Private St. Peter’s Basilica Tour with Dome Climb & Crypt

Beat the crowds and take in one of the world's most significant churches at the heart of the Vatican. With a personal guide for your private group, special reserved access, an up-close look at the basilica's interior, and a visit to the papal tombs, you get these remarkable sights with far fewer people around you.

Meet your guide just outside the entrance and head into the basilica's grand Renaissance-era interior. For the next two hours, you'll journey through the building as your guide explains the history and artistry that define one of the holiest sites in the Catholic world. Admire an ornate bronze canopy standing over the high altar, take in the soaring dome above it, and see a centuries-old bronze statue believed to bring good fortune to those who touch its foot.

Another experience waits beneath the basilica, as your guide leads you into the crypts below. 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.

Finally you will take to the elevator that carries you to the dome's first terrace to begin your climb. Here you will be surrounded by intricate mosaic artwork that your guide can explain in more detail, and then 320 steps lead you up to one of the best views you can get of the city, from the square below you all the way across the river.