We had to pass a metal detector before entering – there were no lines though (January). We climbed the dome and visited the tombs. But the inside of the basilica is just impossible to describe with words. Huge and impressive come close. In one part a mass was held, in another part you could go to confession. Halfway the cathedral, my boyfriend’s memory card of his camera was full! We had to go out, buy another card (another Gig) and came back to finish our tour. He filmed large parts of it as well, to get an impression of the immense scale.