In-depth Guided Tour of St. Peter's Basilica & Square
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Rome, Italy
- 1 hour (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Offered in: English
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Overview
When you visit Vatican City, learn more about St. Peter’s Basilica and the sweeping St. Peter’s Square with a guide. Choose between a private or a group tour when you book, then hear the history behind these two impressive Vatican sites. The basilica is often busy, so you’ll use headsets to make sure you catch all the commentary as you explore.
- Organize your visit in advance, for a calmer Vatican experience
- Learn about Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his famed architecture
- Hear the history behind the art and statues of St. Peter’s Basilica
- Keep good hygiene in mind with use of a sterilized headset
What's Included
- Professional art-historian guide
- Thorough guided tour of St. Peter's Basilica
- Sterilised headsets to hear clearly your guide
- Full on-site assistance
- The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel are not part of this tour
- Entrance ticket to the Dome is not included
- This tour does not skip the line
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Largo del Colonnato, 5, 00193 Roma RM, Italy
Meet your guide at Largo del Colonnato, 5, by the first columns of the Colonnade. Look for a yellow label with TOURIKS written on it. Please be at the meeting point 20 minutes before the starting time. The meeting point is outside the Basilica before entering St. Peter's square.
End point
- Saint Peter's SquarePiazza San Pietro, 00120
Itinerary
1
St. Peter's Square
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
St. Peter's Basilica
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- An appropriate dress-code is required in order to enter the churches: knees and shoulders should be covered
- Please be aware that the lines to clear security checks at the entrance of the square might take 15-120 minutes
- Please note that you will be required to pass through metal detectors at the entrance of the square
- The meeting point is outside the Basilica before entering St. Peter's square and the security checks
- The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel are not part of this tour
- The Vatican Necropoli is not part of this tour
- We might not be able to accommodate, refund or reschedule late arrivals
- Strollers are not allowed in the Basilica. There is a luggage deposit at the entrance of the basilica where you can leave the stroller
- Please note that this tour does not skip the line
- PLEASE NOTE: In the event that certain areas of St. Peter’s Basilica are closed, your guide will adapt the itinerary by highlighting alternative sites and artworks within the basilica. As a result, the overall duration and quality of the tour will remain unchanged
- Pets are not allowed inside the Basilica
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.5
based on 58 reviews
Rose_K, Nov 2025
Wonderful tour. Our guide was so gracious and knowledgeable. She made it memorable! Would recommend to others.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for your review,
we are glad to hear that you enjoyed St. Peter's Basilica tour with us!
Kristina_H, Sep 2025
Our guide was very knowledgeable. She smoothly traversed the crowds throughout the Square and the Basilica. She helped navigate our exits to take full advantage the sights in the Basilica. Fast Track is a great way to go.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed our guided tour at St. Peter's Basilica :)
Gabrielle_R, Aug 2025
St. Peter’s is stunning!!! Well worth the tour. Morning was a great time to visit, as the lines were not long at all and the city is beautiful. Great overview from Sylvia before entering the Church. Her English was great, and she was full of interesting information that made us marvel at the details and history even more.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed our guided tour with Silvia and look forward to seeing you again in Rome soon!
Denise_C, Jul 2025
Guide knowledgable intetesting and friendly.
It covered the entire bascillica. Information on art work and sculptors was good
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed our guided tour with us.
Janet_K, Jun 2025
Fantastic. Tour guide was so knowledgeable and brought history to life. A great experience and well worth the money.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you for your feedback, we are so glad to hear that you have enjoyed the St. Peter's Basilica tour with us :)
Adriana_R, May 2025
We booked the in depth guided tour of St Peter's Basilica and square (excl. The dome climb) Valentine was assigned to our group, he was incredibly professional, knowledgeable, patient and entertaining. Valentine navigated us through the crowds and queues, entertaining us along the way with games, quizzes and insights about the Vatican and St Peters. I would recommend him to anyone wanting to take a tour of the Vatican and St Peters. He was a really fun and nice guy!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for taking your time to share your thoughts! We hope to see you again in the future on one of our tours!
