# Assisi: how the basilica works, and how to get up

> Individual entry to the Basilica of San Francesco is free in 2026 and its three parts keep different hours. The station sits 4 km below the old town.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/assisi
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Entry to the Basilica of San Francesco is free for individual visitors in 2026 with no ticket at all, and the practical problems in Assisi are the different closing times of its three parts and the fact that the train station is 4 km below the town.

## Free to walk in, priced for groups

Individual visitors pay nothing and there is no ticket to buy in 2026. Organized groups have to book in advance and pay €2.50 a head for entry, or €3.00 including the radio guides that a guided visit inside requires. Prices in euros.

If you are traveling with a private guide, that booking is on them, and it is worth confirming they have made it before you turn up at the door.

## Three parts, three closing times

The lower church runs 6:00 am to 6:30 pm (18:30 on Italian signs), the upper church 8:30 am to 5:45 pm, and the tomb of Saint Francis 6:00 am to 6:00 pm in 2026. On Wednesdays the lower church shuts at 6:00 pm, on Saturdays at 7:00 pm.

The binding one is the upper church, with the Giotto cycle. Build your day so you are inside it by mid afternoon, and use the early morning, when the lower church has already been open for hours, to see the tomb without a queue.

## Stairs, toilets, and what you cannot visit

There is no step-free route inside the building between the lower and the upper church in 2026: you go out and take the external ramp between the two squares. For the tomb there is a lift, reserved and opened by staff on request.

No toilets exist inside the basilica. The only ones are in the underground rooms off the lower square, beside the information office. And the Sacro Convento, the friary next door, is not open to tourist visits, which surprises people who have booked a day around it.

## Getting up without a car

Assisi's railway station is at Santa Maria degli Angeli, 4 km (2.5 miles) downhill from the walled town, and the link is the Assisi Link shuttle run by Busitalia. Departures come every 20 minutes Monday to Friday and every 15 minutes on Saturdays and holidays, in the 8:00 am to 8:00 pm window.

The 90 minute urban ticket costs €1.30 bought before boarding and €2.00 from the driver. From Perugia the fare is €4.20, from Foligno €3.00. Buying on the ground rather than on board is the cheaper habit, and the difference is the price of a coffee each way.

## The listing is a territory, not a church

The World Heritage site called Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and other Franciscan sites was inscribed in 2000 on five criteria, (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi), with a core zone of 14,563.25 hectares and a buffer of 4,086.7.

Inside it are Santa Chiara, Santa Maria degli Angeli down in the plain, the Eremo delle Carceri up on Monte Subasio, San Damiano, Rivotorto and the medieval town within its walls. Two of those are a hillside walk rather than a street corner, so a single day here covers the churches and not much else. See [things to do in Assisi](/towns/assisi/things-to-do) and [Umbria](/regions/umbria).

## FAQ

### Do you need a ticket for the Basilica of San Francesco?

Not as an individual visitor: entry is free in 2026 and no ticket exists. Organized groups are a different case. They have to book, and they pay €2.50 per person for entry alone or €3.00 with the radio guides, which are compulsory for a guided visit inside.

### What time does the upper church close?

5:45 pm (17:45 on Italian signs) in 2026. The lower church runs 6:00 am to 6:30 pm, closing at 6:00 pm on Wednesdays and 7:00 pm on Saturdays, and the tomb of Saint Francis closes at 6:00 pm. Arrive by mid afternoon to fit all three in.

### How do you get from Assisi station to the old town?

The Assisi Link shuttle run by Busitalia. The station is at Santa Maria degli Angeli, 4 km below the walls, and the shuttle leaves every 20 minutes Monday to Friday and every 15 minutes on Saturdays and holidays, from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.

### Are there toilets inside the basilica?

No. The only ones are in the underground rooms off the lower square, next to the information office, so plan the stop before you go in. In 2026 there is also no step-free route between the lower and the upper church inside the building.

