St Peter's Basilica

St Peter's Basilica, rising at the heart of Vatican City, is the largest and most magnificent church in the world and the spiritual centre of the Roman Catholic Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the supreme achievements of Renaissance and Baroque art. Built over the traditional tomb of St Peter, it was shaped over more than a century by the greatest masters of the age, including Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael and Bernini. Its vast, awe-inspiring interior gleams with marble, gold and monumental sculpture, holding treasures like Michelangelo's sublime Pietà, Bernini's soaring bronze baldachin, and above all his own colossal dome, which can be climbed for breathtaking views over the Vatican and Rome.

What you actually see

• The interior - the vast, awe-inspiring marble and gilded nave.
• Michelangelo's Pietà - the sublime marble sculpture.
• The dome - Michelangelo's dome, climbed for panoramic views.
• Bernini's baldachin - the soaring bronze canopy over the altar.

When to go

Year-round, though spring and autumn are more comfortable than the hot, crowded summer; the basilica is busy most of the day, so arriving early, near opening, means shorter security queues and a calmer visit. As a working church and the seat of the papacy, modest dress covering shoulders and knees is strictly required for entry.

Honest expectations

St Peter's is one of the most visited sites on earth, so long security queues and dense crowds are the norm, especially in summer and around papal events, and a strict dress code is enforced; early arrival greatly helps. It is also, above all, a sacred place of worship to be treated with respect. As the greatest church in Christendom, though, a sublime masterpiece of art and architecture holding treasures like the Pietà and crowned by Michelangelo's dome, St Peter's is genuinely awe-inspiring and unmissable.

Nearby

St Peter's Square, the Vatican Museums and the city of Rome are close by.