visit scavi vatican

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Request tickets for the Scavi Tour

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The Vatican Scavi Tour that goes through the excavations below Saint Peter’s Basilica is one of the most exclusive tours in all of Rome. Only 250 people are allowed through each day – compare that to the 30,000 that visit the Vatican Museums!

Your tour will be in a small group with a maximum of about 12 people and last around 90 minutes. The grand finale is a visit to the actual tomb of Saint Peter, where, by peering around a corner, you will see the bones of the Prince of the Apostles.

Reservations should be made well in advance of your visit to Rome, in fact, it should be the first thing you do!

The process is quite simple, however, it’s best to list a range of dates that you can visit and stay flexible.

How to request tickets to the Scavi

To request tickets, email the Scavi office at [email protected] Don’t email me , I can’t help you.

In your email, please provide:

• The exact number of participants;
• The name of each participant;
• Your preferred language;
• All possible dates you are available – spell out the month: 01 January 2021;
• Provide an email address for the main contact.

They don’t care about any fluff, like how badly you want the tour or how you only just found out about it or that you’ve heard how great it is.

If your request is granted, you’ll be required to pay by credit card within 10 days. The Scavi office will send a link to pay online.

Important to note

A visit to the Scavi below Saint Peter’s Basilica not only takes you into a very sacred place, but also a highly secure area. As such, there are rules.

Only ages 15 and up are allowed.

Appropriate dress is required. No shorts. No short skirts. Shoulders covered. Even in the summer heat, don’t risk it.

No large bags. Normal sized backpacks and purses will go through security screening, but are allowed – usually.

You should bring your Passport in case they check ID. It’s never happened for me, but it’s better to be safe.

You should arrive 10-15 minutes early. No exceptions.

Once inside, no photos are allowed.

It is warm, humid, and cramped in the Scavi. If you are claustrophobic, well, you should visit anyway. Just know it might be a bit uncomfortable.

Tickets for the Scavi can sell out many months in advance. If you are unable to get tickets, and you are flexible, you can show up the day you want to go and ask if there are any cancellations.

Also watch for groups. Groups pay way in advance and often have cancellations. If the group leader is nice, you may be able to join. It happens. Stay positive.

Price Tickets are €13. Price includes your guide.

Opening times Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Wednesday from 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (due to the Papal Audience ) Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Scavi is closed on Sundays, Wednesday mornings until 1 PM, and the usually the following Vatican holidays:

January: 1 and 6 (Epiphany)

February: 11 (Lateran Treaty)

March: 13 (Election of the Holy Father), 19 (Saint Joseph’s Feast Day)

April: 23 (Name-day of the Holy Father)

May: 1 (Saint Joseph the Carpenter)

June: 15 (Corpus Domini), 29 (Feast Day of SS. Peter and Paul)

August: 14, 15, 16 (Ferragosto)

November: 1 (All Saints), 2 (All Soul’s Day)

December: 8 (Immaculate Conception), 24, 25, 26, 27 (Christmas) and 31 (Te Deum)

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Group Representative Details

Reservation details, preferred visit date range, participant information (optional): please provide details for all participants, if available., additional details.

The Scavi Office has made a huge effort to streamline their process. They now send you a receipt of your email request right away and then shortly thereafter (with a few days) you will get an answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and Where to go? Shortly before your tour begins, go to the Sant' Uffizio entrance to the left/south side of St Peter's Square. There is a special security station set up there. Bring your confirmation letter from the Office

What is it like inside the Scavi? It's a little claustophobic inside the Scavi. The air is humid and warm, but the ground is dry. The lighting is dim, and you walk on uneven ground as you look inside the various tombs. Some of the objects can only be viewed one at a time. A person with a physical disability may have some problems.

What can I Bring? You're not supposed to bring any cameras, recording devices, or large objects. Purses and small handbags are permitted. It you need to check items beforehand, you must do this at the free baggage check on the right side of St Peter's, which requires going through security.

