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St Peter’s Basilica
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Citorah says
The Basilica says a visit takes one to two hours. The Vatican Grottoes, with the tombs of many popes, are free. I spent about half an hour inside, late in the afternoon, under Bernini’s baldacchino and the dome, and came out into the square at dusk.
From Vatican Museums and St Peter’s 2026: Tickets, the Sistine Chapel, the Dome and Papal Audiences, under “St Peter's Basilica”.
The catch
The busiest days are Wednesday, the usual day of the papal audience, and Sunday, when the Pope says the Angelus at noon.
Good to know
- Price
- Entry is free
- Getting there
- Security is run by the Italian State Police, in the right-hand colonnade as you face the Basilica
- When
- It’s open every day from 07:00 to 20:00, with last entry by 19:15
- Booking
- If you’d rather not queue, the official booking site sells a timed entry for €7
- Directions
- Google Maps Apple MapsLocation from © OpenStreetMap contributors
As the guide had it on 13 Oct 2026. Check prices and hours with the place itself before you go.
Closed, moved or not as described? Tell us.
Where it is
See it on the Rome mapNearby
Citorah PickExperience
Midnight Mass
Citorah says At Christmas, Midnight Mass on 24 December is at 22:00 and Christmas Day Mass is at 10:00, both in the Basilica and both by ticket request.
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Sistine Chapel
Citorah says Michelangelo’s Last Judgement has been cleaned. Maintenance work, which ended on 27 March 2026, removed a whitish film from it.
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Gallery of Maps
Citorah says The Gallery of Maps is 120 metres long and was built in 1578–80, for 40 maps of Italy.
Citorah PickExperience
Angelus
Citorah says The Angelus is on Sundays at 12:00 in St Peter’s Square, and “NO tickets are required”.
The guides it’s in
Rome · Sights & tickets
Vatican Museums and St Peter’s 2026: Tickets, the Sistine Chapel, the Dome and Papal Audiences
Official Museum tickets at €25 that sell out weeks ahead, the free last Sunday, the dress code, no photos in the Sistine Chapel, free entry to St Peter’s, the €17 or €22 dome, and free audience tickets.
Rome · Itineraries
3 Days in Rome 2026: The Colosseum, the Vatican and the Old Centre, Day by Day
A three-day Rome plan built on the route I took in November 2025: ancient Rome and an evening walk, the Vatican, then the Lateran and the old centre, with what to book, when things close and which days to avoid.
Plan the trip
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