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St. Peter’s Basilica is free to enter—but during busy hours, you could be stuck in line for over an hour just to get through security. With this ticket, you reserve a timed slot and enter the Basilica at that time via a dedicated entry point before going through security. It’s a real time-saver on crowded days. Plus, you’ll get an audio guide to explore at your own pace once inside.
Inside the Basilica floor you’ll find quiet space amidst soaring columns, golden mosaics, and sculptures that shaped history. Whether you choose to explore with your own audio guide or a live guide, you’ll move through the main nave and side chapels at your pace—with context when and where you want it.
Beneath the building lies the Vatican Grottoes, where around 90 Popes—including St. Peter—are buried. While you may not be able to see it all, a part of it is now accessible to tourists. Passing through marble corridors and mirrored chapels in subdued light, it’s a solemn and powerful counterpoint to the grandeur above.
Choose to climb the Dome via 551 narrow steps—or take an elevator most of the way and tackle the remaining 320 steps. From the summit you’ll see a 360° breathtaking panorama of St. Peter’s Square, Vatican rooftops, Castel Sant’Angelo, and even Rome’s distant hills.
You can linger on the Basilica floor or exit directly from the Dome terrace stairs. Most visits take 1.5–2.5 hours depending on whether you visit the Papal Crypts or climb the Dome. The audio guide is valid throughout, so feel free to revisit key highlights before leaving.
Planning a visit to the world’s largest church? From reserved entries to dome climbs and guided tours through Papal tombs, here’s how the different ticket types stack up—so you can find the right experience without second-guessing.
Soaring 136 m above the altar, Michelangelo’s masterpiece dominates Vatican City. Climb the narrow staircases or ride partway by elevator, and be rewarded with sweeping panoramas over St. Peter’s Square, the Tiber, and Rome’s rooftops. Beneath the summit, the inner dome inspires with intricate biblical mosaics spiraling upward.
Located just inside the right entrance, this tender marble sculpture shows Mary cradling the lifeless body of Christ. Carved by Michelangelo at age 24—the only piece he ever signed—it captures raw emotion and technical mastery all in a single breath.
Descend beneath the basilica to find the sacred Vaulted Grottoes—a labyrinth of chapels and tombs housing over 90 Popes, including John Paul II. You can see a art of these Papal crypts freely on general admission, but these silent corridors gain their full significance when explored with insight.
Standing nearly 30 m high, Bernini’s massive bronze canopy hovers over the high altar—its twisted columns and gilded angels a bold nod to Baroque drama. It marks the spot where St. Peter’s tomb lies below and visually connects the nave to the soaring dome above.
Beneath the high altar lies the Confessio, which shelters the memorial site believed to contain the bones of St. Peter himself. Discovered during mid-20th-century excavations, this shrine links modern visitors to the earliest Christian community of Rome.
Near the nave, look for the bronze statue of St. Peter—pilgrims touch his right foot for luck, worn smooth over centuries. Nearby is the Statue of Veronica, representing the saint who wiped Christ’s face—both quiet votive spots with age-old tradition.
The Vatican Necropolis, located beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, is an ancient burial ground dating back to the 1st century AD. It was discovered during excavations ordered by Pope Pius XII in the 1940s. The Necropolis contains a series of mausoleums, tombs, and crypts, including what is believed to be the original tomb of Saint Peter. This underground city of the dead offers a fascinating glimpse into early Christian burial practices and the history of the Vatican. Access to the Necropolis is restricted, and you must book special tours to explore this hidden treasure.
Entry is free. The paid options are for added benefits—reserved-entry time slots, audio guides, and access to the Dome or guided tours**. Most visitors who choose paid options do so to reduce waiting and enhance their experience.
A guided tour can greatly enhance your experience by providing expert insights into its rich history, architecture, and art. A knowledgeable guide can share fascinating stories, explain the significance of the Basilica's features, and answer any questions you might have, making your visit more engaging and informative.
Not completely. All visitors must go through mandatory airport-style security; tickets only let you bypass the ticket-purchasing line. Some guided tours or Vatican Museum combos use a corridor from the Sistine Chapel to the Basilica to avoid exterior queues altogether.
If you want to explore St. Peter's Basilica at your own pace while learning about its history, an audio guide is ideal. On the other hand, an in-person guide offers a more personalized experience, providing insights and answering questions on the spot. This option is especially beneficial for those who appreciate detailed explanations and interaction during their visit.
St. Peter’s Basilica is easily accessible by public transport. Take a metro to the Ottaviano Station located near the Vatican Walls. From there, it is a short 5-minute walk to St. Peter’s Square and the Vatican Museums.
Yes, since tours are available in non-English languages such as German, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese as well.
It depends on the St. Peter’s Basilica ticket you choose to book. While some tickets offer a full refund on canceling tickets up to 24-48 hours in advance, for others there may be no refund available on cancellation. Please check before you make your reservation.
Yes, sign language guided tours are offered at the Basilica and must be reserved at least 48 hours in advance by contacting: visiteguidate@fsp.va.
The climb to the top of the Dome involves a significant number of steps and requires a good level of physical fitness. It is not recommended for individuals with heart or back conditions, mobility issues, or those who are in the later stages of pregnancy. Therefore, it may not be suitable for elderly parents with these concerns.
