Skip the Line St Peters Basilica, Papal Tombs & Dome Guided Tour
Recommended by 94% of travelers
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Rome, Italy
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Visit St. Peter's Basilica and the Papal Tombs without having to wait in long lines with a skip-the-line tour. Your guide will show you celebrated art, such as Michelangelo’s sculpture, "La Pietà", and Bernini's "Baldacchino." Then head underground to pay your respects as you visit papal tombs and the final resting places of royals and revered dignitaries from centuries past, wrapping up with an optional Dome visit.
- Perfect for first-time visitors to Rome
- Save precious vacation time with skip-the-line entry
- A tour guide provides insight you'd miss out on if exploring independently
- Upgrade to add on access to St. Peter’s Dome for panoramic views of the city
What's Included
- Skip the line entrance to St. Peter's Basilica
- Tour Experience with Expert Official Licensed Basilica Guide
- Access to the papal tombs
- Access to St.Peter's Dome (if Option Selected)
- Headsets to hear the guide clearly in crowded areas
- Location pick-up and drop off
- Scavi / Necropolis
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Via Germanico, 16, 00192 Roma RM, Italy
Once you book, we organize everything. Just show up at the office (VIA GERMANICO, 16) at the correct time (Please arrive 15 minutes before your booked departure time) where your guide will meet you with your ticket to skip the line and enter the Basilica.
End point
- Saint Peter’s BasilicaPiazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City
You will end the tour inside St.Peter's Basilica. You will then exit into St.Peter's Square.
Itinerary
St. Peter's Square (Pass By)
1
St. Peter's Basilica
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not suitable for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
- 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.
- Knees & Shoulders MUST be covered for both men & women.
- All visitors must pass through the monument/attraction security check please allow at least 20 minutes to clear security.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Some monuments or areas may be under restoration and subject to last minute closures. Please pay attention to any messages we may send regarding potential changes.
- Please be aware that large bags/backpacks/suitcases are not permitted in the monument/ attraction. Only very small bags are allowed. Please do not bring these items with you on the day of your tour as there are no cloakrooms at the monument.
- Cancellations, changes or issues due to weather, 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.
- The exact timings and reservations can vary, dependent on the monument/attraction’s administration offices availability and decisions on the booking day and can be subject to last minute changes. Departure time can differ up to 20 minutes from your selected time.
- Please note that on the day of your visit certain areas of the monument/attraction can be closed due to either religious events or national holidays.
- Please be advised capacity regulations and security may delay the tour departure this could also influence the smooth running of the tour especially on national holidays and events.
- Please note that for the Basilica it is mandatory to provide the full name of each participant. Failure to do this could result in refused entry to the monument.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4,8
based on 281 reviews
Sort by: Most recent
Marianna was a fantastic tour guide! She lead us with great detail and information, took us to St Peter’s tomb and made sure we got to the line for the climb to the cupola safely. She was informative and kind.
I had a HORRIBLE experience! I got to the area about 40 minutes in advance of the tour, but the directions to the meeting point were incredibly unclear. I went round and round trying to find the location, frantically asking locals, etc. But it could not be found! So I missed the tour, after coming all this way to Rome. I called the tour operator twice and they were ZERO help. In the end, they refused to reimburse me for the cost of the tour. So disappointed.
We went on the 2:00 tour on 9/26 (sorry that I can’t remember our tour guide’s name because she was fantastic!). Everything we saw was incredible, and she had SO much knowledge about the buildings, the history, and the current events of the church. Thank you!
This tour was just right for us. We were looking for a relatively brief Vatican experience as this was our 2nd vist. Our guide was excellent, pointing out many interesting historical facts along the way. Skipping that long line was key. We were able to take in much of the art and grandeur of St. Peter's with this tour that met at 9am and ended around 11 or 11:30am. We were able to stay and tour on our own after the tour concluded. It was nice being able to enter the papal tombs.
Our tour guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. St Peter's Basilica is absolutely beautiful and was one of the highlights of our trip to Rome. We were also able to see the papal tombs and climb to the top of the dome, which was an amazing experience. So much history and beauty in one place. We highly recommend this tour!
Marianna was very knowledgeable. The only downside was the earpiece that we had to use. Didn’t fit our ears and it always fell off. Other than that highly recommend.
