Rome: San Clemente Basilica & Ancient Underground Secrets Tour

Rome, Italy

Popular pick

Booked 5+ times last week!

45 minutes to 1 hour (approx.)
Offered in: English

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Overview

Delve deep into ancient Roman history—and learn more than you would if exploring alone—on a self-led audio tour of Rome's Basilica of San Clemente al Laterano. Known for its Byzantine mosaics above ground and ancient ruins below it, the basilica is one of Rome's true architectural (and archaeological) treasures. Hear its history as you explore, and have the freedom to travel at your own pace.

Check off one of Rome's most notable sights in one time-saving tour
Skip the rush and explore at a pace that works well for you
Avoid lingering outside with skip-the-line admission tickets included
Enjoy clear commentary from your smartphone audio guide app

What's Included

Skip-the-line ticket for the archaeological site
Visit of the Upper Basilica of San Clemente (12th century)
Visit of the First Basilica level (4th century)
Visit of the Third Level - Archaeological Excavations, including the ancient Mithraeum
Audio guide app available in: English - Spanish - French - German - Italian
Audio guide app with 22 listening points to explore the site in depth

Food & Drink unless specified
Gratuities
Transportation from/to the attraction
Tour guide

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Via Labicana, 96, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
The meeting point is at our travel agency, located at: Via Labicana 96, Rome — just a few steps from San Clemente Basilica and the Colosseum. Our friendly staff will be waiting to welcome you at the agency and assist you before and after your tour begins.

End point

Piazza di San Clemente
Piazza di S. Clemente, 00184 Roma RM, Italy

Itinerary

Basilica of San Clemente

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 4 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
A dress code is required to enter all the churches: knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women.

PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED
To download and use the app, we recommend using a smartphone produced in 2020 or later.
Headphones are recommended for optimal audio quality — bring your own.
Please arrive at the meeting point at least 20 minutes before your scheduled entry time.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

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

Reviews

3.3

based on 7 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Don't waste your money

Sandra_C, Oct 2025

So disappointed! After the amazing Vatican experience with Viator, I thought this tour would be the same level. It wasn't! The company it partnered with told us 12pm when we got there our. 12pm tickets were not valid. We had to wait until 1pm. There was no guided tour - the last line in description says bring your own headphones. The employee at church said I basically paid for four tickets and I paid for two with this tour. Terrible! I feel ripped off.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that your experience didn’t meet your expectations, and we’d like to clarify some important points. The product you purchased includes entrance tickets with an audio-guided tour, not a live guided tour. This is clearly indicated in both the product description and your confirmation voucher, which also states that you need to bring your own headphones to use the included audio guide app. Please note that the price covers not only the entry ticket but also: Access to our exclusive audio guide application, for which we hold the copyrights; On-site and online assistance from our staff; Taxes, banking fees, security of guaranteed tickets, and Viator platform commissions. Our live guided tours are a separate product offered at a significantly higher price. We would also like to emphasize that our company does not scam anyone. All details are clearly described before purchase, and we always recommend reading the product information carefully to ensure it matches your expectations. Regarding the schedule, please note that San Clemente Basilica is an active church, and entry times may change due to religious ceremonies beyond our control. We appreciate your understanding and hope you still enjoyed discovering this remarkable historical site.

Very interesting part of...

Laurel_M, Sep 2025

Very interesting part of history. The audio tour made it easy to follow along with what was happening during the time period. You can go at your own pace. Highly recommend.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you so much for your kind words! 🌟 We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed discovering the fascinating history of the Basilica di San Clemente and its ancient underground layers. We’re also happy the audio tour helped make the experience clear and easy to follow at your own pace. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you on another tour in Rome soon! 🇮🇹

Family tour

sterling_r, Sep 2025

Awesome experience, going at your own pace. Well organized. Lots of stunning pictures, designs and history which make it more amazing

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed exploring the Basilica of San Clemente and its fascinating underground layers. It truly is one of Rome’s hidden gems, where history, art, and spirituality come together in a unique way. We’re glad you found the tour well organized and were able to enjoy it at your own pace. We hope to welcome you back soon for more unforgettable experiences in the Eternal City! Warm regards, Tour in the City

Good tour

Rosa_S, Jun 2024

The place is amazing. The tour guide was very knowledgable but goes off on tangents -- but we enjoyed it.

