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Lateran Palace: Guided Tour
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Discover the Lateran Palace in Rome with an expert guide
Explore the Lateran Palace in Rome on a one-hour guided tour in English or Italian. Once a papal residence, the palace has a history of damage and restoration and retained its status as the Patriarchium, or Seat of the Bishop of Rome, after the papacy moved to the Vatican. The ticket covers palace entry, a guide and earphones; it does not include the nearby Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, its cloister or the Sancta Sanctorum.
What's Included
- Entrance to the Lateran Palace
- Guided tour in English and Italian
- Earphones
This Attraction is Included in These Bundles
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Omnia Smart: Vatican Museums, Colosseum & Lateran Palace
Explore Rome at your own pace
Omnia Smart: Vatican Museums, Colosseum & Lateran Palace – ©ORP
Omnia Smart: Vatican Museums, Colosseum & Lateran Palace – ©ORP
Omnia Smart: Vatican Museums, Colosseum & Lateran Palace – ©ORP What's Included
- Fast-track entrance to the Vatican Museums
- Fast-track entrance to the Sistine Chapel
- Entry to the Colosseum
- Entrance to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
- Entry and audio guide to Mamertine Prison
- Entry and audio guide to Lateran Palace
- 5 audio guided walking tours
- Audio guide App of St Peter's Basilica
Attractions Included in This Package
What's Not Included
- Entrance of Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, Cloister and Sancta Sanctorum
- Entrance to the Sancta Sanctorum
Prices and discounts
Opening hours
Meeting Point
View on Google Maps
Lateran Palace: Guided Tour:
Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano Rome
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Average Duration
Duration: 01:00
Wheelchair Accessible
Additional Information & Description
The Lateran Palace brings you inside a former papal residence with an expert guide. For centuries, this palace was home to the Pope; today, a one-hour guided visit opens a different chapter of Rome’s papal heritage, focused on a building whose importance continued long after the papacy moved elsewhere.
A palace shaped by destruction and restoration
The palace’s history includes earthquakes, raids and invasions, as well as a devastating fire in 1308. Repeated restorations preserved it through these upheavals. When the papacy returned to Rome in 1377, the Popes chose the Vatican as their residence instead. That decision marked a change in the Lateran Palace’s role, but did not end its connection to the papacy. These events give the guided visit a historical thread: a palace repeatedly damaged, restored and given a continuing purpose.
The continuing seat of the Bishop of Rome
The Lateran Palace retained its status as the Patriarchium, or “Seat of the Bishop of Rome,” even after it ceased to be inhabited. Just footsteps away stands the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, described as the head of all Roman and world churches. Newly elected Popes have celebrated their inauguration at this basilica, maintaining the Lateran’s connection to the beginning of each new papacy.
From ancient palace to historical museum
On the Caelian Hill in southeast Rome, the building has roots as an ancient palace of the Roman Empire. It is now used by the Vatican Historical Museum, which illustrates the history of the Papal States. This present-day role adds another chapter to the building’s story, distinct from its centuries of residential use.
What your guided ticket includes
Your ticket includes entrance to the Lateran Palace, a guided tour in English or Italian, and earphones. The visit lasts one hour. Admission does not extend to the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, its cloister or the Sancta Sanctorum; the tour focuses on the palace.
Arrival and access
Go to the Lateran Palace at Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano and arrive five minutes before the tour starts. The venue is wheelchair accessible. Tickets are delivered instantly, and smartphone tickets are accepted.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lateran Palace: Guided Tour
It includes entrance to the Lateran Palace, a guided tour in English or Italian, and earphones.
The tour lasts one hour.
The ticket does not include entrance to the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, its cloister or the Sancta Sanctorum.
Yes. Smartphone tickets are accepted, and tickets are delivered instantly.
Yes, the venue is wheelchair accessible.
It served as a papal residence for centuries and retained its status as the Patriarchium, or Seat of the Bishop of Rome, after the papacy moved to the Vatican.
No. The cancellation policy is non-cancellable.
Distributor of "Lateran Palace: Guided Tour"
Vicariato di Roma - Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi
Buy Ticket | From 18€ 