What are the Age Limits? The Vatican website says that only persons over 15 years old are admitted.

What do I Wear? Dress appropriately for a religious site; sholders covered, no shorts. Comfortable shoes are recommended since the ground is uneven.

What times are the tours? Tours run continually from 9:00AM until 4:15PM, Monday - Saturday. The tours last about one hour.

Where does the tour end? The Scavi website states that the tour ends back at the Excavations Office. The tour is actually finished when you enter the Clementine Chapel in the grottoes. Your guide might allow you to then visit the grottoes (tomb of the popes).

Where can I find more Information? The Vatican website now has a virtual tour of the Necropolis at: http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/necropoli/scavi_english.html If you want to purchase information, the Vatican bookstore offers a magazine titled, 'Roma Sacra - The Vatican Necropolis'. More detailed info can be found in the online books here. An online article to read is: The Scavi of St. Peter's and the Grittiness of Catholicism by George Weigel.

• Regulations during visits

Arrive  at the Excavations Office at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time of the visit.

Clothing should be appropriate for a sacred place:   long trousers/slacks/jeans for men; dresses that reach below the knees or long trousers/slacks/jeans for women; shoulders must be covered for all.

Entrance to the Excavations Office is only through the gates located on the Via Paolo VI ( outside of the Colonnade, just to the south [left], near the entrance to the General Audience Hall. )  Upon arrival, present the Swiss Guards with your letter of confirmation received from the Office which indicates the scheduled time of your visit.

How to make

• Reservations
• Entrance fee
• Depositing prohibited items

Fabbrica di San Pietro

Excavations Office 00120 Vatican City State

email: [email protected]

Tel.:  + 39 06 69 885 318

Entrance Fee

Monday – Friday:  9:00 - 18:00

Saturday:  9:00 - 14:00

Cost of the ticket

The cost of the individual ticket , including the contribution for the Guide, is 13,00 Euros (approximately $ 16.50 USD)

No reductions in price will be given for any reason.

© Excavations Office | Contact us | Map

Hidden Vatican: the “Scavi” and how to visit them

• November 7, 2022
• Catacombs , Churches , Rome 101 , The city center , Vatican Area

As you plan your tra vel to Rome, you’ll have surely considered devoting part of your trip to the exploration of the Vatican area : St. Peter’s Basilica , with the Vatican Museums and – of course – the Sistine Chapel .

This is on every tourist’s “must do”, after all, and there’s little deviation from the rule. At the very most, some more travelled people might want to add experiences that are a little out of the ordinary, such as the train daytrip to Castel Gandolfo and the Papal palace there, or the ascent to St. Peter’s dome .

A surprising small number of visitors, however, know that St. Peter’s itself can also be visited… from below . Meaning, not everyone remembers that there’s a whole underground level under the basilica that is accessible (even though with a few limitations). That part of the Vatican is called “Scavi” (“Excavations”) and this post wants to share some information on it!

What are the Vatican’s “Scavi”, anyway?

Oversimplifying for the sake of brevity – and with many apologies to the historians reading this: you may already be aware that the current Basilica you see at St. Peter’s has not always looked like that. The building of the original church had been ordered by none other than emperor Constantine , who had also decided to flatten the Colle Vaticano hill that used to be where the basilica is now located.

That hill, while not one of the original seven hills of Rome, is as important because emperor Nero used it as a location to martyr some of the first Christians – among them, St. Peter .

Those killed there, along as other Romans who were not Christian, were all buried in a necropolis which ended underground when Constantine ordered, indeed, to build St. Peter’s in its stead. The “Scavi” are the part of that same necropolis, which includes St. Peter’s tomb, and that have been excavated since around 1939.

Scavi: not a chance discovery

Contrary to belief, the Scavi area has always been well-known , both by the Vatican residents and by Romans at large. So much so that when Pope Pius XII asked to be buried as close as possible to St. Peter’s tomb , the request was at first deemed impossible to fulfill, because the area below the basilica was considered too cramped to move around.

