Climb to the top of the highest point in the Vatican City, the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, and get panoramic views over historic Rome and the Vatican state from this Renaissance masterpiece. Along with getting fast access inside the basilica after your ascent, you can experience and explore the basilica treasures and the Vatican Crypts with your expert English-speaking guide.

Climb the iconic Dome of St. Peter’s for magnificent panoramas over Rome and the Vatican City
Guided tour of St. Peter's Basilica, including Michelangelo’s Pietà and the famous Baldachin
Visit the tombs of the most important Popes in a special crypt beneath St. Peter’s Basilica
Hear enlightening commentary from a local Vatican expert guide throughout the tour

What's Included

Entrance into St. Peter’s Dome by lift
Entrance into St. Peter’s Basilica & Underground Crypts with the Pope Tombs
Expert, English-speaking tour guide
Headsets when appropriate

Food/Beverage
Hotel pick-up/drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Piazza della Città Leonina, 00193 Roma RM, Italy
Meet at 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 stand.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Vatican City

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St. Peter's Square

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Cupola di San Pietro

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Basilica

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Vatican Grottoes

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a strong physical fitness level

Not recommended for those who suffer from claustrophobia and/or vertigo
Please note that the dome’s elevator only takes you to the first terrace. In order to climb to the top of the dome you will have to use stairs (320 steps). Please allow yourself approximately 20 extra minutes if you wish to climb up to the dome of St Peters from there.
We may experience delays in getting through mandatory security checks when entering these venues
Only small bags are allowed
Tickets for the dome cannot be pre-bought. The group will have to queue for the guide to acquire them on the day of the tour.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 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

Reviews

4.5

136 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 136 reviews

Our tour guide was very...

Ronda_H, Apr 2024

Our tour guide was very helpful and very knowledgeable. My husband and I visited back in 2007 and were able to get in line and do it all ourself. I think you can still do this, but if you are on a time crunch this is a great alternative. It was nice having someone providing great information especially for our two teenagers now. They really enjoyed the Dome hike and the view is breathtaking.

I got confused finding...

Elisabeth_H, Apr 2024

I got confused finding the meeting spot but the team worked hard to get me oriented and join up—the extra service was much appreciated!

Great

SARANGKANT_G, Apr 2024

Climbing The Vatican dome . The guide was amazing very knowledgeable kind and very helpful. Being a early morning tour v had a good sighting

Fantastic! Thank you Eddy!

james_c, Mar 2024

Our guide was fantastic he definitely made the tour that much better!! I think he might be the best tour guide in Rome!! Thank you eddy with a Y! :)

The comments provided by...

Isabela_M, Mar 2024

The comments provided by the tour guide during the visit of the Vatican were sparse and inadequate. We definitely do not recommend this company.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Hi Isabela_M, We're truly sorry to hear about your disappointing experience during our St. Peter's Basilica Dome, Basilica & Underground Grottoes Guided Tour. Providing insightful and engaging commentary is paramount to us, and we regret that our guide's comments fell short of your expectations. This is not typical of our tours, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused. As a gesture of our commitment to providing exceptional experiences, we would like to offer you a discount on a future tour with us. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us directly to arrange this discount and discuss any further concerns you may have. We appreciate your feedback and the opportunity to show you that our tour standards are world class. Sincerely, The City Wonders Team

Basilica

Mark_S, Feb 2024

Wonderful experience! Our guide was a great story teller and very informative and knowledgeable. Appreciate her perspective as a believer. Beautiful sights and scenery.

Fantastic

Nicci_C, Feb 2024

The tour was extremely informative and Sabine, the tour leader, was fantastic and made the tour very enjoyable

One of the best tours to do in Rome!

Yvonne_W, Nov 2023

The Basilica was absolutely beautiful and totally amazing. The climb to the dome was more than worth the effort, as inside the dome the mosaics are just incredible to look at, and the view outside is awesome. There is so much to look at on this tour! The tour guide, Sabina, was fabulous, sharing her huge knowledge with clarity and humour.

If we could have just found a skip the line, that would have been fine.

Carolynn_R, Oct 2023

Being in the basilica - that was the best part. Wish we had better understood the actual done climb as probably would have gone to top instead of being nervous.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Hi Carolynn_R, Thank you for sharing your thoughts about your experience visiting St. Peter's Basilica. We appreciate your feedback and are delighted that you enjoyed the visit to the basilica itself. It's indeed an awe-inspiring place with a rich history and stunning architecture. We understand that the dome climb can be a unique experience, and sometimes, a bit more information upfront can help guests decide whether to take on the ascent. Our tour descriptions aim to provide comprehensive information about the activities included. For those who prefer to explore St. Peter's Basilica, we also offer a standard Vatican tour that covers the basilica along with other fascinating aspects of the Vatican. We're glad you joined us for this tour, and we hope you have some fantastic memories from your visit to St. Peter's Basilica. If you decide to return to Rome, we'd love to have you join us again for another memorable experience. Warm regards, Edgar J. City Wonders

Stunning

Audrey_J, Oct 2023

Breathtaking! Pictures can’t do it justice. You have to come to truly understand the beauty and architecture.