Min_L, May 2025
Terrible experience. The meeting point instructions are very confusing. It took us 30 minutes to find it, and missed the tour. No one contacted us. Call customer service, but didn’t help
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Good morning,
We are very sorry to hear that you could not join our guided tour due to a misunderstanding regarding our meeting location - this is definitely not the kind of service we strike to provide!
However, we would like to clarify that the voucher is very clear regarding our meeting point, and there is always a number and a live chat that you can use if you need help finding us!
We hope to see you next time.
Please, contact us at info@touriks.com should you wish to speak further regarding your experience.
Melanie_H, May 2025
It’s worth booking with a guide because in my opinion if you’re left to your own devices you won’t get the most out of the visit.
My only moan was I inadvertently had not booked to climb the dome & thought I had so it would have nice to have had that communicated with me earlier or even clarified upon booking.
Denise_Z, May 2025
Don't book with them. They changed the place to meet 2 times and they moved up the time of our tour by 1/2 an hour. We couldn't find them and I couldn't get any type of service on my phone, so we missed the tour. Since they have a no refund policy we're out $55.00. We were booked to see St. Peter's square and Basilica.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Good morning,
We are very sorry to hear that this experience did not meet your expectations, we understand how disappointing that can be!
However, we would like to clarify that our meeting point never changes -- our staff is always located at the same address, which is also indicated in your voucher.
We apologise for the inconvenience of the tour being moved by half an hour, although it is solely for the purpose of avoiding overcrowding, and unfortunately, not up to us!
Please, understand that we always try to help each customer should they need additional instructions in finding us at the meeting point.
Please, don’t hesitate to contact us again at info@touriks.com if you wish to discuss your experience further!
Mary_S, May 2025
Lorenzo was a fantastic guide. So knowledgeable, friendly and fun! We really enjoyed our tour with him.
Henric_R, Apr 2025
Fantastic tour in an fantastic church! The guide Silvia did a fenomenal job! ⭐️ I strongly recomend this to everyone!
prerna_S, Oct 2024
Did not make it due to rain storms and no one bothered calling from Viator to re- book either. Would have loved to be able to reuse the purchase ticket though.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Good afternoon,
we are very sorry to hear you were not able to participate in the tour due to the weather!
However, we would like to clarify that our tours run even during bad weather.
To discuss your feedback further and to address your concerns, please email us at info@touriks.com. We look forward to resolving this matter for you.
Thank you for understanding!
Mary_P, Sep 2024
Tour guide was knowledgeable. We enjoyed our time learning about the Basilica and learning the history of this magnificent sacred place.
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you for your kind words!
We are very happy to hear you enjoyed your tour of the St. Peter's Basilica and we hope to see you again in the future on one of our tours here in Rome! :)
Kriste_J, Sep 2024
Tour guide Tom was a wealth of information on St Peter’s, The Vatican, and Rome. Thoroughly enjoyed his tour. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you for your feedback!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour of the St. Peter's Basilica with Tom and we hope to see you again in the future on one of our tours here in Rome! :)
Andreas_K, Aug 2024
The history about the Dome with the San Pietro Square was very interesting. She know everything. She was very wonderful to the kids of the others.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you for your feedback!
We are delighted to hear you enjoyed your tour of the St. Peter's Basilica! :)
Denise_S, Jun 2024
Learnt a lot from our guide Paul. Very knowledgeable. Enjoyed seeing the crypts where the Popes are buried. A great tour
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Thank you so much for your feedback! We hope to see you again on one of our other tours in Rome :)
trandolph73, Apr 2024
We had a beautiful day at the basilica well pleased with what I got tour was just enough without being too much
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. We are so glad you enjoyed this experience with us and hope to see you again on one of our other tours in Rome :)
Diana_M, Mar 2024
It was a great tour. Guide was very informative and knowledgeable. The attention and guidance was first class
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you so much for your feedback! We hope to see you again on one of our other tours in Rome :)
CarmenEscriva, Jan 2024
It was not very good. You have to do a huge line to enter the basilica. You loose lot of time organizing the group that could be use to reduce line time.We thought we didint have tondo lune and we left
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Hello,
We apologize for any inconvenience caused by queuing in the non-skippable security line for a long time which is beyond our control. However, we need to point out that we NEVER advertised the tour as "skip the line" and we clearly highlight the waiting time before booking the tour in our tour description under the section (Important Information):
(“Please be aware that the lines to clear security checks at the entrance of the square might take 15 to 90 minutes.”)