When contractors started working on it by trying to lower the existing underground floor to create more space, they soon discovered Roman tombs, shrines, buildings and more. Parts of the necropolis can never be excavated, so as not to pose a threat to the stability of the basilica above it. What you get to visit is, however, a significant portion of it.

How to visit the Scavi?

Visits to the Scavi can only happen through the Vatican offices themselves , as they authorize the amount of people allowed to walk through the area. Only up to 250 people can visit each day, divided into groups of 12, who are not allowed to explore on their own but are accompanied by a guide .

This is the official website for booking your visit, which also contains a “virtual guide” on the findings below the church and gives you a rough idea of what to expect down there (particularly useful in the even you’re claustrophobic and need more information before booking!).

Things to know before you book

• Visits to the Scavi are 1h 30 minutes – short enough for you to be able to still make it to the Vatican Museums right after, for instance, so plan your tours accordingly!
• Access is not allowed to kids under 15 – again, plan accordingly if you’re travelling with children.
• It goes without saying that your attire should be the same as when visiting a church – the tomb of St. Peter is here, after all. Even if you’re not religious and interested in the history behind it, try to be respectful to those who are, or those who work there (read something more about this here ).
• On top of not being recommended to those suffering from claustrophobia , the Scavi area is not suitable to those tourists with a walking disability – obviously, it is an archaeological area and even though works have been carried out to make it more accessible, surfaces can be slippery, uneven or there might be steps or other obstacles.
• Ancient Rome
• Archaeology in Rome
• Scavi necropolis
• St. Peter's Basilica
• Things to do in Rome
• tourist tips
• Underground
• Vatican City
• What to do in Rome

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• The Altar of the Confessio
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Guided tours

For the guided tour of the Basilica and other listed sites of interest, Saint Peter’s Basilica provides guides trained and accredited by the Fabric of Saint Peter. Visits with guides accredited by the Fabric of Saint Peter can only be requested at the Visits Desk, located in the portico of Saint Peter's Basilica.

Visiting hours

- from Monday to Saturday, from 9:30 to 17:30 (last admission at 17.00);

- Sunday and Vatican holidays, from 13:30 to 15:30 (last admission at 15:00).

Guided tour of the Basilica

Visit with expert guide

From Monday to Saturday, the tours take place at:

- 10:30 (in Italian, English, Spanish and French);

-12:00 (in Italian, English, Spanish and French): 

-15:30 ((in Italian, English, Spanish and French). 

On Sunday, the tour begins at 14.00 and is provided in Italian and English.

§  full-price ticket at a cost of 15€;

§  reduced ticket at a cost of 10€.

Audio guide

The service is available from Monday to Sunday from 8.30 until 17.30. The audio guide is available in Italian, English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese and Chinese.

§  full-price ticket at a cost of 5€;

§  reduced ticket at a cost of 3€.

Go to the Basilica

Guided tour of the Vatican Necropolis

To visit the Vatican Necropolis, it is necessary to book by email at [email protected] . The visits are provided in Italian, English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Portuguese, Hungarian, Czech and Dutch.

Access is not permitted to visitors under 15 years of age, and it is forbidden to bring bulky objects or photographic apparatus. The visit is strongly discouraged for pregnant women and those who suffer from claustrophobia.

The Necropolis can be visited:

- from Monday to Friday, from 8:00 to18:00; final tour starts at 16:30

- Saturday, from 8:00 to 14:00; final tour starts at 12:30

The full-price ticket costs 13€; the reduced ticket costs 7€.

