Vatican Scavi: Underground St. Peter’s Tomb & Basilica VIP Tour
Rome, Italy
- 2 to 4 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
St. Peter’s Basilica is an incredible feat of art, architecture, and engineering. Rather than make it an afterthought to your Sistine Chapel tour, give its beauty the time it deserves on this small-group tour with a guide every step of the way. As well as seeing Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s canopy, descend into the necropolis to see the tombs of popes, monarchs, and St. Peter's Tomb. Discover even more with an upgrade to St. Peter’s Dome for dazzling city views.
- Choose from a variety of options to see every level of St. Peter's
- Gain access to St. Peter's Tomb—a rare privilege sought after by many
- For extra insight, ask your guide questions as you explore the basilica
- Choice of morning or afternoon departures lets you plan your day
What's Included
- Exclusive access and Guided tour to the Vatican Scavi/Necropolis
- Visit to St. Peter’s Tomb
- Professional licensed guide
- VIP skip-the-line entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica
- Guided tour inside St. Peter’s Basilica (if option selected)
- Small-group experience for a more intimate visit
- Ticket for optional self-guided climb to the Dome (if option selected)
- Food and drinks
- Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel
- Hotel Pick Up and Drop Off
- Not suitable for children under 10 years old.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Piazza Papa Pio XII, 9, 00193 Roma RM, Italy
Piazza Papa Pio XII, 9 – in front of the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi office (near St. Peter’s Square), where the guide will be waiting for the group. Our staff will be present outside to welcome you. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before For any problem, contact us at 0039 3280010018
End point
- Saint Peter's SquarePiazza San Pietro, 00120
The tour will end outside St.Peter's Basilica
Itinerary
1
St. Peter's Square
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Necropolis of Saint Peter
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
3
St. Peter's Basilica
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
4
St. Peter's Basilica
1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 2 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- The meeting point is at our office, located directly on the street: Piazza Papa Pio XII, 9/11, Rome, just a few steps from St. Peter’s Square. Our staff will be present outside to welcome you. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the start time. For any problem, contact us at 0039 3280010018
- Children must be accompanied by an adult. Not suitable for children under 10 years old.
- All participants must carry a valid identification document (passport or ID) to enter the sites. Entry may be denied without a valid document, with no refund.
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
- There is no refund on reservation fees and tickets of monuments that are closed due to event that is out of our control.
- If this is not possible, we will operate the tour and will include other sites to compensate for the site/s being closed. No refund is given on unused tickets due to events that are out of our control.
- Customers have a mandatory meeting time stated 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time due to managing and organizational reasons.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.
- Cancellations, changes or issues due, 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.
- Without notice the Basilica or parts of it can be closed for unforeseeable events. In this case, partial refund can be requested.
- The Necropolis is managed directly by the Fabbrica di San Pietro; timing variations are beyond our control. The tour start time may vary by up to 30 minutes.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.5
based on 40 reviews
Steven_B, Apr 2026
This was our highlight of our trip to Rome. The visit to the Vatican crypt was amazing. Our tour guide, Sabrina, took us through Saint Peters. She had an amazing knowledge of the church and was very fun. I would highly recommend this to her.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review!
We’re thrilled to hear that this tour was the highlight of your trip to Rome. The Vatican crypt is truly a unique and moving experience, and we’re glad you enjoyed it so much.
A special thank you for your kind words about Sabrina—her knowledge and enthusiasm make every tour engaging and memorable, and she will be delighted to hear your feedback.
We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again soon for another unforgettable experience.
Steven_F, Mar 2026
We were 15 feet from I guess the meeting spot. The had no signage and they where changing the signage on the building so they left at 1027 on a 1045 tour saying that they could not wait. Even though we where there sense 10. They cannot offer refund because they just don’t even if they leave you.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Dear Mr. Fritz,
We are sorry that you felt dissatisfied; however, several statements in your review do not accurately reflect what happened. For transparency, we would like to clarify the situation for future readers.
First of all, the scheduled meeting time for this tour was 10:15 AM, not 10:45 as mentioned in your review. The guide and the entire group were present at the designated meeting point and all other guests were able to locate it and join the tour without any issues.
While the group was still waiting, at 10:21 AM we sent you a message through the Viator messaging system informing you that the group was waiting and asking whether you were nearby.
In addition to this message, we attempted to contact you multiple times using the phone number provided in your booking (+1 405-589-XXXX) through the following methods:
• phone calls via regular phone line
• WhatsApp calls and messages
Unfortunately, none of these attempts received a response.
Despite these repeated attempts to reach you, your first message was received only at 10:42 AM, which was well after the scheduled meeting time and after the group had already entered the Vatican Necropolis.
It is important to understand that the Vatican Scavi (Necropolis) tour is one of the most restricted visits in the Vatican, with strictly controlled entry times managed directly by the Vatican authorities. Once the allocated entry time passes, it is not possible to delay or reschedule the entry for late arrivals.
Even after the group had entered, we still attempted to assist you by offering two alternative solutions in good faith:
• the possibility to reach the group and participate in the second part of the tour, and
• the opportunity to rebook the Necropolis visit on another day at a heavily discounted price.
Unfortunately, both options were declined.
We would also like to clarify that all Necropolis tickets are nominal, time-specific, and strictly non-refundable, as they are issued in advance and regulated directly by the Vatican authorities.
