Skip to main content

Skip The Line St.Peters Basilica & Papal Tombs Tour with Dome

Recommended by 94% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Rome, Italy
High interest
Booked 5+ times today.
  • 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.8
·
· Elexes_M ·
Mar 2026
Very good tour by a knowledgeable guide (think her name was Maria). Lengthy wait in queue to get in even with timed entry tickets (not guides fault) but guide filled the time with lots of information. Well worth the money.
· MaryAlice_B ·
Dec 2025
Mariana was a wonderful guide. She was so friendly and knowledgeable. The tour was very informative and beautiful. The view from the Dome was breathtaking.

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
  • Professional Licensed Tour Guide
  • Access to the papal tombs
  • Access to St.Peter's Dome (if Option Selected)
  • Location pick-up and drop off
  • Scavi / Necropolis
  • Food and Drink

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 Basilica
    Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City

Itinerary

Maya Tours (Pass By)

1

St. Peter's Basilica

1 hour 30 minutesAdmission 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
  • The tour reservations have strict timing. To join the tour, you are required to be at the meeting point for check-in at least 15 minutes prior to your tour departure time.
  • 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 to enter the Basilica.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • All visitors must pass through the monument/attraction security check please allow at least 20 minutes to clear security.
  • 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 be aware that large bags/backpacks/suitcases are not permitted in the monument/attraction.
  • Students booking a reduced ticket must have a photo ID; you must bring a photo ID to be allowed into the monument.
  • This tour is NOT wheelchair accessible
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8
based on 227 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Well worth the money!

Elexes_M, Mar 2026
Very good tour by a knowledgeable guide (think her name was Maria). Lengthy wait in queue to get in even with timed entry tickets (not guides fault) but guide filled the time with lots of information. Well worth the money.

Marianna was an amazing...

Sarah_C, Dec 2025
Marianna was an amazing guide and I was fortunate to have her. St. Peter’s is beautiful and was quite an experience. I didn’t end up walking up to the top of the dome as the stairs were too much for me but spent some peaceful time at the midway point.

Excellent and very informative

Roberta_W, Dec 2025
She is very knowledgable found out so much information I did not hear from ither guides. She is excellent!

Mariana was a wonderful...

MaryAlice_B, Dec 2025
Mariana was a wonderful guide. She was so friendly and knowledgeable. The tour was very informative and beautiful. The view from the Dome was breathtaking.

A must to add to your itinerary!

Ann_T, Nov 2025
It is absolutely amazing, better than we ever anticipated. Our guide , Maryanna was extremely personable and made our experience very memorable. Climb the the dome!

Best way to see St Peter’s

Leslie_K, Nov 2025
Great tour. Our guide Marianna was very knowledgeable but kept things interesting. Also worked very well to the pace of the group.

St. Peter's Bacilica Tour

William_B, Nov 2025
They have changed tour sequence. Not, you begin with St. Peter's (& bunch of Pope's - mostly you've never heard of - or care about), BEFORE you pop up by the altar. I like it better! Then, "Maria," (I think) gave Great Tour including entering through Holy Door. Explaining every Faith's reliance on 'Son of God' beliefs. She was terrific. Paid CLOSE attention to handicapped person & did not run away from us. Can't recommend her highly enough!

Absolutely Incredible Tour!

Joanne_G, Nov 2025
Wow! Just wow! What a fabulous experience for first time tourists! Pour tour guide was simply amazing. She was professional yet so approachable with questions. We didn’t feel hurried for one minute. We could tell she loves touring The Basilica with tourists like us.

Beautiful place, amazing guide

Nancy_M, Oct 2025
My family and I really enjoyed this tour! The Basilica is massive and it’s easy to miss things if you’re not in the know. Maria was our tour guide and she was phenomenal! She was really knowledgeable and made the tour super enjoyable! The view from the dome is amazing! Would definitely recommend this tour and our tour guide Maria for a seamless visit to the Basilica!

Best tour ever!!!!

Mark_L, Oct 2025
Fantastic inside St. Peter’s learned so much I would have never known. Marianna was the BEST! Patient, kind and knowledgeable.

Great tour! Loved the dome access!!

Nathan_L, Oct 2025
Really great tour! We had a group of 9 including some older kids/young teens. Just enough info and then exploring the roof and dome on our own at the end was incredible. Not an easy hike to the very top, but worth the views.

Vatican tour

Abby_S, Oct 2025
Our tour was terrific. It left on time. We were provided earpieces and we could hear very well. Thank you!

The St Peter’s tour...

Craig_P, Oct 2025
The St Peter’s tour including the grottos was simply amazing and very powerful. Seeing the tombs of so many popes as well as St Peter himself is beyond words.

Great Experience!!!

Margie_B, Oct 2025
Wonderful tour seeing the tombs of the past popes and St. Peter's. Our guide was not able to spend much time in the tombs because of the Jubilee crowds but she did her best to point out ones of prominence. Inside St. Peter's she showed us all around and told us stories of many of the statues and their history. I learned a lot more on this tour than I did the first time I was able to visit. I would highly recommend this tour to first time visitors and return visitors.