Yes, you can! The Basilica is a family-friendly destination, and children are welcome to explore its vast and awe-inspiring spaces. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the Basilica is a place of worship, so children should be encouraged to remain respectful and quiet during the visit. There’s a lot for them to see, from the architecture to the impressive art, which can make the experience enjoyable and educational.
Would 100% recommend this tour (including St Peter's) to anyone looking to see the Vatican. It was very organised. Gabriella was a great tour guide! Very friendly, approachable and informative!
The explanation was very clear from the guide, always waiting for me because I was late and climbing the dome was an extraordinary experience.
Our tour guide Pasquale was the best. Answered all our questions and provided a ton of information. He definitely made this tour worthwhile. If you do a tour, ask for him as your guide
The guide Susanna was great, punctuality met, very helpful and knowledgeable-all excellent. In addition, we discovered an excellent Molise restaurant for breakfast and lunch, near the agency from which the tour starts and tickets are picked up.
We did the tour with Bridget as the tour guide and it was perfect. We could sense she is passionated about history and all the detailed stories she was able to tell us. That was super interesting and we would highly recommend her. +We had our 1 year old baby with us and she has been very patient and understanding
Buying guided tour for ST.Peters Basilica was my ever best experience. Our guide, Brigita, was the highlight of the tour. She was very passionate, her story telling about Vaticano and Basilica was so passionate and so detailed. I enjoyed her passion, story and dedication. The place is amazing, but with such a Great guide and her knowledge was best experience ever. On top od that, she was very funny and humble. Hope everyone else will have opportunity to experience magnificient Vaticano with Brigita. Thank you!
Our guide Valery is a well of cconnaissance.he made this wonderful tour even more interesting. If we come back in the future we hope to have him as our guide again.merci.
Very good experience, Joaquina (our guide in Spanish) a success!!!! We were able to make our dream come true and the tour was more than we expected, her kindness and patience to explain everything was the top of the tour. Highly recommended. What we liked the most was not having to wait in the long lines and the complications to enter St. Peter's Basilica, since being part of the tour allows you to access everything faster!
Paulina was a star! In the heat and in the crowds she led our group through the Vatican museum, Sistine chapel and led us to St Peter's Basilica (where she did pre instruction as she cannot guide there. Our family learned a lot we would not know without the tour.
We had the guided tour with Valerio. It was great. He put a lot of effort in telling us everything about the history of the Peters Dome and Vatican City and he was able to answer all of our questions. We climed the dome and the view was fantastic. Everything was organised very well.
Our guide was very passionate about his faith which made for a unique tour experience as he believed the basilica for what it is- not a museum - but a place of worship and reverence. Loads of stories and history along with memorizing sites!
The guided tour was great, the guide was very funny and explained things very well. Cutting all the queues was great. I recommend it in French, we were with Paolo 😊👍🏼!
Anna was amazing ! So knowledgable, humourous and so kind to everyone in the tour group! She was very patient and also waited for us all the way until we got to the elevator to get up the elevator to the dome! Highly recommended and be sure to ask for Anna if she's available to do the tour with you 🙏 Greetings from Norway 🇳🇴
Our guide Marta was very knowledgeable and nice. She was a great storyteller and gave great background throughout the tour in each area. The tour was good and I would recommend them. We had a very nice time on this tour and it went to all the spots we wanted. The description is accurate on what you get with the tour. I only have one suggestion - and that is during times with extreme crowds, it is important to ensure that all of the group is accounted for. My husband and I (and another girl we didn't know) were separated during the tour in a critical area to short cut into the Sistine Chapel. The group was given 15 minutes there, but because we were lost and took the long way, buy the time we got there, we were rushed and didn't get the time the rest of the group had. Please make sure to keep the group together. I do understand it is very hard because of the crowds, so this situation alone would not keep me from taking this tour with this tour group again as everything else in the tour was great.
I recommend this tour and I wish you to find a guide like ours, Antonella.... explained opera by opera.... exciting us and telling us anecdotes . If you choose the skip the line it is better because it will allow you not to stand in endless lines Under the hot sun as in beautiful July! We visited the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica. Inside the tour you will find a couple of fountains where you can refill your water bottles. Comfortable shoes and shoulders covered !!! And have fun !!!
Outstanding guide took the group seemlessly through Saint Peter's. She allowed a couple short breaks and provided tons of information. As a religion and history teacher, learning new content is one of the best parts of traveling.
I really liked the cordiality of the guides and the simplicity of the tour, along with the information provided. We started a few minutes after the agreed time, but it was still excellent.
The guide was great and has a lot of experience - he has lived in Rome for 30 years and has many life stories to tell. A very funny and entertaining tour with the necessary background knowledge 😊👍👍👍👍👍
The audio thing does not work good. I had difficulty about hearing. The guide is good and I thing very necessary. Before getting tickets be sure to read all of the information about tour, what you need to and do not need to do. Very crowdy so be ready to this
Volodymyr was great. He provided lots of really interesting facts, and was keen to offer information and insights around the interests of members of our group. I particularly liked the fact that he gave quite a balanced view - of some of the corruption over the centuries, as well as pointing out the glories of the artwork, and all the time being respectful of the culture and religion.
