Sistine Chapel
Rome, Italy
St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Rome
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Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Free; dome ≈ €8–15
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Opening hours
- ≈ 7:00–19:00 summer, to 18:00–18:30 winter; dome closes earlier
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 1 h 30 min
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Basilica
- Free entry after security
- Dome
- ≈ €8–10 on foot (551 steps), ≈ €10–15 with lift (320 steps)
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Dress code
- Shoulders and knees covered — enforced for everyone
- Time needed
- 1 hour for the basilica, about 1 more for the dome
- Location
- St Peter's Square, Vatican City; Metro A Ottaviano, 10 minutes' walk
Key facts
1506–1626built over 120 years on the site of Constantine's basilica
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English Wikipedia≈ 136.6 mfrom floor to the cross on the dome
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English WikipediaMichelangelodesigned the dome; Giacomo della Porta completed it in 1590
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English Wikipedia≈ 15,000 m²floor area — one of the largest churches in the world
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English Wikipedia29 mheight of Bernini's bronze baldachin over the papal altar
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English Wikipedia1499Michelangelo finished the Pietà — the only work he signed
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English Wikipedia551steps to the top on foot, or 320 after the lift to the roof
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2026 visitor guidesSt Peter's Basilica dress code
Guards at the entrance turn away anyone with bare shoulders or knees — men and women alike. Shorts, short skirts, vests and strappy tops won't get through. A scarf over the shoulders sometimes works, but trousers or a skirt below the knee and a T-shirt with sleeves are safest. Large bags, tripods and knives are refused at security.
Is St Peter's Basilica free?
Yes — the basilica, the Vatican Grottoes beneath it and the square are all free. You queue for an airport-style security check under the right-hand colonnade, which takes 15 minutes early in the morning and up to an hour at midday in summer. Only the dome climb and the treasury museum charge. Anyone selling 'skip-the-line basilica tickets' on the square is selling a guided tour, not entry.
A short history
The church stands over the traditional burial place of St Peter. Emperor Constantine built the first basilica here in the 4th century; by the 1500s it was crumbling, and in 1506 Pope Julius II laid the foundation stone of a new one designed by Donato Bramante.
Over the next 120 years Raphael, Antonio da Sangallo, Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta and Carlo Maderno all took charge. Michelangelo, aged 71, simplified the plan and designed the dome; Maderno lengthened the nave and built the 115-metre façade. The basilica was consecrated in 1626, after which Gian Lorenzo Bernini spent decades on the canopy, the Chair of St Peter and the square — which is why the building blends High Renaissance and Baroque.
What to see inside
- The Holy Door — far right of the portico, opened only in Jubilee years.
- Michelangelo's Pietà — first chapel on the right, behind bulletproof glass; finished in 1499 when he was 24, and the only piece he signed.
- Tomb of John Paul II — Chapel of St Sebastian in the right aisle.
- Bronze statue of St Peter — his right foot worn smooth by pilgrims' touch.
- Bernini's baldachin — 29 metres of twisted bronze columns over the papal altar, directly beneath the dome.
- Chair of St Peter — Bernini's gilded throne in the apse, lit by a yellow alabaster window with the Holy Spirit dove.
- Vatican Grottoes — papal tombs below the floor, free, with the exit in the right aisle.
Climbing St Peter's dome
There are two options: all on foot, 551 steps for roughly €8–10, or the lift to the roof terrace and then 320 steps for roughly €10–15. Prices vary between sources; you pay at the dome entrance on the right side of the basilica, with its own line. The dome opens around 7:30–8:00 and closes before the church.
First you step onto the interior gallery around the base of the dome, with the mosaics almost in reach and the baldachin tiny below. The final stretch squeezes between the dome's two shells on a narrow, slanting staircase, then opens onto a 360° terrace over St Peter's Square, the Vatican Gardens and the whole of Rome.
How to get to St Peter's Basilica
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Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Sistine Chapel is about 1 min away on foot.
- St Peter's Square is about 6 min away on foot.
- Vatican Museums is about 17 min away on foot.
More tips
- Metro line A to Ottaviano, then 10 minutes' walk down Via Ottaviano to the colonnade.
- Bus 40 or 64 from Termini or Piazza Venezia to the Borgo / Via della Conciliazione stops.
- On foot from Castel Sant'Angelo: 10 minutes along Via della Conciliazione.
- The security line starts under the right-hand colonnade of St Peter's Square.
