St. Peter’s Basilica: What to See, Hours and Free Entry

St. Peter's Basilica is one of the absolute must-sees in the Vatican. Besides housing the Holy See of Vatican City, it's a monument packed with history and artistic treasures.

St. Peter's Basilica: a work of art

St. Peter's Basilica is one of the largest buildings in the world, measuring 218 m long and 136 m high. All told, it covers 23,000 m²!

It's one of Rome's four papal basilicas, along with St. John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore and St. Paul Outside the Walls.

Building the basilica took nearly two centuries. The finest artists of the Renaissance worked on it: Bramante, Bernini, Giovanni Giocondo, Bernardo Rossellino, Raffaello Sanzio, Giacomo della Porta, Domenico Fontana and Michelangelo Buonarroti, among others.

A fun fact: Michelangelo also designed the uniforms still worn by the Swiss Guard who protect the place.

While you're visiting St. Peter's Basilica, don't miss the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Tip: you can do all of these visits for free with the Omnia Card.

 

What to see in St. Peter's Basilica

As soon as you step through the main doors, look to your right. You'll be left open-mouthed by the perfection of Michelangelo's statue: the Pietà.

Once inside the basilica, there are countless things and details you shouldn't miss. Here's what to see in St. Peter's Basilica:

• The Vatican Treasury Museum. There you can see part of the collection, plus a couple of shops where friendly Italian staff (many of them speak English) will help you with all kinds of information and sell you souvenirs.
• The Vatican Necropolis, home to the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle, the tombs of all the previous popes and the Vatican Gardens.
• You'll also find the porphyry disc where Charlemagne knelt when he was crowned emperor.

And right down the center of the basilica, marked into the floor with their names (in Latin), you can see the lengths of the world's other major churches, which really drives home just how big St. Peter's Basilica is.

Inside the basilica you'll also find the tomb of Pope John Paul II, always surrounded by people who admired him and now pray to him, since he was canonized some time ago. 

Honestly, walking into this place is, as the song goes, «a religious experience». The scent of incense, the height of the ceilings and dome, the marble cherubs smiling down at you kindly, Michelangelo's Pietà, the awe on everyone's faces and the sense of history walking right beside you.

The Dome of St. Peter's in the Vatican

As you walk through the aisles, you'll notice that almost everything that looks like a fresco is actually a mosaic, dome included.

You reach the dome of St. Peter's from the outside of the basilica. To get up there, you can first take an elevator part of the way. Then comes a second stretch of 320 steps, and finally 550 steps to the very top.

Worth noting: the climb, especially the last stretch, isn't advisable for people with mobility issues or claustrophobia.

It's a genuinely worthwhile experience, and if you've already visited the basilica before, climbing the dome of St. Peter's adds a whole new dimension and rewards you with unbeatable panoramic views.

See all the details and buy your dome ticket with a guided tour and optional access to the crypts.

You really should go… and as with all Rome's monuments, if you can manage it, come at night too, to admire the illuminated facade and the silence and calm you feel when the square is nearly empty.

One thing though: remember that low-cut tops and shorts are not allowed.

Keep in mind that St. Peter's Basilica is closed on Wednesday mornings, when the papal audience is held in St. Peter's Square. It reopens around 1 p.m.

Around the Vatican you'll find a quiet residential area that makes a great base in Rome. Check out our pick of cheap hotels near the Vatican and enjoy being able to walk there.

St. Peter's Basilica tickets

Entry to the church is free. You only pay to climb the dome of St. Peter's. You can also book a guided tour using the button below:

St. Peter's Basilica is one of those places you simply have to visit, whether you're in Rome for a day, 2 days or 3 days.

Note that the guided tour of the basilica is included in the Roma Pass, the Go City Explorer pass. Another good way to see the basilica is by joining one of the free tours in Rome, led by guides who know their archaeology.

Once you've seen the basilica, head over to Castel Sant'Angelo, less than a 10-minute walk away.

How to get there

The basilica isn't in Rome but in the Città del Vaticano, capital of the smallest independent state in the world, at 0.44 km² with a population of around 1,000.

Address: Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Vatican City.
You can reach St. Peter's Basilica in the following ways:

• Take the Rome metro to Ottaviano station (about a 10-minute walk away).
• Take tram line 19 to the Risorgimento/San Pietro stop.
• Regional train to Roma S. Pietro station.

Where is St. Peter's Basilica?

According to www.romando.org, St. Peter's Basilica is located in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City, Rome, Italy. It was consecrated in 1626 after 120 years of construction and measures 218 meters long, with a dome 136 meters high designed by Michelangelo. Entry to the basilica is free.