Booking fee
The booking fee includes the costs of booking your tickets such as charges for payment processing. It also covers the provision of our customer care center for processing your order, and all charges imposed by our suppliers.
* This tour requires at least one of the following per booking: Adult, Senior
Attend the weekly address of the pope with this papal audience ticket. In Vatican City, your guide will lead you through the mass of people to a prime location, where you’ll watch the pope address the crowd, and hear about the historical tradition of the papal audience. With a personal audio headset, you’ll be sure to hear everything the guide says above the noise of the crowd. While the weekly audience with the pope draws very large numbers, this ticket provides guided commentary in a group limited to 20 people.
Headsets to hear the guide clearly
Escorted visit and presentation
Ticket reservation service and ticket pick-up (Tickets are free of charge)
English/Spanish-speaking guide (depending on option selected)
Groups of 20 people or less
Optional gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Seating not guaranteed
Departure Point
Via della Conciliazione, 00193 Roma RM, Italy
Meet at Parrocchia Santuario di Santa Maria in Traspontina, Via della Conciliazione 14/c, 00193 Roma RM, Italy
Your City Wonders coordinators will be wearing blue polo shirts or jackets at the meeting point for easy recognition.
Vatican City, Vatican City, Italy After meeting your guide near St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, put on your provided headset to start your papal audience experience. While the address is a Catholic custom, the event draws people of all beliefs from around the world each week.
Following your guide, navigate the crowd to reach your seat, where you’ll have views of the pope when he arrives. While you wait, learn a bit about the history of the papacy in Rome and hear about Renaissance artists like Michelangelo who left such a beautiful mark on the Vatican. With your audio headset, you don’t have to worry about not being able to hear your guide over the throngs of people. 15 minutes
St. Peter's Square, Vatican City, Italy As the address starts, listen to the cardinals leading pilgrims in prayer, and watch the pope deliver his blessings for the week. The service includes hymns, prayers and a homily. When the address is over, you'll be ready to explore St Peter’s Square on your own.
Although Papal Audience tickets are free, organizing your own can be a difficult process. We cut out the hassle by reserving your invitation for you, picking it up and bringing it to the meeting point. Then we lead you inside with plenty of time to secure a good place to see the Pope as he makes his way to the stage.
Due to the tremendous popularity of Pope Francis, record numbers of people attend the weekly Papal Audience. Book early to make sure you do not miss this incredible event. 180 minutes
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Please note that papal audience tickets are free but can be difficult to organize. With our service you can cut out the hassle and collect your pre-booked ticket from your guide when you arrive!
We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or mobility impairments on our tours as well as pushchairs or strollers.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Martina_S
14 Apr 2023
Die Tour war bestens organisiert und alle haben sich viel Mühe gegeben. Unser Guide hat uns zudem in der Wartezeit viele interessante Informationen gegeben.
sag72
29 Mar 2023
This was June 2019
Seeing the Pope literally a couple of feet away from me and my family was a dream come true. This was my first time in a really and I have no idea how to get the free tickets I didn’t want to waste time or risk not finding a way of getting the tickets so I went with wonders so they can help me and they really do help you I noticed that a lot of people were turned away because they didn’t have the ticket to be at the popes audience so if you really want to see the pope and get his blessings I highly recommend this experience
Chelsea_C
23 Mar 2023
Meeting time for the papal audience was to be at 7:15am. My family and I arrived at 6:45am and called the company to verify where the meeting point was. I was on the phone with the company for 45 minutes, until 7:30am-3 separate calls and even met up with other couples looking for the same company.. just for the company to say “sorry, I can’t help you, you are now late. Good luck, just try getting in yourself.” When I asked for a direct number to the guide that was on site, I was told “we don’t do that”.. When I requested a refund from both Viator & the Company Directly, I was told “the guide counted you as a ‘no show’ so we are not permitted to give you your money back”.. absolutely unprofessional and unacceptable. NEVER AGAIN. Additionally, this was a complete money grab.. the Papal Audience is FREE, which I understand is in the description, however, I did not need a ticket or anything to get in. I simply got in line when we were already there and was able to just walk in. Viator, do better! If you’re going to charge someone for a FREE service, at least give them their money back when you FAIL to PROVIDE A SERVICE on your end. Absolutely TRASH.
We always double-check the availability with our local partners for each booking. Even though this is usually a swift process, it can take up to 24 hours. Once this process is completed you will receive your voucher or ticket by email. If our local partner is not able to confirm your booking we will offer you the best possible alternative. If the new date and/or time doesn’t fit your itinerary, we will reimburse the full amount paid.
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