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Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) Tours
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Cultural Tours
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Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
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From $133.50
Price varies by group size
Free Cancellation
up to 24 hours in advance
3 hours 30 minutes (Approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English and 4 more
Keeping you safe during COVID-19
Overview
Admire Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel without the crowds and enjoy skip-the-line access to the Vatican Museums on this small-group tour. Enter the Sistine Chapel before its opens to the public, and view the frescoes in a calm, crowd-free setting. Then, tour the Vatican Museums, seeing the highlights of the papal art collection, including the Raphael Rooms and Gallery of Maps, before checking out the treasures inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
- Early entrance, skip-the-line Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums tour
- Visit the Sistine Chapel before it opens to the public
- Admire Michelangelo’s ceiling and wall frescos without the daytime crowds
- Bypass the main lines to enter the Vatican Museums
- Enjoy a guided tour of highlights, including the Raphael Rooms, Gallery of Maps, and more
- Visit St. Peter’s Basilica and see Michelangelo’s ‘Pietà’ and other treasures
- Small group of six participants or fewer
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Meet your guide and small group of no more than six near the Vatican Museums.
Listen to an introduction to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes from your guide. Talking inside the chapel is not allowed, so you’ll learn about these Renaissance artworks before entering. Then, head directly inside the pope’s private place of worship. Your ticket gives you early access to the chapel as one of the day’s first visitors, so you can enjoy it without the crowds.
Gaze in awe at Michelangelo’s ceiling fresco, The Creation of Adam, as well as The Last Judgment gracing the back wall of the chapel. Soak in unobstructed views of the works, and enjoy time to inspect them in detail.
When your time in the chapel is up, reconvene with your guide and bypass the main admission lines for a tour of the Vatican Museums’ highlights.
Stroll around the Pinecone Courtyard, and see works like the Belvedere Apollo and Laocoon Priest of Troy statues. Admire the celebrated marble Belvedere Torso, and stroll through the must-see 16th-century Gallery of Maps, Gallery of the Tapestries, and Raphael Rooms.
Afterward, walk back through the Sistine Chapel — seeing how crowded it is during normal opening hours — and continue through an exclusive exit into St. Peter’s Basilica.
Here, let your guide introduce you to the best of the treasures held in the magnificent interior. Admire Michelangelo's glorious Pietà, the marble sculpture depicting Mary holding the dead Jesus, as well as Bernini's Baldacchino altar canopy and Pope Alexander VII monument among other great works.
Your tour concludes inside the church when your guide departs. You’re free to then continue exploring independently, perhaps looking further around the interior to see the papal tombs, climbing the Dome, or strolling around St. Peter’s Square as you wish.
Listen to an introduction to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes from your guide. Talking inside the chapel is not allowed, so you’ll learn about these Renaissance artworks before entering. Then, head directly inside the pope’s private place of worship. Your ticket gives you early access to the chapel as one of the day’s first visitors, so you can enjoy it without the crowds.
Gaze in awe at Michelangelo’s ceiling fresco, The Creation of Adam, as well as The Last Judgment gracing the back wall of the chapel. Soak in unobstructed views of the works, and enjoy time to inspect them in detail.
When your time in the chapel is up, reconvene with your guide and bypass the main admission lines for a tour of the Vatican Museums’ highlights.
Stroll around the Pinecone Courtyard, and see works like the Belvedere Apollo and Laocoon Priest of Troy statues. Admire the celebrated marble Belvedere Torso, and stroll through the must-see 16th-century Gallery of Maps, Gallery of the Tapestries, and Raphael Rooms.
Afterward, walk back through the Sistine Chapel — seeing how crowded it is during normal opening hours — and continue through an exclusive exit into St. Peter’s Basilica.
Here, let your guide introduce you to the best of the treasures held in the magnificent interior. Admire Michelangelo's glorious Pietà, the marble sculpture depicting Mary holding the dead Jesus, as well as Bernini's Baldacchino altar canopy and Pope Alexander VII monument among other great works.
Your tour concludes inside the church when your guide departs. You’re free to then continue exploring independently, perhaps looking further around the interior to see the papal tombs, climbing the Dome, or strolling around St. Peter’s Square as you wish.
Itinerary
In this Exclusive Early Access to the Vatican you will enter the museums an hour prior to the general public, so you can enjoy much lighter crowds, and be granted immediate entry to the Sistine Chapel!
The Vatican Museums is on everyone’s Rome itinerary so you can imagine it gets quite full, quite quickly.
The best way to get the most of this popular site is to enter early and to see it either in our Semi-Private Group of ONLY 6 people MAX, or in your very own Private Group.
Enjoy a thorough explanation of the incredible masterpiece that is the Sistine Chapel and learn all about it from your professional expert guide before you actually enter the chapel. As it is a holy place, it is strictly forbidden to speak inside. That is why we guarantee you will learn all about it before you enter. Then, once inside, you will have time to take it all in and admire the breathtaking beauty of this world famous site in contemplative silence.
Duration: 45 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
With the luxury of our truly small group size of 6 people max, or in the personalized intimacy of your very own private group, you will be guaranteed to get the very most out of your Vatican experience. This way you can easily navigate through the countless masterpieces with an expert guide, ask all the questions you wish, and have the guarantee of a personalized experience. We trust this makes ALL the difference!
Walk through the heavily decorated Gallery of the Candelabras and enjoy the trompe l’oeil in the Gallery of the Tapestries. After you learn about the impressive Gallery of the Maps, continue to the exquisite Raphael Rooms. With your professional expert tour guide, you will be sure to see all the highlights as well as hidden gems! You will not only learn the fantastic history of the powerful Popes but will also delight in the bits of gossip and other little-known stories about life in Vatican City.
Duration: 2 hours
Admission Ticket Included
Your comprehensive Vatican tour concludes with VIP entrance directly into St. Peter’s Basilica without standing in the long lines. Walking through the Basilica, you will learn all about the secrets of the magnificent and ornate decorations, sculptures, altars and chapels. Visit Michelangelo’s Pieta and walk down the main nave to admire the dome he designed that sits on top of the largest Catholic church in the world. Your tour will end in St. Peter's square, one of the most picture perfect places in all of Rome.
Duration: 45 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
Traveler Photos
Traveler Tips
- "Early morning is a great way to beat the crowds and the best way to see the Sistine chapel and the Raphael rooms!" See review
- "The early morning tour is the best if you want to miss the big crowd." See review
- "Highly recommend to do an early before the crowds get there tour." See review
Reviews
Questions?
Product code: 6718P17
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