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Dear Customer, thank you for your wonderful review. We are happy to know that our efforts to give the best possible service have been appreciated by you. For us every review has an absolute value and is our lifeblood to work and give the best of ourselves. We are certainly not perfect but we always do our best to ensure a wonderful experience for all our customers. Thanks again from all our staff and we hope to have you as our customer soon. Best regards Stefano

Disappointing experience on the part of this company

Araceli_R, Mar 2026

MALÍSIMA Experience, I hired Audioguia (as in other monuments that was great) they send the audio to your mobile, (which I did not read anywhere) to top it off, they send the audio to your mobile, so not expecting this I did not wear helmets, and when you enter you have to listen to them low so as not to disturb the rest of visitors, on top of that the audios are messy and we do not know anything. We saw ourselves walking around not knowing what to do, we went up to get the typical informative triptych that you get in the entrance, and thanks to that we heard about “something”. And as if that were not enough when you arrived at the Basilica the price for admission was 10€. It was disappointing, I felt completely cheated. I wrote to tell them and they never answered. I don't really understand anything. A shame.

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Response from Host, Mar 2026

Estimado/a Cliente: Lamentamos sinceramente haber leído su reseña, pero consideramos necesario hacer algunas aclaraciones. Los entradas, ya compradas e incluidas en su reserva, junto con todas las instrucciones detalladas para el uso de la audioguía, le fueron enviadas correctamente antes de la visita. Por lo tanto, no era necesario adquirir nuevamente la entrada en el lugar, ya que estaba previamente reservada y pagada por nosotros. En la descripción del producto se especifica claramente que el servicio incluye el uso de una aplicación descargable en su propio teléfono móvil y que no proporcionamos dispositivos ni auriculares, tal como se indica en la página de la experiencia en Viator. La audioguía está organizada en pistas numeradas con los planos de los tres niveles y sigue un recorrido preciso dentro de la Basilica di San Clemente. Cientos de visitantes la han utilizado sin experimentar las dificultades que usted describe. Nuestra agencia se encuentra a solo 100 metros de la Basílica, por lo que ante cualquier duda o problema podría haberse acercado fácilmente. Además, nuestro número de teléfono está siempre activo durante el horario de apertura para ofrecer asistencia inmediata a nuestros clientes. Lamentamos que la experiencia no haya cumplido con sus expectativas, pero consideramos su comentario injusto y ofensivo, ya que toda la información estaba claramente indicada y la asistencia disponible. La falta de lectura de las instrucciones, lamentablemente, no puede atribuirse a nuestra organización. Quedamos de todos modos a su disposición para cualquier aclaración adicional. Atentamente.

A failure

Francisco_V, Sep 2025

An activity failure. When we arrived, it turns out we didn't have the entrances to enter the archaeological zone. And that we only had one audio guide app. In addition, the hours have changed and the operators have not been informed. And yet my reservation was numbered and individual and made it very clear that it gave me access to all levels. A failure

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Response from Host, Sep 2025

Hola, Queremos aclarar que en tu reserva solo se adquirió el servicio de audioguía, tal y como se indica claramente en el momento de la compra. De hecho, seleccionaste la opción “solo audioguía” y no la opción que incluye también la entrada, y además esta opción tiene un precio mucho más bajo que la que incluye los billetes de acceso. En el momento de la reserva aparece claramente el siguiente aviso: «SOLO APLICACIÓN DE AUDIOGUÍA — ENTRADAS NO INCLUIDAS: Con esta opción, la entrada a las excavaciones de San Clemente NO está incluida. APLICACIÓN DE AUDIOGUÍA: disponible en inglés, español, francés, alemán e italiano, con 22 puntos de escucha.» Respecto al supuesto cambio de horario, esto no es correcto, ya que nosotros no gestionamos ni proporcionamos entradas y, por lo tanto, no podemos modificar los horarios de acceso. Creemos que ha habido una confusión por tu parte, ya que las entradas no estaban incluidas en el servicio que reservaste. Es importante leer bien lo que se compra antes de hacer una reserva. Gracias por tu comprensión.