St. Peter’s Basilica, or Basilica di San Pietro, is an iconic religious and architectural marvel built over the tomb of St. Peter, the first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
Renowned for its breathtaking Renaissance and Baroque design, St. Peter’s lies adjacent to the Vatican Museums and the Vatican Gardens, and it is visited by over ten million tourists annually.
This article provides you with all the information you need before booking your tickets to St. Peter’s Basilica.
Top Tickets
# Guided Tour of Peter’s Basilica
# Guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, Dome Climb & Papal Crypts
# Peter’s Basilica: Dome Climb with Guide
It’s highly recommended to book your tickets for St. Peter’s Basilica in advance. These tickets sell out quickly, so securing your spot early ensures you don’t miss out on this unforgettable experience.
Key takeaways
St. Peter’s Basilica showcases Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces by Michelangelo, Bramante, and Bernini
You can choose from guided tours, including a dome climb, Papal Crypts, or a combination of St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican Museums, and Sistine Chapel
While general entry is free, lines can be long (up to an hour), making guided tours highly recommended for convenience
Papal audiences occur on Wednesdays, drawing larger crowds. Masses are held regularly in Italian and Latin
The Basilica opens from 7 am to 7 pm (April-September) and until 6 pm (October-March). The best times to visit are early morning (7 am) or late afternoon (4 pm) to avoid crowds
Did you Know?
The first St. Peter’s Basilica was built under the orders of Constantine I. The construction began sometime between 318-322 AD and finished under 40 years.
What’s ahead
Related Reads
Things to know before booking tickets
You can book St. Peter’s Basilica tickets online or at the venue. However, purchasing at the attraction may involve long wait times, especially during peak hours. Online tickets help you skip the queue, are often cheaper, and allow you to choose a preferred time slot in advance. Booking online also ensures availability and prevents last-minute sell-outs. After purchase, tickets are emailed to you, and you can enter by showing the e-ticket on your smartphone—no printouts needed.
Really?!!
There are no paintings in St. Peter’s Basilica! They’re actually all glass or ceramic mosaics!
Guided tours of St Peter’s Basilica
While entry to Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel requires a ticket, entering St Peter’s Basilica is free.
However, there are long lines that could make you wait for up to an hour; the only way to skip these queues is to book a guided tour of St Peter’s Basilica.
A guided tour of the Basilica is an absolute must, especially with it being a heritage site brimming with some of the world’s most renowned artwork.
Here are our top picks for St. Peter’s guided tours, each promising an unforgettable experience.
St. Peter’s Basilica with dome climb and crypt tour
Start your day early with this guided tour at 7.30 or 8.00 am. First, explore the Basilica and then ride the elevator to the dome’s first terrace to marvel at the mosaics bathed in morning light.
Discover artistic masterpieces like Bernini’s Baldachin and Michelangelo’s ‘Pieta, as well as the popes’ final resting place, the Papal Crypt.
The tour lasts for 2.5 hours and is limited to a small group of around 15 tourists. Once the tour ends, you can wander inside the Basilica at your own pace.
Ticket Prices
Adult (15+ years): €49
Child (2 to 14 years): €44
Infant (up to 1 year): Free
One-hour Basilica guided tour
This guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica is pretty much the same as the last one, except for two small changes:
- It doesn’t include the climb of Basilica’s dome.
- The duration of this tour is one hour.
There are three time slots available for this tour—10.30 am, 12 pm, and 3,30 pm. You can also opt for a guide who speaks English, Spanish, French, and Italian.
Ticket Prices
Adult (18+ years): €24
Child (7 to 17 years): €19
Infant (up to 6 years): Free
Did you Know?
The dome of St. Peter’s Basilica is so tall that you could fit the Statue of Liberty inside it! Remember, this was built over 400 years ago before the Liberty Statue started to dot New York’s skyline.
St. Peter’s Basilica + Square + Papal Grottoes
This 1.5-hour tour has two time slots available (2 pm and 3.30 pm) and includes an English-speaking tour guide and Vatican expert.
