St. Peter's Basilica Tour: Early Access and Dome Climb
4.8
165 Ratings
Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale

Climb to the top of St. Peter’s Dome for breathtaking views of Rome and discover hidden treasures in the Vatican. Beat the crowds and explore the papal crypts and grottoes with an expert guide.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
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….
What's Included
  • Exclusive early access to St. Peter’s, avoiding the crowds
  • Expert Vatican tour guidance to the peak of St. Peter’s Dome
  • Breathtaking panoramic views of Rome from the summit
  • Exploration of remarkable art and architecture
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Gratuities
  • Necropolis (scavi)
Additional Information

Avoid the masses at the start of the day at St. Peter’s Basilica. Ride the elevator halfway up, then climb the rest of the way by foot—the spectacular view at the top is worth the effort.
Join your knowledgeable Vatican guide near St. Peter’s Square as you depart from Rome, crossing into the Vatican City and gaining early entry into St. Peter’s Basilica….

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 link: https://goo.gl/maps/vZvCNgmmozFLnzT3A
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(165 Ratings)
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Maria_c
Sep 25, 2025
Enjoy it very much! - The early tour was perfect to avoid the heat and crowds. Tour guide was very informative. Incredible history, climbing to the top of the dome was a a amazing experience.
Review provided by Viator
Joseph_a
Aug 8, 2025
Reatta was excellent, the very best. - Reatta was excellent!! If I could have her for every single tour, I would be totally totally happy!!
Review provided by Viator
Simonesmith1967
Aug 7, 2025
Chiara is the best. - What an amazing morning. Thank you Chiara Antonelli for making the experience so much fun. Your ability to keep a group of 18 people totally engaged was incredible. I feel very lucky to have had you as our tour guide. ❤️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
N6567jmamandaa
Jun 28, 2025
Private Vatican Tour- Luigi For the Win!🇮🇹 - This was a once and a lifetime experience. Our tour guide, Luigi was absolutely amazing. He was so knowledgeable and you could tell he really loved the history his was explaining to use. We did a private tour and it was well worth the money. I don’t think I would do a tour another way after this one. We had a wonderful experience and it was well worth the money. My only advice is that it was extremely hot so make sure you pack water with you. The cafe is very crowded and it took a long time to get a water.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mats
Apr 16, 2025
Great early morning tour - Nadya the guide was knowledgeable and very friendly, gave us a good overview of the St Peter’s basilica. Inside we got valuable context around all the master pieces we saw around us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
991teril
Dec 16, 2024
Very knowledgeable - Wow! If you love art and art history, this is the one for you. Our guide lead us through the Vatican museums with skill and knowledge.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tara
Oct 15, 2024
Chiara the best tour guide! - We had a great experience on our tour today with Chiara. I have been to a Vatican tour before but this one was much better and I will be recommending this from now on. Chiara was very knowledgeable, she was constantly giving us bits of information on EVERYTHING! Our favorite was that she is a bit of a comedian so it kept us entertained and she was so easy to understand. So please just take a tour with Chiara, you won’t regret it. From Mike and Tara (Florida)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachel_c
Oct 1, 2024
Breath-taking - Our tour guide was excellent. She was very knowledgeable and allowed for us to have time to see the things and take them in.
Review provided by Viator
Brianms7157gi
Sep 27, 2024
Wonderful! - Met at the fountain and easy to find there. Wonderful tour and the guide was informative and easily able to understand. The stairs were many and tiring so this is a extensive hike. If you can't walk the stairs, you can take the elevator to the main dome, but the walkway up top you will need to climb 10 minutes of stairs.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maria
Jul 21, 2024
Very good experience with Italy Tours - Excellent experience with this agency, our Guide was Mariana and was excellent, explaining in the right detail, super concerned x the group, and very friendly. The group size was great (we were 11) and we loved the visit
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $69
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).