Tour of St Peter's Basilica: Guided Dome Climb and Grottoes Exploration in Small Groups

Experience a guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, including a climb to the top of the dome for breathtaking views of Rome. Explore the art and architecture of the Renaissance in small groups.

Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • St. Peter’s Square - Begin your tour at St. Peter’s Square and take in the grandeur of its majestic architecture. Discover the visual effects crafted by its designer, Bernini, and locate the two “special” spots within the square.
  • St. Peter’s Basilica - Next, proceed to the Basilica to be awestruck by its splendor. Learn why it took 150 years…
What's Included
  • Professional art-historian guide
  • Thorough guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica
  • Sterilized headsets to hear clearly your guide
  • Guided tour of St. Peter Dome
  • Entry fees to the top of the Dome
  • Full on-site assistance
What's Not Included
  • The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel are not part of this tour
  • This tour does not skip the line (neither the security checks one nor the dome’s elevator one)
Additional Information

Embark on an extraordinary journey commencing at St. Peter’s Square, where the architectural brilliance of Bernini unfolds.
Then enter the awe-inspiring St. Peter’s Basilica, a realm adorned with golden ceilings, vibrant marbles, and masterpieces like Michelangelo’s Pietà. Delve into the Papal grottoes underground, touching ancient walls and visiting St….

Location
Largo del Colonnato, 5
Largo del Colonnato
Meet your guide at Largo del Colonnato, 5, by the first columns of the Colonnade. Look for a yellow label with TOURIKS written on it. Please be at the meeting point 5 minutes before the starting time. The meeting point is outside the Basilica before entering St. Peter's square.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(2048 Ratings)
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Marialuisa_j
Dec 8, 2024
Wonderful! - Everything was beautiful. The explanation of the history was surprising and great to know. Our tour guide was perfect!
Review provided by Viator
Maria_g
Dec 4, 2024
Extremely knowledgeable and thorough - Our tour guide was a wealth of knowledge! I only wish it was a skip the line tour because that took an hour to get through. But our guide talked to us the entire time.
Review provided by Viator
Darren_g
Dec 3, 2024
St -Peter tour - The guide was very informative as well as caring and making sure the group were always reassured. Highlight of Rome, really glad we booked the experience.
Review provided by Viator
Thomas_c
Dec 1, 2024
Money well spent! - Our guide was amazing! Entertaining and so knowledgeable, super friendly and so nice!! The radio and earpiece made such a difference so I could hear what he was saying.
Review provided by Viator
Tony_w
Nov 30, 2024
Amazing - Coming out of the basement and into the main cathedral and see all the exquisite art work and monuments
Review provided by Viator
Trail558294
Nov 30, 2024
A wonder - The Basilica is really wonderful and impressive but without Silvia's explanations nothing would have been so clear and interesting. Thank you for the great guide and Happy Jubilee 2025 Paola and Giuseppina
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Monalisa_m
Dec 5, 2024
1st Door of the 5 door... - 1st Door of the 5 door inside Basilica, wedding chapel, La Pieta, altar(center) Dome 500+steps for me is the best part of the tour
Review provided by Viator
Jeanne_d
Dec 1, 2024
Amazing but time crunched - Voldymer was a fantastic guide with lots of interesting information about the mosaics, artwork, Catholic history, etc. He was very attentive to details while trying to get as much in as possible while keeping us on schedule. I gave the tour 4 stars because there should be an age restriction for this tour. There was a toddler in our group that ran around shouting the entire time. It was distracting and annoying. A toddler should not be loose in a basilica. Also, Viator should allow more time inside the basilica and grotto. There simply is not enough time to explore or visit and still be able to climb the dome when a tour is scheduled at 2:00.
Review provided by Viator
Elizabeth_h
Nov 30, 2024
Unique experience for adventurer - Learned a lot from the energetic Tourguide. He made the hr long wait in the security check line go quickly as he was talking to us and giving us interesting history the whole time. Climbing the dome is no joke. It can get disorienting near the top due to the tilt in the ceiling as you go around and up the dome.
Review provided by Viator
Steven_m
Dec 2, 2024
Not a great value - We had a very knowledgeable and good tour guide. However, there were two big problems with this tour that I thought made it not a good choice. First, they don’t tell you that the elevator getting up to the top of St. Peter’s Basilica may or may not be available. At a minimum you have to walk 200 steps to get to the top os St. Peter’s Basilica. If you want to go to the top of the Dome it’s another 300 steps in addition the potential for 500 steps to climb should have been clear. They let you know that there are stairs to climb but they just don’t let you know how many especially if the elevator is not available which is likely all the time. Lastly, the tour does not cover the Grottoes. The tour guide simply told us we could go in that area on our own. It should not be part of the tour because anybody who gets into St. Peter’s Basilica can visit the Grottoes. No tour guides are permitted to speak in the Grottoes This was not a good experience or a good value in my opinion. There are better tours with a better value in my opinion.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 10 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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