Beat the crowds and admire one of the best views of Rome from above with this early St. Peter's Basilica tour. Follow your guide inside the church right as the doors open and head directly to the dome before the tourist throngs. Snap photos of the Roman rooftops before heading back down to visit the church interiors and Papal Tombs with the in-depth explanations of your guide.

Visit St. Peter's dome and the underground Papal Tombs before the rush
Dome tickets included so you don't waste time standing in line
A guide for insights into the basilica's history and architecture
Explore with just 16 people to avoid having to keep up with a large group

What's Included

Entry to St. Peter's Basilica
Guided Climb to the top of the Dome (Tickets Included!)
Guided Tour of St. Peter's Basilica and Papal Crypts
Knowledgeable, English-Speaking Guide
Small Group of Maximum 20!

Hotel Pick Up / Drop Off
Food & Beverages
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Largo del Colonnato
Largo del Colonnato, 00193 Roma RM, Italy
Please arrive 10 minutes early. Meet your guide at Largo Del Colonnato. This is the area just outside of the St. Peters Square colonnades, on the right side when looking at St. Peter’s Basilica. Our staff will be there holding a “The Tour Guy” sign standing between the fountain and the green kiosk.

End point

Saint Peter's Square
Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City

What To Expect

Vatican City

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cupola di San Pietro

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Basilica

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Vatican Grottoes

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travellers with back problems

Not recommended for pregnant travellers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travellers should have a strong physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travellers

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.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

The dome climb is SO worth the amount of steps, the views are great and Franco explained to us clearly what was to be expected from every different set of stairs along the way.

Reviews

4.0

17 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-8 of 17 reviews

Great job Marco

Brian_P, June 2023

Marco did a great job as our tour guide, very knowledgeable and humorous, and very helpful. Thank you!

Cancel BEFORE leaving the States (if unsure about schedule)

Karen_C, May 2023

I needed to cancel while in Rome and within the time limits. I tried logging in to cancel but could not log in using Viator help services. It circled my back 25 times, literally (see photo).. I then emailed to cancel, 3 times but no response. Yes, I used the link they provided. I tried to call but due to the time change the American office was closed. I sent a cancel through the text service too. But after all that I was still charged. If you think you may cancel while traveling, just cancel. If you attempt to cancel when outside your home country the cancellation just doesn’t work.

Totally not worth it

Kautuk_K, May 2023

The tour guide just took us to the Dome climb location after the elevator and collected the audio sets and left. The guide did NOT climb the Dome with us, did NOT come inside the Bascilica to guide us and did NOT take us to the Papal Crypts. The guide simply told us "Your actual guide fell sick, so I have been called to fill in, but I have another tour so I need to go soon." This tour was a totally not worth the money. This tour doesn't even get you and skip the lines, and the only cost to be paid during the trip was a 10 EUR ticket for the Dome elevator, for which the tour charges a lot and the guide didn’t explain anything.

Let the professionals get you on the inside track to popular sites

DuncanT_L, May 2023

After climbing many of Europe's historic domes and towers over the years - from the Eiffel Tower to the Duomo of Florence - but prevented on previous visits to Rome by long lines and ceremonial events, my wife and I were finally able to realize the experience of climbing St. Peter's great dome and its panoramic view of the city. If you intend to visit any popular tourist sites like museums, castles, crypts or cathedrals, consider taking advantage of Viator's many skip-the-line or early-entry tour offerings - and booking them well in advance of your trip. The guides are always excellent and the prices are typically not all that much more than the cost of admission on your own. Best of all, you won't waste your precious vacation time standing in lines at ticket windows and entry points.

Views of a lifetime

Lisa_M, Apr 2023

The dome climb is amazing. Great views and good tour. See St Peter's Square, Vatican Gardens, and the surrounding area from above.

Unforgettable views and experience

Sophia_S, Mar 2022

It is 100% worth the climb! A must do in Rome and specifically at the Vatican. The views are amazing both inside the Cathedral and of the city of Rome Our tour guide Monica was lovely and very resourceful answering all our questions. The first piece of the climb is by elevator. You may stay on the first stop, view the Basilica from the base of the dome and visit the outside rooftop. Moving up to the top of the dome , you will need to climb 350 steps through narrow corridors and a final spiral staircase. Excellent adventure with families, couples, or a group.

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thank you so much for taking the time to write us a great review! We strive to always offer the best guides and service and we are delighted to hear that you had an amazing experience with Monica on our St. Peter's Basilica Dome Climb with Papal Crypts! This is much loved by our clients for being the most comprehensive tour of the Basilica with the additional visit to Dome and Crypts, and we agree the views from the top are absolutely breathtaking! We hope to welcome you again soon on one of our tours! Thanks The Tour Guy Team

Franco and tour are amazing

Sarah_M, Sept 2020

I booked this tour for myself and my other half. The tour says for up to 16 guests but I think due to the end of the pandemic it ended up being just the two of us and our guide Franco. We can not rate Franco high enough, he was friendly, knowledgable and very charismatic. You could tell he knows his stuff and was constantly giving great English references to help us understand the history of the Basillica. We both agree that he made the tour super fun and interesting too. The dome climb is SO worth the amount of steps, the views are great and Franco explained to us clearly what was to be expected from every different set of stairs along the way. We would 100% recommend this tour and want to give special thanks to Franco for being so amazing and making our trip to Rome unforgettable! Don’t hesitate to book this for friends and loved ones.

Response from Host, Sept 2020

Hello Sarah, Thank you so much for leaving your feedback and 5 star review! We look forward to seeing you again soon in our other European destinations!

Muss man gesehen haben!

Ingrid_R, Apr 2023

Frühmorgens ein absulutes Highlight! Zu der Zeit noch wenig Menschen und daher ruhig! Außerdem kaum Wartezeit bei der Sicherheitskontrolle.