St Peter's Basilica: What to See Inside, Hours and Entry

The highlights of St Peter’s Basilica are Michelangelo’s Pietà, Bernini’s bronze baldachin over the papal altar, the dome and, under the floor, the Vatican Grottoes with the tombs of popes. Entry is free: you go through the security check in the right-hand colonnade of St Peter’s Square and walk in. From 26 October 2026 to 28 March 2027 it is open every day from 7:00 to 19:00. The only thing you pay for is the climb up the dome, 22 € with the elevator or 17 € by the stairs.

How do you get into St Peter’s Basilica and how much does it cost?

The basilica charges no admission. You enter from St Peter’s Square, through the Italian State Police security checks in the colonnade on the right as you face the facade. In high season the line can be long; tour operators mention waits of up to 30 minutes at the Vatican’s checks.

Free does not mean entry is guaranteed. The basilica can close without notice for ceremonies, and operators warn that it closes on Wednesday mornings for the Pope’s general audience.

Before you go, check the basilica’s rules:

• Dress code: pants or skirts below the knee and shoulders covered, for everyone. No hats.
• There is no cloakroom. Bring as little as possible: bulky items are not allowed.
• Behavior: no phone calls, food, smoking or animals, and you are asked not to take photos.

What does cost money:

What	Price	Where
Basilica	No admission charge	Right-hand colonnade check
Dome by elevator (includes basilica)	22 €	booking.basilicasanpietro.va
Dome by stairs (includes basilica)	17 €	booking.basilicasanpietro.va
Timed visit with digital audio guide	On the official website	basilicasanpietro.va
Necropolis, tomb of St Peter	By request	The basilica’s official website

The dome is free for children up to 6 and for people with a disability above 74 % plus a companion, and there is a reduced rate for ages 7 to 17.

What is there to see inside St Peter’s Basilica?

The basilica has 45 altars and 11 chapels, so it pays to focus on the sure things. In order, from the entrance:

1. The portico and its five doors. The one on the right is the Holy Door, which opens only in Holy Years. Above the main entrance is part of Giotto’s mosaic La Navicella, which came from the old basilica.
2. The Pietà, in the first chapel on the right. Michelangelo carved it in Carrara marble between 1498 and 1499, at age 24. It has been behind glass since the 1972 attack. We tell its story in Michelangelo’s Pietà.
3. The central nave, 187 meters long. In the floor is the red porphyry disc on which Charlemagne knelt on the day of his coronation, and on a pier to the right, the bronze statue of St Peter attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio.
4. Bernini’s baldachin, under the dome: bronze, 28.5 m tall, on four 20 m Solomonic columns. It covers the papal altar, which stands above the tomb of St Peter. More in St Peter’s baldachin.
5. The four piers of the dome, with statues of St Helena, St Andrew, St Veronica and St Longinus; the last is by Bernini.
6. The Chair of St Peter, in the apse: a bronze reliquary by Bernini (1656–1665) holding the ancient chair, borne by large bronze figures of the Fathers of the Church and set below a stained-glass window with the dove of the Holy Spirit.
7. The tombs of popes, among them those of Urban VIII and Alexander VII, by Bernini, and that of Clement XIII, by Canova.

Under the floor are the Vatican Grottoes, an underground church with three naves and the tombs of popes. Further down still lies the Vatican Necropolis, the ancient Roman burial ground where Pius XII announced in 1950 the discovery of St Peter’s tomb; it can be visited only by request. And above is St Peter’s dome, 136.57 m to the cross, the tallest in the world according to Wikipedia.

Who built St Peter’s Basilica?

The current basilica was begun by Bramante on 18 April 1506, by order of Julius II, and completed on 18 November 1626, after 120 years and a long list of architects. It replaced the basilica built by Emperor Constantine, begun between 326 and 330, over the spot where, according to tradition, St Peter was buried.

Year	Architect	Contribution
1506	Donato Bramante	Greek-cross plan with a great dome; raised the four great piers
1514	Raphael	Switched to a Latin-cross plan
1520	Antonio da Sangallo the Younger	Wooden model of 1546 that survives
1546	Michelangelo	Returned to the Greek cross and designed the dome
1573	Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana	Finished the dome
1603	Carlo Maderno	Lengthened the nave and built the facade (1607–1614)
1629	Gian Lorenzo Bernini	Baldachin, Chair and, later, the square with its colonnade

Maderno’s facade is 115 meters wide and 46 high. At the center is the Benediction Loggia, from which the election of a new Pope is announced and the Urbi et Orbi blessing is given. On top stand thirteen 5.7-meter statues: Christ, St John the Baptist and eleven apostles.

A surprising fact: St Peter’s is not a cathedral. The cathedral of Rome is St John Lateran. St Peter’s is one of the four papal basilicas and the church where the Pope holds most of his ceremonies, because of its size and because it is next to his residence.

What are St Peter’s Basilica’s opening hours?

From 26 October 2026 to 28 March 2027, the basilica is open every day from 7:00 to 19:00. From 1 June to 25 October 2026 it was open from 7:00 to 20:00, last entry at 19:15.

What	Hours (26 Oct 2026 – 28 Mar 2027)
Basilica	Every day, 7:00–19:00
Dome	7:30–17:00
Guided tours	Monday to Saturday 9:30–17:30; Sundays and Vatican holidays 13:30–15:30
Weekday Masses	7:00, 7:30, 8:30, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 17:00 and 18:00

On Sundays and holidays there are Masses at 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:30, 12:30, 16:00, 17:00 and 18:00. More detail in Mass at the Vatican.

If you come with your own guide and there are more than four of you, you pay 1.50 € per person for the radio system, up to 30 people plus the guide.

To avoid surprises: the basilica closes on Wednesday mornings for the Pope’s audience, according to operators, and it can close without notice for ceremonies. If you go on a Wednesday, leave it for the afternoon. More in the papal audience guide.

How do you combine the basilica with the Vatican Museums?

The basilica and the Vatican Museums are two separate visits, with separate tickets, but you can combine them on the same day. The Museums are open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 20:00, last entry at 18:00, so the usual plan is to do the Museums and the Sistine Chapel first and finish in the basilica.

On your own, when you leave the Museums you walk outside the walls to the square and enter through the colonnade check. With some guided tours you skip that walk: according to their listings, they pass from the Sistine Chapel to the basilica via Bernini’s Scala Regia, the staircase used by popes and kings.

These are the tours we link to that include the basilica:

• Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica ticket, from $68, rated 4.3 out of 5 in 17,624 reviews of this ticket on GetYourGuide.
• Guided tour of the Museums, the Sistine Chapel and the basilica, from $71, rated 4.7 out of 5 in 19,233 reviews of this tour on GetYourGuide.
• St Peter’s Basilica with the dome and grottoes, from $33, a guided tour of 1.5 to 2.5 hours, rated 4.8 out of 5 in 6,363 reviews of this tour on GetYourGuide.

All of them offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Partner prices are converted from euros at 1 EUR = 1.115 USD (ECB, 27 Oct 2026). If you are torn between the basilica and the chapel, read Sistine Chapel or St Peter’s Basilica, and to plan the whole day, the guide to visiting the Vatican. Every option is in Vatican Museums tickets.