Rome
Top Rome landmarks

Rome: St Peter’s Basilica & Dome Entry with Audio or Guided Tour

Badge of ExcellenceRome, Italy

From $31.69

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

  • 2 to 3 hours
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

To dig deep into the history and art of St Peter’s Basilica, explore the church on a walking tour with a Vatican guide. From St Peter’s Square, walk to the basilica. Inside, listen to stories about the popes, pilgrims and Renaissance art masters who have left their marks on this iconic Catholic site, whose Michelangelo-designed dome dominates the Rome skyline.
  • Walking tour of St Peter's Basilica and Square
  • Gaze in awe at the impressive dome designed by Michelangelo
  • Rub the foot of the statue of St Peter, and see Michelangelo's La Pietà

What's Included

  • Live tour of St Peter’s Basilica and the cupola (if guided tour option is selected)
  • Professional guide (if guided tour option is selected)
  • Headsets (if guided tour option is selected)
  • Audio tour (if self-guided tour option is selected)
  • Entry to the cupola by elevator
  • Digital tour of the papal tombs (if guided tour option is selected)
  • Complimentary breakfast (if guided tour option is selected)
  • Access to the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel
  • Skip-the-line access
  • Mobile device

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • Borgo Santo Spirito, 17, 00193 Roma RM, Italy

    Meet your guide at Borgo Santo Spirito 17 (Al San Michele), where you can enjoy a complimentary breakfast (if guided tour option is selected)

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Meet your guide in the heart of Vatican City to begin your walking tour of one of Rome’s most legendary landmarks. Starting in St Peter’s Basilica, walk over to 2000 years of history. The tour will end in the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican.

Throughout the centuries, the humble church grew into the ornate icon it is today—the holiest of Roman Catholic sites. With your guide, walk around to see Renaissance art like Michelangelo’s La Pietà sculpture, as well as his cupolone—St Peter’s famous dome.

Admire mosaic works, see a statue of St Peter, visit the tomb of Pope John Paul II and stare in wonder at Bernini’s baldacchino, the elaborate canopy alter that sits above St Peter’s tomb. Your tour ends inside the basilica, where you may continue exploring independently, if you wish.

Included in your visit you will receive Vox City Guide, an audio-experiences selfguided visit of the city of Rome with audio commentary and stories from local experts. The code to download your VCG will be delivered directly to the Basilica.

St. Peter's Square

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Fontane di Piazza San Pietro

2 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Obelisk of Jesus

2 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St. Peter's Basilica

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Cupola di San Pietro

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Basilica (Pass By)

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • Entry to the Vatican adheres to a strict dress code: shoulders and knees must be covered, low-cut or sleeveless tops and shorts are not permitted for both men and women. Visitors that do not adhere to the dress code could be denied entry to the Vatican
  • Meet your guide at Borgo Santo Spirito 17 (Al San Michele), where you can enjoy a complimentary breakfast (if guided tour option is selected)
  • The visit inside St Peter's Basilica and the cupola will be led by a tour guide (if guided tour option is selected)
  • It is strongly recommended for travellers to download the audio guide via the Vox City app prior to arrival
  • The papal tombs can be explored independently via a digital tour (if guided tour option is selected)
  • After the elevator ride towards the Cupola, there will be a 300-step climb to reach the very top
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