Go to the Vatican Necropolis

Book a visit to the Necropolis

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Italy Travel Experts Tours and Vacations

How To See St. Peter’s Tomb in Vatican City

Brandon Shaw Last Updated: November 3, 2022

Rome is full of incredible things to visit, but if you want something really exclusive, there’s only one place to go: the Vatican Scavi. Also known as the Vatican City Necropolis, The Tomb of the Dead, or St. Peter’s Tomb, the Scavi is famous for being the final resting place of one of Jesus’ 12 apostles, Peter. Here’s how you can see St. Peter’s Tomb.

Pro Tip:  Planning your visit to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome? Bookmark this post in your browser so you can easily find it when you’re in the city. See our  guide to Vatican City  for more planning resources, our  top St. Peter’s Basilica tours  for a memorable trip, and  how to climb St. Peter’s Dome .

Visiting St. Peter’s Tomb: What We’ll Cover

If you want to see St. Peter’s Tomb, you’ll need to put a visit to the Vatican Scavi on your itinerary. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about St. Peter’s Tomb, where to see it, and how to get tickets.

What is the Vatican Necropolis?

• Where is St. Peter’s Tomb?
• How to get tickets
• How long is the Scavi / Necropolis tour?
• What are the Vatican Grottoes?

First off, let’s define the Greek word Necropolis. “Necro” means dead, and “Polis” means city. Put them together and you have the City of the Dead—or what we would call a cemetery today.

In Ancient Roman times, the area across the river (where the Vatican is today) was not a very hospitable part of the city. It was mostly low-lying, which meant flooding and malaria. This is one of the reasons why it was a popular area for cemeteries (necropoli). Recent excavations have found dozens of Mausolea in the area.

The necropolis wasn’t always underground. Originally, it was an open-air cemetery with tombs and mausolea. The mausoleums unearthed were initially labeled with the Greek alphabet letters Φ (phi), Χ (chi), and Ψ (Psi). Later, they were marked with Latin letters.

Where is St. Peter’s Tomb?

In the 1940s, as they were expanding the underground area to bury the popes who had died, they found the ancient necropolis and a significant piece of ancient graffiti, which translated as “Peter is here.”

As the story goes, St. Peter was crucified in Rome in A.D. 64 on the orders of Emperor Nero. Then, when Constantine became the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity in the 4th century, he had a church built on the site of St. Peter’s grave—this was the original St. Peter’s Basilica. When Michelangelo designed the current Saint Peter’s Basilica, he centered the dome right over the spot where St. Peter’s grave was.

There is some debate as to whether the bones really are St. Peter’s. However, there are a few archaeologists today who are quite sure that bone fragments retrieved here belonged to the man himself.

If you search online for the Vatican Necropolis, you will often come across the word Scavi , which simply means excavations in Italian. After the above-mentioned excavations were complete, they decided to offer visits to the necropolis. As a result, the tour was called the Scavi Tour named after the excavations of the 1940s and this is where you’ll visit St. Peter’s Tomb.

How To Get Tickets To See St. Peter’s Tomb

The only way to get tickets for the Vatican Scavi is to email the Scavi Office directly, at [email protected]. You will need to provide the following in the email:

• The exact number of visitors (please remember that no children under 15 are allowed).
• The names and surnames of each visitor you need tickets for.
• Your preferred language for the tour.
• The dates you are available for a visit (the more you give, the more chance you have!).
• Your contact information.

It’s best to send the email as early as possible. In fact, the best time would be to send the email the moment you book your flights. It’s a VIP experience for a reason—only 250 people are allowed through each day! If you compare that to the 20,000 that visit the Vatican Museums, it’s an incredibly small number. Tickets are notoriously hard to get and tours get booked up months and months in advance.

Tickets are €13 per person. Concession tickets are not available, and when you receive confirmation of an available spot, you must pay for the tickets online within 10 days in order to secure them.

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Not ready to book a tour? Check out our guide to Vatican City as you plan your trip.

How Long is the Scavi / Necropolis Tour?

The tour includes a maximum of 12 people and lasts around 90 minutes. While the guided tour only takes around 1.5 hours, be sure to factor in the time it will take you to find the entrance and show your tickets as you plan.

