chapels, and pilgrim sites located here, before descending to the underground crypts. Here, you can see where hundreds of popes and members of royalty have been buried since the 11th century.

    Includes
    • Guided tour
    • Entrance to St. Peter’s Dome, St. Peter’s Basilica, underground crypts and pope’s tombs
    • Headsets where appropriate, so you can always hear your guide
    • Tips (optional)
    • Hotel pickup and drop-off
    Not suitable for
    • Wheelchair users

    Select participants and date

    Participants

    Date

    Meeting point

    Piazza della Città Leonina, near the arches, where the square meets via di Porta Angelica. Facing the arches, our meeting point is located at the corner of the square, on the left-hand side, next to the kiosk.

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    Important information

    What to bring

    • Comfortable shoes

    Not allowed

    • Shorts
    • Weapons or sharp objects
    • Luggage or large bags
    • Short skirts
    • Sleeveless shirts
    • Unaccompanied minors

    Know before you go

    • All visitors must pass through airport-style security, during high season the wait at security may be up to 30 minutes
    • The dome’s elevator takes you to the first terrace, to climb to the top of the dome you will have to use the stairs (320 steps)
    • Please allow yourself approximately 20 extra minutes if you wish to climb up to the dome
    • This tour is not suitable for those who suffer from claustrophobia and/or vertigo, heart or other serious medical conditions
    Customer reviews

    Overall rating

    4.4 /5

    based on 828 reviews

    Review summary

    • Guide
      4.7/5
    • Value for money
      4.2/5
    • Service
      4.2/5
    • Organization
      4.1/5

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    Our tour guide Salvatore or Sal for short was amazing! Extremely knowledgeable and funny. Inside the basilica is beautiful and so worth it to get a tour to unleash all the secrets and beauty’s of the structure. Security check was a bit long because they had 3 lines open instead of 4 as per usual and Salvatore was so kind to extend our tour time, even though the wait time for security has nothing to do with the tour duration

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    March 25, 2023

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    GetYourGuide traveler Verified booking

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    Elisa our guide was friendly and gave us so much context and history, enabling us to truly appreciate St Peters Basilica and the Crypt. Be careful for the meeting site! it's not explicitly sign posted and is not exact to the address. Read the description carefully (which is accurate) especially if you come early! Once people start to gather its fairly obvious but if you're one of the first few there it can be confusing!

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    March 25, 2023

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    GetYourGuide traveler – United Kingdom Verified booking

    Helpful?

    “Skip the line” didn’t help so much here. The Basilica is free & the climb w/no elevator is cheap. Everyone goes through the same security lines & then the same wait for the climb to the dome. The benefit is that you’re entertained by the guide telling you about the Basilica, the dome, the crypt, etc. while we waited for almost 2 hrs (All Saints Weekend 2022). The morning wait was 2.5 hrs just for security plus more for the climb. Brutal! I would do the this tour for the additional info while we waited, because if you’re going to do this sight, the wait is inevitable. After the climb, we still got the tour of the Basilica & interesting information inside the Basilica & crypt. We didn’t finish until “late” but the guide didn’t seem rushed. He might have skipped some of his planned stops and speeches, but he did alot!! Because the Basilica is free, we went back the next day with far fewer people & enjoyed the works more because we got the facts from the day before.

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    March 25, 2023

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    GetYourGuide traveler – United States Verified booking

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    Product ID: 278782

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