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Vatican Tour: St. Peter's Dome, Basilica, and Sistine Chapel
4.8
1,672 Ratings
Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale
Experience an exclusive full tour of the Vatican, including a climb to the top of St. Peter’s Dome for a panoramic view of Rome. Fast track access to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel included.
Duration:
4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- St. Peter’s Square - Meet your expert Vatican tour guide on the threshold of St. Peter’s Square and make your way across marble paving to the steps which wind up and around the dome. There are 551 in total so of course this is too much exertion for most. We take the elevator part of the way which cuts the step count by a sizable 171, leaving 380.
- St. Peter’s Basilica - From St. Peter’s Square, enter the passageways which lead up to the top of Michelangelo’s magnificent dome for superb views of the Vatican City and Rome.
- St. Peter’s Basilica - A fully guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica follows your dome climb. It’s one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and it will leave a profound impression upon your soul.
- Vatican Museums - Vast museums inside the Vatican City which house many thousands of ancient works of art and sculpture. The most important museum complex in the world!
- Sistine Chapel - Take in Michelangelo’s masterpieces including the Creation of Adam and the Last Judgement.
What's Included
- Comprehensive tour of St. Peter’s Basilica and its masterpieces
- Exclusive St. Peter’s Dome climb with panoramic views of Rome
- In-depth Sistine Chapel visit, exploring Michelangelo’s frescoes
- Skip-the-line entry to the Vatican Museums with an expert guide
- Access to the rarely-seen Papal Sarcophagi, known as ‘Vatacombs’
- Explore renowned sculptures in the famous halls of the Vatican
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Additional Information
A surprisingly small number, less than 1%, of guests visiting the Vatican, make the climb to the top of St. Peter’s Dome. Recognizing this unique spectacle, we offer an exclusive tour, starting with a meeting with our experienced Vatican guide at St. Peter’s Square. Holy stairways, along with a lift, transport you to St. Peter’s Terrace, presenting a captivating view of the entire Rome and even extending to the Tyrrhenian Sea. Once back on ground level, we will take you around the majestic St. Peter’s Basilica. After a leisure time, we regroup for the second segment of your immersion into Vatican City, including a visit to the Sistine Chapel. Experience swift entry to view the awe-inspiring works on display in the Vatican Museums, a not-to-be-missed attraction while in Rome.
- 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
- On days immediately surrounding religious holidays at the Vatican, alterations to tours may become necessary due to partial closings of areas normally included in this tour. In the event that the Papal tombs beneath St. Peter’s Basilica are closed, the tour of the Basilica itself will be extended and no refunds made
- Maximum 20 travelers on this tour
- Due to the route covered and/or the means of transportation used, it is not possible to participate in this tour using a wheelchair, scooter, or other aid. Please contact us to inquire about customized tour options for guests with mobility challenges
Location
Largo del Colonnato, 1
Largo del Colonnato
Meet at 7:45 AM for 8:00 AM departure by the Tiare fountain (Fontana delle Tiare), just beneath Largo del Colonnato and in front of the pillars which run around Saint Peter's Square. Your guide will be holding an ItaliaTours signboard. Google maps
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(1672 Ratings)
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Tammy_n
Aug 1, 2024
So Much to see & Learn. Must do Tour! - Such a memorable tour, so much to take in all the details! We were not able to climb the Dom to the Pope's visit that day and overcrowding unfortunately but our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. This is a must do tour!
Review provided by Viator
Kristen_r
Jul 30, 2024
Perfect Tour - Our guide Maria was awesome!!! She was very informative. Love the tour! Absolutely beautiful!!! I recommend to everyone!
Review provided by Viator
F8771ycannf
Jul 29, 2024
St Peter’s Climb-a must!! - Our tour was fantastic thanks to Nadya. She was charming and kind and most importantly so knowledgeable. She knew so much and was so passionate about teaching it to us! Best day of our trip so far!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zoltan_k
Jul 27, 2024
Great tour, climbing the dome was incredible - A great tour, get ready for lots of walking! The climb up to the dome was not for the faint of heart (500+ steps, some narrow areas in the stairwell), but it was worth it; the views were spectacular! The Vatican museum is massive and having a guide with us to point out the highlights on our way to the Sistine Chapel was very helpful. It was hot at times, but that’s expected in July. Bring water and enjoy the sights!
Review provided by Viator
Edward_c
Jul 22, 2024
Amazing experience - I went this July on this tour and my tour guide Sandra was amazing and extremely knowledgeable about everything we had a question on, happy I chose this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Banthida_k
Jul 20, 2024
Highly recommended if you have limited time - Definitely recommend since the tour let's you skip all the lines and gives you free time at the end to explore the museums yourself.
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Thomas_a
Jul 19, 2024
tour of the Vatican and cupola steps and catacombs + Sistine Chapel - Seeing the tomb of St Nicholas + Catacombs ; sadly, The Pieta was not visible because of construction We were on time as was our tour guide and got right in.
Review provided by Viator
Laura_m
Jul 22, 2024
Great tour but there is still a wait time... - Great tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable and answered any questions we had with detail. I would definitely recommend. One thing to note though is that we still had to wait in a line (approx 30 mins) with this tour. We were not expecting that and thought the whole ticket was skip the line. We got to skip part of the line but not the whole line. Be ready to wait.
Review provided by Viator
Lyndam43786
Aug 3, 2024
Too Many Stairs - Dome Climb not worth it - The tour guide Nadia was brilliant and we would book again for a tour missing out the done climb part - unfortunately though we did not realise the number of steps at the start of the tour we would have to walk up. After doing this our feet and legs were so sore it was difficult to enjoy the rest of the tour. This unfortunately had ruined the tour for me. By the time we got to the top we weren’t even excited about the view. Even our teenager who is young and fit struggled with the steps and was shattered after it. Do not pick dome climb unless an avid walker - as we had thought we would use lift for the top half like the other tours were doing! This was the start of the tour too which is why the rest of the tour was non enjoyable due to the pain in my feet and legs.
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Vrinda_h
Aug 2, 2024
Misleading experience - The tour operator didn't account for the 2 hour long queue to get into the basilica. The picture advertising the experience is misleading as there is a thick cage between you and the view from the top. The tour was then very rushed and everyone was so exhausted from waiting for 2 hours in the heat that no person had the energy to be enthusiastic to appreciate the art and sculptures.
Review provided by Viator