Please feel free to contact us at info@touriks.com if you would like to discuss your issue further.
Thank you
Mabel_C, Nov 2023
Tom was our guide, he was great! Was British so had no problem understanding him, which is a plus! He was a wealth of information and had personal stories he shared of meeting the Pope!
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. We are glad you enjoyed this experience with us :)
JACOBA_I, Nov 2023
Nabil was an excellent and knowledgeable tour guide, highly recommend! Great mix of information for a family with teens.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Thank you so much for your feedback! We hope to see you again on one of our other tours in Rome :)
Anaelys_C, Nov 2023
Nabil had a great sense of humor. We enjoyed the tour, entertaining and informative! Appreciate his effort in educating as much as possible through the security line as well. It helped the line go by fast.
Sylvia_P, Oct 2023
I made an error on my reservation and it was for yesterday. So we didn’t get to go on the tour. I asked if we could’ve been added for today and I as told no. Since I am a good repeat customer, I am hoping for a refund.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Thank you for reviewing us. We are sorry you couldn't attend the tour. We understand how upsetting it is, and we sincerely share your disappointment.
However, we would like clarify that unfortunately we were unable to reschedule or refund your tickets as we had already reserved your spots. Doing so would have cost us the entire amount paid.
Thank you for understanding
Christian_B, Dec 2025
Very good visit with Francisca a very good guide and nice reviews very nice experience I recommend the site Viator
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Response from Host, Jan 2026
Merci Beaucoup!
On est si content que vous ayez trouvé cette visite à votre convenance!
Clemens_T, Mar 2025
Unser Guide Francesca ist sehr ruhig geblieben weil wir uns lange haben anstellen müssen. Sie hat uns alles sehr ruhig und ausgiebig erklärt. Danke
AnaBelen_Q, Feb 2025
Me encanto la guía. Muy bien formada, así como informada y con un alto nivel de español. Muy recomendable.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Muchísimas gracias!
Nos alegra saber que disfrutaron de esta visita con nosotros! :)
MariaTeresa_V, Jan 2025
Spiegazioni approfondite e esaurienti. Guida molto preparata. La basilica è stupenda. Non si può andare a Roma e non visitare questo sito.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Grazie mille!
Ci fa piacere sapere che la nostra visita guidata sia stata di vostro piacimento!
Speriamo di rivedervi presto in un altro nostro tour a Roma! :)
Laura_F, Jan 2025
Bravissima guida, Valeria, che ha spiegato il progetto della piazza, la genesi della chiesa e le opere esposte in modo chiaro. Bene le indicazioni per trovare il punto di ritrovo.
Attenzione: il tour non è un salta fila per accedere alla basilica di San Pietro e saltare la coda per la Porta Santa
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Grazie mille!
Siamo contenti di sapere che la visita con Valeria sia stata di vostro gradimento! Speriamo di
rivedervi presto in un altro nostro tour a Roma! :)
Chiara_M, Dec 2024
É stata una bella visita guidata, peccato per i lunghi tempi di attesa all'ingresso per i controlli. Guida preparata, paziente e cordiale
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Grazie mille!
Ci fa piacere sapere che la nostra visita guidata sia stata di vostro piacimento!
Ketty_D, Dec 2024
Silvia è stata la nostra guida.
E' stata bravissima e molto preparata.
Molto preparata e simpatica!!
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Grazie mille!
Siamo contenti di sapere che la visita con Silvia sia stata di vostro gradimento! :)
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