Skip the line was...

Thomas_K, Oct 2025
Skip the line was amazing, the tour guide walked you from the meeting location 5 mins to the entrance. We skipped the long line and was inside in 10 mins. He gave a brief history lesson and pointed out the main statues to visit. After that we were left to our free team and we said goodbye to our guide

Never got in

Olga_R, Oct 2025
We paid for a skip the line tour and unfortunately we never got into the Basilica because it was too hot and we were waiting in line for way too long. I’m not even sure if the other participants were able to get in, but we left after a 20 minute wait under the scorching sun.

In Awe of St. Peter's Basilica

John_Z, Oct 2025
Outstanding and religious. Going thru the Holy Doors I hope is life changing. We cried as we went thru the doors. The Basilica was simply beautiful.

Our guide was great,...

Young_K, Oct 2025
Our guide was great, kind, and knowledgeable, even though we couldn't visit the St. Peter's graveyard due to the Vatican problem. But she managed all matters smoothly.

Wonderful tour

Clarissa_P, Oct 2025
Tour was great and Marina showed us all the main interesting points to see and more. Definitely worth the time and money.

Highly recommend this tour!

Robert_G, Oct 2025
Marianna (Mayo Tours) was an excellent tour guide! She provided the right amount of information while keeping us together & moving through a very busy day in St. Peter’s Basilica. The papal tombs and the view from the top of the dome were incredible. Give her a bonus or raise!

St . Peter’s Comes alive

Fran_L, Oct 2025
You will learn the history of the Vatican area. I never knew that Nero was involved. Our guide expertly described statues and the manner in which the Popes’ bodies are preserved Mariana??? Was an excellent guide!! (feel free to edit)

To start, Maya Tours was...

Jennifer_W, Sep 2025
To start, Maya Tours was exceptional to work with. We had major train delays and they worked with us and I can’t thank them enough. The tour with Marianna was beautiful. She was a lovely and knowledgeable guide, leading us through the Basilica. She made sure to keep us together and prepared us for what was to come and why we had to approach a certain way. Highly recommend.

Marco was amazing and...

Kenneth_B, Sep 2025
Marco was amazing and very knowledgeable. My daughter and I had so much fun ! Our group was pretty small and it just made the experience more personal. . While we still stood in line for a bit even when we booked the skip the line option , I think it was still faster . Just really a lot of people . We also were not able to go to the papal grottos which was ok since the climb to the dome was quite the experience . Please don’t take the warning lightly about the dome climb , as it is very strenuous and gets tighter as you ascend .

great

Andrea_T, Sep 2025
excellent management ot the entry to the basilica in times when there are thousands of people queuing up. the guide-Mariana- was fantastic. perfect mix of history, religion and artifacts.

Exceptional

Taryn_D, Sep 2025
Vlasin Mariana was an incredible tour guide. She was extremely knowledgeable and provided as much insight as possible. I will book this tour next year when I bring my mom and I’m going to request her specifically as a tour guide.

Beautiful Experience

Richard_G, Sep 2025
A must see in Rome. St. Peter's Basilica is incredibly beautiful. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly.

Great tour leader for this tour

Frankmmonaco, Sep 2025
Mariana was THE best tour leader we have ever experienced in all our years visiting the Basilica. Her knowledge was extreme and interesting. Try to get her if you take this tour.

Amazing St. Peter’s Basilica Experience

Joe_E, Sep 2025
Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and answered all questions. Could have literally spent days in the Basilica but our guide hit all of the high points with just enough time to maximize our experience in the 90 minute tour. Would recommend this tour to anyone interested in the Basilica, but make sure to take another tour to see the Vatican Miseum which includes the Sistine Chapel.

Amazing experience

Geraldine_G, Sep 2025
Our Vatican Museum tour with Juliano was exceptional! He was not only knowledgeable but also engaging, bringing art and history to life with every explanation. Juliano had the perfect balance of detail and storytelling, pointing out hidden gems and sharing insights we would have completely missed on our own. His passion for the subject was contagious, making the experience unforgettable from the galleries to the awe-inspiring Sistine Chapel. He also managed the group with ease, ensuring everyone felt included and had time to enjoy the highlights. I cannot recommend Juliano enough—he made this tour truly outstanding!

A very short tour of the...

Julie_R, Sep 2025
A very short tour of the Basilica. We did not skip the line as advertised. Was my primary reason for the tour selection. The tour leader was very knowledgeable about history which made the wait nice in spite of the heat and crowds.

From $18.78

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 34 days in advance.

Compare Similar Experiences

1 / 3
Current
Skip The Line St.Peters Basilica & Papal Tombs Tour with Dome


1 hour 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$18.78
Rome: St. Peter’s Basilica and Papal Tombs Tour


1 hour 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$46.94
$23.46
Rome: St Peter's Basilica and Papal Tombs Audio Guide


1 hour
Free Cancellation
From
$7.04