St. Peter’s Basilica with Dome Climb and Crypts Small Group Tour
Description
Discover the secrets of the world’s largest church on our in-depth tour of St. Peter’s Basilica. Magnificent St. Peter’s is a true Roman icon, and our special small group tour is the perfect way to learn the fascinating history of the church and appreciate its masterpieces. Enter the Basilica early to avoid the long entrance queues that form later in the day, and make the elevator-assisted journey up the church’s soaring dome before climbing on foot to the top to gaze down on all of the Eternal City spread out before you in one of the world’s most spectacular panoramas. Our expert guide will weave a dramatic tale of the apostles and popes, artists and architects that have left their mark in St. Peter’s. Admire Michelangelo’s Pieta and Bernini’s Baldachin, before concluding our visit in the atmospheric crypts beneath the church, where generations of Popes have been laid to rest in spectacular tombs. This is a unique opportunity to experience St. Peter’s Basilica at its best!
Tour Options
Itinerary
We’ll be entering the church early, at the quietest time of the day. There is no way to skip the lines at St. Peter's, but while there may be a short queue even at this time, you won't have to wait too long before entering! When in Rome, climbing the iconic dome of St. Peter’s basilica is an absolute must, and this is how our in-depth St. Peter's tour will begin. On our itinerary you’ll get the lowdown on this miracle of Renaissance design: discover how an aged Michelangelo was inspired by the Pantheon to conjure the world’s tallest dome to crown the massive new centrepiece of the Catholic faith in the 16th century, and get a unique up close and personal look at the dome as we make the thrilling climb upwards. We’ll finish our in-depth St. Peter’s tour with a journey downwards into the atmospheric grottoes beneath the church. In these underground crypts, generations of popes have been laid to rest from as far back as the fifth century.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Due to the Jubilee, some monuments may be under restoration. Please pay attention to any messages we may send regarding potential changes.
Reviews(6)
We booked our week long trip to Rome about 4 weeks before our plane took off. I did my homework and prepared a loose itinerary. There’s so much to see and do and, we didn’t want to miss out by not booking a tour in advance or going with the wrong company. Tons of helpful advice out there - on this site and others that led me to Through Eternity tours and I’m happy to report I made the right choice. Thank you all who posted your reviews ;) We chose TE because they had the exact tour we wanted - Basilica with the Dome climb, early morning to avoid crowds (even tho this was December, it was the shoulder week to the start of Jubilee 2025). Claudia met us outside at 7am. She is a Roman herself and joyfully shared her wealth of knowledge about this historic influential breathtakingly beautiful site. The tour guides complete a 4 year education and then must pass a licensing test. They are lovers of art and history. Claudia made this 3 hour tour a highlight for these two American tourists and we are so grateful. For the Dome climb, we took the optional elevator up part way. Claudia let us take a break at the restrooms and then allowed us 40 min to complete the climb and return to her. Plenty of time to move at our own pace! There is so much to take in I highly recommend you do book this guided tour. There are other things in the city you can explore on your own and save the money.
Hi Christ, It’s wonderful to hear that your planning and research led you to us—and even better to know that we delivered an unforgettable experience for your trip to Rome. St. Peter’s Basilica with the Dome climb is such a special tour, and we’re thrilled it was a highlight of your journey! We hope your memories of this tour stay with you for years to come. Thank you for recommending us, and we hope to see you again soon!
This tour is fantastic. Our guide, Guia, was very experienced, knowledgeable and lots of fun to be with. The tour was absolutely worth the cost. We will take many more tours with this company. Highly recommend.
Hello Cynthia, It’s wonderful to hear how much you enjoyed the tour! We’re so glad it was worth it and left such a positive impression. We can’t wait to welcome you on more tours in the future—thank you for the recommendation!
This review is for the St Marks Basilica twilight tour with “Gina”. Excellent experience, especially later in the day. Gina was informative, and engaging. It was the perfect amount of information from an experienced guide.
Thank you for the lovely review! We’re delighted that Gina made your St. Mark’s Basilica twilight tour so enjoyable. Exploring in the evening adds such a special atmosphere, and we’re glad her insights made it memorable. Grazie mille for joining us!
Gentleman guide was lovely and the tour would have been just fine had we been provided with headphones. The company failed to deliver headphones to our group. The vastness of St Peter’s causes voices to be lost. We were a small group of only 6 people; me and my husband plus 4 other guests. Yet, nobody was able to hear much of what was said. To my dismay we were not given any compensation for the poor service. Disappointed in Through Eternity and would probably not book with them again.
Thank you for your feedback, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you experienced. We understand how frustrating the lack of headphones must have been, especially in a venue as vast as St. Peter’s. Please reach out to us directly at office@througheternity.com, and we’ll be happy to assist you further. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and hope to improve your experience in the future.
Enjoyable tour with a very engaging guide. Lots of insights In St Peter’s Basilica. She readily adjusted the itinerary to meet our needs.
Thank you for your review! We’re glad you enjoyed the tour and appreciated the guide’s flexibility and insights at St. Peter’s Basilica. Hope to see you again!
Through Eternity should never have offered a tour on this day - there was a special event and both the crypt and many parts of St Peter's were closed. It was very hard to find the guide as they gave very unclear instructions and half the people in our group were lost in late. The guide did not have a sign as other companies do. Our guide did not do the dome climb so at the top of the dome when you want your guide to show you and talk about all the buildings around Rome the guide wasn't there. I listened to other guides which was great. The tourist billed as 3 hours and we got it most one of the guide's time. We were later getting in line because so many people in the tour were late. We got up early to do the skip the line tour and it didn't seem like it was any better than it was later in the day. Disappointing.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We’re genuinely sorry that things didn’t go as smoothly as expected, especially given the special event disruptions. We understand how frustrating that can be, and we will strive to improve our communication about meeting points and unexpected changes in the itinerary. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us make sure future tours are more seamless. We hope to welcome you back for a better experience next time!
