Audience with Pope Benedict XVI at Vatican City

Rome, Italy

Bookings are essential if you'd like to attend a Papal Audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Tickets are free of charge but they are limited and you must have a confirmed reservation to attend. Book ahead and you won't waste precious vacation time whilst in Rome.

The audience takes place in either St Peter's Square, St Peter's Basilica or the Audience Hall, depending on seasonal conditions and the number of pilgrims visiting on each particular day. Your guide will provide details of when and where to meet the bus at the end of the Papal Audience.

You'll begin this special day with a relaxing coach tour across Rome. Your city tour includes a live commentary and offers a brief introduction to Rome as you travel by bus to the Vatican City. Highlights en route include Piazza della Repubblica, following the ancient Aurelian Walls, the famous Villa Borghese gardens and the northern gate of Rome leading into Piazza del Popolo, where you will glimpse an Egyptian obelisk dating back to the time of Ramses II. Upon arrival at St Peter's Square you will pass the impressive Castel Sant'Angelo, the ancient tomb of Emperor Hadrian.

USD $45.97

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Michael H	March 2012
Hotel pickup was prompt and professional and tour guide for audience with Pope was very experienced and got us into a first row seat next to where the Pope pasted in his Popemobile. Great choice.

Review by: Stephen M	March 2012
The audience was an enjoyable and interesting experience. Just understand the cost is for the convenience of having a ticket supplied, a two-way coach trip to the Vatican City and guidance to the queue to gain entry.There is little other information._br/_ If you can get tickets if costs one euro to get to the nearest metro station!

Review by: Lisa A	February 2012
Worst trip I've been on with Viator , we were picked up from our hotel at 6.30am to be taken to a coach that was literally 20mins away for 8am start , driven round Rome for half an hour then taken to the mot expensive shop near the Vatican to buy gifts !!!

Review by: Teresa S	February 2012
This was a great trip; we were picked up at our hotel and had a great tour en route. However, we were taken to a v expensive souvenir shop - nothing less than 20 euros. When you want souvenirs to be blessed you generally want several items and this shop took it out of reach. There are plenty of shops/stalls around the Vatican with items priced much lower than this and it isn't right to be tied to this one shop. Tip - buy your items to be blessed in the ppreceding days! The Audience is not to be missed!

Review by: sbrown44	February 2012
It was okay but the gift shop before the audience was way too expensive!

Review by: Fortunato L	February 2012
Great addition to out trip. Our guide got u very close to the front. In fact we were inthe first row of seats reserved for agencies. Higjhly recommend it!

Review by: ROSEMARY B	January 2012
please make people aware that this is a huge affair (10000 people) not a small group audinece with the pope. he doesnt not even walk down the aisle to give us a blessing

Review by: dveronica	January 2012
It was pointless to pay for this activity. I thought our guide would have given us much more information or at least stayed with us. Guide basically got us on the bus and then through the lines and into the venue. After that he was gone and we didn't see him again. I do not recommend this especially when you can get free tickets directly through the Vatican.

Review by: Christine D	January 2012
We did see the Pope but too far away. The audience from various countries/pilgrimage were very warm.

Review by: Papias M	December 2011
I find my trip with Viator guide as excellent.

Review by: Loretto T	November 2011
Absolutely the only way to go! Our guide was very informative and our group sat in reserved seating with exceptional visibility to the Pope and the proceedings of the day. A stress-free way to enjoy a very moving and inspirational event for both of us.

Review by: Kim	November 2011
Fabulous!

Review by: Karen B	November 2011
Our tour director's idea of skip the line was "cut in line". He basically dragged the whole group around the line until he found somewhere for us to slowely merge in and cut others out. It was embarassing and others were yelling at us for cutting. And I don't blame them. Once we got inside, he was nowhere to be found, we had to find our own seats. I am really not sure what I paid for here.

Review by: Sarah C	October 2011
I booked this tour so that my Mum could get to see the Pope. That is ALL the tour provided! At a cost of almost 37 euros all we got was a quick trip through Rome to the vatican to be shown to a seat (which was free) so that we could sit in the baking sun for 2 hours before the Pope even arrived. The tour was very poorly explained and I expected alot more for my money!! I would never choose a tour with this company again, save yourselves money and do a little research before you go.