You’ll get to see the actual tomb of St. Peter and the bones of the dead Apostle at the end of the tour in the Vatican grottoes, underneath the Basilica. You are free to explore these for as long as you like before heading up to see the Basilica.

What Are The Vatican Grottoes?

The Vatican Grottoes is a vast underground graveyard below St. Peter’s Basilica, which you’ll be able to see at the end of the Scavi tour. It contains the tombs and sarcophagi of many popes, as well as secular monarchs such as the tomb of Queen Charlotte of Cyprus, the tomb of the Stuarts, and the tomb of Queen Christina of Sweden.

There are also some incredible archaeological sights, such as the remaining columns from the original 4th-century basilica. The entrance is in the Pier of St. Andrew near the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, and it’s free to enter. However, there may well be a line. These grottoes form part of our Detailed Itinerary Vatican Tour .

Want to explore the Vatican without waiting in long lines or dealing with large crowds? Thanks to our close partnership with the Vatican, this tour allows you to skip the line with a small group and a knowledgeable tour guide! This small group tour covers all the must-see attractions including the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms, and St. Peter’s Basilica.

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Looking for a way to end your day on a high note while in Rome? Let us take you to the Vatican Museums in the early evening when most of the crowds have already passed through the galleries. You will enter hassle-free with our guide and explore the many galleries and their stories as you progress to the final finish and see the works of Michaelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

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Comment (1).

December 12, 2019

This was one of the most amazing experiences we had in an amazing trip to Rome. Well worth the effort to try to get tickets, we got those first and planned the rest of our trip around them

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St Peters Tomb - How to visit one of the most exclusive sites in Rome!

By Elyssa Bernard

October 14, 2024

Would you like to see St Peters tomb at the Vatican ?

Find out how to book this special archaeological tour of one of the most fascinating underground sites in Rome . 

Visit St Peters Tomb - Everything you need to know

NEWS ALERT - JUBILEE 2025

Due to maintenance work in the archaeological area under St. Peter's Basilica, guided tours of the necropolis and tomb of St. Peter will be suspended from 17 August 2024 to 3 November 2024.

Are you wondering what I am talking about?

Yes, you can book a special visit to the archeological site underneath St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

And on this tour, one of the things you will see is the (supposed) tomb of Saint Peter.

• What is St Peters tomb? Where is it ?
• Is St. Peter really buried here ?
• Is it worth visiting ?
• What will you see when you visit St Peters tomb ? 
• How long will the visit take ?
• Can you visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel on the same day as visiting St Peters tomb ?
• How to get tickets to see St. Peters tomb? What does it cost ?
• What to do if you can't get tickets ?

What is St Peters tomb and where is it?

What is st peters tomb where is it.

St. Peter was (said to be) crucified in Rome in 64 CE at the orders of Roman Emperor Nero.

Peter asked to be crucified upside-down, because he did not think he was worthy of being crucified right-side up as Jesus was.

In the basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, in Piazza del Popolo in Rome, you can visit the Cerasi chapel, where you can admire two stunning paintings by Caravaggio (among works by many other important artists).

In this painting, Saint Peter is shown being crucified upside-down.

You have to stand to the right and lean in to see it.

The other Caravaggio painting in this chapel depicts the conversion of St. Paul on the road to Damascus.

Saints Peter and Paul are the patron saints of Rome.

Saint Peter was crucified in an arena known as Caligula’s Circus.

Caligula was emperor before Nero, and had built a “circus”, which in ancient Rome referred to an open-air stadium or field where games were held.

This particular arena is also called Nero's Circus.

And it's where Saint Peter's square is (more or less), today .

In Ancient Rome, the dead were buried just outside the city walls, in an area called a Necropolis.

It's thought that St. Peter was buried near where he was martyred, in the necropolis on the Vatican Hill ( it was called Vatican Hill before Christianity came along , although there is some discussion as to the exact origin of the name).

