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Santa Maria Maggiore: Rome's Artistic Gem
3.7
23 Ratings
Rome
Discover Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica’s treasures and panoramic Dome view. Book now for an unforgettable art and spirituality experience in Rome.
Discover Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica’s treasures and panoramic Dome view. Book now for an unforgettable art and spirituality experience in Rome.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
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Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore - Enjoy a self-guided tour of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major with a detailed audioguide. Admire its beautiful mosaics, Baroque chapels, and intricate interiors while learning about the history and importance of this renowned Roman basilica. Ideal for those looking for a flexible and engaging experience.
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- Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore - Enjoy a self-guided tour of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major with a detailed audioguide. Admire its beautiful mosaics, Baroque chapels, and intricate interiors while learning about the history and importance of this renowned Roman basilica. Ideal for those looking for a flexible and engaging experience.
- Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore - Available exclusively with the Dome option: explore the Basilica of Saint Mary Major with an audioguide and take in the stunning views from the Dome. Discover its mosaics, chapels, and elaborate interiors, then ascend to the top for a remarkable view of Rome. A perfect blend of art, history, and breathtaking panoramas.
What's Included
- Entry to the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major (free entrance)
- Admission fees
- Official audioguide of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major (available in Ita, Eng, Fr, Ger, Spa)
- Visit to the Basilica Dome (only if this option is selected)
- Welcome and assistance from Touristation staff at the meeting point in Piazza dell’Esquilino
- Entry to the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major (free entrance)
- Admission fees
- Official audioguide of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major (available in Ita, Eng, Fr, Ger, Spa)
- Visit to the Basilica Dome (only if this option is selected)
- Welcome and assistance from Touristation staff at the meeting point in Piazza dell’Esquilino
What's Not Included
- Transportation to/from the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major
- Access to the Archaeological Area beneath the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major
- Transportation to/from the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major
- Access to the Archaeological Area beneath the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major
Additional Information
The Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore has been a prominent feature of Rome for over sixteen centuries, serving as both a Marian temple and a hub of artistic expression.
Situated on the Esquiline Hill, it is one of Rome’s four Papal Basilicas. Tradition holds that the Virgin Mary inspired the creation of this sacred site.
Santa Maria Maggiore is a…
The Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore has been a prominent feature of Rome for over sixteen centuries, serving as both a Marian temple and a hub of artistic expression.
Situated on the Esquiline Hill, it is one of Rome’s four Papal Basilicas. Tradition holds that the Virgin Mary inspired the creation of this sacred site.
Santa Maria Maggiore is a treasure trove where art and spirituality converge, providing visitors with unforgettable experiences. Visitors can marvel at the Bernini family tomb, the Baptistery, the Holy Door, and numerous other masterpieces.
Learn about the pontiffs: Pope Francis entrusts his apostolic journeys to the protection of the Salus, visiting before departure and upon return. The first Christmas Eve Mass was celebrated here, a tradition upheld by the Pontiffs for centuries.
Take in the stunning view from the Dome—it offers a panoramic vista of the city that is sure to captivate you.
- The entrance to the Basilica is free of charge and doesn’t require an entrance ticket.
- You must observe the dress code to access the Santa Maria Maggiore (no shorts, vests, or sleeveless tops)
- For safety reasons, the Dome visit is not suitable for children under 7 years old.
- Please bring an ID as caution for the audioguide.
Location
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore 42
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.7
(23 Ratings)
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Milagros28
Dec 31, 2025
Alima great Santa Maria Mayor Rome and most beautiful a marvelous appointment’ twelve I will visit bellísimi postín - Alima has been great, the bonus did not burden me but she has made everything very easy. A 10 for her. That's how it's nice to travel with such professional people.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pathfinder825129
Dec 9, 2025
BRAVA THE ACCOMPANIST - Great credit to the girl (maybe Claudia?) Who this morning at 9.30 (December 9, 2025) welcomed me, accompanied and well explained how to access the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Albertosuarez67
Dec 6, 2025
Religious Experience - Good service. They have treated us very well and good explanations.
Giorgina was watching the whole time and has helped us a lot
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Departure34465265351
Nov 14, 2025
A highly recommended experience - We booked the visit and the chosen day and time Helietta attended us, a real professional from start to finish. 100% recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Francescomariac718
Oct 8, 2025
Santa Maria Maggiore - A wonderful experience!I came to this wonderful basilica with the help of this serious and precise company..thank you so much ❤️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Neferg2026
Jan 4, 2026
Luckily there was Pinda - There were some mishaps with the tickets but thanks to the Pinda guide we solved everything and also visited the dome, thank you very much! If you go to Santa Maria Maggiore you hope to find her!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mobelf
Oct 7, 2025
A disaster from start to finish - An unmitigated disaster from start to finish Met the tour guide (I think she said her name was Selina?) at 09.30 as arranged. We waited around for 15/20 minutes at the meeting place for late-comers! We eventually made it through security to the desk to get our audio guides. This was a very slow process - it seemed like our guide had never done this before! Once we got our audio equipment, she sent us upstairs to the first floor, where, she said, someone would meet us! Rubbish! There was no-one there and, of course, Selina had disappeared off the face of the earth!
Museums on the first floor were of no particular interest to me - BUT there was no way to enter the basilica from there. The only way was via the exit (cordoned off with a barrier). Eventually I just opened the barrier and attached myself to another group of tourists who were entering the proper way through the Santa Porta!!
The only real benefit of this tour was to enter via a shorter queue. The audio guide was very informative and did work very well. However, our 'guide' did not seem to know what she was doing and gave us incorrect information which led us on a 'wild goose chase'. Very disappointing!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
13darylr
Sep 30, 2025
Waste of time - Rather buy your own tickets and do the audiotour yourself. No assistance provided other than buying the tickets for us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trip43760721029
Jan 4, 2026
Experience with the operator - We had booked a visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore from your website, and on arrival we had quite a few setbacks: first of all the operator had a lot of difficulty exchanging our reservation for the actual tickets due to technical problems, delaying our entry to the Basilica by an hour. She also failed to get us audio guides (we paid €15 for those), and to make up for this inconvenience she provided us with tickets that included a visit to the balcony of the Basilica, but not audio guides (and this ticket would have cost €11). Too bad that, asking her where we should go to make the visit to the Basilica and then to the balcony, she pointed us to the entrance of the Basilica. But the entrance to the balcony was not the same as the Basilica, but an adjacent one, and we realized this too late. In fact we exceeded the initial time of the visit, and we had to wait a good half hour to finally do it. All in all the service today was poor, also because all these problems were suffered only by us, and not the other people who had booked the Basilica with your service
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maureencx2311tp
Oct 16, 2025
No audio headsets given as advertised - This was a disappointment because we were not given the audiohead sets we paid for. The lady at the church portico where we were instructed to go did not provide them to us. I will contact my credit card company and Trip Advisor about the problem.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
