St. Peter’s Basilica Priority Access Tour with Dome & Crypt

Make the most of your time at visit St Peter’s Basilica, see the papal crypt on this all-access tour complete with priority entry and climb its dome. Starting early, you’ll see St. Peter’s Square without the large daytime crowds. Tour the basilica to admire Michelangelo’s ‘La Pietà’ among other highlights, and pay a visit to the papal crypt — a site normally missed by other tour groups. Numbers are limited to 20 for a small-group experience. End your tour at the top of the dome for panoramic vistas over the capital. Walks Tours is proud to be an Accredited Tour Operator with an official ticketing agreement with the Vatican Museums.

Beat the crowds and admire St. Peter's Basilica in all its glory as you explore the solemn grandeur at the heart of the Vatican. With a small group, special reserved access, an up-close look at the cathedral, and a visit to the papal tombs, you get these remarkable sights almost to yourself.

Meet your guide just outside the entrance to St. Peter's Square and head past the crowds, straight into the grand Renaissance-era elegance of the basilica. For the next two hours, you'll journey through the basilica itself as your guide shows you the grandeur that defines one of the holiest sites in the Catholic world. Admire the exquisite detail of the baldachin designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, standing amid the space designed by Michelangelo, and then visit the famous bronze statue of St. Peter with the keys to heaven in his hand.

Another special experience is waiting for you beneath the basilica as your guide gives you a rare look at the crypts of the Vatican grotto. With more than 100 tombs holding popes, Catholic monarchs, and famous figures, the crypts let you look back through almost 2,000 years of the church's history.

Before parting ways with your guide, they'll lead you to the elevator that carries you to the dome's first terrace to begin your dome climb. You'll be surrounded by its beautiful artwork, and then 320 steps lead you up to one of the best views you can get of the city of Rome—from the square below you all the way across the Tiber.