St. Peter’s Basilica Dome: All you need to know about climbing including the best way to do it, cost and best time
St. Peter’s Basilica Dome: Have an interest in climbing? Looking for one of the best lookout points in the entire city of Rome? Are you a fitness fan? While on holiday do you want to make sure that you get your steps in? How about seeing the view from the top of the longest Catholic church in the world? You have come to the right place.
St. Peter’s Basilica Facts
- With the dome St. Peter’s basilica with the dome is the tallest church on the Italian peninsula. It is located in Vatican City so it can therefore not be considered the tallest in Italy.
- The external height of St. Peter’s Basilica up to the very top of the dome is 137m.
- Climbing to the top of the dome consists of 551 steps.
- The Duomo in Milan, or Santa Maria Nascente, is the tallest church in Italy at 118m. It is the second tallest church on the Italian peninsula after St. Peter’s Basilica.
- The second tallest church in Italy is the Duomo of Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore at 114m or 376ft.
- It took 120 years to complete the basilica. Michelangelo was the first architect on the basilica to design the dome. After Michelangelo died, subsequent architects had a difficult time understanding Michelangelo’s rendering of the dome and specifically the engineering of it.
- Architect who is given credit for the design of St. Peter’s dome is Giacomo della Porta.
- The mosaics on the interior of the dome were designed by Cavalier d’Arpino and include images of the evangelists.
- The letters at the base of the cupola dome that say “TU ES PETRUS…CAELORUM.” translated to mean “Thou are Peter. Upon this rock I will build my church and I bestow upon you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” Those letters that you see are 2.15m or 7ft tall!
St. Peter’s Basilica Opening Hours
Summer Hours
From April 1-Sept 30. 7am-7pm
Winter Hours
7am-6:30pm
Opening Hours for Comb Climb
7:30am-6pm April 1-September 30
7:30am-5pm October 1-March 31
Religious Gift Shop Opening Hours
Closes at 5:30pm
Tickets to Climb
Tickets to climb the dome start at 8€ where you climb all 551 steps. Tickets cost 10€ where you take the elevator up to a terrace and this still leaves you 320 steps to climb.
Is there a tour I can take to climb St. Peter’s Basilica?
There are several companies that offer tours of St. Peter’s Basilica which includes climbing the dome. Here is one.
Also there are many tours of the Vatican Museums that include a visit of St. Peter’s Basilica. After which if you decided you could climb the dome after the tour was complete. You can read my article on the Best Vatican tours here .
Is it worth it to climb the dome?
Absolutely! St. Peter’s Basilica being the tallest building in Rome by law has the ultimate in panoramic view of the city. There will be nothing obstructing your view. Also, you will have wonderful views into the Vatican gardens and also views of some of the most important sites in Rome.
The cupola or dome climb is not recommended for people with cardiovascular issues or for people who suffer from claustrophobia or an aversion to tighter spaces. From the level of the terrace and beyond including the stairs on the interior of the dome, it is single file which some people might find uncomfortable.
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