St. Peter’s Basilica, known in Italian as Basilica di San Pietro, is one of Italy’s most iconic landmarks. Located in the Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica is an impressively sized domed structure that can be seen from many different places across Rome.
St. Peter’s Basilica rests on the site of St. Peter’s crucifixion, and serves as the epicenter of the Catholic Church and houses numerous papal tombs beneath it. As the largest church in Italy, this lavishly decorated basilica doubles as a museum, showcasing priceless works of art, including Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s bronze baldachin atop the high altar.
Buy Tickets for Tours of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome Today
Entry to St. Peter’s Basilica is free, and anyone is welcome to take their time walking around it to experience the beautiful architecture and priceless works of art. However, without a doubt, the best way to enjoy this marvel is by taking a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica.
By going on a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, you can enhance your experience by being told the history of the iconic monument, which really helps you get a sense of how impressive it really is.
If you’d like to make the most of your time exploring on vacation, then we have several quick and easy options that we recommend, so no matter your preferences, you can experience the benefits of a tour of St Peter’s Basilica.
The Best Ways to Visit St Peter’s Basilica
While experiencing St. Peter’s Basilica the “standard way” can be enjoyable and is definitely a good use of your precious vacation time, there are other ways to experience St. Peter’s, which we recommend as they can enhance your visit.
It is worth noting that all of these options will require you to pass through some kind of security check.
Buy a Ticket to Climb Up into the Dome of St Peter’s Basilica
To get into St. Peter’s cupola, you will need to pass security but then proceed to a different exit with a ticket, which costs €19.50. It is worth noting that there are a lot of stairs to get up into the dome, so brace yourself for a hike! There is an option to use an elevator, but it only goes halfway up.
There are guided tour options of St Peter’s that also includes a visit to climb up the dome.
Rent an Audio Guide
Going on an audio guided tour of St Peter’s Basilica is a great way to fully immerse yourself with everything the church has to offer, while still giving you the ability to explore it at your own pace.
Having an audio guide will help you to interpret the hundreds of incredible artifacts that can be found within the church, educating you on their origins and historical significance. An audio guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica will roughly take you around 1 hour to complete.
Take a Guided Group Tour of St Peter’s Basilica and Dome
By going on a guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica and dome, you can get the full experience of your visit. A professional guide to St. Peter’s Basilica will meet you outside and bring you to a special, much shorter line that will whisk you past the hordes and straight in.
A professional guide will be able to talk you through the areas of significance while on the tour, answer questions, and be able to offer additional insight that can’t be gleaned from anywhere else. Such tours last for around 90 minutes and really bring the artworks and vast architecture to life. If you’re looking to make the most of your visit, a guide tour of St. Peter’s Basilica is for you.
Book a Guided Tour of St. Peter’s Basilica with Necropolis Visit
Whether you’re interested in the chapels, the cupola, the mosaics, or the mummified popes, this tour of St. Peter’s allows you to descend beneath the church to visit the subterranean parts that few get to see – including the resting place of St. Peter himself.
A tour of St. Peter’s Basilica that includes a necropolis visit costs €49 per person, and offers a unique and breathtaking way to experience this great monument. Tours underneath St. Peter’s is a lot less busy than the main church, which can make the experience much more calm and enjoyable due to the lack of crowds.
Things to Know Before Visiting St. Peter’s Basilica
Free Entry
St. Peter’s Basilica is a working church – the largest in the world – and is therefore free to enter. It’s inside the borders of the Vatican City, but the public are allowed to just walk into it from Rome’s streets.
The lines for St Peter’s Basilica can look intimidating, but typically, they tend to move very fast. The lines for St. Peter’s are not to buy tickets, since the basilica is free to enter, instead they are just for an airport-style security check. Even if the line is about a mile long, snaking across St Peter’s Square, it is unlikely that you will be waiting for more than 45 minutes.
Dress Code
As St. Peter’s Basilica is a working church, it has a strict dress code that must be followed if you want to visit St. Peters. The dress code for St. Peter’s Basilica states that you must be wearing clothing that covers both the shoulders and knees. In addition to this, hats are also not allowed to be worn when in St. Peter’s Basilica, so bear in mind that you may have to carry them if you’re planning to wear one, particularly in the summer months.
If you fail to comply with the dress code, you are likely to be denied entry and turned away at the security checkpoint – so be warned!
Skipping The Line at St Peter's Basilica
Currently, there isn’t a way to skip the line if you’re planning to visit St. Peter’s Basilica. There used to be only one way to skip the lines at St Peter’s, which was to take a guided tour of the Vatican Museums, as this would include access down a corridor which connects the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.
There is a corridor, formerly for the exclusive use of the Popes, that goes from the Sistine Chapel directly into St. Peter’s Basilica. You are only allowed to go down this corridor if you are accompanied by a tour guide. Unfortunately, this corridor was closed during the Covid pandemic and, despite some rumors, has not yet reopened.
Key data on St Peter’s Basilica
Opening hours:
Apr-Sep: 7am – 7pm
Oct-Mar: 7am – 6pm
Nearest Metro: Ottaviano
Dress code: knees and shoulders must be covered
Book a St. Peter’s Basilica Tour in Rome Today
If you’re looking for an easy way to buy tickets for a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, so you can truly make the most of your time visiting this historic monument, then look below at our range of options to enhance your visit to St. Peter’s. Whether you want to take your time with an audio guide, or go delving into the depths of the church on a guided tour of the Papal crypts, we have a range of tour options to suit whatever your preference is.
