Enjoy the freedom to explore St Peter's Basilica, including the Cupola, at your own pace and on your own mobile device with this Wi-Fi audio-guided tour. First, climb the spiral staircase, admiring the intricate details of the Cupola, and then enjoy unparalleled views of Rome and Vatican City from the top. Then, use the access code and the basilica's Wi-Fi to download the audio guide to your phone or tablet and discover the history of the most important Catholic pilgrimage site.

Self-guided audio tour of St Peter's Basilica and Cupola
Take in the views of Rome and Vatican City from the top of the dome
Explore the famous church at your own pace, learning about its history at each point in the tour
Use the basilica's own Wi-Fi network to download the guide

What's Included

Entrance ticket to the Cupola of St. Peter's Basilica
Digital Audio-Guide Tour of the Basilica with fully narrated tour
Digital Audio guide of the Cupola
Assistance of the staff at the meeting point

Entrance ticket (the entrance in the Basilica is free)
Shuttle service to and from the Hotel
Live guide
Skip-the-line service

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup point

Borgo Santo Spirito, 17
Borgo Santo Spirito, 17, 00193 Roma RM, Italy

Start time

08:00 am

Pickup details

Meet your guide at the bar " Al San Michele" (Borgo santo Spirito 17)

What To Expect

Immerse yourself in the history and art of St Peter's Basilica at your own pace with this Wi-Fi audio guide. Listen on your own mobile phone or tablet and see the church's exquisite attractions in any order you like.

First, meet at a central point and be escorted to the entrance of the Cupola, the dome of the famous basilica. Climb the spiral staircase, admiring the intricate details of the dome along the way, and be rewarded with panoramic views of Vatican City and Rome when you reach the top.

Then, using the access code, download the audio guide tour directly to your own mobile device using the basilica's Wi-Fi network. See the enormous Baldachin designed by Bernini, the bronze canopy over the high altar, where you'll learn about the martyrdom of St Peter and his burial location. Gaze at the splendor of Michelangelo's 'Pietà' sculpture, or the bronze of St Peter himself – note the one polished foot on the statue, rubbed by pilgrims over the centuries.

Start at any point in the church that you like, since you don't need to follow the order of a tour leader. Spend more time admiring things you want to see most and skip things you're not as interested in – it's all up to you.

Cupola di San Pietro

Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Entrance to the Vatican requires a strict dress code
Meet a member of our staff at the bar "Al san Michele" (Borgo di Santo Spirito 17, 00193 Rome)
Shoulders and knees must be covered
Please note that this is not a guided tour, our staff will only escort you to the Cupola's entrance
Wheelchair accessible

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Please download the audio guide prior the visit by scanning the QR code on your voucher
Not recommended for people with heath conditions as there will be 300 steps to climb to the top of the Cupola
Most travellers can participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

It is worth it for fast entry as the line is long.

I recommend bringing your own earphones/earbuds and making sure they work with your phone.

Reviews

4.0

442 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 442 reviews

Great experience ...

Marco_C, Mar 2023

Great experience Just remember to download the app to get the audio Otherwise would recommend and do again

This was an unfair sales!

Hans_M, Sept 2020

To date I have been a frequent user of your service in multiple countries. I thought those services were always correct though selling skip the line tickets when there isn’t a line and this seems to be the case for weeks now/ months gives me the feeling of being cheated. Don’t threat people like you don’t want to be threaten yourself.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Dear Judith, We are sorry you felt cheated. The fact that you did not find any line is something nobody could predict and usually in the summer months ( also in 2020 ) and especially for the COVID controls the lines were pretattica long By all means we do not like to have unhappy customers and we would appreciate you could send us an email in order to have a direct contact. We would like to have you as our guest for a guided tour of the Basilica next time you came to the Vatican City . Pls accept our apologies and best regards

Not great.

Emily_K, Aug 2020

When we arrived at St. Peter’s, the staff said that we could not use the ticket that I purchased on this website, despite the website stating that we would get early entry nor were we able to skip the line. We had to pay an additional free when we got there to get into the basilica as the tickets from this site were invalid and had to be purchased on the day at the ticket booth (where it is cheaper too).

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Dear Emily Pls accept our apologies for the late answer am for the problem you have reported I guess there was a miss understanding with the purchase We NEVER sold the slip the line entry to the Basilica with any other experience ( I think you also purchased the Vatican Museums ) . Pls trust us when we say that NO ticket booth sell tickets for the Basilica because the Basilica has No entrance fee (while instead the Vatican museums has) What we charge is an audio guide or a guide tour with the skip the line service to enter in the Basilica. Pls contact us on our website for more details Best regards

Could not get in touch.

George_H, May 2020

I received several emails from Viator with the option to cancel. When I went to it I got an error message everytime. I cruise and trip was cancelled 2 months ago

Response from Host, July 2020

We are very sorry for what you explain. We will do whatever it takes to give you satisfaction. Pls let us know (write to us) if we could do more. Just for your information we aare not responsable for the refunds of Viator and if asked we are more then happy to reimbourse.

St. Peter’s basilica

sue_p, Feb 2020

The skip the line went fast and easy. We saved a lot of time entering the basilica and the audioguide was excellent

Waste of money

Nicole_D, Feb 2020

Tickets were not checked. They weren’t even needed. This was a waste of money. The church was beautiful but didn’t need to pay for this.

