Vatican Necropolis

Explore iconic sights in Rome on this guided walking tour. Stroll through St. Peter's square and take in the views of the city from the top of St. Peter's Basilica. Admire artwork like Michelangelo's emotive 'Pietà' statue and go below the Basilica to uncover St. Peter's final resting place. Meet your guide in St. Peter’s Square then start the tour by climbing your way to the top of the Basilica’s dome. Enjoy an exclusive look at the Dome’s impressive mosaics then head further up to the top balcony. From here, marvel at panoramic views across the city, spot the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and other iconic landmarks. Descend into the Basilica and admire its impressive interior and discover why it took 150 years to build. Gaze at the colorful marble, golden ceilings, and intricate mosaics that surround you. Learn about the renowned works of Renaissance and Neoclassic artists that are housed here.  Next, head underground to the Basilica’s historic grottoes and visit St. Peter’s Tomb. Touch the ancient walls of the original 4th-century Basilica and admire its beautiful frescoes. Finish the tour in St. Peter’s Square and soak up its majestic architecture. 

Step into the iconic St. Peter's Dome and embark on an immersive journey enriched by an informative audioguide. At your own pace, ascend to the dome's summit, marveling at its architectural grandeur as you climb. Along the way, the audioguide illuminates the dome's history, detailing its construction and the visionaries behind its design. Gaze out from the panoramic viewpoint atop the dome, where breathtaking vistas of Vatican City and Rome unfold before you. Descend into the heart of the basilica, where you'll encounter masterpieces of art and architecture, each with its own story to tell. Listen to your audioguide as it leaves you with a newfound appreciation for St. Peter's Dome, its role in shaping the religious and cultural landscape of Rome, and the enduring legacy of its creators. Whether a devout pilgrim or a curious traveler, be left with an indelible impression, offering a deeper connection to one of the world's most revered architectural wonders.

Meet your guide and set out on your express tour of St. Peter's Basilica. On your way, pass through St. Peter's Square, listening as your guide introduces you to the smallest country in the world, Vatican City. Enter the Basilica after passing through a security check and discover the ancient treasures housed here. Learn about the history of the church and see Michelangelo's Pietà, Bernini's statues, and the incredible mosaics that adorn the great dome. Next, follow your guide as you head below ground and enter the Vatican Grottoes. Discover the papal tombs located below St. Peter's Basilica as well as the tomb of St. Peter. Your express tour comes to an end next to a nearby fountain with drinkable water. From here you can decide whether to revisit the church or purchase a ticket to climb the dome for panoramic views of Rome.

Make your stay in Rome an unforgettable and easy experience with this 3-day OMNIA Vatican Card and Roma Pass combo. These 2 passes cover all the top things to do in Rome - historic attractions, top museums, a sightseeing bus tour - and public transportation to help you navigate between activities. Let's break it down: • OMNIA Vatican Card allows entry to all the top sights in the Vatican City plus a 3-day hop-on hop-off bus tour. • Roma Pass grants you free entry to 2 out of 5 top attractions plus discounts at a further 30 top sights and a travel card. The OMNIA Card includes: • Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel (R) • Entrance to the Basilica of St. John in the Lateran and cloister with multimedia audio-guide • Entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica including multilingual audio-guide • Carcer Tullianum / Mamertine Prison (St Peter's Prison) (R) • Vox City Audio-Guide* • Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour (use Open Bus Vatican and Rome, Big Bus and City Sightseeing services) The Roma Pass includes free admission to 2 of the following attractions (adult tickets only): • The Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill (R) • Capitoline Museums • Castel Sant'Angelo (R) • Borghese Gallery (R) • Circo Maximo Experience It also includes price reductions to many museums and attractions, including: • National Roman Museum – Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Palazzo Altemps, Crypta Balbi, Baths of Diocletian • National Gallery in Palazzo Barberini • Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia • Centrale Montemartini • National Museum of Oriental Art • MACRO - Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Roma • MAXXI - National Museum of XXI Century Arts • Planetarium and astronomical museum • Trajan's Market • Palazzo Valentini – Archaeological Area of the Domus Romane • Ara Pacis • and more! (R) Reservation required. Please note that the Vatican Museums and Colosseum are very popular in the summer months. We recommend buying your pass and making reservations for these attractions well in advance to secure your entry. *Download the Vatican & Rome App (available on Play Store or Apple Store) so you can enjoy the Vox City audio guide.

Meet your guide near St. Peter’s Square early morning to begin your tour of St. Peter's Basilica. This guarantees you to avoid the long queues that form in St Peter's Square during the day! Start by navigating through the Basilica, admiring the array of statues, chapels, and pilgrim sites located here. Descend to the underground crypts where you can see where hundreds of popes and members of royalty who have been buried since the 11th century. Your guide will provide insights into the history and significance of these crypts. After exploring the crypts, make your way to the first level of the dome by lift. Listen to your guide as they share facts and stories about the history of the dome, and everything you need to know about the Dome’s artists and Renaissance splendor. From the first level, continue your ascent to the top of the dome. Take the spiral staircase up to the viewing balcony and admire the incredible mosaics depicting the saints, the magnificent Latin scripts circling the dome, and the top of Bernini’s canopy below. Enjoy some free time to explore at your own pace, then head above the double structure of the dome and pass by windows that give a tantalizing glimpse of the Vatican rooftops below. After climbing 320 steps, find yourself on the viewing platform 448 feet above the basilica floor. From this vantage point, admire breathtaking and panoramic views of the city, including the Vatican Gardens below. Marvel at the monuments of ancient Rome, such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon. The only point above you is the cross containing the timbers from the True Cross. When you're ready to descend, the stairs will bring you directly down to the basilica floor, bypassing the need to line up again. Avoid the long lines which you may have seen growing across St. Peter’s Square from the top and keep exploring the Basilica at your own pace!

