TTstudio/DepositphotosNo visit to Rome is complete without first stepping foot in another country. Vatican City is the world’s smallest microstate, and St. Peter’s Square is the perfect introduction to it. Come join millions of other visitors in exploring everything this monumental piazza has to offer.
Highlights
St. Peter’s Basilica Tickets
If you’re planning to visit St. Peter’s Basilica, there are a few ways to explore, depending on your budget and whether you’d like a guide. Entry is free, but the lines can be long, so booking a tour or pass can help you save time.
⭐ Best Value
- Rome Tourist Card (bestseller) – This comprehensive pass includes the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Vatican Museums, and Sistine Chapel. You can also choose one more: St. Peter’s Basilica (1-hour guided tour), Castel Sant’Angelo, or Pantheon. It also includes a city audio guide app, a 10% discount on other attractions and tours, and the option to add airport transfers at checkout.
- Vatican City Pass – If you’re mainly interested in Vatican sites, this pass covers the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica with skip-the-line access. Also includes either a Rome audio guide or fast-track entry to Castel Sant’Angelo.
- Digital Audio Guide Only – The least expensive option. Explore at your own pace with audio commentary available in multiple languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish).
🎭 Best Experience
- Full Guided Tour – 3-hour guided visit to St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican Museums, and Sistine Chapel. Includes fast-track access, knowledgeable guide, and headsets. Available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
- Express Guided Tour (1 Hour) – If you’re on a tight schedule but still want to enjoy the marvels of St. Peter’s Basilica, the 1-hour express tour can be a good choice. It covers the history, architecture, and the most important works of art (including the unbelievable sculptures that seem to defy gravity).
ℹ️ Good to Know
- Arrive 15-30 minutes early to ensure a smooth start to your visit.
- Entry to St. Peter’s Basilica is free, but expect long lines – up to 25 minutes during peak hours.
- 24-hour free cancellation on all tickets.
- Wheelchair accessibility varies depending on the tour – check details before booking.
Rome City Passes
Planning to visit St. Peter’s Basilica and other sites? These passes bundle everything together.
Rome Tourist Card
Skip the lines at the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Pantheon, St. Peter’s, and more — plus a city audioguide.
Vatican City Pass
Skip-the-line entry and guided tours of top Vatican sites, plus a city audioguide.
Omnia Card
Fast-track Vatican entry, hop-on hop-off buses, and more — choose 24h or 72h with extra perks.
What to See & Do (Pictures)
St. Peter’s Square is one of the biggest and most beautiful ones in the world. Here’s everything you shouldn’t miss:
The Shape and the Paving
BY-SA 2.5 Generic G CHP/Wikimedia CommonsSt Peter’s Square is quite unique because it consists of two different shaped parts: the main body of the piazza, which is elliptical, and the trapezoidal section in front of the basilica.
Bernini designed the trapezoidal section out of necessity because he lacked space, but today it’s considered a “masterpiece of the Baroque theatre” because it creates a heightened perspective for visitors leaving the basilica.
The square, which is paved out of cobblestones (like most of Rome), is also decorated with lines of white travertine in a geometric pattern, giving the piazza a harmonic look.
Years later, stones inscribed with the zodiac signs were added around the base of the obelisk, turning it into a sundial’s gnomon. At noon, the shadow marks the current zodiac sign.
The Obelisk
Pexels License SlimMars 13/PexelsThe centerpiece of the square is an Ancient Egyptian obelisk brought to Rome in the year 37 CE by Emperor Caligula. Initially placed at the Center of the Circus of Nero, it was moved to its current location in 1586 by orders of Pope Sixtus V.
The obelisk was actually moved to the Vatican almost one hundred years before the current square was built. So, rather than the obelisk being placed on Bernini’s piazza, Bernini’s piazza was designed around the obelisk.
The Fountains
On either side of the obelisk sit two large fountains. The first also preceded the square and was built by architect Carlo Maderno. It has an octagonal base, a large basin, and a mushroom-like cap from which spouts the water. It was built on top of a restored aqueduct.
pyty/DepositphotosThe other fountain, built by Bernini years later, was designed to resemble its companion in order to make the piazza look symmetrical, though it’s very different from Bernini’s usual elaborate style.
