St Peter’s Basilica Tour, Dome Climb & Papal Tombs I Max 6 People

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Rome, Italy

2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Rome’s Iconic Highlights: Private Driver Tour (4 or 8 Hours)

Rome, Italy

5.0

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Exclusive Private Tour: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica

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Overview

Discover the inside, outside, top, and bottom of St Peter’s Basilica on a 2.5-hour small-group guided visit. The tour goes behind the exterior and interior of the UNESCO World Heritage Site with additional visits of the dome and Papal tombs. Get an insider’s knowledge of the iconic and lesser-known artworks by Michelangelo, Bernini, and other influential artists. With maximum six participants per group, you're guaranteed an immersive and engaging tour experience.

Get the personalized experience of a small group
Gain an insider's knowledge of St Peter’s Basilica
Enjoy included admission to a UNESCO listed site
Visit the cathedral's dome and Papal tombs

What's Included

Tour in a Safe and Semi Private Group of 6 participants
Climb to the top of the Dome!
Descend into the Papal Tombs and Crypts
Tour with a Professional, Local, Expert and Fun Guide
PRIVATE Option is available!

Gratuities
Food and Drink

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Piazza della Città Leonina, 00193 Roma RM, Italy
Piazza della Città Leonina – at the green kiosk (drinks/snacks stand), just outside St. Peter’s Square near the archway into Via di Porta Angelica. Your guide will be holding a LivTours sign. IMPORTANT: You must bring photo ID to guarantee entry.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Piazza della Città Leonina

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St. Peter's Basilica

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Basilica

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Basilica

35 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Children must be accompanied by an adult

Comfortable walking shoes recommended.
Places of worship have strict dress code requirements for entry. All participants are required to have shoulders and knees covered (no tank tops or short dresses) to enter.
IMPORTANT: Please advise our team if you believe that a disability qualifies you for complimentary access to the Vatican.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

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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

5.0

based on 202 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Sort by: Most insightful

Joy

Nora_B, Jun 2025

The guide Pam (Pamen , maybe) who spoke English and Spanish was PHENOMENAL. She exhibired passion in her guidance; her knowledge was profound and provided excellent information with joy. I highly recommend this guide.

We did the small group...

Christopher_G, Apr 2025

We did the small group tour and it ended up being a private tour! Michaela (sp?) was our tour guide and was absolutely delightful. Very personable and funny. Provided us with great information and insights on the history of St. Peter’s Basilica and the tombs. We felt like we made a friend that day. 😊

Highly recommend this tour

Natalie_N, Oct 2024

We had a wonderful guide who was nice to be with. She was very knowledgeable and patient with our questions. Loved the climb, view and all the history! The tombs were worth the visit. I recommend this tour to anyone!

Absolutely amazing tour

James_C, Sep 2024

Our tour guide Chiara was absolutely amazing. Her knowledge of the Basilica and everything Italy was absolutely amazing. We would strongly suggest requesting her as your guide as she showed our small group everything and more.

Not well organized

Mike_C, Sep 2024

The guide took too long getting us into line to get into the basilica so we didn't have time to see the crypts. Not very organized.

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Dear Mike, Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear that your experience with the guide was less organized than expected, and we understand how disappointing it can be to miss out on important sites like the crypts. We aim to provide a smooth and efficient experience for all our guests, and it's clear that we fell short in this instance. Your comments will be taken seriously as we work to improve our processes and ensure that our guides manage time more effectively. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention, and we hope you’ll consider giving us another chance in the future to provide a more organized and enjoyable experience.

Best tour and guide -elena

MILISSA_C, Apr 2024

Elena was the best guide in Rome. She was passionate about what she was teaching us and made sure to answer our questions. She even researched something she was not positive about so we could get the correct answer. Best tour in Rome. Our favorite. We did not feel rushed. She was patient and adapted the tour to our needs

Great tour!

RICHARD_B, Jun 2023

Excellent guide! Great interaction with us, and full of great information! Our guide John Lennon was the best!

Good tour during a challenging week!

Eric_V, Apr 2023

We enjoyed our tour. It was during Easter week which is crazy at the Vatican so our guide got us through it very easily which was well worth the cost. She then showed us some great sights and provided good historical insights.

Excellent tour guide

Jill_H, Apr 2023

Guila was excellent. She is very knowledgeable and has a great demeanour with children. She clearly has grown up at the steps of the Vatican and it shows.

Papal Tombs Tour Rip-Off

Lance W, Nov 2019

On the day of our papal tomb tour there was an event in the Basilica that had been on their calendar for about a year. The tour operator should not have been booking that tour on that day since the info was available. We were not able to tour the necropolis, no one offered any refund, no offer of another day to try again. They just took our money and ran. We were not pleased.

Do this!

Matt_L, Oct 2019

St Peter’s Basilica Michelangelo’s Dome was one of two wonderful tours we took while in Rome. Thomas, the tour guide, was both charming and knowledgeable! There were only four in our tour group. We all climbed to the top of the dome!!!! Take this tour!

Hoosier Family St Peter's Tour

jimjulie548, Sep 2019

Our tour leader, Thomas, was very knowledgeable, personable and friendly. He was able to help us understand the role of the church in ancient Rome and how St. Peter's Basilica evolved over time to become physical center of the Catholic faith. He described the lives of the artisans and leaders of the church and how these intertwined to cause the formation of some of the greatest works of art in the world. The ability to explore Michelangelo's Dome and the Papal Tombs made this experience complete and very fulfilling.

Very informative and beautiful!

Nicolette_S, Jan 2019

The Basilica will take your breath away, it is beautiful and mesmerizing! Thomas our guide was great, he is very knowledgeable and we could freely ask questions and ask his opinion. This is a must do in Rome. Do note that not all attractions are available all the time.