Vatican Full Tour and St. Peter's Dome Climb: Exclusive Experience with Panoramic View of Rome
4.8
1,536 Ratings
Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale
Experience an exclusive full tour of the Vatican, including a climb to the top of St. Peter's Dome for a panoramic view of Rome. Fast track access to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel included.
Duration:
4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- St. Peter’s Square - Meet your expert Vatican tour guide on the threshold of St. Peter’s Square and make your way across marble paving to the steps which wind up and around the dome. There are 551 in total so of course this is too much exertion for most. We take the elevator part of the way which cuts the step count by a sizable 171, leaving 380.
What's Included
- Comprehensive tour of St. Peter’s Basilica and its masterpieces
- Exclusive St. Peter’s Dome climb with panoramic views of Rome
- In-depth Sistine Chapel visit, exploring Michelangelo’s frescoes
- Skip-the-line entry to the Vatican Museums with an expert guide
- Access to the rarely-seen Papal Sarcophagi, known as ‘Vatacombs’
- Explore renowned sculptures in the famous halls of the Vatican
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Additional Information
A surprisingly small number, less than 1%, of guests visiting the Vatican, make the climb to the top of St. Peter’s Dome. Recognizing this unique spectacle, we offer an exclusive tour, starting with a meeting with our experienced Vatican guide at St. Peter’s Square. Holy stairways, along with a lift, transport you to St. Peter’s Terrace, presenting a captivating view of the entire Rome and even extending to the Tyrrhenian Sea. Once back on ground level, we will take you around the majestic St. Peter’s Basilica. After a leisure time, we regroup for the second segment of your immersion into Vatican City, including a visit to the Sistine Chapel. Experience swift entry to view the awe-inspiring works on display in the Vatican Museums, a not-to-be-missed attraction while in Rome.
- 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
- On days immediately surrounding religious holidays at the Vatican, alterations to tours may become necessary due to partial closings of areas normally included in this tour. In the event that the Papal tombs beneath St. Peter’s Basilica are closed, the tour of the Basilica itself will be extended and no refunds made
- Maximum 20 travelers on this tour
- Due to the route covered and/or the means of transportation used, it is not possible to participate in this tour using a wheelchair, scooter, or other aid. Please contact us to inquire about customized tour options for guests with mobility challenges
Location
Largo del Colonnato, 1
Largo del Colonnato
Meet at 7:45 AM for 8:00 AM departure by the Tiare fountain (Fontana delle Tiare), just beneath Largo del Colonnato and in front of the pillars which run around Saint Peter's Square. Your guide will be holding an ItaliaTours signboard. Google maps
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(1536 Ratings)
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Cindy_s
Mar 30, 2024
Exceptional tour guide - Our tour guide Mariana was GREAT! She was so friendly and knowledgeable it was wonderful to have her during our tour. The tour itself was impressive, I definitely would recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Larry_s
Mar 27, 2024
Fantastic Service, Maybe Spend More Time in Museums Than Climbing Steps - Everything was just as advertised, and more! Our tour guide, Nadia, was absolutely outstanding! Her enthusiasm, love of her job, love of her city, and love of people shone through. My wife had an issue finishing the stairs and Nadia climbed them all, again, to give aide. I would recommend using this company for anything. I'm not sure I would highly recommend this specific tour. Climbing the steps was a great adventure, but took extra time that might be better spent touring more of the basilica, or the Vatican Museums. The view from the dome is magnificent, but there are other places in Rome with nice views as well.
Review provided by Viator
Mark_t
Mar 27, 2024
Amazing Experience - Our tour guide Nadia was a wealth of knowledge and so sweet and patient with us. I thoroughly enjoyed this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Michelle_r
Mar 25, 2024
Best guide ever!! - The guide was absolutely amazing! She shared her knowledge is a very interesting way. St Peters and the climb to the top of the dome, amazing! Do not do this if you are at all claustrophobic or afraid of heights!
Review provided by Viator
39telag
Mar 23, 2024
Best Experience - This was such an amazing tour! Our guide, Nadya, was the best we have encountered. She was knowledgeable and passionate about the Vatican and Basilica. She was funny and kept our attention the entire time. My daughter felt ill during the packed Sistine Chapel tour due to heat and motion sickness. Nadya gave her water and made sure she had time to rest and feel better. I very much suggest you take this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Monica_k
Mar 23, 2024
Would do these guided tours again and again - Maria Elena was so knowledgable and lovely. She had a true passion for guiding us through the various parts of the tour. You must do the Dome climb! The entire Vatican, Vatican museums and Sistine chapel were extraordinary. It was a lot to see in one day so I would probably split it in two and take the time to enjoy more time in all places. Five stars for Maria Elena!
Review provided by Viator
Martin_s
Mar 21, 2024
Brilliant - Roberta was a fantastic guide. Not only did she ensure we were all present she was great at getting everyone ready and prepared for all the different parts of the tour,she knew all the facts and history so we felt we had a really good experience of the Vatican.
Review provided by Viator
Georgios_p
Mar 21, 2024
Sandra our guide was... - Sandra our guide was excellent and well informed! Very good organised tour! Room with the maps was enormous & view from the Dome fantastic.
Review provided by Viator
Jody_c
Mar 21, 2024
a must do tour! - This is a very comprehensive tour. Both segments of the tour use an audio headset for the tourists to understand the tour details. My only complaint is that the headset for the first part of the tour was not the best quality and I had to physically hold my earpiece in place. The second part of the tour's headset was a better fit. The tour guide that was assigned to use did and excellent job. I would definitely recommend this tour to others. St. Peter's Basilica was so incredible. Climbing all of those stairs to go to the top of the Dome was worth the effort. I also must say that they went out of their way to help me when we showed up at the wrong location to start our tour. They sent our tour guide to collect us, making the others wait unfortunately, so we would not miss anything. I very much appreciated this effort.
Review provided by Viator
Darrin_p
Mar 21, 2024
A must! - Kiara was our guide and was very knowledgeable and hilarious! I would highly recommend doing the tour instead of doing a self guided tour. So much to see and so much information to take in.
Review provided by Viator
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