St. Peter's Basilica Tour: Dome Climb and Art History

Discover St. Peter’s Basilica (one of the finest cathedrals) on a guided small group tour with a professional art historian. Enjoy a rare bird’s-eye view over Rome with this tour that includes a climb to the top of its dome.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • St. Peter’s Square - The most famous and the biggest square of the Vatican City. In the middle of the huge square enjoy the Obelisk from Egypt (over 2500 years old) Start your tour in St. Peters Square and perceive the all-embracing character of its majestic architecture. Understand the game of visual effects as were thought by its designer,…
What's Included
  • Dome tickets by elevator
  • Tour guide
  • All fees and taxes
  • Good quality headsets
What's Not Included
  • Transportation is not included
  • Skip the line
Location
Best In Rome Tour
Borgo Vittorio
Meeting point is very close to the St. Piter's Basilica, just 1 minutes walking distance.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(182 Ratings)
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1 star
Tresa
Nov 4, 2025
Rough start, great guide - We had issues with the company Best In Rome. We got placed in the wrong language group…the meet place on the instructions did not show up correctly on Google Maps, so we had a hard time finding the meet place. However, when we finally got with our correct guide, our guide, Alexandra, was a delight! Friendly, knowledgeable, and very attentive…she saved our rough start 100%.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Josephine_l
Oct 23, 2025
Fabulous view - Wear very comfortable walking shoes. Karen is an excellent tour guide. She's clear and very informative.. We booked the dome with the elevator. THANK GOD. There is absolutely no way we would have been able to climb the stairs all the way. As it was, halfway was exhausting. I suggest taking your time. It's the only way. Once up there the view is incredible. Definitely worth the effort. Didn't want to wait for the elevator down. The line was long. So we walked all the way down. Definitely not as bad as going up. Enjoy your trip. Karen was very aware of our wants and needs. We felt completely at ease. Thank you Karen. You're awesome!!
Review provided by Viator
Anthony_m
Oct 14, 2025
Must See in Rome! - There's a bit of waiting in "lines" and can be a bit congested. Romina was a great guide and kept everyone informed and together. Highly recommend the dome option, as it's an incredible view both inside and outside St. Peter's! The Basilica is a thing of wonder, beauty, awe and so many other adjectives, whether a Catholic like me or not! Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Janie_s
Oct 6, 2025
It was an excellent tour.... - It was an excellent tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and did a great job of herding cats in a very crowded space. We highly recommend the climb up to the top of the Basilica dome. The views inside and out are fantastic, and, as our guide said, climbing all the stairs entitled us to double portions of pasta at dinner that night.
Review provided by Viator
Lynne_m
Oct 5, 2025
A must when in Rome - St. Peter’s Basilica is beauty and opulence at its finest. Our guide Volodymyr was so kind and knowledgeable. The views from the top of the Dome are indescribable. This tour included the catacombs, the square, the basilica and the dome. We were privileged to be there during a Jubilee year and to walk through the Jubilee door. Volodymyr Was great at navigating around the large groups of pilgrims to ensure that we got the most out of our experience.
Review provided by Viator
Brian_m
Oct 5, 2025
Fantastic guide (Kelly)... - Fantastic guide (Kelly) and an absolutely amazing experience! Very busy because of the Jubilee but worth the wait!
Review provided by Viator
Soliel_o
Oct 4, 2025
The tour guides were very... - The tour guides were very informative and accommodating. We will definitely come back. Volodymyr our guide was really good!
Review provided by Viator
Diane_g
Nov 2, 2025
3 hours wait. Big group/ 30 people. Overwhelming but we all want to see St Peter’s. Don’t go on a day the Pope says mass - Tour guide was great. But, It was just so crowded it was hard to enjoy. Took 3 hours to get in. All Saints weekend. Go on a weekday if you want less crowds. We did the crypt. It was like a gas chamber at the holocaust. 12 deep- hundreds and hundreds crammed into an underground space. Don’t go if claustrophobic and you mind not seeing anything because you are stuck in the middle. And hot!!! November- just too hot..
Review provided by Viator
Johna_h
Oct 9, 2025
Dangerous and disorganized - Our guide did not help us in a dangerous crowd. We lost him and had to guide ourselves. Don't bother. Hope to get our money back. Viator outsources through Best Tours, which is WORST tours
Review provided by Viator
James_f
Oct 8, 2025
Tour guide was great, we... - Tour guide was great, we would of liked to of been informed that the basilica was closed from 1pm on and as a result we did not get to do the dome the main thing on our list, very poor management.
Review provided by Viator
From $57
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).