The Colonnades
Pexels License Jiri Ikonomidis/PexelsThe colonnades are arguably the square’s most impressive feature. Built around the elliptical shape of the piazza, the colonnades are four rows deep and built on a massive scale. Bernini purposely chose to use the most simple style, the Doric order, so that the columns wouldn’t clash with the more elaborate ones on the facade of the basilica.
Topping the colonnades are 140 larger-than-life statues. They represent various Saints and Martyrs and took over ten years to complete.
The colonnades were designed to look welcoming. According to the architect who designed them, Bernini, they were meant to embrace visitors into the “maternal arms of the Church”.
St. Peter’s Basilica
No visit to St. Peter’s Square is complete without a visit to the basilica it was designed for. St. Peter’s Basilica is not only the largest church in the world, but it’s also the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.
Pixabay License BMeyendriesch/PixabayAlthough the building itself is an incredible work of art in its own right, the inside is also filled with artistic and architectural masterpieces by artists such as Raphael and Michelangelo.
If you’re at the piazza at Easter, Christmas, or occasionally on Wednesday mornings, you may even get to see the Pope waving from the balcony of the facade.
How to Get There
St. Peter’s Square is located in the Vatican City, to the North of Rome’s city center. It’s easily accessible by public transport.
- Metro: Line A – Ottaviano-S. Pietro or Cipro
- Bus: Lines 40, 46, 64, 23, 98, 280, 881, 916, and 982 all stop nearby.
- Tram: 19 – Piazza del Risorgimento
- Train: San Pietro
Map & Address (Location)
St. Peter’s Square
Piazza San Pietro, 00120 · Google Maps
Did You Know That: (5 Interesting Facts)
- This gigantic square is 320m in length and 240m in width, and it can hold a whopping 300,000 people.
- The obelisk at the center of the square is the only obelisk in Rome that hasn’t been toppled over since ancient times.
- The 500-meter road known as Via della Conciliazione that connects St. Peter’s Square to Castel Sant’Angelo was commissioned by Fascist dictator Mussolini in the 1930s. It offers a spectacular and unblocked view of the church, though many historic buildings were torn down to create it.
- The Vatican City has its very own post office on the square where you can send a letter to a loved one using a unique Vatican stamp.
- The square has a total of 284 columns and 88 pilasters.
History
St. Peter’s Square is one of the world’s most iconic public spaces, designed to embrace visitors in the arms of the Catholic Church. Bernini’s masterpiece creates a dramatic approach to Christianity’s most important basilica.
1600s
Pope Alexander VII commissioned construction of a new piazza to highlight the magnificence of St. Peter’s Basilica and accommodate large crowds.
1656-1667
Gian Lorenzo Bernini built the square under Pope Alexander VII’s supervision.
1670
Bernini’s disciples continued the work, adding statues of saints atop the colonnades.
1675
Bernini returned to build a second fountain to match Carlo Maderno’s fountain from 1614.
1680
Bernini died five years after completing his final work on the square.
Present day
The square welcomes millions of pilgrims and tourists each year and serves as the site of Papal Audiences.
FAQs
Do you need tickets for St. Peter’s Square?
No. The square is a public open space and you can walk straight in for free. Tickets only come into play for St. Peter’s Basilica at the far end of the piazza.
What time can you enter St. Peter’s Square?
Any time. It is an open outdoor plaza with no gates and no closing time, so it stays accessible around the clock. The basilica and other Vatican sites keep their own opening hours.
Do you go through security to enter St. Peter’s Square?
Not for the square itself, which you can walk into freely. Airport-style security with metal detectors applies only when you enter St. Peter’s Basilica.
What is St. Peter’s Square famous for?
It is Bernini’s masterpiece, built between 1656 and 1667 to embrace visitors in the arms of the Catholic Church. Two sweeping colonnades wrap around the piazza, topped by 140 statues of saints, and an Ancient Egyptian obelisk brought to Rome under Caligula stands at the center. The square also hosts Papal Audiences, where you may catch the Pope from the basilica balcony at Easter, Christmas, or on some Wednesday mornings.
How many people can fit in St. Peter’s Square?
Around 300,000. The piazza runs about 320 meters long and 240 meters wide, which is why it works for papal audiences and the largest Vatican gatherings.