185. St Peter's Basilica

What is St Peter's Basilica? 

It's the biggest church in the world. It was built between 1506-1626 on the spot where Peter, one of the apostles, was buried. The original church, built by the Emperor Constantine in the 4th century, had fallen into disrepair and was knocked down to make way for its replacement.

What's St Peter's Basilica like?

It's huge but it's so full of tourists that it's quite hard to take in the scale.

Where is St Peter's Basilica?

Rome, Italy

When did we go? 

February 2007

How did we get there?

We went on a three day trip from London - Vatican City is in the centre of Rome and very easy to get to. We also saw the the Colosseum (50), the Vatican Museums (173), and the Pantheon (67).

Worth noting

The Pope holds an audience in front of the basilica every Wednesday - it's free but you need to get tickets in advance.

St Peter's Basilica's place in the 2015 edition of the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?

85. It dropped 100 places.

Does St Peter's Basilica deserve its position in the Lonely Planet Top 500?

Yes. I'd have put it higher up.