Our guide, Vincenzo, was wonderful. Very funny and knowledgeable. I don't think you can enjoy touring the Vatican without a guide and skip the line. 100% worth it!
Alishba was an amazing guide, so passionate and knowledgeable. She made the tour an exceptional experience Thank you so much Alishba your an amazing lady
Skipping the line was absolutely amazing!!!! The tour guide was absolutely fantastic. Very knowledgeable wonderful tour would not have been the same without her!
Our guide Maria Theresa was amazing! She was very knowledgeable in aspects of the tour. She went out of her way to make sure that the whole group of 17 was taken care of. She had her eyes on everyone throughout and wouldn't let anyone get left behind. With the crowds and other tour croups pushing through she did an exceptional job of communicating with us to keep us together. She gave everyone a potty break in the middle if we needed it. I would highly recommend this tour guide and the company as they all are professionals.
Booking the tour was seamless and efficient. From the moment the tour started to when it ended, we enjoyed every part of it. Our Guide (Kelly) was so helpful, fun and informative. She brought the whole group together really quickly making us all feel like a little multi country family. She went out of her way to make all participants of the group feel very much included. The detail that was shared and the pace we went through the tour was perfect. Kelly's explanation of everything made our visit to the Vatican that much more special.
Learn about the world’s largest basilica and its history as St. Peter’s burial site with an expert guide and priority entry.
Inclusions
Guided tour of St. Peter's Basilica & Papal Tombs
Expert English, Spanish, French, German or Italian-speaking guide
Dome access via elevator (as per option selected)
Exclusions
What to bring
What’s not allowed
Accessibility
Additional information
Diane
Luciano
Jennifer
She was very professional, and her pronunciation was so clear that it was easy to understand her even in a crowded place. She was very kind and explained everything in an engaging way without being boring at all.
Followed the instructions and found the right entry pretty fast. Needed to wait about 10 minutes on the entry and another 10 minutes on security gate, which is nothing compared to the main waiting queue. The audio guide worked good and can be downloaded directly on site. It is not very extensive but is a good extra additionally to the tickets. The only downside was that the tickets weren't sent to us 1 day before the event. I had to contact the 24/7 support via chat at late afternoon. In the morning we had our tickets. -1 star for missing tickets, but +1 for top support. All in all totally worth the money.
Received some refund for undelivered Audio Guide service. It wiuld have been a 5 start if our tickets have been delivered as promised, but I had to followup them on the day of the scheduled tour as our tickets are not available yet. Make sure you are chatting to the real person not on AI when following up your tickets. Thanks to Alex and Maria from Headout for sending me our Skip-the-line tickets 3 hours before the tour and for confirming that we will receive some refund for undelivered audio guide.
Very quick access to St. Peter's Square and thus the basilica. Less than one minute wait at security instead of waiting in a very long line. Top!
Der Zutritt zur Kuppel mit Online-Tickets war sehr schlecht ausgeschildert. Ein Hinweis und eine Markierung des Aufzugs/der Treppe in einer Karte sind sinnvoll. Wenn man zunächst sieht, dass es eine Kasse für Tickets zur Kuppel gibt, ist man irritiert. Die Aufsichtspersonen in der Basilika wussten auch nicht wo der Aufgang ist. Wir wurden hin und her geschickt. Der Aufstieg an sich verlief Problemlos.
All ok!!! Booking, sending tickets and staff availability. On the same day of the excursion unable to view the tickets via app I called the toll free number and they sent them back to me immediately! Zero queue at the entrance!
I had problems with the tickets, we couldn't open the PDF and download it , we would upload at 16/17% then everything would disappear, we wrote a lot with absence and finally they emailed us the tickets. The support was able to solve the problems, very good
The ticket would not open on the app. We called customer service and it was hard to get through. Once we finally did they emailed us a pdf that still wouldn't open. Then, we tried the chat help which never helped. Finally, we had to get to a place with WiFi, email it to someone else's phone and then it opened. We were lucky to make it on time. Also, the audio guide was lacking. I would have liked to have heard about more features of the church.
Nice team - works well - but waiting times could be optimized. The idea is to spend less time in queues.
Entrance to the Basilica is free. We bought this ticket because we went in July and imagined it would be very crowded. Even so, the queue was quiet and we didn't need to queue. I don't recommend buying this ticket, but rather getting there early and getting in for free
I loved the structures. It's massive and impressive. I prayed and reflected which was important to me. But not having the guide was a problem for me because the audio was not enough to explain fully the experience
Buying tickets to the Basilica in advance through your company made sense, because we got in practically without queuing. Everything was harmonious and good.
Admission with the ticket was great. Thank goodness everything worked online via the QR code, without a printout. There was a separate route for those with reserved tickets, so we got through without any problems or waiting. St. Peter's Basilica is a must-see.
It was supposed to be a great experience but because we didnt get the digital guide. We didnt get information on the beautiful things we saw. The venue was very nice but nobody gave us a guide. We asked people inside and they all kept saying its inside.
Easy to get the tickets without any queer and to enter both the church and to climb up in the basilica. The audioguide worked out well with our own phones and our own airpods..
The queues were not sufficiently labeled and therefore it was difficult to find out where to go. Otherwise great.