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Reviews

4.5
1,618 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 1,618 reviews
Amazing
WenQin_K, Apr 2024
Tourguide was very knowledgeable of the attraction and helpful. The location of meeting point was tricky to find but eventually we made it.
A fantastic experience with a great guide
Mateusz_M, Apr 2024
The experience of the Vatican and its tombs was both educational and mesmerising. I highly recommend it and this guide service. The English was very good and everything was explained in great detail.
Great Tour of St Peter's Bascilica
John_A, Apr 2024
The up close look at the mosaicour guide, guide, Sirena. We were guided to the highlights and given time to explore. And Sirena was a wealth of knowledge prepared for all our questions.
Perfect tour
Melissa_B, Feb 2024
It was an excellent tour. Our guide was fantastic. He really gave us so much information. It was really helpful.
Rome St Peter’s basilica
Julie_H, Feb 2024
Fantastic tour. Guide very informative and broke the ice with the group well. The dome tour is not for the faint hearted. I thought I was fit until the dome🤣 but it was definitely worth it.
Amazing tour!
Joanna_D, Jan 2024
Our guide, Roberto, was interesting and knowledgeable. The view From the top of the basilica was amazing.
Beautiful but difficult
Christina_F, Nov 2023
The basilica and cupola were fantastic and the guide was nice. There was some misinformation given and the staircase was very difficult
Don’t Recommend
Zachary_L, Oct 2023
This tour didn’t include breakfast. In general, having done this tour and one combined with the Vatican, go with the combined tour and not this one. The tour combined with the Vatican (not this one) was more efficient.
Phenomenal
Joshua_F, Oct 2023
Mark was a great tour guide, explained things thoroughly and very interesting facts in regards to the Vatican tour. Would highly recommend!!
Phenomenal experience
Ryan_R, Oct 2023
Very moving experience- be forewarned- there is no "skip the line" option and on the day we went, it was quite time consuming to get through security
Bad experience
john_v, Oct 2023
Our tour guide was 45 mins late making the tour MUCH longer than it needed to be. Worse it was very difficult to understand her. While she spoke English one could make out about half of what she said.
Total chaos
Laurie_N, Oct 2023
Our tour guide was over 20 minutes late and the so called breakfast was a donut and coffee that no one instructed us to get. The line to enter the basilica took one full hour of a long winding walk. Once we entered, there was another 20 min wait to go up in an elevator to the cupola where there was nothing to see unless you climbed to the top which I was unable to do. We finally left the tour so we could go into the church on our own. But, there were so many people, it was impossible to see and was not spiritually moving. I was really disappointed.
Fantistico!
Deirdre_N, Oct 2023
Marco was an incredible guide. So knowledgeable and patient with questions that were asked of him. He was very clear ... very well versed... a very pleasant person.
Very disappointing, especially with guide.
christie_b, Sep 2023
Our tour guide arrived late to meeting point on September 28th. We waited over 1.5 hours to access the elevator at St. Peter’s which was not communicated clearly to us to expect this. The guide chattered through this entire time about catholic history and almost nothing about building, who created or designed the structure or artwork we passed while in line. Once we all had arrived on the roof to access the dome, she had us gather around in the hot sun telling us what we would be able to see from the top of the dome, going on at great length, including how we would be able to see the radio tower and gave the history of the radio tower. People in the group were scattering, taking out their ear pieces to get away from her constant chatter. She did not have any skill at reading her audience, not seeing they were bored, hot, and just wanted to move on. People began to abandon the group at this point and by the time they finally reached inside St. Peter’s to see the church and the amazing art it holds, only a few remained. Myself and those I was with were excited to see and learn about the structure itself and the artwork it holds. Unfortunately, we had little time left to see it, and learned even less.
Great idea for first touur
Lisa_W, Sep 2023
Very happy with this tour only disappointing thing was no breakfast. Compete tour for history and sights, lacking prayerful opportunities.
Interesting
Leah_C, Sep 2023
Really enjoyed it. Veiw from the top is amazing, steps are a bit tough to the top but worth it. I would book again in the future
Great experience
CRISELDA_S, Sep 2023
Although it’s free to enter, it’s nice to go with a tour so you get more detailed information. Be very prepared to work, especially if you want to go to the top. You’ll get beautiful views but skip going to the top if you don’t want to walk up 300+ steps. Also skip going to the top if you’re claustrophobic or have vertigo.
no breakfast included and...
Kathrin_L, Aug 2023
no breakfast included and poor guiding! and afterwards no answer from viator or from the touroperator.
We don’t leave you behind
John_E, Aug 2023
Guide was very accommodating to both the couple that missed the group at departure & different couple who got claustrophobic on dome climb & were delayed 1/2 hour getting to exit rendezvous point.
Apartment was very...
Joseph_S, Jul 2023
Apartment was very spacious and clean. Beautiful set up. Good location. Area wasn’t the best but the apartment made up for that
...

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