Best time to visit
Arrive at 7:00 or after 17:00 for the shortest line. On Wednesday mornings the papal general audience fills the square and the basilica stays shut until it ends. The Sunday midday Angelus draws crowds too, and the security line afterwards is long. If you're visiting the Vatican Museums, some guided tours exit from the Sistine Chapel straight into the basilica.
Is St Peter's worth it?
Without question. It's free, and photographs never capture the scale — the letters of the inscription inside the dome are nearly two metres tall. Allow an hour for the church and another for the dome; if you only do one extra, the dome is worth the steps for the view over St Peter's Square.
Before you go
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Rome's churches: compare and choose
Churches and basilicas in Rome rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.
| Pantheon | 82 | 30 min | ≈ €5 | 34 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter's Basilicayou are here | 71 | 1 h 30 min | Free; dome ≈ €8–15 | — |
| Sistine Chapel | 64 | 30 min | Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25 | 3 min walk |
| Archbasilica of St John Lateran | 64 | 45 min | Free | 4.7 km |
| Santa Maria Maggiore | 62 | 40 min | Free | 3.8 km |
| Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls | 57 | 45 min | Free | 5.2 km |
| Church of the Gesù | 53 | 30 min | Free | 40 min walk |
| Sant'Ignazio | 51 | 30 min | Free | 38 min walk |
| Santa Maria sopra Minerva | 51 | 30 min | Free | 37 min walk |
| Piazza del Popolo | 50 | 30 min | Free | 37 min walk |
| Santa Maria in Trastevere | 50 | 30 min | Free | 34 min walk |
| Mouth of Truth | 49 | 20 min | Donation ≈ €2 | 2.8 km |
| Catacombs of Rome | 48 | 1 h 30 min | ≈ €10–12 with guide | 3.8 km |
| San Pietro in Vincoli | 48 | 20 min | Free | 3.4 km |
| San Luigi dei Francesi | 47 | 20 min | Free | 31 min walk |
| Santa Maria della Vittoria | 46 | 20 min | Free | 3.4 km |
| San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane | 46 | 20 min | Free | 3.1 km |
| Tempietto | 45 | 20 min | Free | 32 min walk |
| Santa Sabina | 45 | 20 min | Free | 2.9 km |
| Trastevere | 44 | 2 h | Free | 34 min walk |
| Baths of Diocletian | 42 | 1 h | Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12 | 3.7 km |
| Basilica of San Clemente | 39 | 1 h | Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12 | 3.9 km |
The Vatican in a day
Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel in the morning, St Peter's and the dome after lunch, then the square and Castel Sant'Angelo at sunset.
- Vatican Museums3 h · ≈ €25
- 6 min walk from the previous stopSistine Chapel30 min · Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25
- 3 min walk from the previous stopSt Peter's Basilicayou are here1 h 30 min · Free; dome ≈ €8–15
- 5 min walk from the previous stopSt Peter's Square30 min · Free
- 13 min walk from the previous stopCastel Sant'Angelo1 h 30 min · ≈ €15–20
5 places · about 7 h 27 min with walks · 27 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- The shortest security line is at 7:00.
- The inscription letters inside the dome are almost 2 m tall.
- The Grottoes are free; the exit is in the right aisle.
- Rub nothing — the Peter statue's foot is protected now in busy periods.
Questions
Is St Peter's Basilica free to enter?
Yes. Only the dome climb (about €8–10 on foot, €10–15 with lift) and the treasury charge.
What is the dress code for St Peter's Basilica?
Shoulders and knees covered for everyone; no shorts, short skirts or sleeveless tops.
How many steps to the top of St Peter's dome?
551 on foot, or 320 after taking the lift to the roof terrace.
What time does St Peter's Basilica open?
Around 7:00, closing around 19:00 in summer and 18:00–18:30 in winter.
How long is the security line?
About 15 minutes at opening, up to an hour at midday in summer.
Where is Michelangelo's Pietà?
In the first chapel on the right as you enter, behind glass.
Who designed St Peter's Basilica?
Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo (the dome), della Porta, Maderno (the façade) and Bernini (interior and square).
Is St Peter's closed on Wednesdays?
Only on Wednesday mornings during the papal general audience.
How long do you need at St Peter's?
About an hour, two with the dome.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- Basilica Papale di San Pietro, official website
- English Wikipedia, St. Peter's Basilica
- 2026 visitor guides: artvisitguide.com, tourist-in-rom.com, help-tourists-in-rome.com
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