Super good organization and easy to get in. Time slots were not as strict as communicated, which ensured a smooth visit.
Everything went well on site: very friendly staff surprised us with a small snack at the start meeting point, after which we were led together as a group to the entrance to the dome of the cathedral, where we had to wait in a queue for a few minutes. But no problem. The only criticism: the headout app is very poor: our tickets were not displayed, could not be uploaded and the app kept sending advertisements to our cell phones. The help functions were inadequate. Really annoying.
Fabulous experience! Truly we skipped the line! precise directions, we wasted no time and we were followed in every step, I highly recommend it 🤩
Easy purchase, but a bit long wait for tickets, the reason for which is unclear. In case of booking a minor, arrange an audio guide suitable for little ones.
The guides quickly took us through security and up to the dome. An audio guide was included. Please note: this is not a guided tour, the tickets are not valid directly at the entrance to St. Peter's Basilica, the meeting point is at Cafe San Michele in a side street near the cathedral. All good, I'm happy to recommend it. June 2025
Access to the audio guide could be improved. The application you offer is not intuitive and I couldn't access the audio of the tour.
We turned up at 12.15pm as requested and were turned away, asked to come back at 1pm. No audioguide and a long wait under the blazing sun because someone had a problem, so despite the 2 checkers everything came to a halt.
The reservation worked very well, which allowed us not to queue and to get in before the scheduled time. Good audio.
It was absolutely worth the money! We didn't have to queue anywhere and were able to go straight to St. Peter's Basilica. Only at the gate into the cathedral did it take a maximum of 5 minutes. We are glad that we didn't have to stand in this endless queue in the blazing sun with a small child.
Add meaning to your visit to the world’s most significant Christian church with a rich audio guide, upgrade to reserve entry.
Inclusions
Access to Basilica and Papal Tombs
Digital audio guide
Reserved entry to St. Peter's Basilica (as per option selected)
Access to the Dome by lift or staircase (as per option selected)
Exclusions
What to bring
What’s not allowed
Accessibility
Additional information
Closures & exceptions
Martin
Stefan
Alberto
Would 100% recommend this tour (including St Peter's) to anyone looking to see the Vatican. It was very organised. Gabriella was a great tour guide! Very friendly, approachable and informative!
Our tour guide Pasquale was the best. Answered all our questions and provided a ton of information. He definitely made this tour worthwhile. If you do a tour, ask for him as your guide
The guide Susanna was great, punctuality met, very helpful and knowledgeable-all excellent. In addition, we discovered an excellent Molise restaurant for breakfast and lunch, near the agency from which the tour starts and tickets are picked up.
Very informative presentation. Tour guide was very knowledgeable and made sure we caught the importance of what we were observing. It was amazing.
Very good experience, Joaquina (our guide in Spanish) a success!!!! We were able to make our dream come true and the tour was more than we expected, her kindness and patience to explain everything was the top of the tour. Highly recommended. What we liked the most was not having to wait in the long lines and the complications to enter St. Peter's Basilica, since being part of the tour allows you to access everything faster!
Paulina was a star! In the heat and in the crowds she led our group through the Vatican museum, Sistine chapel and led us to St Peter's Basilica (where she did pre instruction as she cannot guide there. Our family learned a lot we would not know without the tour.
As someone with no base knowledge besides that the Vatican is the home of Catholicism. This was a great way for me to learn about all of Vatican City and the history of it. I would have been wandering around aimlessly without my tour
The guided tour was great, the guide was very funny and explained things very well. Cutting all the queues was great. I recommend it in French, we were with Paolo 😊👍🏼!
Our guide Marta was very knowledgeable and nice. She was a great storyteller and gave great background throughout the tour in each area. The tour was good and I would recommend them. We had a very nice time on this tour and it went to all the spots we wanted. The description is accurate on what you get with the tour. I only have one suggestion - and that is during times with extreme crowds, it is important to ensure that all of the group is accounted for. My husband and I (and another girl we didn't know) were separated during the tour in a critical area to short cut into the Sistine Chapel. The group was given 15 minutes there, but because we were lost and took the long way, buy the time we got there, we were rushed and didn't get the time the rest of the group had. Please make sure to keep the group together. I do understand it is very hard because of the crowds, so this situation alone would not keep me from taking this tour with this tour group again as everything else in the tour was great.
I recommend this tour and I wish you to find a guide like ours, Antonella.... explained opera by opera.... exciting us and telling us anecdotes . If you choose the skip the line it is better because it will allow you not to stand in endless lines Under the hot sun as in beautiful July! We visited the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica. Inside the tour you will find a couple of fountains where you can refill your water bottles. Comfortable shoes and shoulders covered !!! And have fun !!!
We didn't have a clear understanding of where to meet. Head out and our tour guide did everything to find us and ensure we weren't left out. The tour is breathtaking and unforgettable. This may be the best tour we've taken in any city,any where.
