St. Peter's Basilica Dome

From the website for the Basilica: The Dress Code is strictly enforced at St. Peter's Basilica. No shorts, bare shoulders or miniskirts. This applies to both men and women. Even if you get through security, you will be turned away by the attendants at the door. On a hot summer day, I've seen dozens of men in shorts turned away. This would be a good time to teach your son about the seriousness of respect in churches like this. (not saying that he doesn't know proper respect)

I would check to see if your seven-year-old will be permitted to climb inside the dome; if not, the view from the roof is also very good.

Great information! Thank you! I'm assuming we would have to go through two security check points? One to access the Dome and a second to access the Basilica. (hence the lines)

One thing about the security line - Don't let it freak you out if it looks long. It moves much more quickly than you might think.

It looks like the Cupola's Summer hours are 8:00am to 6:00pm. Would anybody know if you can enter the Cupola at say 5:55pm and still leisurely see the Cupola? Or does it mean the Cupola has to be emptied of tourists at 6:00pm?

My daughter climbed the dome with us a couple of weeks after her eighth birthday. I don't think his age will be a problem unless you tried to send him by himself. My daughter wore capris so her knees were covered and a blouse with short sleeves. We didn't really test to see if the dress code is less strict for kids. A t-shirt is fine, as are sandals or even flip-flops. The dress code is about modesty rather than dressing "up". Many of the visitors come from very poor countries.

If hours are 800-1800, that generally means the cupola is empty by 6pm, so the latest admission would be well before 5:55pm. this information is usually posted on the website of various monuments, museums, churches, etc.

Hours are 'get out before the door closes', not last call. If you snoop around, there's also a latest admission notice somewhere.

No shorts. Period. I always stay at the hotel across the street, and just advised my niece who was there to go at 2pm. The lines are always short at that time in my experience. Don't arrive 5 minutes before closing time and expect to climb those stairs, have a look around, and get out in time for closing! Go in the afternoon, not the morning when the lines are the longest. Take time to enjoy and I hope your 7 year old loves it! He'll like the Gladiators @ the Coloseum for sure!

Great advice! We are super excited about our trip in just a few short days. I think Rome will definitely be a lot of fun for a 7 year old boy too. How can you go wrong with Gelato and Gladiators as a starting point!

My top tip for St. Peter's is not to arrive late, but super early. This is the ideal use for jet lag. You are going to wake up super early (if Rome if your arrival city) anyway; take advantage of it! We arrived, with our 2 kids, at St. Peter's at 7:00 am and there was no one there. We basically had the place to ourselves for about an hour. By the time we came out, the line was quite long. Since most people go in the church first, you are also ahead of the crowd if you head for the roof ascent next. My kids thought the gift shop on the roof was just about the coolest thing ever. Yes, there are 2 separate entrances for the church and the climb. No restrictions on a 7 yr old going up. Many kids do. Mine did! No, he cannot wear shorts. Zip off pants are a great option if you are going when it's hot. Zip on to get in. Zip off as soon as you leave, to keep cool. Tshirt is totally fine, even with super heroes on it!

I climbed the dome in February. There was one security line, easy to enter the Basilica after I descended. I went up about 10-10.30 a.m. and there was no line at all. When I came down around noon (I spent a lot of time admiring the view and relaxing on the roof) there was a line - maybe 100 or more. Maybe in hot weather there are fewer people who want to go up in the afternoon sun. (the climbing is indoors). The reasons the line gets long - 1. much of the climb is narrow so you can only go as quickly as the slowest person ahead of you
2. there is limited space up top so they don't let more in until more come out.

The line to get into St. Peter's has been quite long for most of the day lately. The best times are earlier (before 9/9:30am) or around 1-2pm, when a lot of folks are out eating lunch. The other day I was down there around 2pm and tons of people were cutting the line and crowding into the barricades instead of forming a somewhat-more-orderly queue as is usually the case (emphasis on "somewhat"!). A lot of it depends upon the day and time. There will always be people cutting, and people otherwise being rude, so just arm yourself with some patience and try to go there at a time when the traffic is a bit lighter. Although they have several security scanners, they usually have only two of them open so as to regulate the flow of people into the Basilica. It has been a mob scene lately. Another reason to get there in the morning is that the weather will be cooler. When you descend from the dome you can easily go over through the porch area to the entrance to the Basilica, without having to go through a security process again.