Review by: Carolyn W	October 2011
Great tour. Well worth the time and money,

Review by: NeuMarina	October 2011
Really great experience! Very well organized.

Review by: Richard F	October 2011
What a thrill to see the Pope no matter how far away we were from him. Our guide told us to get near a particular barricade ad the Pope would come right past it. We did, the Pope did not. It was very hot and humid and the crowds were very boisterous. We did not expect the different countries and group to cheer and wave banner and flags and even sing when their group wer named. Not very religious. More political. We would have preferred something a little more subdued and religious.

Review by: TC	October 2011
Not worth the money. Buy your ticket ahead of time and go to the Basilica. All this tour did was pick us up at the hotel and take us to the Basilica where we waited for 2 hours for the Pope

Review by: Diana B	October 2011
This was very well organised and was a very memorable trip.

Review by: Diane M	October 2011
Absolutely wonderful. Guide was good--spoke very good English. Got us right up close to see the Pope--I could almost touch him we were so close. Only thing We didn't like was he took us to what he called a souvenior store to buy so Pope cold bless articles--very expensive. Wanted to buy several pairs of rosaries--cheapest were 16E--only bought 3 pair--walked outside and on street right in front of store vendors selling same rosaries--rose smelling--3 pair for 10E. Thought that was terrible of him. Bought more affordable items outside as did other people on tour. Guide must have been getting kick back from store but merchandise was no different--just nicer looking, air conditioned store front. Dishonest was appreciated at all. Best part of tour was seeing the Pope. Glad we did it this way!

Review by: rvicere	October 2011
AMAZING!

Review by: Roger S	October 2011
The tickets for this are free however we decided to pay for this as it was our first day and it included a bus ride around the City. This turns out to be money very well spent. The guide got us in the front row of the public section and when the Pope past by we were within 6 feet with an unobstructed view. Fully recommend.

Review by: Mr A M	October 2011
Excellent arrangements and knowledgeable guide, got us to seats with a great view

Review by: Paul C	October 2011
Our guide advised us to hurry and grab the available front row seats and he was right, the pope drove right in front of us!

Review by: lmsm21	September 2011
Great seats. We were within 15 feet of the Pope when he drove by.

Review by: Sarah H	September 2011
Apart from the Pope being late and peoples tempers fraying because they couldn't see. Quite amazing

Review by: RICHARD A	September 2011
We had to wait in line for lose to an hour and our seats were 25 rows back. Essentially the "fee" was for the bus trip and to be taken to the expensive (most expensive in vatican City) gift shop.

Review by: Andrew B	September 2011
Tickets are free so the cost is really just an expensive bus ride to the Vatican. Save your money on this one!

Review by: DENNIS L	September 2011
Seeing the pope in person was an incredible experience. My only gripe regarding the tour group was that the a/c on the tour bus would not be turned on till everyone was on the bus. During the summer this seems rather unreasonable and ridiculous. The pope does not arrive on time so be ready to bake under the sun. We did this tour early september of this year and it was not the most comfortable experience. Be sun ready and bring along some patience too. Expect to stand on your chair when the pope does his rounds on the pope mobile as all will be clamoring for a photo and you will not be able to see a thing sitting down. Once in St Peter's square in the seating section; try to make a run for the best seats as seating seems to be on a first come basis. The tour moderator could also better explain how you can go about having the pope bless your religious item.

Review by: Liese R	July 2011
This was an amazing trip part of my trip, however you are only really paying for the ride over the the Vatican. After that they hand you a free ticket to the show and you are on your own after that. So if you are looking to get close to the pope this was great, if you are looking for more, you aren't going to find it.

Review by: Trevor K	June 2011
Wish I had been able to book our own tickets, we wasted a lot of time, our day started before 7am with the Pope not arriving until after 10.30. We could only see him via video screens so there was no advantage getting there early, except to take us to the designated religious icon shop to purchase some trinket at exhorbitant prices for the pope's blessing._br/_ Would advise others to make there own booking and save the fee and 2hrs sitting in the sun for no advantage!

Review by: R A Warren W	June 2011
Extremely easy and well organised - this trip ensured we got the most out of the experience.

Review by: ANDREA P	June 2011
PERFECT PLACES TO SEE THE POPE

Review by: ESMERALDA R	June 2011
unofurtenely i was not able to make it due to time, however I went last year and it is an amazing religious experience. make sure to get tickets in advance.