Join a guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, an ancient book of wonders in Rome. Learn about the history of the church and get introduced to Vatican City, the smallest country in the world. Explore the golden plated ceiling, optical illusions, Michelangelo’s Pietà, Bernini’s statues, and incredible mosaics, immersing yourself in a world full of magic, spirituality, and beauty. After a thorough tour of the church, head down to the Vatican Grottoes. See the tomb of St. Peter, the final resting place of 90 popes, and the remaining columns from Constantine’s original basilica. Finish the tour to a graceful fountain with drinkable water. Finally, enjoy the option to return inside the church and revisit what you saw, or climb the dome and soak in a panoramic view of Rome.

Embark on your journey at St. Peter's Square, where the grandeur of its architecture unfolds before you. Delve into the genius of Bernini's design, uncovering hidden gems within the square and marveling at the 2500-year-old Egyptian Obelisk. Step inside the Basilica to encounter its breathtaking artworks. Traverse the vibrant marble floors, awestruck by the vastness of the structure and the opulent golden ceilings above. Guided by your expert, navigate through the main highlights. Admire the Papal Altar crowned by Bernini's majestic Baldachin and be captivated by Michelangelo's iconic masterpiece, La Pietà, in this holiest of Christian sanctuaries. Conclude your tour with a visit to the Papal Grottoes, a solemn journey beneath St. Peter's Basilica. Descend into the crypt beneath the central nave to pay homage to centuries of pontiffs and royalty interred since the 11th century.

Discover the best of the Vatican in a single visit. Skip the ticket line to the key attractions and see outstanding examples of art and architecture in the company of your expert guide. Enjoy an optimized itinerary designed to allow you to get the best out of your visit to the Vatican Museums in a limited time frame, taking in the remarkable Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms among other highlights in the company of one of our expert guides. Visit the Sistine Chapel, where you’ll get the chance to gaze up at Michelangelo’s ceiling as your guide explains the secrets behind Michelangelo’s masterful paintings. Close to the Sistine Chapel is the suite of private papal apartments known as the Raphael Rooms. These exquisitely decorated rooms contain some of the finest examples of Raphael’s work, including the “School of Athens," a group portrait of antiquity's most famous philosophers, many of them in the guises of Raphael’s contemporaries. Often overlooked by visitors who are in a hurry to get to the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms deserve more than a brief pitstop — your guide will ensure that you have plenty of time to admire Raphael’s works at your leisure. Your visit to the Vatican Museums is a great opportunity to discover its remarkable collections of ancient sculptures, including the legendary Laocoon and Apollo Belvedere. These classical artworks had a profound impact on the artists of the Renaissance, and their muscular anatomies and psychological intensity strongly influenced the work of Michelangelo and Raphael. Accompanied by an expert art historian, you’ll learn all about these ancient masterpieces and gain a greater appreciation of Greek and Roman art. Walk through the famous Gallery of Maps, admire the Pinecone Courtyard and visit the Belvedere Courtyard. Although it’s impossible to see the entire extent of the Vatican’s enormous collection in a few hours, on this tour, you'll see a series of unmissable highlights. After exiting the Sistine Chapel, you will have an expedited escort directly to the entrance of St Peter's Basilica. Here you will be able to enter on your own accord. The Basilica has been enriched over the centuries by the hands of countless artists and architects.

St. Peter's Basilica, located within Vatican City, is a symbol of religious devotion and architectural grandeur. A guided tour of this iconic basilica provides an immersive encounter with its historical, artistic, and spiritual dimensions. Marvel at the Renaissance and Baroque architecture of this monumental church, including the awe-inspiring dome designed by Michelangelo. Discover the religious importance of St. Peter's Basilica as the burial site of St. Peter and a hub for major papal ceremonies. Descend into the Vatican Grottoes to pay homage to the tombs of popes and saints, including the traditional resting place of St. Peter. Ascend to the top of the dome for panoramic vistas of Vatican City and Rome, offering a unique perspective on the Eternal City.

Embark on a guided tour of Rome to discover the history and the secrets of St. Peter's Basilica, the largest Basilica in the world. Admire the stunning architecture, famous artworks, and the Papal Grottoes. Choose to add on an entry ticket to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. After meeting your guide, explore the wonders that fill the Basilica. Follow your guide as you discover the past of St. Peter’s Basilica and marvel at its grand interior, covered in gold and breathtaking colors. See the artworks created by Michelangelo, Bernini, and Bramante, a focal point for religion and a representative of the beauty of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. After visiting the Basilica, head to the Papal Grottoes, where the previous pontiffs were buried. Get indications to visit the St. Peter’s Dome on request at the end of the tour.