In the 4th century, when Constantine became the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity, he had a church built on the site of Saint Peter's grave, and called it Saint Peter's Basilica .

This basilica, now referred to as Old Saint Peter's, does not exist any more, as it was replaced in the Renaissance by the basilica you see today:

When Michelangelo was designing the current  Saint Peter's Basilica , he purposefully centered the dome right over the spot where St. Peter is presumed to be buried.

Later, many popes chose to be buried in the Vatican grottoes, just underneath Michelangelo's dome.

Probably they wanted to be near the tomb of Saint Peter.

You can visit those tombs directly from inside the basilica , on a normal visit there.

Want more unusual things to see in Rome?

Check out my page  Cemeteries in Rome (and near Rome) that you can visit!

Are those really St. Peter’s remains there?

Hmmmm, well I cannot answer this.

If you look around on the internet, you will see arguments declaring these are REALLY St. Peter’s remains. 100%, no doubt.

And, you will see equally as many arguments that say no, they are not, or at least, we just cannot be sure.

I’ve done this tour 5 times.

On one tour, our guide was a seminarian at the Vatican.

In his presentation, there was never once mention of any scholarly doubt on this subject.

There was only an absolute statement that we were indeed in the presence of St. Peter’s remains.

On another visit, our guide seemed to be more of a student of theology and archeology, and her presentation was quite different.

She did let us know that there is some question, at least on a scholarly level, as to whether these are indeed St. Peter’s remains.

She was not negative, just speaking academically.

And on the most recent tour, the guide spoke of the remains but also stated all the arguments in favor of them really being St. Peter as fact, as if to reinforce this belief.

All the guides were fantastic, and your visit will be fascinating regardless of which guide you get.

My take is that each person who visits this holy site should absorb the information, and make their own decision as to what they believe.

Is Saint Peter's tomb worth visiting?

Most definitely yes! 

If you have the time to  plan this in advance , you can see one of the most exclusive, special and sought-after sites in Rome.

I know, I said above that these may NOT be St. Peter’s remains.

But, then again, they might.

And 99% of the visit is about other stuff, mainly the necropolis under the basilica.

• Are you interested in Ancient Roman history? This tour is for you.
• Are you interested in archeology? This tour is for you.
• Are you interested in this visit from a religious or faith point of view?
• If you want to see one of the most sacred sites in Christendom, this tour is for you.

The perfect 3-day itinerary in Rome

Trying to figure out how to organize your visit to Rome? I've got the perfect 3-day itinerary for first-time visitors (or those who have not been here in a while.) It works for a 2.5 day visit as well.

In my 3-day itinerary, you'll see all the major must-see Rome attractions like the Vatican , Colosseum , Trevi Fountain , Pantheon , Piazza Navona , Spanish Steps , Castel Sant'Angelo , and much more.

And if you have more time, or want suggestions for extra/other things to do, you'll find that there too.

Visit my page with the best 3-day itinerary in Rome for first-timers .

What will you see when you visit St Peters tomb?

No photos are allowed on this tour, so I don't have any of my own, except of the outside.

Any photos on this page of the necropolis itself are from the Fabbrica di San Pietro , an official Vatican website.

When you visit St Peters tomb, you start out by viewing a wooden model of the basilica.

This allows you to understand where you will be going underground.

From there, the guide will take you down to the underground excavations.

Most of your tour is not actually about Saint Peter, and will be of the tombs in this necropolis . . . which are all in Greek!

Ancient Greek. Yep!

It's absolutely fascinating.

The guides are very good, as they know this area like the back of their hand.

So you really get a sense of what life and death were like in Ancient Rome.

At the end of the tour, you will see the area where St Peters tomb is supposed to be.

It's not very easy to see.

In fact, you have to line up to view, one at a time, the little hole in the wall where the remains are.