The audio thing does not work good. I had difficulty about hearing. The guide is good and I thing very necessary. Before getting tickets be sure to read all of the information about tour, what you need to and do not need to do. Very crowdy so be ready to this
The tour was great. The tour guide was amazing and really knowledgeable. The price was worth it for skipping the ques for the Vatican Museums alone as they were hours long and we bypassed them all and walked in straightaway. The only reason I gave it good rather than awesome was because of the amount of people allowed into the museums itself. This isn't the fault of the tour guide obviously but it meant the experience was less enjoyable in the 30 degree heat because there simply were too many people
Our guide, Vincenzo, was wonderful. Very funny and knowledgeable. I don't think you can enjoy touring the Vatican without a guide and skip the line. 100% worth it!
Skipping the line was absolutely amazing!!!! The tour guide was absolutely fantastic. Very knowledgeable wonderful tour would not have been the same without her!
Our guide Maria Theresa was amazing! She was very knowledgeable in aspects of the tour. She went out of her way to make sure that the whole group of 17 was taken care of. She had her eyes on everyone throughout and wouldn't let anyone get left behind. With the crowds and other tour croups pushing through she did an exceptional job of communicating with us to keep us together. She gave everyone a potty break in the middle if we needed it. I would highly recommend this tour guide and the company as they all are professionals.
The crowds were very heavy for the jubilee but our guide was wonderful in directing us and keeping us focused on the important details on the museum and Basilica!
The tour guide was very well organized, punctual, very entertaining and in addition to his technical and historical knowledge also liked to have a humorous joke along the way. The group was very pleasant with 10 people, it always moved quickly so that we could see everything and also ask what we wanted from this tour. Thank you very much. We are very happy to recommend this tour.
Everything that was mentioned in the tour we saw. Our guide Olga explained so much to the in-depth knowledge & history of The Vatican & sacred places. The crowds were overwhelming but Olga was able to guide us safely to the best vantage points
Very complete visit, the meeting point very easy to locate. I would have liked to have been able to enjoy a little more of the Sistine Chapel, but there were many people and we passed quickly. Otherwise everything was great !!!!
Absolutely loved our guide, Antonio that also speaks Japanese. He was knowledgeable and passionate about his tours. He knew the end and outs making it unforgettable.
All also thanks to Mrs. Antonella! Excellent guidance.
Highly recommended. Very enjoyable and arrivals to each place in a fast way, without queues.
It was an absolute amazing experience. Guide was amazing
Nice tours at time love it.good service
Explore all three Vatican highlights with skip-the-line access to the Museums and exclusive entry to the basilica via a hidden passage.
Inclusions
Guided tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with skip-the-line entry
St. Peter's Basilica Access
Expert English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese-speaking guide
Semi private tour with a max group of 10 (as per option selected)
Early morning tour with St. Peter's Basilica and Dome climb (as per option selected)
Headphones
Exclusions
Diane
Diana
Romina
The explanation was very clear from the guide, always waiting for me because I was late and climbing the dome was an extraordinary experience.
Buying guided tour for ST.Peters Basilica was my ever best experience. Our guide, Brigita, was the highlight of the tour. She was very passionate, her story telling about Vaticano and Basilica was so passionate and so detailed. I enjoyed her passion, story and dedication. The place is amazing, but with such a Great guide and her knowledge was best experience ever. On top od that, she was very funny and humble. Hope everyone else will have opportunity to experience magnificient Vaticano with Brigita. Thank you!
Our guide Valery is a well of cconnaissance.he made this wonderful tour even more interesting. If we come back in the future we hope to have him as our guide again.merci.
We had the guided tour with Valerio. It was great. He put a lot of effort in telling us everything about the history of the Peters Dome and Vatican City and he was able to answer all of our questions. We climed the dome and the view was fantastic. Everything was organised very well.
Anna was amazing ! So knowledgable, humourous and so kind to everyone in the tour group! She was very patient and also waited for us all the way until we got to the elevator to get up the elevator to the dome! Highly recommended and be sure to ask for Anna if she's available to do the tour with you 🙏 Greetings from Norway 🇳🇴
The guide was great and has a lot of experience - he has lived in Rome for 30 years and has many life stories to tell. A very funny and entertaining tour with the necessary background knowledge 😊👍👍👍👍👍
Booking the tour was seamless and efficient. From the moment the tour started to when it ended, we enjoyed every part of it. Our Guide (Kelly) was so helpful, fun and informative. She brought the whole group together really quickly making us all feel like a little multi country family. She went out of her way to make all participants of the group feel very much included. The detail that was shared and the pace we went through the tour was perfect. Kelly's explanation of everything made our visit to the Vatican that much more special.
The lady who gave us a lot of information about St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican State was very knowledgeable and extremely friendly and never tired of answering even the last interesting question. A "feel-good tour"!
Super-friendly guide, to the point in her explanations and full of anecdotes. Mastered her subject and was extremely efficient. Remarkable VAV in all aspects of the tour.
Received some refund for undelivered Audio Guide service. It wiuld have been a 5 start if our tickets have been delivered as promised, but I had to followup them on the day of the scheduled tour as our tickets are not available yet. Make sure you are chatting to the real person not on AI when following up your tickets. Thanks to Alex and Maria from Headout for sending me our Skip-the-line tickets 3 hours before the tour and for confirming that we will receive some refund for undelivered audio guide.
Very quick access to St. Peter's Square and thus the basilica. Less than one minute wait at security instead of waiting in a very long line. Top!
