Tour of St Peter's Basilica: Guided Dome Climb and Grottoes Exploration in Small Groups

Experience a guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, including a climb to the top of the dome for breathtaking views of Rome. Explore the art and architecture of the Renaissance in small groups.

Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • St. Peter’s Square - Begin your tour at St. Peter’s Square and take in the grandeur of its majestic architecture. Discover the visual effects crafted by its designer, Bernini, and locate the two “special” spots within the square.
  • St. Peter’s Basilica - Next, proceed to the Basilica to be awestruck by its splendor. Learn why it took 150 years…
What's Included
  • Professional art-historian guide
  • Thorough guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica
  • Sterilized headsets to hear clearly your guide
  • Guided tour of St. Peter Dome
  • Entry fees to the top of the Dome
  • Full on-site assistance
What's Not Included
  • The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel are not part of this tour
  • This tour does not skip the line (neither the security checks one nor the dome’s elevator one)
Additional Information

Begin an extraordinary adventure starting at St. Peter’s Square, where Bernini’s architectural genius is on full display.
Next, step into the awe-inspiring St. Peter’s Basilica, a space adorned with golden ceilings, vibrant marbles, and masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s Pietà. Explore the Papal grottoes below, touching ancient walls and visiting St….

Location
Largo del Colonnato, 5
Largo del Colonnato
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 5 minutes before the starting time. The meeting point is outside the Basilica before entering St. Peter's square.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(2141 Ratings)
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Mathew_w
May 2, 2025
St Peter’s Tour - Easy way to see St Peter’s and have detailed narration of its history, art, and architecture along the way. Our guide, Filippo, was a font of knowledge.
Review provided by Viator
Backpacker406560
May 1, 2025
This is a must do tour in Rome ! - This tour was fantastic. I highly recommend! The guide was very knowledgeable and her comments, historical perspective and fun facts added tremendous value to the tour. Climbing to the top of the dome was well worth the adventure. It’s an entirely different perspective that high up in the cupola and the views of Rome were incredible. I am still in awe of this beautiful church.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Miranda_c
May 1, 2025
Pomp and circumstance - Francesca was our guide she was great. She was very knowledgeable about art and history and also very efficient at navigating us around St Peter's. It is huge I had no idea how vast St Peter's is or how splendid . It was very helpful to have a guide I would really recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Joanne
Apr 29, 2025
Tour of Basilica and Dome - My tour guide was excellent and was knowledgeable!! Definitely recommend. He was very friendly and super nice and we could ask him any questions and he would answer them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ramg66
Apr 28, 2025
Must do!! - Very enjoyable tour, it was so beautiful and my whole family enjoyed it very much. We tried to make it to the top but only went halfway. I highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
238palomal
Apr 28, 2025
Great! To repeat! - Very pleasant and impressive. With many explanations Caty were very good and some fun! Despite being at the time of not being able to see the Sistine Chapel for the burial of Pope Francis! We'll be back!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Keith_c
Apr 27, 2025
Best tour in Viator - This was one of the best tours we have ever taken! Paul was very..m very.. knowledgeable about the Basilica, Church History and archeology rendering relating. This guy is a professional!!
Review provided by Viator
Nina_r
Apr 21, 2025
Rushed - Had to be rescheduled due to Easter schedule did 845 on Saturday and they closed at noon hardly gave us time due to delays but they wouldn’t refund the dome ticket access which we had 15 minutes to see by time got up elevator and had to come cack down I asked can we not do it we want to come back when have time they said no
Review provided by Viator
Alex_d
Apr 24, 2025
Terrible tour company, zero communication and refused refund - I took this tour in good faith with a lot of excitement to be shown St Peter’s by an expert. What a huge disappointment. Many streets were blocked off so I couldn’t find the group among the huge lines of people. I was emailing the operator for over an hour as I arrive early to tours. I left my phone number and no one bothered to call me during after my tour and they even insulted me more by refunding $16 to me. I received zero tour, no communication, and lots of disappointment. I went to St. Peter’s alone and enjoyed it but I was hoping that Viator would choose which tour operators it worked with more carefully. This experience was amazing simply because St. Peter’s is amazing but St. Peter’s is free to get into. They took my money and I received nothing in return. Not even an apology. I suggest avoiding this tour company at all cost.
Review provided by Viator
Hannah_w
Apr 24, 2025
Unacceptable lack of assistance from tour operator - Due to an unforeseen incident, we were late to the tour. We completely understand that arriving on time is our responsibility, however I reached out to the operator urgently several times on two platforms (Viator, and directly via Whatsapp message) as well as via phone call, urgently asking where we could link up with the group for the remainder of the tour. Now nearly a week later, I still have not received any reply or acknowledgement of my request. As a result, we missed the tour entirely - we were only in Rome for a few days over Easter, and this was our only opportunity to experience St. Peter's Basilica. This was extremely disappointing, not to mention that we paid over $200 CAD for the tour. Again, we completely understand that it was our responsibility to arrive on time, however it was very upsetting to not have any support/response provided to my numerous requests for assistance - particularly in light of the stressful incident that prevented our timely arrival. I feel that zero response from this operator is unacceptable, especially given how expensive the tour was.
Review provided by Viator
From $61
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).