St Peter's Basillica

The guided tours I am aware of are for the Vatican Museums and the Basilica. You can easily self-guide with Rick Steves' book or his downloadable audio guide. So far teh Jubilee has had no impact. It has been a bit of a bust. Might pick up after Easter....

The basilica is closed during the Wednesday papal audiences. It usually opens an hour or so after the audience is done.

Donna

I went to Rome last summer and relied on Rick Steve's audio tours for visiting the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. I found the information very helpful and enjoyed how I could walk around at my own pace, plus it was free :)

Probably the only tour you would book (at least two months) ahead for the Basilica is the Scavi tour into the necropolis, if you want to see the purported original grave of St. Peter. But the current sarcophagus for those bones is visible from the main church. The Vatican TI also offers a free tour of the Basilica about 14:00 on weekdays. I have not done either, but enjoyed going at my own pace with a guidebook or audio tour. See free downloads at https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/italy.

Thanks all for the great information!

Updating Jubilee year -- we were in Rome this week and there are groups everywhere doing pilgrimage stops and lining up to go through the Santa Porta at San Pietro. Yesterday (Tuesday) we stood in the courtyard for an hour and watched as groups made their way along the walkway reserved for those groups. (We had seen the basilica on an earlier trip, so not a big loss not to see it again -- lots of people hawking guided tours that would "skip the line") We also encountered organized groups at Santa Maria Maggiore and San Giovanni in Lateran (some wearing matching neck kerchiefs, kind of like Boy Scouts)

I liked going into St. Peter's Church after 3 pm. This gave us plenty of time while the crowds thinned. I used the free RS audio guide for a very well done tour on my own. You can even listen to the audio. before your trip to get familiar with the features and the church.

Does one need separate tickets to St. Peters if already purchased for Vat. Museum and Cistine Chapel?

St Peters, never has a cost to go into the Basilica, there is a line, but if you are finishing the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, then there is an entrance there with a smaller line.