Finally, your guide will leave you in the Vatican grottoes.

You can walk around and view tombs of other popes (this is actually fascinating too).

And from there, you can go up into St. Peter's basilica .

This is a huge plus, as you avoid the long queues to get in at the main entry.

HOW LONG DOES THE TOUR LAST?

The guided tour takes around 1.5 hours.

But you should factor in the time it will take you to find the entrance, and gather and show your tickets.

Then, factor in time you may want to spend on your own in the grottoes, and of course, in St. Peter's basilica.

You could also climb the dome of the basilica , once you are inside.

This will take another hour.

So your visit to St Peters tomb will last anywhere from 2-4 hours.

And this does NOT include visiting the Vatican Museums .

Should you plan this tour on the same day as you visit the Vatican Museums?

In my opinion NO. 

If you try to visit the Vatican museums on the same day that you have a scavi tour, it will be exhausting and you will have Vatican fatigue (I don’t know if that’s a thing but I’m telling you, you will).

But if you have limited time in Rome and want to try to fit these visits into the same day just make sure to plan for it time-wise.

Book your Scavi tickets first, because unless you book through a ticket agency, you have no control over the time (or date) they give you.

Then, make sure you have about 4 hours between visits of the Necropolis and the Vatican Museums.

Then book your Vatican Museums ticket .

Want more help planning your Vatican visits, and fitting it all in?

Visit my page about this .

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How to get tickets to see St Peters tomb?

There used to be only one way to get tickets to visit St Peters tomb - which was directly through the Scavi (excavations) office of the Vatican.

You can still do this.

You send them your request, and the dates you will be in Rome, and then you wait and hope.

Now, you can finally book this visit via a ticket agency.

It's more expensive this way, but they take the wait/worry out, and, you have more control over when you go.

And, by booking via a ticket agency, you can usually get tickets closer to the date you want to visit.

how to book your tour of St Peters tomb and Vatican Necropolis via the Vatican Scavi office

If you want to book via the Vatican Scavi office, send an email (English is fine) to: [email protected] or by fax: 011 39 06 6987-3017.

You can also fill out the form on the official Vatican Excavation Office . 

You will need to provide the following:

• The exact number of visitors (no children under 15 allowed, no exceptions)
• Everyone's names and surnames
• Language desired for the visit
• The dates you are available for a visit (the more options you provide, the better chance you have of getting a spot).
• Contact information (an e-mail address, fax number, or full postal address) so that the Excavations Office may advise you about your visit.

If there is space available during the time frame you provide of your availability, the Scavi office will send a proposed date and time.

If you accept, you write back and let them know, and they in turn will confirm the visit with a request for payment in advance.

Tickets are 13€ per person.

There are no discounts for anyone.

(You must pay in advance to confirm the booking.)

In my experience, the Scavi office responds within 24 hours of your request, but if they don't, just be patient.

If your request is urgent, you can try phoning the Excavations office at the following number:  011 39 06 69 885 318.

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HOW TO BOOK YOUR TOUR OF ST PETERS TOMB AND VATICAN NECROPOLIS via a tour agency

Vox Mundi, the official Vatican tour agency, has made some time slots available to ticket resellers.

Space is very limited, and it does cost more than booking directly with the Scavi office, but it's a smoother and more immediate process.

Click here to book Vatican Scavi tickets through an authorized reseller.

The tickets to this special visit are not associated with the Roma Pass , the Omnia Pass, or any other pass .

There are no discounts for any reason.

What to do when you cannot get tickets to St Peters Tomb

• Book through a reseller. If you've written to the scavi office, and discovered that it's too late, and there is no availability during your visit, you can try booking through a ticket reseller . Yes, this is more expensive but if you really want to see this site, it may be the only way.
• Book the tour in another language. One thing you can also try is to ask for the tour in another language like Spanish, French or Italian. The English language tours are always booked long in advance, but there may be availability in another language. If you don't speak anything other than English, it may be frustrating to take the tour in a language you don't understand, but if it's important to you to see this site, you can try this option.
• Go to the Scavi office and ask if there are any cancellations. This is really a longshot, but you can try asking the Swiss Guard if you can go to the Scavi office, and see if they have any last minute cancellations. It's doubtful you can get in this way but you could ask.

