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St. Peter's Basilica, Square and Papal Grottoes Guided Tour

3.113 reviewsSt. Peter's Basilica

  • 1h 30m
  • Free cancellation up to 24h before
  • Guided in English
  • Mobile ticket

Highlights

Start your Tour at the meeting point, where you will meet the highly qualified Tour Guide. Admire the marvelous work of St. Peter’s Square, created by Bernini, and its colonnade with 284 columns and 88 pillars, that will remind of a hug. After entering the Basilica, you will discover the beautiful artworks that fill its space. While walking on the colorful marbles, you will be mesmerized by the enormous dimension of the building and the ceilings entirely covered in gold. On the right, you will immediately see the Pietà by Michelangelo Buonarroti, defined as the most beautiful sculpture in the history of art and the most representative opera of the Renaissance. Following the Tour, you will be faced by the St. Peter’s Throne and the St. Peter’s Baldachin, bronze creations of the sculptor Bernini. Lastly enter the Papal Grottoes, which are the union between the old Constantinian Basilica and the modern one, and where the previous Pontiffs were buried.

Inclusions

What's included

  • Tour Guide

What's not

  • Lunch
  • Ticket for the Dome (if you want to, ask for indication to the Tour Guide at the end of the tour)
  • Skip-The-Line access to the Basilica

Itinerary

  1. Start your Tour at the meeting point, where you will meet the highly qualified Tour Guide. Admire the marvelous work of St. Peter’s Square, created by Bernini, and its colonnade with 284 columns and 88 pillars, that will remind of a hug.

    15 min

  2. After entering the Basilica, you will discover the beautiful artworks that fill its space. While walking on the colorful marbles, you will be mesmerized by the enormous dimension of the building and the ceilings entirely covered in gold. On the right, you will immediately see the Pietà by Michelangelo Buonarroti, defined as the most beautiful sculpture in the history of art and the most representative opera of the Renaissance. Following the Tour, you will be faced by the St. Peter’s Throne and the St. Peter’s Baldachin, bronze creations of the sculptor Bernini. Looking closely, you will be able to see all the genius of the artist.

    50 min

  3. Enter the Papal Grottoes, which are the union between the old Constantinian Basilica and the modern one, and where the previous Pontiffs were buried.

    25 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

3.1

  • 55
  • 41
  • 32
  • 20
  • 15

Ratings come from 13 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

Meeting point
Meet in front of the shop "Mondo Cattolico" in Piazza Pio XII n. 12, Roma (on the right side looking at the Basilica).
Pickup
Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
Ticket type
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group size
Up to 20 travellers
Operated by
1 City Tour
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Wheelchair accessible (with the exception of the Papal Grottoes)
  • A strict Dresscode is applied inside the Basilica, therefore shoulders and knees should be covered
  • St. Peters Basilica has a mandatory Security Check that cannot be skipped, therefore a queue might form. The lenghth of this queue cannot be predicted. The Tour Guide will escort you during the queue sharing the history of St. Peter, to then continue into the Basilica

How it compares in Rome

  • Its from-price is 84% below the median of the 8352 experiences we list in Rome.
  • It is shorter than most of them.
  • By number of reviews it ranks 2073 of 8352.
  • The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Rome

Rome layers nearly three thousand years of history into one walkable city, from the Colosseum and Forum to Baroque piazzas and Vatican art.

Ancient Rome is still in plain sight. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill sit together at the city's heart, the Pantheon still stands with its open oculus, and fragments of temples and aqueducts turn up between apartment blocks. Across the Tiber, Vatican City holds St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Top-ranked sights in Rome: Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel.

See all 8352 experiences in Rome

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