Private St. Francis Basilica of Assisi and City Walking Tour
Description
Visit the stunning UNESCO World Heritage-listed Basilica di San Francesco (Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi) with a private official guide. See the highlights of Assisi with a knowledgeable local guide. Discover the Basilica di Santa Chiara (St Claire) and the lovely main square. As you walk with your guide, hear about the history and cultural treasures of Assisi.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet the guide at 10:30am and visit the Basilica dedicate to St. Clare. The Basilica (Basilica di Santa Chiara in Italian) is a church dedicated to and contains the remains of Saint Clare of Assisi, a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi and founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, known today as the Order of Saint Clare.
Chiesa Nuova. The Chiesa Nuova is a church in Assisi, Italy, built in 1615 on the site of the presumed birthplace of St. Francis, the house of Pietro di Bernardone. It was then called Chiesa Nuova because it was the last church to be built in Assisi at that time.
The Temple of Minerva is an ancient Roman building in Assisi, Umbria, central Italy. It currently houses a church, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, built in 1539 and renovated in Baroque style in the 17th century.
Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the basilica of St. Francis was built under the direction of Brother Elias, vicar general and architect of the order, starting in 1228, just two years after the saint's death, as a place designed to receive his remains.
If the solemn and dark lower basilica invites penance and silence, the upper church soars into the sky, airy and bright. In a Gothic style with French influences, the nave has four bays, cross vaulting, and a polygonal transept and apse.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
- On Sundays, big Catholic holidays and National holidays, guided tours inside the Basilica of St. Francis ar forbidden. Your guide will explain to you the church from outside, and you will enter alone on silence.
- Due to the exposition of the remains of St. Francis, guided tours of the basilica will be suspended from February 15, 2026, to April 6, 2026. The guide will provide an explanation from outside, and then visitors will be able to enter on their own.
Reviews(129)
Barbara was extraordinarily knowledgeable. She educated us well on Assisi’s history, the life of St. Francis, and the fine details of the artwork in the basilica and the criticality of Giotto’s innovations to future artistic developments in the Renaissance. No surprise since she was a teacher in her prior life. A great guide!!
It’s wonderful to hear that Barbara made your visit to Assisi both fascinating and meaningful. Her background in teaching certainly shines through, and we’re delighted that her insights into Giotto and the Basilica’s artwork added so much to your experience. Thank you for choosing us and for sharing your experience!
It starts from the top of town at the church of St Clare. Very interesting. Our guide was very knowledgeable and shared his personal insights. We took the quiet road behind the town to the Basilica and it was a delight.
Thank you so much for this lovely review! We're so glad you enjoyed the journey from the Basilica of St. Clare through the quiet backstreets down to St. Francis, and that our guide's personal insights made the tour special. We hope to see you again soon in Assisi!
Our guide, Marica, was fantastic. She made the history of both St Francis and Assisi come alive via her knowledge and passion. Highly recommended!
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! We're so happy Marica's knowledge and passion brought the history of St. Francis and Assisi to life for you. We'll be sure to pass along your kind words to her. We hope to welcome you back to Assisi soon!
Having the private guide allowed us to easily hear her above the noise.She was patient with our questions and pointed out things she knew would interest us
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re delighted that having a private guide made the tour more comfortable and personal. It’s especially nice to hear that she took the time to answer your questions and tailor the visit to your interests. We’re so glad you enjoyed your time in Assisi!
Personalized tour of this beautiful city. Even though we were there during a holiday and tour guides were not allowed into the churches, our guide went through detailed instructions of what to look for and how to go through each church.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! We’re very pleased to hear that you enjoyed the personalized approach to discovering Assisi. Although the holiday restrictions meant that guides could not accompany visitors inside the churches, we’re glad that our guide was still able to provide detailed explanations and helpful suggestions on what to look for and how to appreciate each church. We hope this allowed you to experience Assisi and its artistic heritage in a meaningful way. It was a pleasure to have you with us!
Marco was great! He was very knowledgeable and helpful! We saw all the important sites including St. Francis, St Claire and St Carlo Actus Crypts.
Thank you for your lovely review! We’re so happy to hear that Marco made your visit to Assisi such a memorable experience. It’s wonderful to know that his knowledge and helpful approach allowed you to discover the city’s most important places, including the sites connected with St. Francis, St. Clare, and St. Carlo Acutis. Assisi has so many layers of history and spirituality, and we’re delighted that you enjoyed exploring them with us. Thank you for choosing our tour and for sharing your experience!
The guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the church, the region and St. Francis. She spoke good English and was quite understandable even when speaking quietly inside the churches.. The pace was easy and covered a lot of ground.
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! We're so glad our guide's deep knowledge of the church, the region, and the life of St. Francis came through so clearly, even inside the quieter spaces of the churches. It's great to hear the pace let you cover so much ground comfortably while still soaking it all in. We hope to welcome you back soon for more discoveries in Umbria!
Tour is a private tour which takes you through the history of Assisi, the Poor Claires, St. Francis and the Basilica of St. Francis. Guide was knowledgeable and quite opinionated, but treated the physical sites with dignity and respect. Tour does not include the resting place Carlo Acutis.
Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We’re pleased that you appreciated the private format of the tour and our guide’s knowledge of Assisi, St. Francis, St. Clare, and the Basilica. We also appreciate your comments about the respectful approach to these important and deeply meaningful places. Thank you for clarifying that Carlo Acutis’ resting place is not included in this tour, as we always want our guests to have clear expectations about the itinerary. It was a pleasure to show you Assisi and share its history with you!
Marco was incredibly knowledgeable of the history as well as the layout of the town. Was mindful of our time. Hit the right highlights.
Thank you so much for this great review! We're so glad Marco's deep knowledge of Assisi's history and layout came through, and that he kept the tour well-paced while making sure to hit all the right highlights within your time. We'll be sure to pass along your kind words to him. We hope to welcome you back soon for more adventures in Umbria!
It was wonderful! Beautiful walk of the city taking out of the way beautiful side streets. Much history-guide was terrific. Very knowledgeable!
Thank you so much for this lovely review! We're delighted you enjoyed the beautiful walk through Assisi's charming side streets, and that our guide's deep knowledge brought so much history to life along the way. We hope to welcome you back soon for more adventures in Umbria!
