Vatican Scavi: Underground St. Peter’s Tomb & Basilica VIP Tour
Description
Discover the Vatican like never before on this exclusive underground experience — a once-in-a-lifetime journey to St. Peter’s Tomb. Begin your tour in the Vatican Necropolis, a rarely accessible burial site hidden beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. Walk along ancient Roman funerary streets lined with pagan and early Christian tombs as your expert guide leads you to what is traditionally believed to be the burial place of Saint Peter, the Apostle and spiritual foundation of the Christian Church. Access to St. Peter’s Tomb is extremely limited, making this visit a truly rare privilege. After exploring the underground world, you will emerge directly into St. Peter’s Basilica through a VIP skip-the-line entrance, bypassing long public queues. Inside, enjoy a guided tour of the largest church in the world and admire masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s Baldachin. Availability is strictly limited—early booking is recommended.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your tour guide and learn about St. Peter’s Square. This square, surrounded by a majestic quadruple colonnade, displays the largest church of the Christian world: St. Peter’s Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro). It is also the heart of Vatican City, the smallest state in the world, which was in antiquity occupied by Nero’s circus and gardens, where many Christians, including St. Peter, were martyred. In the centre of this 320 meter-wide piazza stands an Egyptian obelisk brought to Rome by Caligula in 37 AD. In 1656 Bernini began building the quadruple colonnade of 284 columns in 88 rows, which according to the artist symbolize the “gathering of Christendom.” From two points in the square which are marked on the ground by a stone, the four concentric rings of columns visually merge into one. The balustrade supported by the columns is decorated with 140 statues of saints. The huge door of the basilica is framed by statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
We will explore the remains of the vast Roman Necropolis that developed between the 1st and 4th centuries along the Via Cornelia, on Vatican Hill, near the Circus of Nero and Caligula, where Saint Peter was martyred in 67 AD. Nearby, early Christians buried the Apostle’s remains in the bare earth, later gathering them around 150 AD beneath a small marble shrine known as the Trophy of Gaius. When Emperor Constantine built the first Basilica over Peter’s tomb in 319, he preserved the existing Necropolis and honored the burial site with a monumental memorial. Sealed beneath successive basilicas for over 16 centuries, the Necropolis remained hidden until excavations ordered by Pope Pius XII in 1939 brought it back to light, revealing both the ancient burial ground and the Tomb of Saint Peter, whose relics can be venerated during the visit.
After the necropolis visit, enter St. Peter’s Basilica with priority access. Few places in the world can match St. Peter’s Basilica in both size and significance. Step inside the historic walls of Vatican City, the residence of the Pope, and discover one of the most important destinations of religious and historical pilgrimage. St. Peter, one of the apostles and the first Pope, was crucified in Rome in 64 AD. There is strong evidence suggesting that his body is buried beneath the basilica’s main altar. If you love architecture, St. Peter’s is a breathtaking masterpiece. And even if you are not particularly interested in the spiritual side, it is hard not to be moved by such a magnificent building. Although St. Peter’s is often thought of as a cathedral, it is not the official seat of the Bishop of Rome (that title belongs to St. John Lateran), making it technically a basilica rather than a cathedral.
At the end of the tour of the Basilica, if you have selected the Dome visit included OPTION, you will be personally escorted to the elevator to begin your ascent. From the top, you will enjoy a spectacular 360-degree panoramic view: St. Peter’s Square perfectly framed below, the Vatican Gardens, and the rooftops of Rome stretching all the way to the horizon. It is a breathtaking and unforgettable perspective of the Eternal City — the perfect grand finale to your experience.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Meeting Point: Largo del Colonnato, 5, in front of the Galleria San Pietro Shop (near St. Peter's Square). Your guide and our staff will be there to welcome you. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before departure to ensure a smooth check-in. For assistance, please call +39 328 001 0018.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult. Not suitable for children under 10 years old.
- All participants must carry a valid identification document (passport or ID) to enter the sites. Entry may be denied without a valid document, with no refund.
- 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
- There is no refund on reservation fees and tickets of monuments that are closed due to event that is out of our control.
- If this is not possible, we will operate the tour and will include other sites to compensate for the site/s being closed. No refund is given on unused tickets due to events that are out of our control.
- Customers have a mandatory meeting time stated 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time due to managing and organizational reasons.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.
- Cancellations, changes or issues due, 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.
- Please note that St. Peter’s Basilica may close without prior notice. Refunds are only available for options that include a guided tour of the Basilica.
- The Necropolis is managed directly by the Fabbrica di San Pietro; timing variations are beyond our control. The tour start time may vary even more than30 minutes.
Reviews(62)
It was waaayyy too hot! I almost fainted. The tour guide was hard to understand.