The first leg of the tour involves an introductory walk through St. Peter’s Square followed by a visit to the Basilica.
Once inside, you can admire the beauty of the Renaissance and Baroque eras, as well as the artwork created by Michelangelo, Bernini, and Bramante.
The second leg of the tour involves the Vatican or Papal Grottoes located beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. The final resting place of 91 popes, with some tombs dating back to the 10 century!
The grottoes also feature remnants of the original basilica built by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century.
Ticket Prices
Adult (18 to 64 years): €25
Child (6 to 17 years): €18
Senior (65+ years): €25
St. Peter’s + Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel Tour
Booking this ticket is essential if you want to skip the long entrance lines at the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and Saint Peter’s Basilica.
This guided combo tour, which lasts 3 hours, includes a skip-the-line entrance to the acclaimed Sistine Chapel housing Michelangelo’s immortal ceiling frescoes.
Visit the main galleries inside the Museums and then head to St. Peter’s Basilica, where your guide will enthrall you with stories of St. Peter’s tomb and the ancient church buried under the Basilica.
Here’s a breakdown of the ticket prices depending on the tour you opt for.
Ticket Prices
Group Tour in English (maximum 20 people)
Adult (18+ years): €144
Child (6 to 17 years): €134
Infant (up to 5 years): Free
Small Group Tour in English (maximum 10 people)
Adult (18+ years): €280
Child (6 to 17 years): €272
Infant (up to 5 years): Free
Private Tour
Adult (18+ years): €3200
Child (6 to 17 years): €800
Infant (up to 5 years): Free
The Rome Tourist Pass is a super saver. For just €97 per person, the pass includes entry tickets to Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and Pantheon and a guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica. You also get a 10% discount code, which you can use (five times!) to get discounts on future purchases.
Recommended
Combo: Vatican sites + Colosseum guided tour
This is the perfect guided tour if you are in Rome for a day or two.
In fact, you could visit St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill within 6.5 hours.
The best part is you get to skip the lines at all these attractions, and a headset to hear what your guide is saying amidst the din.
Ticket Prices
Adult (18+ years): €262
Child (3 to 17 years): €242
What to see inside St. Peter’s Basilica
St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the world’s most significant and largest churches, can hold over 60,000 people within its vast 22,300 square meters (240,035 sq. ft).
Once you’re inside, marvel at St. Peter’s Baldachin, a 29-meter-high bronze canopy by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, towering above the papal altar and St. Peter’s tomb.
Also, see the statue of St. Peter, created in 1300 by Arnolfo di Cambio, where the right foot is famously worn from centuries of pilgrim touches.
Opening hours of the Basilica
St. Peter’s Basilica opens at 7 am and closes at 7.10 pm from 1 April to 30 September
Likewise, the Basilica opens at 7 am but closes an hour early at 6 pm from 1 October to 31 March.
Papal audience timings
The Pope meets believers and tourists every Wednesday at St. Peter’s Square or the Audience Hall.
This Papal audience, which is almost 2 hours long, starts at 10 am. In the winter months, it may even begin at 10.30 am.
The security checks begin from 8 am to 8.30 am, and the good spots are usually taken by 9 am.
Hours for Mass
There are no scheduled English mass services at the Basilica. However, masses are conducted in Italian and Latin regularly. Here’s a schedule of the Basilica’s Massing Timings.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit St Peter’s Basilica is as soon as it opens at 7 am.
The notoriously long lines at the Basilica start forming after 9 am, so it’s better to be there early if you want to explore the Basilica in peace.
If you can’t make it in the morning, the next best time to visit is 4 pm. By then, large group tours would have already left or be planning to return to Rome.
How to avoid crowds
Here are two tips to help you avoid the crowds and long lines at St Peter’s.
Avoid Papal appearances
If you’re visiting the Basilica as a tourist, you may not be particularly interested in Papal appearances and Mass.
So it’s best to avoid visiting the Basilica on Sundays and Wednesdays when it gets crowded.
Also, avoid visiting St. Peter’s on holy days like Easter and Christmas, as the crowds will be larger than usual.
