Exploring St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome (Vatican)
Visit the ‘Basilica di San Pietro’ church in Vatican City - Tickets & Tours All info, tours and tickets for visiting St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The ‘Basilica di San Pietro’ is the papal residency in Vatican City. Read how you can visit the Basilica with the papal tombs. Vatican Tours & Tickets
St. Peter’s Basilica Address
- Piazza San Pietro, Città del Vaticano
- Metro Stop: Ottaviano (Line A)
- Tickets: A visit to St Peter’s Basilica is free, but you should expect long queues of two hours. Recommended: The most comfortable way to visit the basilica is with a guided tour. You can reserve these tours online. This way you are guaranteed of your visit with a fixed time slot. You also have the option to visit the dome in the Basilica using stairs or a lift. Reservations are necessary and can be made via this website.
Rome Tourist Card
- Option 1: Book your tour
- Option 2: Tour + Dome
- Option 3: Rome Tourist Card
Hours Opening hours basilica
- April to September 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
- October to March 7:00 am - 6:30 pm
- Closed on January 1st and 6th, Easter and during special occasions
Hours Opening hours dome (‘La Cupola’)
- April to September 7:30 am - 5:00 pm
- October to March 7:30 am - 5:00 pm
Hours Opening hours crypt (with the papal tombs)
- April to September 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
- October to March 8:00 am - 5:30 pm
- Closed on Sundays and (holy) holidays
Dresscode Please wear appropriate clothing that covers the shoulders and knees. Since 1929, Vatican City has formed the spiritual centre of the Catholic church and it is also where the pope resides. Vatican City is an independent state measuring just 44 hectares and has its own security service, the ‘Swiss Guard’.
Sightseeing in St Peters Basilica A main attraction in Saint Peter’s Basilica is ‘La Pieta’. This 1499 artwork is the only work signed by Michelangelo and can be found in the first side chapel to the right. It is a statue of Mary holding the body of Jesus. The gigantic bronze baldachin by Bernini from 1633, placed over where Peter is believed to be buried. One story says that the cladding was made with bronze that came from the ceiling of the Pantheon.
Necropolis There are excavations of the old necropolis located under the Vatican. Every day, only a select group of 250 people are allowed to visit these excavations (‘scavi’) of the Roman burial site with the grave of the apostle Peter – Saint Peter. Not suitable for people who get claustrophobic
Saint Peter’s Square The large square in the Vatican is known primarily from the ‘Urbi et Orbi’ speeches by the Pope at Easter and Christmas. Weather permitting, and if he is in Rome, a service is held here every Wednesday by the Pope.
Other sights in Vatican City The Vatican museums with the Sistine Chapel and The Vatican gardens: Behind the Vatican museums, there are 23 hectares of Vatican Gardens, making up over 50 percent of the area of Vatican City. It is now possible to visit these gardens in a small, open bus. View from Saint Peter’s dome in Rome Basilica di San Pietro, the Vatican church