Lots of waiting, but worth it.

George_B, Oct 2023

Big crowds even in late October. Tour or not the line is long. Our group was in line before 8:00 and waited over 30 minutes in the rain. Those who arrived after 8:30 waited well over 2 hours to get through security. But once inside it is well worth it! More waiting to get up to the dome and a tiring climb up more than 350 steps to get to the top. The views inside and across the city are breathtaking. Don’t miss this. Then down to the crypt to see the final resting places of St Peter and many Popes. All very worthwhile

unforgetable experiance

Berhan_T, Oct 2023

Seeing apostle Peter tomb was for me interesting experiance. In general sculptures and drawings are repeating themselves all over vatican.

The guide didn't seem to...

Sharon_B, Sep 2023

The guide didn't seem to care if we enjoyed the tour or even stayed with him. It was crowded and he was hard to keep up with

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Hi Sharon_B, We're sorry to hear that your experience on the St. Peter's Basilica Dome, Basilica & Underground Grottoes Guided Tour didn't meet your expectations due to difficulties with the guide. This is not the level of service we aim to provide, and we apologize for any inconvenience you may have encountered. Your feedback is important to us, and we will use it to improve our tours and ensure that our guides are attentive to our travelers' needs. If you have any further comments or would like to discuss your experience in more detail, please feel free to reach out to us. We appreciate your feedback and hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future. Kind regards, Edgar J. Communications Manager City Wonders

The crypt and the view...

Gregory_J, Sep 2023

The crypt and the view from the cupola was breathtaking. The guide was very knowledgeable and explained the information very well.

Nice tour and enjoyed the...

John_D, Aug 2023

Nice tour and enjoyed the Dome climb. The views where amazing. Our guide was good, but because the crypts were not open the tour ended abruptly. We had to do the crypts by ourselves when they opened.

Incredible scale and opulence

Jane_G, Jul 2023

The inside of the basilica is incredible and the view from the top of the dome well worth the climb - but if you are claustrophobic you might want to avoid as the steps are very narrow with sloping ceilings. One thing to note, there are no “skip the line” tickets - all tour groups must queue in the same line as everyone else so the wait can be very long, but we had the guide filling the time with lots of history and interesting facts about the Vatican and Rome itself.

Did not go in too crowed. Can’t imagine what peak season will be like.

Debra_M, May 2023

Unfair to give any star rating, as the museum was so ridiculously crowded with large guided tours you could barely move, let alone see anything. Then we came to St. Peter’s and the lines outside made it clear it was going to be the same thing in there, so we did not attend our tour. Not Viator’s fault. They should not allow so many people in at one time.

Response from Host, May 2023

Hello Debra_M, We appreciate your feedback regarding your experience with the St. Peter's Basilica Dome, Basilica & Underground Grottoes Guided Tour. We understand your frustration with the overcrowding and long lines at the attractions. While we strive to provide the best possible experience for our customers, the management of crowd sizes and entry regulations are ultimately controlled by the respective sites. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the overcrowding, as it can detract from the overall enjoyment of the tour. Your comments have been duly noted, and we will continue to work closely with the sites to address these issues and improve the tour experience for our customers. We value your feedback and would like to make it up to you. If you are open to giving us another opportunity, we would be delighted to offer you a special discount on a future tour. Please contact us directly, and we will be happy to assist you further. Thank you for your understanding, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused. We hope to have the chance to provide you with a more positive experience in the future at City Wonders. Best regards, Edgar J. Communications Manager City Wonders

Beautiful!

Teresa_S, May 2023

This was a beautiful place to see and a well informed guide. I assumed that we were going to be able to skip the line to enter but that was not the case and we stood in line for at least an hour. By all accounts that is not a long line for this attraction but you should be aware that you will stand in line depending the crowds.

The tour guide was very...

Shari_S, May 2023

The tour guide was very informative. She explained the tour sequence, which really helped navigating through such a crowded venue.

Beautiful basilica with important history

Susan_O, Apr 2023

St. Peter’s tomb and the beautiful marble floors and columns. The guide was very knowledgeable and helpful.