Review by: Simon L	June 2011
This was a wonderful experience to SEE the Pope but was a bit disappointing. We got up early and arrived in the square well before the service. We stopped at a shop within the Vatican to buy items to be blessed. We were " guided " as to where to sit for a good view. The spot we were taken to did not have a good view, in fact it was one of the few spots that the pope mobile did not drive past. The mass was good but long. It was the same reading over and over in different languages and then we had to endure all the group recognitions that were attending by various clergy. This went on ridiculously long. It was one of those must do things - we saw the pope, got blessed but left feeling it was a bit over rated.

Review by: Mildred S	May 2011
Excellent service, courier picked us up at the hotel and assisted us to find a good location in the square. made the whole audience simple and enjoyable along with the coach tour of Rome.

Review by: Pravin P	May 2011
Very disappointing. Was effectively charged for a bus ride from the train station to the Vatican city, even though our hotel was nearer the vatican in the first place! Apparently the bus didn't do pick ups from there. The "tour" was our guide pointing out things from the window and lasted all of 5-10 minutes. We were then delayed getting into the square and therefore getting good good seats as we had a detour to a gift shop! All in all, an incredibly poor tour that was sold on false pretences. Bitterly disappointed.

Review by: Brian S, United States of America	July 2010
Most people only will go to Rome once in their lifetime. This was a truly special event. What I did not understand was that you are actually in a beautiful, supermodern, air conditioned auditorium with the pope sitting on the stage. Don't forget your zoom lens for this memorable experience.

Review by: Elizabeth N, United States of America	July 2010
It's always been my dream to get to see the Holy Father in Rome at the Vatican. This company helped make my dream come true. It was wonderful to have a guide show us where to go and what to do to get good seats to see the Pope.

Review by: Dennis D, United States of America	June 2010
Great, Great, Great, except for the excessive HEAT!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2010
it was pretty warm when we went and although there was a cool breeze blowing, the morning sun was pretty intense. the audience lasted for about 3 hours but we had to be there earlier than that to get good seats. all in all, we were there for about 4.5 hours but the experience was well worth it if you're a Christian.

Review by: Dana M, United States of America	April 2010
Great tour. pick up was perfect. We had a lovely mature classy lady for our tour guide. We got great seats. Got there in plently of time to people watch. I will defintely do this tour again.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	April 2010
A very early day and a long wait for the Pope, but worth every minute. The bus picks you up at your hotel and the guide leads you to great seats near the front. The Pope greets everyone in several languages and you see everyone cheering. A great experience.

Review by: Bradley R, United States of America	March 2010
Excellent. Picked up at hotel as scheduled. Terrific guide, spoke in 4 languages. Even got us great seating at the Vatican to see the Pope close up.

Review by: Yvonne M, Canada	October 2009
I was travelling alone the day of the tour and it was my first time in Rome. But I felt comfortable and safe knowing I was part of a group. The tour bus picked me up at my hotel and returned me just a block from it. There were extremely long lines which we were able to skip. We arrived early enough to get seats close to the front of the Cathedral and had wonderful views of the Pope. The Papal audience visit was very moving and definitely worth the effort.

Review by: Gilbert H, United States of America	October 2009
Amazing and definitely worth the price.

Review by: Mariane N, United Kingdom	July 2009
Every little detail of this package is fantastic. First and foremost, the bus picked us up from our hotel even though our hotel wasn't in the list of hotels for pick ups. The bus driver had a very smiley face and the tour guide was really good at explaining things along the way. There were no seats allocated to us during the audience with the Pope so we could sit anywhere, but by the time we got in a lot of front seats were taken, so I looked for a seat in front for my grandma and the rest of my family and I sat at the back. The Pope is a really cool guy . . . I had no idea.

Review by: Jennifer P, United Kingdom	June 2009
Booked this trip as my aunt was coming from America and wished to go to Rome. I don't usually book anything on the internet and wondered if how it would turn out. Everything went to plan and on time the guide was very helpful and told us the best places to sit for the best view. My aunt was over the moon and we had a great time. Highly recommended.

Review by: Rosie T, United States of America	June 2009
Wonderful experience. Prompt pickup from our hotel and nice tour on the way.

Review by: William M, United States of America	February 2009
Well organized. No issues!