Finally, it is important to note that in the Viator chat you requested a refund while stating that you would otherwise leave a negative review. This communication is documented in the message history and has already been shared with Viator for review.
Our team made multiple documented attempts to contact and assist you before the group entered, but we did not receive a response until well after the meeting time.
We always do our best to assist our guests, and the fact that all other participants successfully located the meeting point and joined the tour on time confirms that the meeting instructions were clear and accessible.
Kind regards,
Tour in the City
Stephen_J, Feb 2026
Incredible tour! Sabrina our tour guide knew everything about St Peter’s. She was very nice and enthusiastic. If you want to learn about the history and art surrounding the Vatican, definitely take this tour. We couldn’t have asked for a better tour guide!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review!
We are truly delighted to hear that you had such an incredible experience on the Vatican Scavi tour. Sabrina will be especially happy to know that her knowledge, enthusiasm, and passion for St. Peter’s made your visit so memorable.
Your kind words mean a lot to us, and we are grateful that you chose to explore the history and art of the Vatican with our team.
We hope to welcome you again on another tour in the future!
Adam_F, Dec 2025
I really cant imagine not doing this. The deep expertise made it easy to connect the dots fro out other tours
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback!
We’re delighted to hear that the deep expertise of our guide helped you connect the dots with what you had already seen on your other tours. That broader understanding is exactly what we aim to offer with this experience.
We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again for another unforgettable tour in Rome!
Warm regards,
The Tour in The City Team
kim_g, Dec 2025
Very thorough and informative guide. We learned so much about the artwork and history of the various popes. Really enjoyed the tour.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you so much for your kind review!
We’re delighted to hear that you found the tour thorough and informative, and that you enjoyed learning more about the artwork, history, and the stories of the Popes. Our guides are passionate about bringing the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica to life, and it’s wonderful to know the experience met your expectations.
Thank you for choosing us—we hope to welcome you again on another tour in Rome!
Warm regards,
The Tour Team
Nicholas_W, Oct 2025
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the Vatican. He keep us very interested in the tour. He also took the time to take photos and videos of us that came out beautiful. Would recommend this tour to others.
Molly_C, Apr 2025
Our guide was wonderful; so upbeat and knowledgeable and without question one of the best parts of the visit
Scott_P, Jul 2023
The tour was not private but semi private even though we paid for private. I was told by the guide and not called by the company. The tour was fine and it was not the guides fault but when I called the operator he said oh I should have called you. He claims he is giving me a partial refund but I haven’t seen it processed and if I wanted to pay for a semi private, I would have booked it.
Meredith_T, Jun 2023
Martin was an excellent guide full of knowledge way beyond the basic info. He was friendly and personable and fun. We had a great time and he took lots of pics of us along the way. Excellent tour that I would highly recommend!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
David C, Jan 2018
Monica B was very informative. She helped us navigate the truly massive Vatican museum. It was very cold in the museum (not Monica’s fault!) but it’s worth noting that they’re essentially open to the outside air. Dress warm in winter!
Michael B, Oct 2017
This is the only way to go to see the Vatican.Go early morning with your guide and skip those long lines. Even though there are thousands of people...it is organized and moves fast. We had 16 people in our group and our guide took incredible care of us making sure we heard the history and explaining so many things to us. She was interesting and insightful and I will always remember this as being one of my favourite tours.
Tami M, Oct 2017
The art, sculpture and history of the Vatican and St Peters Basilica is amazing, truly awe-inspiring! The throngs of people, however are almost oppressive. Our tour guide, an expat American, seemed fun and quirky at first, however she rarely answered a question directly and often responded with sarcasm. If you have any level of curiosity around the religious and political historical context of the periods represented, I would recommend a private tour, or most certainly a smaller group.
Tara S, Sep 2017
Our tour was extremely unorganized. We were asked to arrive at 7:45 a.m., but the woman who needed to check us in did not arrive until almost 8:10. Then, there were two lines to check in, one being a Spanish only line though it was an English speaking tour. Nonetheless, we did not enter into the Vatican until around 8:45. Since the tour was running late, the guide had to rush through and speak quickly. Plus, it is not worth it to spend the extra money to enter in early, as there are already so many other tours entering at that time and by the time your guide explains everything and shows you other areas of the Vatican, you enter the Sistene Chapel toward the end of your tour anyway.
TimArthur M, Aug 2017
-Poorly organized: we arrived at 7:45 as requested only to wait till other people in our tour were done registering / paying. All the people who had not paid yet, were forced to pay cash as the system was down.
-The tour guide arrived after 8 am
- There were over 30 people in the tour even though we signed up for a tour with 30 people
-We did not skip the line, instead we had to wait 40 minutes before the tour began
-we were rushed from spot to spot and were left little time to see what was being explained during the tour.
We would have been better off going on our own and getting an audio guide. This was not worth our time or money. We were very unsatisfied and Viator should consider dropping this partner as it is only going to damage Viator's reputation.
Catriona C, Aug 2017
Excellent guide!Jumped the very long queues.It what could turn into avery long hot day we were done within 3 hours overall and left feeling as though we had seen what was needed.
From $81.54
per person-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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Vatican Scavi: Underground St. Peter’s Tomb & Basilica VIP Tour
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