If you just cannot get tickets, there are other things you can see that may be of interest, along a similar vein:

• You can visit the Mamertine Prison , where Sts. Peter and Paul were said to be held prisoner before their executions.
• You can visit the basilica of Saint John in Lateran ( San Giovanni in Laterano ), the most important basilica in all of Christendom, the Pope's church. The skulls of Sts. Peter and Paul are kept in the reliquary.

• Visit the catacombs , where you can see the tombs of other saints and ancient Romans.
• Visit the Vatican grottoes and see the important tombs of other popes and saints.

Want to know more about the catacombs of Rome?

Visit our dedicated page here.

Important tips for visiting St Peters tomb at the Vatican:

• Dress appropriately  - You are on Vatican property. No bare knees, midriffs or shoulders. Even in the height of summer, you will have to be respectfully covered when you visit this site, or any site at the Vatican.
• Be more than punctual  - You are dealing with the Swiss guard here. They do not understand the meaning of the word “late.” Plan for more time than you think you need. You should arrive at the gate of the Swiss Guard no later than 15 minutes before your tour begins. If you have plenty of time to kill, you can always walk around St. Peter’s Square and get some pix. 

• How to find the entrance - You need to get to the gate of the Swiss Guard on the left-hand side of Vatican Square, behind the colonnade, i.e. outside the square. If you have any walking issues, you can have a taxi or car drop you off right at the gate of the Swiss Guard (see photo above). Otherwise, if coming from the Ottaviano metro stop , it’s a good 20 minute walk. Once the Swiss guard let you past their gate, you still have to walk to the Scavi office, which is about a 3-5 minutes’ walk.
• It is HOT under there - The site has to be well-sealed to keep moisture from ruining the frescoes and other art. Even though you are underground and not exposed to heat and sun, it is NOT a good place to “ cool down ” when it’s hot outside. So if you have a choice and can visit this site from mid-September through May, you will be more comfortable. If you are in Rome only for the summer, just remember to plan and dress accordingly and wear the lightest cotton possible.
• It CAN be claustrophobic - You will be underground. And some of the spaces are a little small. I am slightly claustrophobic and I can do it, but if you suffer from severe claustrophobia, this tour may not be a good idea.
• You may not take ANY photos during the tour. They are strict about this. The photos I published on this page are mine (of the outside), and from the Vatican website Fabbrica di San Pietro (of the inside).
• All-important bathroom stop - once you pass the Swiss guard and make your way to the Scavi office, you may ask where the toilet is. It is just off the little outdoor plaza there, before you enter the site for the tour. There will not be any more places to use the bathroom once you begin the tour. You will find the next bathroom once you exit Saint Peter's Basilica after your tour ends.

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Vatican Scavi Tour and St. Peter’s basilica

The Vatican Scavi Tour that goes through the excavations below Saint Peter's basilica is one of the most exclusive tours of all Rome.

I have been an official guide of Vatican Scavi  since 1996. You could blindfold me and I would be able to show you around with ease.

We will visit an Ancient Roman Necropolis, discovered by archeologists in 1939  and filled with the fresco-painted tombs of wealthy Roman families and an early Christian cemetery with the tomb of St. Peter's, the Apostle. This part of the tour will be with about 15 other people, though we will visit St. Peter's church on our own.

Saint Peter's basilica was built in 1506. It is the longest church in the world, filled with the most important Renaissance masterpieces like the Pietà by Michelangelo.

You can combine this tour with the Vatican Museums or Pope's audience on Wednesdays.

Tour length: 2 hours

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