Viator Exclusive: Private Viewing of Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums

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Please note: This is a private two-hour small group tour of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums, for selected nights only.

Seeing the Vatican's galleries when they are closed to the general public is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Tickets are limited and each group will consist of 20 people maximum with your own guide - and are only available through Viator.

The Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums are notorious for the crowds of people passing through during the day. With this exclusive two-hour tour you will have a unique chance to escape the crowds and, once the Vatican Museums close to the public, explore the artistic and architectural treasures.

All entrance fees are included in the tour price. Book your spot on this exclusive tour (instant confirmation!) and see the official residence of the Pope, in Vatican City. The evening is hosted by an English-speaking guide/art historian specializing in the Italian Renaissance. Please list any special interests you have (art, architecture, history, culture) at time of booking to alert our guide, so that he or she can better prepare for your private tour.

Not traveling to Rome on one of these days? That's OK, we plan to offer additional dates for this exclusive private tour of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. Please keep checking back as new dates are added. 

Viator Exclusive: Private Viewing of Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums

Monday - September 22, 2008 at 6:30PM

Monday - October 13, 2008 at 7:00PM

Meet your tour guide by the Vatican Museums main entrance, located on Viale Vaticano. The meeting point is easy to locate, and your guide will be waiting for you.

Entrance is STRICTLY LIMITED and you must arrive at least 20 minutes prior to departure time. The Vatican Museum doors are opened specifically for our group so arriving late means you will miss the visit.

The tour guide will escort you to the Vatican Museums exit, where the evening concludes.

Hotel pickup is NOT available. Please advise your local contact details in Rome including full hotel name and address at time of booking.

Viator has organized an exclusive private visit of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums, for selected evenings in 2008. This is your opportunity to visit the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums when they are closed to the general public.

The tour starts in the Museo Pio Clementino, home to the Pope's collection of magnificent Greek and Roman statues including the Apollo Belvedere and the Laocoon. The Laocoon was actually discovered in the deep earth in the forum - and Michelangelo, then frescoing in the Vatican, was asked to come and check if and how it should be lifted from the earth.

Next you will visit the Papal Apartments, which Raphael created for Pope Julius II. Raphael's work is sublime - you will see in the lunettes against the walls the Dispute over the Sacrament, The School of Athens and the Parnassus, each scene set in the grandest and most beautiful Renaissance perspective.

Next you will visit the Cappella Sistina (Sistine Chapel) -- imagine standing beneath Michelangelo's masterpiece without the herds of crowds, it is magical. As your tour guide leads you inside let the vivid colors and bold figures of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling take your breath away. The impact is so much greater when viewed in silence and minus the crowds that normally fill the chapel. Take as long as you need to absorb these frescoes, considered one of the most renowned artworks of the High Renaissance.

For security reasons guests are accompanied by Vatican security throughout the tour, and the Vatican reserves the right to make last-minute changes to the tour schedule. The standard itinerary is listed above, however we cannot guarantee visits to any room other than Cappella Sistina (Sistine Chapel). The rooms may be closed at the last minute due to restoration or at the general discretion of the Vatican Museums.