The church itself was amazing, but our guide topped it with an engaged, huomoristic and very interesting tour. We really learned a lot from him and we all had a great experience and it was worth all the money.
We loved the overall experience and our tour guide was awesome and very knowledgeable. She explained everything patiently and thoroughly. We highly recommend this tour.
It was great, the guide explained everything perfectly, very friendly and polite answering every question that was asked.
It was very interesting a must visit !! The guide Valerio was super cool and very polite he explained every detail
Awesome , my pleased to be here and wish everyone a good, peace fortune
Fantastic and Tour guide Alexandria was exceptional
This experience is perfect for learning about the history of this wonderful basilica and the wonderful Rome
Spectacular!!!!! Taking this guided tour was the best decision, our guide Angela a charm knows every corner of St. Peter's Basilica, we started by the caves and going up to the basilica was magical. We went up to the dome to not miss anything in the elevator and then the 300 steps not suitable for heart disease jjj has been the most beautiful thing I've seen and thanks to Angela with very good experience.
Volvo was a great guide. He was able to bring his enthusiasm over to the group and I've got the feeling that I've learned a lot!
Excellent tour guide. Easy explanation, welcoming, made the visit easier despite the prohibitive temperatures
Our guide was very friendly and well informed! The tour was very informative, but not a flood of unnecessary information. Everything was well organized
The tour was really informative and the guide Fabian was very funny and uncomplicated. The whole Vatican is impressive, but without the tour I wouldn't have known the background to many things and would have just walked past. As I said, a really great tour with Fabian!
Unfortunately can't remember the name of our tour guide however he was very informative with the history about rome and the Basilica definitely recommend this tour
Volo was a great guide and explained the history very well. In the sea of people, he was able to navigate us through all the key pieces very efficiently. Well worth it!
Skip lines, enter at your reserved time, and reach Rome’s highest viewpoint with an audio guide.
Inclusions
Reserved entry to St. Peter's Basilica
Access to Papal Tombs
Digital audio guide
Access to the Dome by lift or staircase (as per option selected)
Guided tour of Basilica (as per option selected)
Exclusions
What to bring
What’s not allowed
Accessibility
Additional information
Luciano
Martin
Jennifer
Initially we weren't on "the list" perhaps due to booking a day prior to the event. We were told to wait until everyone was checked in and was escorted over to a guide. She was amazing. I wish I knew her name to give her an A++ review she deserved. She got us to the front of the line and the best aisle seats to view Pope Leo. Memories to last a lifetime!!
We got to see the Pope! Our guide Rudy led us through the security checks quickly and showed us where to take a seat to have a good view.
I thought there would be more provided than the free papal audience ticket and the guide walking us into vatican city. The guides were wonderful, and the information he provided was great, but there was really only 15 minutes worth of information. I think I would prefer to save money next time that I want to participate the Papal Audience. We turned in our whisper devices as soon as we arrived at the seats, so there was really very limited amount of description of the papal audience.
Our guide worked very hard to get his small group up close to the viewing - he had an asssociate who was working with him steering him to front row seats! Along the way he explained the up-coming Papal procession, the Vatican state, the Swiss guards and general history. Well Done!
We loved it, excellent service and guide
Everything it was a brilliant experience
seeing the Pope live, in the vatican
The process of locating the guide was extremely stressful - I arrived at 630am and still by 715 it was a chaos with tour guides shouting at each other and no one offering helpful service. Only after I had to be very forceful to a staff member to say I'm not a late no show I have a ticket did they allow me to join.
We were left alone after entering the St Peter's Square
As advertised, I bought ticket for reserved seating for Papal Audience 6-8-2025. An email confirmation of reserved seating was sent again 5.08.25. The seating is not reserved, so Headout are blatantly deceiving the customer. I would not have purchased a ticket for general seating when it is free for visitors. I would have got a much better seat without the Headout booking. I have emailed customer support with no response. Because of going to meeting point as requested & having to wait 35 minutes there - we left 10 minutes late, there was already an extremely long queue for entrance to St Peter's Square. Headout failed to deliver what they offered. The best seats for the optimum view of Pope were taken & i was unable to get a view of the Pope. I request a full refund of €36.60.
It was a fiasco. I arrived at the given meeting point 45 minutes early. There was no guide to be seen. I eventually made contact with11 other people also at the same point and also unable to make contact with anyone from the Company. When someone eventually responded to frantic phone calls it was to say that the meeting point had been changed and we had been advised. I had certainly not received any communication stating this and neither had any of the other people. By this time it was 8.30 and we then had to do what turned into a 15 minute walk (due to road closures etc by police and military). We then got to the rearranged meeting point where we personally had to ask a girl sat on the steps if she was the person we were looking for. She had nothing to suggest that she was from Headout. No tshirt, no flag. She did not even greet us or make any apologies. Her first words were 'you are very late' which totally annoyed me as I was, as were the others very early. By the time we got into the square the Pope had started his audience. It was so crowded we could not get to the seating area for another 30 minutes. The whole morning was totally ruined by u professionalism. We later met at 12.15 for the tour of St. Peters Basilica- again nothing indicated that it was Headout. In fact it looked like she had tied a dirty bandana/neckerchief onto a pole. For the fee charged I felt it was all totally unacceptable and ruined what should have been a special once in a lifetime (well for me) trip I had done a guided tour the day previous to the Coliseum with another tour company and you could do with learning a few lessons in professionalism from them. Sorry but you will not be getting any recommendations whatsoever from me and I would be interested in your excuses. If it was just myself complaining I would be doubting what happened but there were another 12 people experiencing exactly the same.