Response from Host, Feb 2020

Dear Guest We are realy sorry you did not use our preffered line and the audioguide for the Basilica. In order to have the reserved line we must scan the voucher and authorize the code for the audioguided tour. Pls write an email using our website and we will try to clear your issue. Again our apoligies for whaat you are describing. Best regards

Disappointing

Jack_R, Dec 2019

My recorder didn't work; in spite of instructions, hard to find where to pick up the recorders, and confusing where to return them. The employees were friendly when we located them.

Easy!

Wayne_C, Nov 2019

Definitely worth buying this one. We chose the 8.45am entrance time and there was already a long queue. We found the rep and just walked straight in after security.

Shortcut!

ellen672, Oct 2019

I paid for a self guided audio tour of the Basilica. We only wanted to see the inside of the Cathedral. I ordered and paid for the tickets from my phone for a 1:00 viewing time. We got there early around 11:00 and were pleasantly surprised that they let us go right in 2 hours early. That was great and we literally went right to the front of the line. There was no waiting at all!

Easy access to St. Peter’s

memshaker, Oct 2019

Got our tickets-went right through security and into the Basilica. Lines we’re already part way around the square when we got there at 9:45, so it was worth it to pay for the skip the line.

The vest way to enter by far!

drbob711, Oct 2019

It was so easy tidbits the company representative and simply walk right into the Basilica. Highly recommend this company.

Worth the price to skip the long line

Anne_C, Oct 2019

This was a good decision for us only because it allowed us quick entry and access to an app for the audio tour in the cathedral. There was no personal interaction with any guides, which was fine with us as we had visited before.

Excellent option for a number of reasons

DreamReal, Oct 2019

We did some other tours of tourist destinations in Rome using tour guides, but this one we decided to do as a self-guided tour so that we could spend time in the Basilica and do it at our own pace, whilst still being educated as to the symbolic meanings and reasons behind the beautiful art work and sculptures. It also promised us that we would be able to skip the line. Well, we arrived early in the morning (08h15) and the queues were already hectic. We were worried that we would not be able to find the Viator people as there had been some negative comments about this recently. But we followed the pictures and the written directions and they were exactly where they said they would be. We literally were pushed into the very front of the queue (much to the horror of those in the queue) and straight through the security bag check. The download of the audio was a little slow, but the team were helpful and kind. From there on, it was A for away. Perfect sound, good information and a great 4 hours spent walking around the Basilica. Awesome experience. I have used Viator in the past in the USA and I will use them all over the world, again and again.

One of the most beautiful places on Earth

John P, Oct 2019

What can you say about St Peter's? It is breathtakingly beautiful! This was my third visit and it still awes me. Unfortunately, on the day of our visit, large portions of the interior of the Basilica were blocked off in preparation for a Papal event later that day, but it was still more than worth visiting. The no-wait tickets got us right in without standing in the hours-long line otherwise. Highly recommend you visit St Peter's if you're anywhere near Rome.

Skip-the-Line Great, App Not So Great

Ian_T, Oct 2019

Skipping the line worked really well and saved loads of time. Downloading and using the guide app was a bit fiddly and took a while for our group. The level of detail provided was far too much for those of us with limited attention spans! The app would benefit from having a ‘Top Ten Highlights’ feature.

Easy access, very good audio tour

Dreamer321281, Oct 2019

We purchased the self-guided tour for St. Peter's Basilica just hours before our scheduled time. There was no difficulty finding the tour representatives, they were where they said they would be: right side of the square between the pillars and just before security. We were given stickers to wear and Vatican security accepted us immediately. We were helped with audio setup on our phones just outside entry doors to the church. This involved installing the app and getting WIFI access. We had a little trouble getting sound, but the problem was my phone case prevented the plug from seating properly - pushing in harder solved the problem. The staff was very friendly and helpful with technical problems, knowledgeable about different phones and situations. I recommend bringing your own earphones/earbuds and making sure they work with your phone. My Pixel phone only has a USB-C jack so I needed an adapter to connect an audio plug for earbuds. I purchased one beforehand, I doubt that the tour company could provide this. The audio tour is very useful to learn the significance of the various side chapels and statues. But ultimately I just took advantage of the time to soak in this magnificent cathedral.

Satisfied

CarmenLucia_B, Oct 2019

It was very convenient. When we arrived the staff was waiting for us. We were satisfied with the service.

Missed it all together

Kathy_W, Oct 2019

We were supposed to be there between 10-1pm, but because of transportation delays (beyond our control), we didn't get to St. Peter's Basilica until about 2pm and was turned away. they would not recognize our prepaid ticket the next day, so lesson learned. NEVER book anything like this ahead of time. you will waste your money if something happens.

This is the best deal ever!

JRogers4, Oct 2019

This service works exactly as they explain in the instructions they send you. You will literally pass HUNDREDS of people to go directly into St. Peter’s. There are plenty of Aviator staff to guide you along the way and they are very polite & helpful. As a tip, go as early as possible. It is always crowded but worse as the day goes on.

If I could go negative I would.

Arlene_W, Oct 2019

No assistance, the ticket doesnt cover the coupala but says it does, no guide, I was given to blue dots and that was what I paid for. Dont use this!!

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