Overview
Important: Entrance tickets to the Vatican Museums are NOT included and will be provided by the agency at an additional cost (on the spot).
- 3-hour Vatican Museums tour including the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica, led by an expert guide
- Skip the line for fast-track entry to the world-famous Vatican museum complex
- Learn about the incredible Renaissance artwork inside Raphael’s Rooms
- Visit the Sistine Chapel and marvel at Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam
- Explore St Peter’s Basilica and rub the statue of St Peter for a blessing
From $43.45 USD
Lowest Price GuaranteeMeet your local guide and pay your fee to enter the Vatican Museums. Then, with your skip-the-line ticket, step inside to start your Vatican and Sistine Chapel tour. Follow your guide, listening to tales of saintliness and scandal, and learn about the Vatican’s place as one of the holiest sites in Christendom.
Italian art flourished in the Renaissance and baroque periods, and the Vatican popes put together one of the world’s largest collections of private art with frescos, paintings, sculptures and treasure. See the highlights as you walk through galleries such as Raphael’s Rooms, and hear stories behind works such as the School of Athens — a piece that features images of Michelangelo and Raphael himself.
Pass through halls such as the Gallery of the Masks and Gallery of the Maps. Then, make your way into the Sistine Chapel. A sacred spot and the private papal chapel, the Sistine Chapel is also renowned for its Michelangelo frescoes — The Last Judgement and The Creation of Adam.
Continue to St Peter’s Basilica, which is said to be built on the ground where St Peter is buried. Admire La Pietà, an early Michelangelo sculpture, and pause to rub the foot of a statue of St Peter, said to bring good luck. Your Vatican and St Peter’s Basilica tour then finishes outside the church.
Morning Tour:
Skip the line and the crowds when you upgrade to this morning tour, with a maximum group size of 12 people. At this early time, your group enters the Vatican Museums before the doors open to the general public.
Evening Tour:
Upgrade to tour the Vatican Museums after the doors close to the public. This evening option is only available for limited period, on Friday evenings from May 6 to July 26, and September 6 to October 25. Numbers are restricted to 20 people, and the tour does not include entry to St Peter’s Basilica.
Reviews
Viator Traveler's Reviews
We met at the agency's brick and mortar and headed out from there. We went to the Vatican Museum first with our guide Maximo. As expected, the Vatican was really crowded and we were all issued headsets beforehand so we could hear him speak without him screaming. He was informative and answered questions as we walked along. It's very difficult to navigate a large group in such a crowded area and I thought Maximo did a good job making sure we were all together and heard what he was saying.
Tours of this nature is always going to be crowded, making it difficult to see a lot of the attractions and I thought Maximo did a fairly good job in keeping us organized. When we got to the Sistine Chapel, he was very clear of the rules, no talking, no hats, cover your knees and shoulder and no taking photos. When I got in there, I was shocked at how loud it was. Security guards talking to each other and yelling at tourists to stop taking photos and to stop talking. There was a recurring recording over the loudspeakers repeating Silencio, silence please. Tour guides were also talking and laughing out loud despite the rules. I appreciated that Maximo made the rules clear and also followed them himself, removing his hat and waiting quietly at the exit of the chapel waiting for us all to finish. Even if you're not religious, it's just a sign of respect to adhere to the rules of the place you are visiting.
We finished up at St. Peter's Basilica where Maximo stayed behind a bit longer in case anyone had any questions for him.
I'm not a religious person, so I tend to get bored with cathedral tours but thought the Sistine Chapel was worth visiting and it's always nice to have someone knowledgeable guide you.
A very informative tour , Maria Terese was a wonderful guide. The tour was a bit crowded. Since there are a lot of tours going on at the same time. But 5 stars to Maria Terese for providing an educational tour . She was able to answer questions and give advice on other sites to see around the Vatican.
What can you say? Place it at the top of your wish list of the things you want to visit. Definitely buy skip the line tickets with early access. You'll be amazed at how long the lines are around the outside to get it without advance skip the line purchase. It's a pretty thought provoking place and pretty glorious as well. We encountered no lines, got there early, and really got to enjoy it.
This tour took about 3 hours and it was worth every second and every penny. The tour guide was very informative. The only thing that caught me off guard was the $24 I had to pay when I got to the tour office because I wasn't aware the entrance fee to the Vatican wasn't included. I didn't catch it when I read over my paperwork after I printed them out.
Incredible art and artifacts. There were so many marble statues it was hard to take them all in. Every square inch that you move through has statues, frescos, mosaics, gilded ceilings etc. It is worth seeing. The only downside is the crowd. It's so crowded it's hard to move around and even difficult to stay with your group. There is not much that can be done about that.