The guide Stefan saved the day. Other than that, it was horrible. Waited at the venue sent only to find out it was in a different location. Never again headout
A once-in-a-lifetime Vatican moment—witness the Pope in person with guidance and context from an expert.
Inclusions
Guided tour of the Papal Audience experience
Pre-arranged Papal Audience ticket
Guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica (as per option selected)
Expert English or Spanish-speaking guide (as per option selected)
Headsets
What to bring
What’s not allowed
Accessibility
Additional information
Stacy
Marilyn
Anita
We were at Castel Sant'Angelo before our time, there were no tourists there yet and we didn't have to show a ticket
Wow! Incredible! Visiting Castel Sant'Angelo is an incredible experience! The ticket avoided the queue at the ticket office, we went straight to the entrance, read the QRCode on our cell phone and entered. In other words, everything was smooth, safe and perfect! We love it! I thank and recommend Headout!
Everything , is very interesting, the views it offers from the terrace are beautiful !!!! It took us the time it is said 2 hours of tour. The frescoes on the walls each tell a story. I recommend it
She was very professional, and her pronunciation was so clear that it was easy to understand her even in a crowded place. She was very kind and explained everything in an engaging way without being boring at all.
What I liked most about the castle is that the tour was very clear and easy. To improve, the audio guide could have some historical facts in several languages to reinforce the audio guide.
Very quick access to St. Peter's Square and thus the basilica. Less than one minute wait at security instead of waiting in a very long line. Top!
No delay at the entrance with our prebooked ticket. Castel Sant' Angelo is not as glamorous as many of the other big tourist attractions but it has a fascinating history. The visit took in a museum with several models and paintings of how the site looked in different periods. There are great panoramic views of Rome from the higher levels.
This was a great tour. Didn't get chance to see it last time we visited Rome so was top of my list this time. The download guide was useful but we found it hard to know where to go at times as there were different numbers about for different tours but we managed to make our own way round. Low point was the cafe/bar. We wanted a drink... waited but no one came to us so we went inside and she told us to go outside and wait for the waiter. We gave up in the end which made us leave earlier than we wanted to find somewhere to have a drink. So advice is 'take water!'
Walked right in with entry pass. The views from the castle were impressive and got to see great art without the huge crowds in Vatican museums.
The highlight of my visit was that there was excellent attention from the castle staff and at the time I went at 10 am there were not many people.
Visits to the city and the Vatican
I loved the beautiful view from the castle terrace and the breakfast bar with a maritozzo and cream coffee, although the prices were a bit steep. I did not like having to download the audio guide: not having headphones, it was not at all convenient. In short, it was a good experience to visit the castle -- but once is enough.
All ok!!! Booking, sending tickets and staff availability. On the same day of the excursion unable to view the tickets via app I called the toll free number and they sent them back to me immediately! Zero queue at the entrance!
I had problems with the tickets, we couldn't open the PDF and download it , we would upload at 16/17% then everything would disappear, we wrote a lot with absence and finally they emailed us the tickets. The support was able to solve the problems, very good
Amazing to follow the history of this building. A suggestion, it was difficult to follow the numbers of the audios the way you have the numbers set out to begin with, until I worked out that you had some numbers in brackets. Why not just match the numbers of the actual venue?
It is a beautiful castle that also offers a terrace overlooking the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, it is very nice and I definitely recommend it.
Nice team - works well - but waiting times could be optimized. The idea is to spend less time in queues.
Very interesting and lots of good information. The audio guide's directions were sometimes not entirely clear and there was less information than in the official audio guide.
It's really worth seeing the inside of Castel Sant'Angelo. The rooms are very magnificent, which you wouldn't believe when you stand in front of the castle. The audio guide is ok and helps you to experience even more. The view from the castle is really good on all sides. Admission was possible without queuing. :-)
Castel Sant'Angelo is huge and beautiful. The view from the castle is unforgettable. Unfortunately the audiguide is not complete. But it was still fantastic!
It was a incredible experience I celebrated my 50th birthday today and enjoyed the visit to the castle and had a cappuccino in the little bar and the staff were so kind and welcoming thank you for the most memorable birthday ever 💕
Everything in Rome seemed to be a scam. I thought I was getting tickets with an audio guide...what I got was expensive tickets and an option to download an app with a guide that couldn't be played in the castle, unless I somehow traveled with headphones on me. Buyer beware, you can get an audio guide at the castle, don't waste your money.
I paid for the audio guide and once there the people explained to me that HeadOut didn't sell access to the official audio guides, only an option that lets you download an audio guide via their app etc etc. We were disappointed because we paid for nothing.
Buying tickets to the Basilica in advance through your company made sense, because we got in practically without queuing. Everything was harmonious and good.
It was supposed to be a great experience but because we didnt get the digital guide. We didnt get information on the beautiful things we saw. The venue was very nice but nobody gave us a guide. We asked people inside and they all kept saying its inside.