Koen was an amazing and knowledgeable tour guide who readily answered our questions and kept track of our group in busy areas.
We really liked our guide on this tour! He shared just enough interesting information without dragging on. He also got us on the elevator that saved us 170 steps up to the Basilica. We're glad that we booked the tour!
A must see there is so much to see and it’s amazing to see all the art and designs. Everyone got something from this tour
Mariana was an outstanding tour guide for our visit to St. Peter's Basilica. She was incredibly knowledgeable and shared so much fascinating history and insight in a way that was engaging and easy to follow. Her warm, friendly personality made the entire experience even more enjoyable. We learned so much and truly appreciated her enthusiasm and professionalism. If you're visiting St. Peter's Basilica, I highly recommend taking a tour with Mariana—it was one of the highlights of our trip!
Great guide, effortless, very knowledgeable,
Worst part was the heat+ waiting.
Rome was 98 degrees but it was excellent
Mariana was amazing so informative and entertaining she made sure we knew the key parts and took us around. I will say in July it's brutal with the heat, we were all sweating but she was tentative and made sure to get us into the building fast and out of sun.
Not surprisingly, Viator does not make it easy to write reviews of cancelled tours. Viator cancelled our tour of Domus Aurea on 18 July at 4:00pm with one day’s notice and without any explanation. And neither we nor the concierge of our hotel could get through to Viator via the phone number provided. It is little consolation that we will get our money back as the visit was a big part of the reason to visit Rome again.
Absolutely amazing! Worth every penny! We have been on tours to the Vatican City before, but this was the best one. We Our absolutely loved it., so did our children. The tour guide did an excellent job!! I would book this tour again and will share with our family and friends.
Very knowledgeable and thorough. Hit all the key points and artwork that we needed to know. She was great
Great experience the tour guide was very helpful but didn’t come to the very top of the dome due to personal reasons when we’d have preferred having a guide up there.
Nice tour with the friendly guide that gave a great explanatory guide throughout the whole visit. Thanks!
Our guide was amazing. She was very detailed and explained everything very well. I wish they would refund us some part of our money when they cancel part of the tour without notice. Not Viator, but the Vatican closed part of the church that would cancel the Papal Tombs part of the tour.
Worth it! Mariana gave us a great tour. Do the dome climb if you can do stairs easily and not claustrophobic or afraid of heights- it’s beautiful!
The entire experience was brilliant and our guide Maria was really nice and very knowledgeable. It was one of the best guided tours that I have ever had.
Marianna wa an excellent guide. She is extremely knowledgeable about all of the Vatican history. She was extremely courteous, was able to maneuver and navigate through the large crowds and paid astute attention to her group’s needs and made sure we were all together and nobody missed seeing anything. I would definitely recommend a tour with Marianna.
Be mindful that knees and shoulders need to be covered to enter all Italian churches.
Good guide. Clear information. Group in good size. Not too long tour
Recommended. Good English guide
Great tour with all the best component of a great visit to the Vatican. All done at a good and manageable pace.
It was an amazing experience,our tour guide Mariana was amazing,we find out so many things about St Basilica.
Second time to the Basilica but first time for this tour and it was great! The information and tour of the tombs was amazing and new for us even though we’d been there before. The dome climb was a little challenging so people with mobility issues should not attempt it, but once on top the view was spectacular.
Mariana was an amazing and knowledgeable guide. Although there were entrance/security lines, she helped us through the expedited process. While waiting, we learned so much about the Basilica and its history. She enriched our experience!
Mariana was absolutely amazing. She was kind, knowledgeable, and moved around at the perfect pace. She stopped to let the group see things and take pictures. And she answered every question presented. We were so impressed with her and with Maya Tours. There were 13 people in our group, which included 3 teens and 1 pre-teen. She went deep enough for the adults and brought it to the level of the kids, too. We didn’t want the tour to end!!! We would use Maya Tours again.
Very good tour. I would recommend using Maya Tours. They were professional, knowledgeable and on time.
The Dome climb provides incredible views. Would not recommend for those with mobility issues. Also will be difficult for those who may not be in the best cardio condition.
Mariana was an amazing guide! She was very knowledgeable, patient, & kind! This us a must see tour!!
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US$17,39
per personWas US$18,30(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Skip the Line St Peters Basilica, Papal Tombs & Dome Guided Tour
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