St. Peter's Basilica Dome Tour: here's everything you need to know before your visit

In the middle of Vatican City lies the enormous St. Peter’s Basilica and iconic St. Peter’s Square. This is one of the many awesome attractions in the Vatican, arguably its most famous one. In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know about our St. Peter’s Basilica dome tour.

St. Peter’s Basilica Dome Tour: Everything You Need to Know Before Your Visit

Designed mainly by Michelangelo, Bernini, Bramante, Bernini and Maderno, the St. Peter’s basilica is a magnificent masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. It’s a truly massive church. In fact, this is the largest church on Earth as well as one of the Catholic Church’s holiest places.

The main reason for its fame, besides its sheer size and breathtaking decor, is that it’s said to be the final resting place of St. Peter, the chief apostle of Jesus and the first Bishop of Rome.

Big enough to accommodate no fewer than 20,000 people, the marble-and-gold St. Peter’s Basilica is famous for its bronze altar canopy by Bernini and the marble Pieta Sculpture by Michelangelo.

Additionally, visitors can climb to the top on a St. Peter’s Basilica dome tour where they can take in phenomenal panoramic views of Rome.

Our Amazing St. Peter’s Basilica & Dome Tour

If you’d like to explore the beauty of St. Peter’s and climb the dome, there’s no better way to do that than joining our St. Peter’s Basilica & Dome Tour.

This fun tour offers a great Vatican experience to adventurous minded people. After all, climbing the St. Peter’s dome is not for all visitors, since the many steps can be exhausting and cause claustrophobia.

That being said, however, the superb vista from the top makes the ascent so incredibly worth it. Rome will lie at your feet as you gaze out 360 degrees over the Eternal City.

After the spectacular St. Peter’s Basilica dome climb, the tour continues with a personalized guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica itself. The knowledgeable guide will tell you all about St. Peter’s secrets and features, such as the Burial of Saint Peter, Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s Baldachin.

The tour concludes at majestic St. Peter’s Square, which stretches out in front of the basilica, a popular gathering place for Catholics from around the world. There, you can admire gorgeous statues of the Apostles, Saints and Martires dominating the façade of the Basilica and Bernini’s famous Colonnato.

St. Peter’s Basilica Dome Tour Information

• Price: € 210 for up to 2 people (this includes private guide and entrance tickets)
• Meeting point: central obelisk at St. Peter’s Square
• Start time: 8.15 a.m. (by default, but can be changed upon request)
• Duration: 2.5 hours
• Operating days: every day of the week
• Extras: tour is 100% customizable

Note that the St. Peter’s Basilica is still an active church and, as such, it can be closed to visitors unexpectedly due to ceremonies, masses or other events or circumstances.

Additionally, all visitors must go through a security check and entry is only allowed to people who are dressed appropriately. This means you can’t wear shorts, mini-skirts, low-cut dresses, sleeveless clothes or hats.

More information about this St. Peter’s Basilica dome tour can be found on the tour’s overview page.