Experience Rome’s past in one ticket—explore an emperor’s fortress and the world's largest church. Everything you get at Castel Sant’Angelo: Explore the fortress's secret passages, medieval weapons, and ancient statues. Everything you get at St. Peter’s Basilica: Enter St. Peter’s Basilica, where you can see Bernini’s Chair of St. Peter, then descend into the Vatican Grottoes to explore Papal tombs. Why choose this: Immerse yourself in Rome's religious history by exploring the world’s largest church and the Popes' castle in this budget-friendly combo.
Inclusions
Direct entry to St. Peter's Basilica
Direct entry to Castel Sant'Angelo and terrace access
Digital audio guide
Castel Sant’Angelo
St. Peter’s Basilica
Irena
Stefan
Markus
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
Book now without paying anything. Cancel for free if your plans change.
You can cancel these tickets up to 48 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
Book now without paying anything. Cancel for free if your plans change.
You can cancel these tickets up to 48 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
Our guide was very passionate about his faith which made for a unique tour experience as he believed the basilica for what it is- not a museum - but a place of worship and reverence. Loads of stories and history along with memorizing sites!
Outstanding guide took the group seemlessly through Saint Peter's. She allowed a couple short breaks and provided tons of information. As a religion and history teacher, learning new content is one of the best parts of traveling.
Volodymyr was great. He provided lots of really interesting facts, and was keen to offer information and insights around the interests of members of our group. I particularly liked the fact that he gave quite a balanced view - of some of the corruption over the centuries, as well as pointing out the glories of the artwork, and all the time being respectful of the culture and religion.
This was an awesome guided tour of the Basilica. Our guide, Mariana (spelling), was so knowledgeable. She was courteous and sensitive to the needs of the group as well as respectful to those in prayer and other tour groups. We would book tours again through the Mya Tours agency.
Andrea was a wonderful tour guide with lots of expert knowledge. She was very engaging and kind to everyone she encountered. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and would highly recommend Andrea to anyone. Thank you!!!!
Mateo ( hope I have remembered) gave us a great tour. Very knowledgeable and we learned a lot from him. He was very enthusiastic and helpful.
I thought our guide was fantastic. She covered all the basic information and add lots of interesting facts! The tour was very inclusive. I highly recommend it!!
All staff were very friendly. They had to contact us before due to the Vatican closing for a special service. They rearranged this well. The express tour gave us all the information we needed. It was great that the tour provided direct access & we didn't have to queue to get into the Vatican. Once the tour was over you could stay inside for as long as you wanted.
We were in general line. tour mentooned seperate fast entry but it was general long queue. Tour guide emglish /accent was not very clear, it was not engaging at all. Got bored. Lot of people ledt kn between.
Alex was an amazing tour guide. He knew the history of the Vatican and gave very detailed information. I enjoyed the stories and jokes! It was a great experience.
Roberta was our tour guide and she was excellent! Our children, 7 year old twins, enjoyed the tour because she found little ways to incorporate them while giving the rest of the group- all adults- all the wonderful history. I would recommend this tour, but specifically this guide! 🥰
We had an excellent lady as a guide. Very communicative in excellent English and had a very good knowledge of the subject. Headout travel highly recommended.
Our tour Guide was excellent. He explained everything so well. He gave such great details. We just loved the experience. Thank you so much for the experience.
The tour company staff were on time, easy to identify so that we knew we were in the right place. The tour guide was knowledgeable but often got too far ahead of our group and didn't allow adequate time for photos at certain points.
We took a guided tour of Castel St Angelo with only 6 people in the group. The Castel itself is steeped in history spanning 2000 years of varying use, and is a fascinating place to visit. The guide that took us around was SUPERB!! Very knowledgeable and very interesting. She also spent more time with us than was planned which was kind of her. (I'm only sorry I can't remember her name. Leopard patterned baseball cap in theirs 30s. You know who you are!) Fantastic.
Mariana was one of the best guide I have ever met. She was very profesional, she managed with calm diffrent situation and helped us too realy feel the history of Saint Peter basilica. Congratulation Headout!
Although there were so many people oir guide told us stories about the basilica especially my kids liked. We will be back in autum. Hopefully the basilica wont be so crowded
We had the tour in english and the guy was really nice. I think his name was Eduardo ( sorry if im wrong ) The whole tour was interresting and time was flying.
A super competent guide and, of course, the place itself.
Our tour guide was fabulous! Very engaging and knowledgeable.
Excellent guide - very knowledgeable and exceptional English
Very informative and took quite a few pictures
Our guide Irene was wonderful. She was knowledgeable and personable. Quite a learning experience
Ticketing process easy to use. Our tour guide Ginny was great - knowledgeable, enthusiastic and clear.
Guide was really knowledgeable and gave good description of basilica
From battlefields to basilicas, explore 2,000 years of Roman history in just one morning.
Inclusions Castel Sant’Angelo
Guided tour of Castel Sant'Angelo with entry
Expert English-speaking guide
Group of up to 20 guests
St. Peter’s Basilica
Guided tour of St. Peter's Basilica and the Papal Tombs
Expert English-speaking guide
Castel Sant’Angelo
St. Peter’s Basilica
Charlotte
Lisa
Christine
