Self-guided free tour
Saint Peter's and Castel Sant'Angelo: Angels, popes and a secret passage
Free · no booking Loop route
- Duration
- 1 h 45 min approx.
- Distance
- 3.3 km on foot
- Stops
- 9 stops
From Bernini's bridge of angels to Saint Peter's Square, by way of an emperor's tomb turned fortress, the corridor the popes fled along and the gate guarded by the Swiss Guard. You'll cross an international border without showing a passport and find the exact spot where Bernini's colonnade seems to vanish. About two hours and just over three kilometres, not counting time inside the basilica or the castle.
Start and end Ponte Sant'Angelo
Get thereThe route
The 1 marks where the tour starts and ends.
The 9 stops
At each one, a story of about two minutes.
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1
Ponte Sant'Angelo Start
110 m · 2 min on foot
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2
Castel Sant'Angelo
600 m · 9 min on foot
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3
Piazza Cavour
890 m · 13 min on foot
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4
Passetto di Borgo
230 m · 3 min on foot
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5
Borgo Pio
170 m · 2 min on foot
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6
Porta Sant'Anna
260 m · 4 min on foot
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7
Saint Peter's Square
80 m · 1 min on foot
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8
Saint Peter's Basilica
500 m · 7 min on foot
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9
Via della Conciliazione
510 m · 7 min back to the start
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Back at Ponte Sant'Angelo
The tour ends where it started.
How it works
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1. Get to the start
Head to the starting point and tap “Start the tour”.
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2. Listen
At each stop, tap “I'm here” and listen to the story.
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3. Follow the map
Follow the map to the next stop. No rush.
Before you set off
Bring headphones and a charged phone: audio and map use up battery.
- It is a loop: you finish where you started.
- Stop whenever you like. Your progress is saved on this phone.
- The route and the texts load when you start, so it keeps working with patchy coverage.
- The walk stays outdoors. The time does not include going inside the buildings.
- Available in Spanish and English.
Use it offline
Save the audio, photos and route on this phone to do the tour with no data. Do it on wifi before you set off.
The download stopped halfway. What was already saved is still on this phone.
You can start the tour or leave this page: the download carries on.
Available offline
There is a new version. The one you have saved still works.
Photo credits
- 1. Ponte Sant'Angelo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- 2. Castel Sant'Angelo: Blackcat · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- 3. Piazza Cavour: Blackcat · CC BY-SA 3.0 it · Wikimedia Commons
- 4. Passetto di Borgo: Chris 73 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- 5. Borgo Pio: Carlomorino · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- 6. Porta Sant'Anna: Ninfamania · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- 7. Saint Peter's Square: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- 8. Saint Peter's Basilica: Alvesgaspar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- 9. Via della Conciliazione: Jorge Franganillo · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons