St Peter's Dome Climb

The Dome of St Peter's: 551 steps, or 320 after the lift to the terrace; 17 EUR by the stairs or 22 EUR with the lift, online. Hours, rules and the tours that include it.

Updated November 2026

The Dome of St Peter’s is 551 steps from the bottom, or 320 if you take the lift, which goes up to the terrace (Fabbrica di San Pietro, checked November 2026). The Fabbrica sells its own online tickets, 17 EUR by the stairs and 22 EUR with the lift, each with the Basilica and an audio guide, and the climb takes about an hour. Want a guide in the Basilica first? The Rome: St. Peter’s Basilica, Dome Climb, and Underground Tour by KK TOUR SRLS adds the papal tombs and the Dome, US$48 on 12 November with the Dome option, against US$37 without it (checked November 2026).

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The calendar above is that tour, with 6,449 reviews (checked November 2026). For the Dome, pick “Tour in English with Dome Climb” in the calendar: the regular tour, 1.5 hours, covers the Basilica and the papal tombs without it. Its Dome option includes the lift to the first terrace only, then about 320 steps.

Stairs or lift

Illustration: a narrow stone stairway curving up between the inner and outer shells of a great dome, the wall leaning inwards, a single climber in a long-sleeved shirt and long trousers holding the rope rail
Illustration. The last stretch of the climb runs between the two shells of the Dome.
TicketStepsPrice onlineIncludes
Dome by the stairs55117 EURThe Basilica and an audio guide
Dome with the lift320, after the lift to the terrace22 EURThe Basilica and an audio guide

Fabbrica di San Pietro, read November 2026.

The lift saves the first stretch, up to the terrace on the roof of the Basilica; from there everybody climbs the same 320 steps, and the upper part narrows and curves with the shape of the Dome. The Fabbrica recommends the climb from age 6 and states that the Dome is not wheelchair accessible. If stairs are hard for you, know that the lift stops at the terrace.

Hours, and where to buy the ticket

The Dome keeps shorter hours than the Basilica: 7:00 to 18:00 in summer (29 March to 25 October 2026) and 7:30 to 17:00 in winter (26 October 2026 to 28 March 2027), while the Basilica stays open to 19:00 in winter. Online, the Fabbrica assigns each Dome ticket a route, either the Basilica first and then the stairs, or the Dome first by way of the Welcome Area. On the day, Dome tickets are sold at the desk in the Portico, at the Cortilone shop and at the Treasury Museum shop, subject to availability. Every visitor coming in from the Square passes the security check under the right-hand Colonnade first.

Map of St Peter's Basilica and the area round it: St Peter's Basilica, St Peter's Square, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museums entrance on Viale Vaticano, the security checks on the right side of the Colonnade facing the Basilica, and Via Paolo VI, where the Excavations Office gates are
The Dome rises over St Peter’s Basilica at the west end of St Peter’s Square; the security checks are on the right side of the Colonnade as you face the Basilica.

Is the climb worth it?

If you can manage 320 steps, yes: the inner gallery looks down into the Basilica, and the top looks out over St Peter’s Square and the city. It is less worth it on a hot afternoon, in a large group or with small children, and it is not for anyone with a fear of narrow, enclosed stairs.

Tours that include the Dome

A guide, the tombs, then the Dome

Rome: St. Peter's Basilica, Dome Climb, and Underground Tour

From $33 per person on promotion, usually $37, checked November 2026 · 4.7 ★ (6,449 reviews) · GetYourGuide

KK TOUR SRLS: the Basilica and the papal tombs with a guide, then the Dome with the lift to the first terrace, 2.5 hours, US$48 on 12 November (checked November 2026). No Museums.

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After the Museums and the Sistine

Rome: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Basilica Tour

From $60 per person (2 sites, no Basilica) on promotion, usually $101, checked November 2026 · 4.7 ★ (19,433 reviews) · GetYourGuide

Crown Tours' dearest option: 3 hours guided through the Museums, the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica, then the Dome on your own, about 4 hours in all, US$156 on 12 November (checked November 2026). Its lowest price has no Basilica or Dome.

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By the stairs, with a guide

Rome: Guided Tour of St. Peter's Basilica with Dome Climb

From $60 per person · 4.6 ★ (6,160 reviews) · GetYourGuide

Touriks: a 2-hour guided tour of the Basilica with the Dome by the stairs (the lift is not included), in a group of up to 25 in its cheapest option. Meets at Largo del Colonnato 5.

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Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.

The Fabbrica’s own ticket is the cheapest way up, and it includes an audio guide; the tours add a live guide, and KK TOUR SRLS the papal tombs as well. Which Vatican tour includes St Peter’s Basilica? compares the tours without the Dome.

More Ways into St Peter's

St Peter's Basilica Tours with Open Dates

Guided visits of the Basilica, the Dome and the Vatican with live availability. Whether the Basilica is in the option you pick, the meeting point and the cancellation terms are shown before you book.

Rome: St. Peter's Basilica, Dome Climb, and Underground Tour

The Basilica, the Papal Tombs and the Dome

4.7/5 from 6,449 verified reviews · From $33 per person (on promotion, usually $37) · Free cancellation

KK TOUR SRLS from Piazza della Città Leonina 2: a guide in the Basilica and the papal tombs, then the Dome in the Dome option, with the lift to the terrace.

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