St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica stands at the centre of Vatican City as one of the most significant sacred buildings in the world and the spiritual heart of the Roman Catholic Church. Designed principally by Michelangelo, who conceived its iconic dome, and completed in the early seventeenth century after more than a hundred years of construction, the basilica occupies the site traditionally held to be the burial place of Saint Peter the Apostle. Its interior holds Michelangelo's Pietà, Bernini's monumental baldachin above the papal altar, and a vast nave that has witnessed centuries of papal ceremonies and canonisations.

Visitors to St. Peter's today can explore the basilica through a guided tour paired with a climb of the dome, which offers a panoramic view across Rome and the Vatican Gardens. Guided tours of the Papal Tombs take visitors beneath the main floor to the necropolis where numerous popes are interred. Reserved entry tickets with dome access and audio guide options are also available for those who prefer to move at their own pace through this extraordinary building.