Book a guided tour ticket
This is one of the best ways to avoid standing in a queue at St Peter’s Basilica.
Guided tours allow you to skip the long lines and enter the Basilica through a ticket holders-only entrance.
Guided tours are highly recommended if you travel with kids or seniors; they can save you an hour or more of waiting in the sun.
Fancy an audience with the Pope? Then buy the Papal Audience ticket which gives you a fantastic opportunity to pray alongside Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square. You can either opt for the General audience ticket or the private audience ticket. This ticket is only available only Wednesdays.
FAQs about St. Peter’s Basilica
Here are some questions tourists frequently ask before purchasing their St. Peter’s Basilica tickets.
Does the Basilica offer free tickets?
Regular, self-guided tours are free for everyone. However, guided tours require a fee.
Can I buy tickets at the venue?
Yes, tickets are available at the venue’s ticket office. However, there are long queues at the ticket counter. Additionally, popular time slots may sell out quickly, so it’s better to get them online in advance.
Do we need to print online tickets?
Visitors can present their tickets on mobile devices, but printed tickets are also accepted at the St. Peter’s Basilica.
What is the Basilica’s guided tour arrival time?
Guided tours have a specified time, and you must arrive well in time to account for security checks and an additional 15 minutes before the designated time slot.
What is the Basilica’s late arrival policy?
Your entry to the attraction cannot be accommodated if you are late for your allotted time slot.
Does the St. Peter’s Basilica offer discounts for locals?
The attraction offers free entry for all on self-guided tours, but guided tours do not offer discounted admission.
Does Roma Pass include access to attractions?
Yes, the 3-day OMNIA Vatican Card and Roma Pass combo offers you access to both the Vatican and Rome’s top sights. The card also allows you unlimited access to the public transportation network free of charge.
What is St. Peter’s Basilica’s refund policy?
This attraction of Rome has a flexible cancellation policy. You can cancel your ticket until 11.59 pm on the day before your visit for a full refund by selecting a refundable ticket during checkout.
How can we reschedule the Basilica’s ticket?
The attraction does not allow you to change the date and time of your visit under any circumstances.
Do the tours of the Basilica happen if it’s raining?
The attraction is an all-weather experience, so all tours will be operational.
When was St Peter’s Basilica built?
The construction of St. Peter’s Basilica began in 1506 during Pope Julius II’s papal tenure and was completed in 1615 under Paul V.
What is the Basilica’s height?
St. Peter’s is the world’s largest Basilica, standing a whopping 186 meters (610 feet) tall (218 meters if we consider the porch) and boasting a height of 46 meters (151 feet) in the central aisle. The main dome of the Roman Basilica is 136 meters (446 feet) high and 42 meters (138 feet) in diameter.
Did you Know?
Michelangelo’s depiction of God—a man with long white hair and a beard—in the ‘Creation of Adam’ fresco at the Sistine Chapel was one of the first of its kind. Until then, no one had ever portrayed God as a person!
How to reach St. Peter’s
St Peter’s Basilica is a UNESCO World Heritage site located on Vatican Hill in Vatican City.
Address: Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City. Get Directions.
Rome’s public transport moves in and out of the Vatican City without barriers or checks. Here are some popular ways to reach St. Peter’s Basilica.
By Metro
Ottaviano–San Pietro–Musei Vaticani is the nearest Metro station to the Vatican City. All Line A metro trains stop at this station. It’s a brisk 10-minute walk from here to St Peter’s Square.
By Train
St Pietro is the nearest train station to St Peter’s Square (a 12-minute walk). If you are traveling from Civitavecchia, the cruise port for Rome, this is the best option to reach the Basilica.
By Bus
Buses 64, 62, 40, and 81 take you to the Vatican. Bus 64 is the most popular because it connects Termini station with Vatican City.
Safety Tip: Pickpockets often target buses in Rome. So make sure you have all your belongings stored in front of you or in a lockable bag.
By Car
If you’re traveling by car, turn on your Google Maps and get started. There are enough parking garages around the attraction.
