# St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Rome > St Peter's Basilica is the Catholic Church's principal church, built over 120 years from 1506 to 1626. Entry is free after a security check under the colonnade that takes 15–60 minutes. Inside are Michelangelo's Pietà and Bernini's bronze canopy; the dome climb adds about an hour. It opens daily from about 7:00 to 19:00. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-basilica - City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy - YesGo score: 71/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - Entry: Free; dome ≈ €8–15 - With kids: Fine with kids - Basilica: Free entry after security - Dome: ≈ €8–10 on foot (551 steps), ≈ €10–15 with lift (320 steps) - Opening hours: ≈ 7:00–19:00 summer, to 18:00–18:30 winter; dome closes earlier - 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 - Coordinates: 41.90222, 12.45342 - Facts checked: 10.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1506–1626** — built over 120 years on the site of Constantine's basilica (source: English Wikipedia) - **≈ 136.6 m** — from floor to the cross on the dome (source: English Wikipedia) - **Michelangelo** — designed the dome; Giacomo della Porta completed it in 1590 (source: English Wikipedia) - **≈ 15,000 m²** — floor area — one of the largest churches in the world (source: English Wikipedia) - **29 m** — height of Bernini's bronze baldachin over the papal altar (source: English Wikipedia) - **1499** — Michelangelo finished the Pietà — the only work he signed (source: English Wikipedia) - **551** — steps to the top on foot, or 320 after the lift to the roof (source: 2026 visitor guides) ## St 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. > **The dome isn't for everyone** The last section is a tight spiral with tilted walls and no way to turn back easily. If you're claustrophobic or have heart or knee problems, take the lift to the roof terrace and stop there — the view across the square is still excellent. ## How to get to St Peter's Basilica 1. Metro line A to **Ottaviano**, then 10 minutes' walk down Via Ottaviano to the colonnade. 2. Bus 40 or 64 from Termini or Piazza Venezia to the Borgo / Via della Conciliazione stops. 3. On foot from [Castel Sant'Angelo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/castel-sant-angelo): 10 minutes along Via della Conciliazione. 4. 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](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/vatican-museums), some guided tours exit from the [Sistine Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/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](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-square). ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Cover shoulders and knees - [ ] Arrive at 7:00 or after 17:00 - [ ] Avoid Wednesday mornings (papal audience) - [ ] Bring cash or a card for the dome - [ ] Leave big bags at the hotel ## Rome's churches: compare and choose Churches and basilicas in Rome rated by YesGo. - [Pantheon](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pantheon) — YesGo score 82/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · ≈ €5 - [St Peter's Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-basilica) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Free; dome ≈ €8–15 - [Sistine Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sistine-chapel) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25 - [Archbasilica of St John Lateran](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/lateran-basilica) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; cloister ≈ €5 - [Santa Maria Maggiore](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-maggiore) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free - [Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-paul-outside-the-walls) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free - [Church of the Gesù](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/church-of-the-gesu) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Sant'Ignazio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sant-ignazio) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Santa Maria sopra Minerva](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-sopra-minerva) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Piazza del Popolo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-del-popolo) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Santa Maria in Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-in-trastevere) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Donation ≈ €2 - [Catacombs of Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/rome-catacombs) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €10–12 with guide - [San Pietro in Vincoli](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-pietro-in-vincoli) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [San Luigi dei Francesi](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-luigi-dei-francesi) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Santa Maria della Vittoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-della-vittoria) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-carlo-alle-quattro-fontane) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Tempietto](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/tempietto) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Santa Sabina](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-sabina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trastevere) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free - [Baths of Diocletian](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/baths-of-diocletian) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12 - [Basilica of San Clemente](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-clemente) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12 ## 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. 1. [Vatican Museums](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/vatican-museums) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ €25 2. [Sistine Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sistine-chapel) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25 3. [St Peter's Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-basilica) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Free; dome ≈ €8–15 4. [St Peter's Square](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-square) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free 5. [Castel Sant'Angelo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/castel-sant-angelo) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €15–20 ## Don't mix it up St Peter's isn't Rome's cathedral — that's the Archbasilica of St John Lateran. Rome also has San Pietro in Vincoli, 'St Peter in Chains', which holds Michelangelo's Moses. ## Tips - 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. ## How we checked History, architects, dimensions and artworks from English Wikipedia. Dome prices and opening hours checked against several 2026 guides, which disagree — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - 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 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.