### Is only the basilica UNESCO listed?

No. The 2000 listing covers a core zone of 14,563.25 hectares with a 4,086.7 hectare buffer, and includes Santa Chiara, Santa Maria degli Angeli, the Eremo delle Carceri, San Damiano, Rivotorto and the walled town itself, on five criteria.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'ingresso alla Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi e' gratuito per i visitatori individuali e non richiede biglietto (2026); i gruppi organizzati devono prenotare e pagano 2,50 euro a persona per il solo ingresso, 3,00 euro se includono il noleggio delle radioguide, obbligatorie per la visita guidata all'interno. | [Custodia Generale del Sacro Convento di San Francesco in Assisi](https://www.sanfrancescoassisi.org/html/ita/shownews.php?idNews=386&zone=WEBpercorsi); [doc 2](https://www.sanfrancescoassisi.org/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Nella Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi le tre parti hanno orari diversi (2026): chiesa inferiore 6.00-18.30 (mercoledi' chiusura alle 18.00, sabato alle 19.00), chiesa superiore 8.30-17.45, Tomba di San Francesco 6.00-18.00. | [Custodia Generale del Sacro Convento di San Francesco in Assisi](https://www.sanfrancescoassisi.org/); [doc 2](https://www.sanfrancescoassisi.org/html/ita/shownews.php?idNews=386&zone=WEBpercorsi) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Alla Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi il Sacro Convento non e' aperto alle visite turistiche e all'interno della Basilica non ci sono servizi igienici: gli unici sono nei locali ipogei della piazza inferiore, accanto all'Ufficio Informazioni. Il passaggio fra chiesa inferiore e superiore non ha un percorso interno senza scalini: bisogna uscire e usare la rampa esterna fra le due piazze; per la Tomba esiste un ascensore riservato su richiesta al personale (2026). | [Custodia Generale del Sacro Convento di San Francesco in Assisi](https://www.sanfrancescoassisi.org/html/ita/shownews.php?idNews=387&zone=WEBpercorsi); [doc 2](https://www.sanfrancescoassisi.org/html/ita/shownews.php?idNews=386&zone=WEBpercorsi) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Assisi non ha una stazione nel centro storico: la stazione ferroviaria si trova a Santa Maria degli Angeli, circa 4 km piu' in basso, ed e' collegata al centro dalla navetta Assisi Link di Busitalia, con partenze ogni 20 minuti dal lunedi' al venerdi' e ogni 15 minuti il sabato e i festivi, dalle 8.00 alle 20.00; il biglietto urbano da 90 minuti costa 1,30 euro a terra e 2,00 euro a bordo (2026). | [Busitalia - Sita Nord (Gruppo FS)](https://www.fsbusitalia.it/it/turismo/programma-il-tuo-viaggio/assisi-citta-di-san-francesco.html); [doc 2](https://www.fsbusitalia.it/it/umbria/news-umbria/2025/4/16/assisi---potenziamento-assisi-link-dal-17-aprile-2025.html) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il sito UNESCO 'Assisi, la Basilica di San Francesco e altri siti francescani' e' iscritto nella Lista del Patrimonio Mondiale dal 2000 con cinque criteri, (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi), e ha una core zone di 14.563,25 ettari con buffer zone di 4.086,7 ettari: non e' solo la Basilica ma un territorio che comprende anche Santa Chiara, Santa Maria degli Angeli, l'Eremo delle Carceri, San Damiano e Rivotorto. | [Ministero della Cultura - Ufficio UNESCO](https://unesco.cultura.gov.it/projects/assisi-la-basilica-di-san-francesco-e-altri-siti-francescani/); [Commissione Nazionale Italiana per l'UNESCO](https://www.unesco.it/it/unesco-vicino-a-te/siti-patrimonio-mondiale/assisi-la-basilica-di-san-francesco-e-altri-siti-francescani/) | medium | 2030-12-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.assisi.v2.1600.jpg
Author: Adrian Michael, enhanced by User:Ikar.us. License: CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assisi-Ansicht.jpg

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