Vatican Scavi Tour 2026: The €20 Request, the €115 Fixed Date, and Which to Book

The Scavi tour takes you under St Peter's Basilica, past the papal tombs, into the Roman cemetery where Peter is believed to be buried. It costs €20. The catch is that you do not book it, you request it: the Vatican's Visits Office decides your date and time, and only about 250 people get in each day.

That one rule decides whether you pay €20 or €115.

In 3 minutes

• €20 official, €14 for ages 10-17. Guide included. Nobody under 10 is admitted.
• The official date is a request, not a booking. You get your slot by email and pay by card after that.
• €115 on GetYourGuide buys a fixed date and time, with free cancellation up to 3 days before. Minimum 2 people.
• Closed Sundays and Vatican holidays. Weekdays 9:00-16:30, Saturdays 9:00-13:00.

What is the Scavi tour?

Scavi means excavations. In the 1940s, archaeologists digging under the basilica found a street of Roman tombs, and at its end the shrine the early Christians built over what they believed was Peter's grave. Constantine's first basilica was built on top of it, and the one you know was built on top of that.

The visit lasts one hour, in groups of about 12 sorted by language, always with one of the Fabbrica di San Pietro's own guides. At 250 visitors a day across every language, that is roughly 20 groups. The official page warns that the air underground is warm and humid and the passages are tight: if you are claustrophobic, it tells you plainly not to go.

It is not the Grottoes. The Vatican Grottoes, with the papal tombs, sit just under the basilica floor and are part of a normal, free visit. The Scavi is the level under that. Our St Peter's Basilica guide covers the Grottoes and the free route.

How do you book the official Scavi tour?

Older guides, and a few forum threads that still rank, tell you to email the Excavations Office. The booking now runs through an online request form on the Basilica's own site.

You fill in four things: the language of the guide, the number of people, a preferred date and time, and contact details for one group representative. Then you wait. The form says, in capitals, that the date and slot you choose are purely indicative and not guaranteed. The Visits Office schedules you according to actual availability and emails a confirmation. Only then do you pay, by credit card only.

Two more lines on the page are worth reading before you plan a trip around it. The office can cancel, postpone or reschedule a visit for extraordinary events, which at the Vatican happen. And the page does not say how far ahead to apply. With 250 places a day, the answer is: as soon as your dates are fixed.

When is the €115 tour worth it?

The GetYourGuide tour costs almost six times the official ticket. What you are paying for is certainty. The operator sells fixed slots, so you choose a date and a time and the booking is confirmed on the spot. When we checked a Thursday in December, a month out, there were two start times, 09:00 and 14:30, and the page said only two spots were left.

What the €115 includes, from the listing's own inclusions: a reserved fast-track entrance to St Peter's, the guided visit of the Scavi and the tomb of St Peter, a talk on the basilica, and assistance on site. Tips, an audio tour of the basilica and a Dome ticket are not included. It runs two hours with an English-speaking guide, from a meeting point on Via della Conciliazione.

Three things to check before you pay:

• It needs at least two people. A solo booking shows as unavailable. If you are travelling alone, the official request is your route.
• Cancellation is free up to 3 days before. After that, you pay.
• Ignore the review count on the page. The listing's web address still carries the name of a Jubilee 2025 entrance ticket, which suggests the reviews were left on an earlier product. Judge it on what it includes, not on the stars.

If you see cheaper "St Peter's tombs" tours at €15 to €30, those are almost always the Grottoes. Read the inclusions for the words Scavi or St Peter's tomb.

Scavi or the Via Triumphalis necropolis?

Search "Vatican necropolis tour" and you get two different places mixed together.

The Scavi is under St Peter's Basilica, run by the Fabbrica di San Pietro, and its point is Peter's tomb. The Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis is another Roman cemetery inside Vatican City, along an ancient road, run by the Vatican Museums and visited with its own ticket. It is excellent for Roman funerary art, mosaics and sarcophagi, but it has nothing to do with Peter, and it closes every Sunday and public holiday, including the free Sunday at the Vatican Museums.

So the question is simple. If the tomb is the reason, you want the Scavi. If you want a Roman necropolis and the Scavi is full, the Via Triumphalis is the honest second choice, not a substitute for the same thing.

What do visitors wish they knew?

Dress for the basilica. You pass through St Peter's, so its dress code applies: covered shoulders and trousers or skirts below the knee.

Bring a card, not cash. The official ticket is paid by credit card only, after confirmation.

Pair it with the Dome. The Scavi ends inside the basilica. The Dome climb is the natural next stop, and if you booked the GetYourGuide tour you buy that ticket separately.

Leave Sunday for something else. The Scavi is closed on Sundays, and so is the Via Triumphalis necropolis.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Vatican Scavi tour cost?

On the official booking page, €20 for a full ticket and €14 for ages 10 to 17, both with a Fabbrica di San Pietro guide included. You pay by credit card only, after the Visits Office confirms your slot. Tour operators who hold their own Scavi slots charge far more: the GetYourGuide tour we checked is €115 per person.

How do you book the Scavi tour?

Through the online request form on the Basilica's booking site, not by email any more. You pick a language, a group size and a preferred date and time, but the page says that choice is indicative and not guaranteed. The Visits Office then schedules you according to real availability and emails a confirmation, which you check before paying.

Is there a minimum age for the Scavi tour?

Yes. The official page says visitors are admitted exclusively from 10 years of age. Ages 10 to 17 pay the reduced €14 ticket.

When is the Scavi tour open?

Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 16:30, with the last visit at 16:15, and Saturday from 9:00 to 13:00, last visit 12:15. It is closed on Sundays and Vatican holidays. In the rest of 2026 that means 8, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 31 December, and in early 2027, 1 and 6 January.

What is the difference between the Scavi and the Vatican Grottoes?

The Grottoes are the level just under the basilica floor, with the papal tombs, and you walk through them free on a normal basilica visit. The Scavi is the Roman necropolis below that, where St Peter's tomb is, and you only see it on a guided group visit of about 12 people.

Is the Scavi the same as the Via Triumphalis necropolis?

No. The Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis is a different Roman burial ground, run by the Vatican Museums and visited with a separate ticket. It closes every Sunday and public holiday. If a listing says "Vatican necropolis" without saying "Scavi" or "St Peter's tomb", read the inclusions before you book.

If the Scavi is your one Vatican booking, build the day around it: the tour first, the basilica and the Dome straight after, and the Vatican Museums on another morning.