We are sorry you found the experience uncomfortable, but we believe some clarification is necessary. **1. The tour and our guide** All the other participants on the same tour expressed their appreciation for both the service and the guide. We therefore regret that your personal experience was so different from that of the rest of the group. **2. Regarding the guide being “hard to understand”** We take comments about our guides seriously. However, no other participant on this tour reported any difficulty understanding the guide. On the contrary, the feedback we received from the other guests was very positive. **3. Regarding the heat** We are frankly surprised that the temperature is being presented as a criticism of our company. Rome, like many destinations around the world, has been experiencing exceptionally high temperatures and unusual heat conditions. Unfortunately, neither our company nor our tour guide has any control over the weather. We can organize the tour, provide a professional guide, and offer the best possible service, but we cannot control the temperature in Rome. We are genuinely sorry you felt unwell due to the heat, but attributing unusually hot weather to the quality of a tour seems rather unfair. We are pleased that all the other participants enjoyed the experience and complimented the service provided.
Based on photos online, there’s so much of the necropolis to see. I’m wondering if the tour is specific to the tour guide, or it’s the same for everyone. I enjoyed the story our guide was building throughout each site. But I wish we got to see more.
Dear Guest, Thank you for your review and for sharing your experience with us! We are very happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour and especially the way your guide **built the story throughout the different sites**, bringing the history of this extraordinary place to life. Regarding your question, we would like to clarify one important point: **THE SCAVI ROUTE IS NOT DECIDED BY THE TOUR GUIDE.** Access to the Vatican Necropolis is **strictly regulated by the Vatican**, and visitors can only enter the areas that are authorized and accessible at that particular time. Unfortunately, not everything that can be seen in photographs online is necessarily included or accessible during every visit. We completely understand your wish to see more — the Necropolis is an extraordinary place, and it naturally leaves you wanting to discover even more! Thank you again for choosing our experience and for your positive comments about the guide and the storytelling. **Warm regards, Tour in the City Team**
Sabrina was the best tour guide! She had so much energy, which really helped us get through a long tour. It didn’t feel long at all thanks to her sense of humor. The Scavi was a memory we will have for a lifetime. It was so moving to pray at the Tomb of St. Peter. Sabrina expertly explained each and every element of the basilica. She knew every work of art and statue, and you could tell she loved talking about them. This is a must book experience if you want to truly take in all that St. Peter’s Basilica has to offer.
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for your **wonderful review and recommendation!** We are thrilled to hear that **Sabrina was phenomenal** and made your experience at St. Peter’s Basilica and the Scavi so special. Her **energy, knowledge, passion and sense of humor** are exactly what make a long and detailed tour feel engaging from beginning to end. We are especially happy that her explanations helped you appreciate the incredible art, statues and history of the Basilica. Knowing that visiting the **Tomb of St. Peter** and having the opportunity to pray there became a memory that you and your family will carry with you for a lifetime means a great deal to us. We will make sure to share your beautiful words with Sabrina. We know she will be delighted to hear how much you appreciated her passion and dedication. Thank you again for choosing us and for calling this a **“must book experience.”** We hope to welcome you back to Rome for another unforgettable tour! **Warm regards, Tour in the City Team**
Excellent tour but very long. Our guide to the Vatican was absolutely excellent. We have been to the Vatican numerous times, but never had suchan extensive tour with such a knowledgeable guide.
Thank you very much for your fantastic review! We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your Vatican Scavi & St. Peter's Basilica experience. It's especially rewarding to know that, even after visiting the Vatican several times, you found the tour so in-depth and engaging. Our guides are passionate about sharing the rich history and hidden stories of these extraordinary places, and your kind words mean a great deal. We appreciate your feedback about the length of the tour. This experience is designed to provide a comprehensive visit, but we're glad you found it worthwhile thanks to your guide's expertise. Thank you for choosing Tour in the City. We hope to welcome you back to Rome for another memorable experience soon! 🇻🇦✨
Both guides were very informative and we could see their enthusiasm. Saint Peters was absolutely amazing and as catholics an experience we won’t forget
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for your wonderful review. We are delighted to hear that both of your guides made the experience so enjoyable through their knowledge and enthusiasm. Sharing the history and spirituality of these extraordinary places with passionate guides is exactly the experience we strive to provide. We're especially pleased that St. Peter's Basilica was such a meaningful visit for you. Knowing that, as Catholics, this was an experience you will never forget is the greatest compliment we could receive. Thank you for choosing to tour with us. We hope to welcome you back to Rome for another unforgettable experience. Warm regards, Tour in the City Team
Fascinating tour beneath St Peter's - back to the times of Peter's martyrdom in Rome. Opportunity to learn and see history from the early church and what life (and death) was like in the 1st century in Rome. Guided by an archeologist, with knowledge and enthusiasm, makes this a must do experience. Our only hiccup, the guide that started our tour didn't alert a member of our group about the strictness of dress code - we needed to cover up some 70 year old knees (a nearby vendor sold a wrap that rectified naked knees).
