St. Peter's Dome Climb and Sistine Chapel Combo Tour
See Rome from above then go deeper into the Vatican’s highlights and Michelangelo’s masterpieces
4.95
(625)
5 h
Max 20 Guests
Most tours skip the climb to St. Peter’s Dome, missing one of the most breathtaking views in Rome. With early access, ascend to the top of the Dome, where panoramic views stretch across Vatican City, the Eternal City beyond. Back on ground level, your guide will give a detailed overview of St. Peter’s Basilica before you step inside to explore at your own pace. Then, skip the line into the Vatican Museums for a guided visit through its most famous galleries, ending in the Sistine Chapel.
The Vatican City is home to many bucket-list attractions, and the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica are definitely at the top of the list. However, climbing St. Peter’s Dome isn't included in most tours, which is why this is a top-selling Vatican tour for those who want the full experience.
You'll meet your expert local guide early this morning in front St. Peter’s Basilica, and along with a small group, you'll take the elevator to the first floor of the inner do...
Select participants and date
Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance!
Skip the line tickets
Elevator tickets
Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
St. Peter's Basilica
Group size of 20
Passionate, English-speaking guide
Wheelchair accessible
Meals
Guide gratuity
Hotel pickup
Meet your guide at Largo Del Colonnato
Begin your morning right outside of St. Peter’s Basilica, where you’ll meet your friendly guide and small group of fellow travelers
St Peter's Square
Roam through Vatican City’s jaw-dropping plaza, lined by 284 columns and 140 statues of saints, all of which were designed by Bernini
Dome climb
After taking the elevator to the lower level of St. Peter’s Dome, walk up 320 stone steps for an unforgettable view of the Eternal City!
St. Peter's Basilica
Enjoy an explanation of the world's largest church, admiring the Basilica’s incredible works of art and magnificent architecture
Vatican Museums
Explore the Vatican’s historic treasures and impressive art as you swiftly enter Vatican City’s exquisite museums with your priority tickets
For Reference Only. Itineraries are subject to change
Meet your guide at Largo Del Colonnato. This is the area just outside of the St. Peters Square colonnades, on the right side if you’re looking at St. Peter’s Basilica. You’ll see a friendly representative holding a “The Tour Guy” sign standing between the fountain and the green kiosk.
Since this is a walking tour, be sure to wear comfortable shoes and bring a bottle of water.
4.95
625 Ratings
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Fantastic!!
Amanda Trinh
April 14, 2025
We had a fantastic tour with Yamuna! Highly recommend!
Fleur Webb
April 12, 2025
Simone was a great guide - it was a big tour and she kept its brisk and informative; lovely voice and detailed explanations.
Great tour guide
Jeffrey Lemon
April 11, 2025
This tour gave an excellent overview of the Vatican City. Of course it's impossible to see everything in detail on a five hour tour, but Yamuna pointed out all the highlights. We would have been lost without her. Thanks Yamuna!!
Wonderful Tour with Yamuna!!!
Sigourney Miller
April 10, 2025
We had an amazing day touring St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel with Yamuna. The climb to the top of St. Peter's Dome was not for the faint of heart. However, there were places to take breaks off to the side and once you got to the top you were met with a breath taking view and cool crisp air. After the climb we went through St. Peter's and toured the basilica. Yamuna shared such fun facts and had a great sense of humor. She was great at keeping the group together and kept the tour at a nice pace so we could see everything. Although 5 hours was a LONG day there was still so much more to see. My only suggestion would be to provide a multi-day type tour because it is A LOT of walking. Yamuna was enthusiastic and although Im sure she has done this tour 1,000 times it was almost as if she were giving it for the first time with the excitement she had when it came to speaking about the art and architecture. It made the overall experience very nice! I would recommend touring with Yamuna to anyone going to Rome.
Seth Nofziger
April 09, 2025
Incredible, full of sights!
Sicily Hunter
April 09, 2025
This tour was the jackpot!! AMAZING 🥳 We did the early morning start which was great as by the time we were leaving the Vatican, the line was wrapped around to go up the dome, i can’t imagine waiting that long! Be prepared for a long day, we ended our tour at 2 pm so it was 7 hours of constant movement but the best way to see so much. Our guide Marco was very knowledgeable and good at guiding our group through crowds. There was some difficulty understanding him at points just due to some incorrect use of English phrases, but his English itself was super crisp and clear. Would definitely recommend if you want to make the most of your time in Rome 😍
Tashnuva Chowdhury
April 09, 2025
Informative and enjoyable tour
Elizabeth Drummond
April 06, 2025
Whilst this tour lasts 5 hours it is well worth it! Our guide was knowledgeable, interesting and humorous to help pass the time. She was able to replan quickly on the spot when there had to be route changes due to an event so we didn’t miss out on anything, and gave us a couple of ‘free’ 15 minutes to grab a coffee / wander around on our own. The dome climb was a definite highlight - well worth the early start!
Lovely Tour of the Vatican
Annessa Rees
April 05, 2025
Kate was absolutely the best tour guide. Her communication, directions, amazing attitude and smile made the tour extra special. Highly recommend the early morning tour to avoid the lines. Definitely ask for Kate as your guide.
Vatican
Erle Cellona
April 01, 2025
Awesome!
Anita Kissinger
April 01, 2025
Deborah Mackenzie
March 31, 2025
Jennifer Batterton
March 30, 2025
Scott Jones
March 29, 2025
Maria’s a star
Amanda Blackmore
March 27, 2025
Met for our tour at 7.00am and had 5 hours of climbing the dome, touring St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican museums and Cistine Chapel. Maria was very knowledgeable and humorous. My husband and I had a great morning. Thank you.
Marissa Carrasco
March 27, 2025
Raffa
Pamela Love
March 26, 2025
Raffa was a wonderful guide! I learned so much from her about St Peter’s Basillica and the Vatican museums. I highly recommend her.
Maria Albertson
March 21, 2025
Very Thorough and Enjoyable Tour of Vatican City
Laurie Smith
March 21, 2025
This tour included so much. I felt like we saw all of the highlights of Vatican City and then some. Our tour guide (I’m sorry but her name is escaping me. I think it starts with an R as she kept saying it as R…. from Roma). Anyway she was great. She was well trained and very knowledgeable. She provided great information and was able to answer all of the various questions from our group. I will say that the tour was a little bit longer than we expected, but I think that was partially due to the large crowds. When it is as crowded as it was today, he can’t really run or go faster. You just have to be patient and wait your turn.
Sarah Smith
March 20, 2025
Fantastic experience
Karen Wellington
March 19, 2025
I loved everything about this tour. The guide was great! Everything was so beautiful. I am so happy that I chose to do this tour.
John Diemar
March 19, 2025
Megan Myers
March 17, 2025
Great tour to see everything in Vatican
Yingying Xu
March 16, 2025
I chose this tour because I wanted to see as many things as possible in Vatican. In this tour we started from climbing on top of the dome, then visited inside of St Peter’s, Vatican museum and Sistine chapel. The total time was about 6 hours (with short breaks) so be prepared to walk long and feel tired, but it very well worths the long hours because you can get so much from the tour. And the best is you don’t need to wait in long lines.
Unbelievable!
James Edge
March 14, 2025
Of course St. Peter's Basilica is indescribably beautiful, and the treasures of the Vatican Museum are amazing. And obviously, the Sistine Chapel is breathtaking. But what made our visit special was the wonderful tour guide Moona, who through her background in history and art, made it all come alive!