Skip the Line St Peters Basilica, Papal Tombs & Dome Guided Tour
Description
Begin your exploration inside the Basilica, marveling at masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s renowned sculpture La Pietà, Bernini's majestic Baldacchino, and the elaborate altar. Your knowledgeable guide will bring to life the remarkable history, intricate art, and architectural wonders of this iconic landmark, considered the heart of the Catholic faith. Enter the Vatican Grottoes, to visit the papal tombs, chapels and corridors, paying respects at the final resting places of popes, royals, and revered dignitaries from centuries past. This unique tour ensures you fully appreciate the unparalleled artistry, spiritual significance, and historic magnificence of St. Peter’s Basilica. After the tour, if you have selected the Dome option, please allow an extra 30 minutes minimum after the tour has finished as you'll take the elevator to St. Peter’s Dome. Here, you will be rewarded with breathtaking panoramic views of the city, offering an unforgettable experience high above Rome.
Tour Options
Itinerary
St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro), located in Vatican City in front of St. Peter's Basilica, is a massive, iconic Baroque plaza designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1656 and 1667. Featuring an elliptical design with massive colonnades representing the "embrace" of the Church, it holds over 300,000 people and features a central Egyptian obelisk.
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican City, or simply Saint Peter's Basilica, is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage and for its liturgical functions. The pope presides at a number of liturgies throughout the year both within the basilica or the adjoining St. Peter's Square; these liturgies draw audiences numbering from 15,000 to over 80,000 people.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not suitable for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
- If you arrive late for the meeting time, it will not be possible to join the group or reschedule, unless you pay for the activity again. As per "No Show" rules you will not be entitled to a refund.
- Knees & Shoulders MUST be covered for both men & women.
- All visitors must pass through the monument/attraction security check please allow at least 20 minutes to clear security.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Some monuments or areas may be under restoration and subject to last minute closures. Please pay attention to any messages we may send regarding potential changes.
- Please be aware that large bags/backpacks/suitcases are not permitted in the monument/ attraction. Only very small bags are allowed. Please do not bring these items with you on the day of your tour as there are no cloakrooms at the monument.
- Cancellations, changes or issues due to weather, security and events held by the monument are beyond our control and are directly decided by their administration team. These issues will be reviewed by us and dealt with on an individual basis but are the responsibility of the monument.
- The exact timings and reservations can vary, dependent on the monument/attraction’s administration offices availability and decisions on the booking day and can be subject to last minute changes. Departure time can differ up to 20 minutes from your selected time.
- Please note that on the day of your visit certain areas of the monument/attraction can be closed due to either religious events or national holidays.
- Please be advised capacity regulations and security may delay the tour departure this could also influence the smooth running of the tour especially on national holidays and events.
Reviews(267)
excellent tour with an outstanding tour guide, Mariana. she was quite a historian and able to answer the many questions we had. we were not rushed and she made recommendations on how to get holy water since we did not bring any containers with us. would definitely recommend this tour and request Mariana!
A must see there is so much to see and it’s amazing to see all the art and designs. Everyone got something from this tour
Mariana was an outstanding tour guide for our visit to St. Peter's Basilica. She was incredibly knowledgeable and shared so much fascinating history and insight in a way that was engaging and easy to follow. Her warm, friendly personality made the entire experience even more enjoyable. We learned so much and truly appreciated her enthusiasm and professionalism. If you're visiting St. Peter's Basilica, I highly recommend taking a tour with Mariana—it was one of the highlights of our trip!
We were there when they were the heat wave, but find the guide was easy o good.The guide was nice knew his thing so welcoming was good and a small group
Great guide, effortless, very knowledgeable, Worst part was the heat+ waiting. Rome was 98 degrees but it was excellent
Mariana was amazing so informative and entertaining she made sure we knew the key parts and took us around. I will say in July it's brutal with the heat, we were all sweating but she was tentative and made sure to get us into the building fast and out of sun.
Not surprisingly, Viator does not make it easy to write reviews of cancelled tours. Viator cancelled our tour of Domus Aurea on 18 July at 4:00pm with one day’s notice and without any explanation. And neither we nor the concierge of our hotel could get through to Viator via the phone number provided. It is little consolation that we will get our money back as the visit was a big part of the reason to visit Rome again.
Absolutely amazing! Worth every penny! We have been on tours to the Vatican City before, but this was the best one. We Our absolutely loved it., so did our children. The tour guide did an excellent job!! I would book this tour again and will share with our family and friends.
Our tour guide Mariana provided a very informative tour. She told us interesting recap of history that would otherwise be missed out if we have done the tour by ourselves. We appreciate the Vatican more.
Very knowledgeable and thorough. Hit all the key points and artwork that we needed to know. She was great