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for your wonderful review and for sharing your experience. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed this unique journey beneath St. Peter's Basilica. Exploring the ancient Roman necropolis and learning about the world of the first-century Christians through the eyes of an archaeologist is truly a one-of-a-kind experience, and we're glad it left such a lasting impression. We also appreciate you mentioning the dress code issue. Access to St. Peter's Basilica is subject to the Vatican's strict dress regulations, and we're sorry that this wasn't pointed out clearly to your group before the tour began. Your feedback is valuable, and we'll use it as a reminder to ensure all guests receive this information more explicitly before entering the Basilica. Thank you again for choosing to tour with us. We hope to welcome you back to Rome for another unforgettable experience in the future! Warm regards, Tour in the City Team
Though Sabrina did a great job of giving us a tour of the tomb of St. Peter the tickets we bought stated that it included a VIP to the Basilica. BUT all that really means is it covers the entrance not the guided tour part. So you are left on your own for the rest of tour which was fine with us but based on the description we thought the guided tour was for both activities listed on the ticket. In the fine print it did say entry to the Basilica. And that’s exactly what we got. Not sure worth the $249.
Thank you for your feedback, and we're glad to hear you enjoyed Sabrina's tour of the Vatican Necropolis. However, we'd like to clarify an important point for future travelers. Our product offers different options. The option you selected includes the guided Scavi tour and VIP access to St. Peter's Basilica, but not the guided tour inside the Basilica. If you wish to have a guided visit of both the Scavi and the Basilica, you need to select the specific option that explicitly includes the guided Basilica tour. This is clearly indicated in the option description at the time of booking. You received exactly the service included in the option you purchased: a guided Scavi experience followed by VIP access to the Basilica. As for the price, we warmly invite you to visit our office. Once you see the actual costs we incur to secure these extremely limited permits, provide qualified staff, and organize the entire experience, we'd be happy to hear what price you think we should sell it for. Access to the Vatican Necropolis is one of the rarest experiences in Rome, and the price reflects the complexity of providing this exclusive service. We appreciate your feedback and hope this clarification helps future guests choose the option that best suits their expectations.
When we planned our trip to Rome, my husband tried for iver 6 months We to try amd secure spots for us on the Scavi tour directly through The Vatican, with no luck. He stumbled upon this tour and we jumped on the chance. We met our guide outside a store across from St Peter's. It was very easy to find her. She was so positive and cheerful. She gave us some history and explained somethings about the Vatican, then we left her and were escorted to the area when we met the guide who took us through the Scavi tour, which was fascinating. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted that we were able to help make your visit to the Vatican Scavi possible after so many months of trying. Access to the Necropolis is extremely limited, so we're always happy when we can offer our guests this unique opportunity. We're also pleased to hear that meeting your guide was easy and that you appreciated her enthusiasm and the introduction she provided before your Scavi visit. The Vatican Necropolis is truly one of the most fascinating and exclusive experiences in Rome. Thank you for your recommendation. It was our pleasure to be part of your journey, and we hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable experience in Rome!
Sabrina was the best tour guide ever! She was on early, had clear directions, extremely knowledgeable, organized, and joyful to be around. She guided us before and after the Scavi tour smoothly and provided great historical presentations throughout. Sabrina is the best tour guide in her field and even knowledgeable of the Vatican surrounding stores and facilities of best times and places. She is always happy to help and I would recommend this tour with her a million times.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are absolutely delighted to hear that Sabrina made your Vatican Scavi experience so memorable. Her professionalism, knowledge, enthusiasm, and genuine care for our guests are exactly what we strive to provide, and your kind words perfectly reflect her dedication. We will be sure to share your compliments with Sabrina—they will mean the world to her. Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back to Rome for another unforgettable experience!
The tour was informative and the guide was top-notch — he was an expert in the history of the catacombs and Vatican. The rescheduling was an issue; we received an email confirming our tour one day before and unbeknownst to us, a WhatsApp message was sent later with a cancellation. We didn’t see the message until we were on our way to the tour. We were rescheduled for the same day but it was stressful to change plans while sitting in a taxi. We understand tours are cancelled by the Vatican but the agency should use the TripAdvisor contact method for consistency and to avoid confusion.
Thank you for your kind words about the guide. We're delighted to hear that you found the tour informative and that you appreciated your guide's expertise. Regarding the schedule change, we would like to clarify that this tour includes access to the Vatican Necropolis (Scavi), which is managed directly by the Fabbrica di San Pietro, not by our agency. As clearly stated in the tour description and in the information available before, during, and after the booking, the starting time may change, even at the last minute, due to operational requirements of the Vatican. As soon as we were informed of the schedule change, we immediately contacted you and arranged an alternative time on the same day, ensuring that you were still able to enjoy the complete experience. We understand that this caused some inconvenience, and we appreciate your suggestion regarding communication. We always strive to notify our guests as quickly as possible through the available contact methods whenever the Vatican makes last-minute changes beyond our control. Thank you again for your understanding, and we hope to welcome you back to Rome in the future.
