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St. Peter's Tour

Posted by on

Hello,

I was reading the Rick Steve's St. Peter's Basilica Tour chapter and under Tours it states there are free 1.5 hour tours from the Vatican TI at 14:15. Are these english tours and would this serve as a "skip the line" option for St. Peter's Basilica? The book doesn't mention this in the "avoiding lines" sections; is this just for St. Peter's Square? I'm not sure what is meant by "St. Peter's." We will be there mid-September so it will certainly be busy and we are scheduled to do the Vatican museum (no tour) at 9:30.

Thank you.

Posted by
4152 posts

Yes, there is a free tour offered every day. If I remember correctly you must go through security first in order to reach the TI office. The tour is of the basilica.

Donna

Posted by
11294 posts

Since entry to St. Peter's Basilica is free, the line is for security rather than tickets. It cannot be skipped, unless you are taking a Vatican Museums tour and so can use the "tour door" connecting the museums to the basilica. But you'd have to use this door right after seeing the Sistine Chapel, so the timing doesn't sound like it would work for you; you'll just have to line up to get into the basilica.

Posted by
5697 posts

Timing is everything -- we went to St. Peter's Basilica late in the afternoon in October and the security line was only about 15 minutes; my husband remembered spending two hours in line in mid-day August a few years earlier.

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