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Mobile ticket — show it on your phone
Skip the line entry

2–4 hours
Skip the line
Guided in English
Mobile ticket

Highlights

Discover the Vatican like never before on this exclusive underground experience — a once-in-a-lifetime journey to St. Peter’s Tomb. Begin your tour in the Vatican Necropolis, a rarely accessible burial site hidden beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. Walk along ancient Roman funerary streets lined with pagan and early Christian tombs as your expert guide leads you to what is traditionally believed to be the burial place of Saint Peter, the Apostle and spiritual foundation of the Christian Church. Access to St. Peter’s Tomb is extremely limited, making this visit a truly rare privilege. After exploring the underground world, you will emerge directly into St. Peter’s Basilica through a VIP skip-the-line entrance, bypassing long public queues. Inside, enjoy a guided tour of the largest church in the world and admire masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s Baldachin. Availability is strictly limited—early booking is recommended.

Inclusions

What's included

Ticket for optional self-guided climb to the Dome (if option selected)
Guided tour inside St. Peter’s Basilica (if option selected)
Small-group experience for a more intimate visit
VIP skip-the-line entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica
Visit to St. Peter’s Tomb
Professional licensed guide
Exclusive access and Guided tour to the Underground Vatican Scavi/Necropolis

What's not

Food and drinks
Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel
Hotel Pick Up and Drop Off
Not suitable for children under 10 years old.

Itinerary

Meet your tour guide and learn about St. Peter’s Square. This square, surrounded by a majestic quadruple colonnade, displays the largest church of the Christian world: St. Peter’s Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro). It is also the heart of Vatican City, the smallest state in the world, which was in antiquity occupied by Nero’s circus and gardens, where many Christians, including St. Peter, were martyred. In the centre of this 320 meter-wide piazza stands an Egyptian obelisk brought to Rome by Caligula in 37 AD. In 1656 Bernini began building the quadruple colonnade of 284 columns in 88 rows, which according to the artist symbolize the “gathering of Christendom.” From two points in the square which are marked on the ground by a stone, the four concentric rings of columns visually merge into one. The balustrade supported by the columns is decorated with 140 statues of saints. The huge door of the basilica is framed by statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
20 min
We will explore the remains of the vast Roman Necropolis that developed between the 1st and 4th centuries along the Via Cornelia, on Vatican Hill, near the Circus of Nero and Caligula, where Saint Peter was martyred in 67 AD. Nearby, early Christians buried the Apostle’s remains in the bare earth, later gathering them around 150 AD beneath a small marble shrine known as the Trophy of Gaius. When Emperor Constantine built the first Basilica over Peter’s tomb in 319, he preserved the existing Necropolis and honored the burial site with a monumental memorial. Sealed beneath successive basilicas for over 16 centuries, the Necropolis remained hidden until excavations ordered by Pope Pius XII in 1939 brought it back to light, revealing both the ancient burial ground and the Tomb of Saint Peter, whose relics can be venerated during the visit.
1 hAdmission included
After the necropolis visit, enter St. Peter’s Basilica with priority access. Few places in the world can match St. Peter’s Basilica in both size and significance. Step inside the historic walls of Vatican City, the residence of the Pope, and discover one of the most important destinations of religious and historical pilgrimage. St. Peter, one of the apostles and the first Pope, was crucified in Rome in 64 AD. There is strong evidence suggesting that his body is buried beneath the basilica’s main altar. If you love architecture, St. Peter’s is a breathtaking masterpiece. And even if you are not particularly interested in the spiritual side, it is hard not to be moved by such a magnificent building. Although St. Peter’s is often thought of as a cathedral, it is not the official seat of the Bishop of Rome (that title belongs to St. John Lateran), making it technically a basilica rather than a cathedral.
1 hAdmission included
At the end of the tour of the Basilica, if you have selected the Dome visit included OPTION, you will be personally escorted to the elevator to begin your ascent. From the top, you will enjoy a spectacular 360-degree panoramic view: St. Peter’s Square perfectly framed below, the Vatican Gardens, and the rooftops of Rome stretching all the way to the horizon. It is a breathtaking and unforgettable perspective of the Eternal City — the perfect grand finale to your experience.
1.3 hAdmission included

Cancellation

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Reviews

4.4

Ratings come from 75 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: Meeting Point: Largo del Colonnato, 5, in front of the Galleria San Pietro Shop (near St. Peter's Square). Please go to the meeting point to collect your tickets & to meet your Guide. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before departure. For any questions, contact us at +39 328 001 0018.
Pickup: Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
Ticket type: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group size: Up to 10 travellers
Operated by: Tour In Rome by Tour in the City

Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Meeting Point: Largo del Colonnato, 5, in front of the Galleria San Pietro Shop (near St. Peter's Square). Your guide and our staff will be there to welcome you. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before departure to ensure a smooth check-in. For assistance, please call +39 328 001 0018.
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.

How it compares in Rome

Its from-price is 57% below the median of the 8352 experiences we list in Rome.
Its length is typical for the group.
By number of reviews it ranks 857 of 8352.

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