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Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina)

Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina) Tours

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Skip-the-Line: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Guided Small-Group Tour

Badge of ExcellenceRoma, Italy

From $52.46

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

Reserve Now & Pay Later
Secure your spot while staying flexible
Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
Rome Tours
All Rome Tours
Audio Guides
Kid-Friendly
Likely To Sell Out
Unique Experiences
  • 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Discover the Vatican on an intimate small-group tour of the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums with an expert guide and a group of up to 20 people. Navigate the vast complex of rooms, artwork, and history with a guide, who brings the ancient collection to life. Skip all the entrance lines to explore halls such as the Gallery of the Maps and Raphael’s Rooms; step inside the Sistine Chapel to admire ‘The Creation of Adam’ by Michelangelo. Choose from several departures, or upgrade to an evening experience or small-group tour with 10 people.
  • See captivating sites such as the Raphael’s Rooms, Gallery of the Maps, and Bramante’s Pinecone Courtyard
  • Choose from several different departure times, or upgrade to a semi-private tour (with up to 10 participants)
  • Audio headsets are provided to make sure you can hear your guide clearly at all times (when group size is 20 people)
  • With a reserved Skip-the-Line entrance, head straight into the Vatican to explore the museums with your dedicated art historian guide

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

“Skip the line” with this tour means using a special entrance to bypass even the fast-track line.

What's Included

  • Reserved Priority Access to the Vatican Museums
  • Skip-the-Line Access to the Sistine Chapel
  • Audio headsets so you can always hear your guide
  • Small groups of 20 people or less
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • St. Peter's Basilica is not included until further notice

Departure & Return

Departure Point

  • Via Tunisi, 4, Via Tunisi, 4, 00192 Roma RM, Italy

    Meeting point: At the bottom of the steps across the street from the Entrance of the Vatican Museums. The steps are located right next to Caffè Vaticano on the corner of Viale Vaticano and Via Tunisi. The closest Metro stop is Line A (Ottaviano – Musei Vaticani).

Return Details

  • Sistine Chapel, 00120, Vatican City

What To Expect

Vatican tours with skip-the-line access are sought-after, so even the fast-track lines are long. This experience includes admission through a special entrance, so there are no lines whatsoever. Follow your guide directly inside the vast collection of private artwork that is the Vatican Museums.

Walk through the Gallery of the Maps and Gallery of Tapestries as you listen to tales of Vatican intrigue. Gaze at artifacts such as timeworn yet fascinating Italian maps, and admire the sculptures and candelabras of the Gallery of Candelabras. Stop for photos in front of the Pigna statue in the Pinecone Courtyard, designed by Donato Bramante.

Raphael’s Rooms are a series of galleries that highlight the talent of the lauded Renaissance artist himself. Pass through the rooms, and then step inside the Sistine Chapel—the pope’s personal place of worship and a highlight of any Vatican trip. Stand beneath Michelangelo’s 'The Creation of Adam,' which cloaks the ceiling, and admire 'The Last Judgement,' his colorful mural that adorns a wall.

After your Sistine Chapel visit, continue to St. Peter’s Basilica, the symbolic heart of the Catholic church. Learn about its history and see more Vatican art including Michelangelo’s 'La Pietà,' which was sculpted when the maestro was only 24 years old. Gaze at the baldachino by Bernini, and then say goodbye to your guide in St. Peter’s Square.

Keep in mind that St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square might be unavailable on Wednesdays due to the weekly Papal Audience. As an alternative, enjoy an extended itinerary within the Vatican Museums, which still includes the Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Rooms. If you want to make sure that St. Peter's Basilica and Square are included in your tour, don't select Wednesday as your travel date.

If you want to enhance your Vatican experience, select one of the following experiences:

Small-Group Tour in the morning: Enter the Vatican Museums as soon as it opens, before the other lines enter. Your tour is limited to 10 people for personal attention and information about the Vatican’s must-see sights.

Tour in the evening: Explore the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel after the doors close to the general public. A visit to St. Peter’s Basilica is not included.
1

Vatican Museums

Vatican tours with skip-the-line access are sought-after, so even the fast-track lines are long. This experience includes admission through a special entrance, so there are no lines whatsoever. Follow your guide directly inside the vast collection of private artwork that is the Vatican Museums. Walkthrough the Gallery of the Maps and Gallery of Tapestries as you listen to tales of Vatican intrigue. Gaze at artifacts such as timeworn yet fascinating Italian maps, and admire the sculptures and candelabras of the Gallery of Candelabras. Stop for photos in front of the Pigna statue in the Pinecone Courtyard, designed by Dontao Bramante.

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

2

Stanze di Raffaello

Raphael’s Rooms are a series of galleries that highlight the talent of the lauded Renaissance artist himself.

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Please bring your own mask on the tour. The wearing of mask is compulsory in order to comply with health & Safety regulations. Our guide will be wearing mask during the tour as well.
  • At the meeting point there will be social distancing taking place. Our guide will organize the group upon your arrival, but we kindly ask yourself to be conscience in taking social distance at all the time from others.
  • Following the new regulations regarding Coronavirus, at the entrance your body temperature will be checked. If a body temperature above 37.5 ° C is registered, you will not be able to enter the site.
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any impairments requiring special assistance. We are also unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages on our group tours.
  • Avoid bringing large purses, bags, or backpacks on your tour
  • We may experience delays in getting through mandatory security checks when entering these venues
  • Please be aware that St. Peter's Basilica is not included until further notice
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Operated by City Wonders Ltd

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

about cancellations

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Skip-the-Line: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Guided Small-Group Tour?

A:The policies on face masks and attendee health are:
  • Face masks required for travelers in public areas
  • Face masks required for guides in public areas
  • Temperature checks for travelers upon arrival

Q:What is the social distancing policy during Skip-the-Line: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Guided Small-Group Tour?

A:The policy on social distancing is:
  • Social distancing enforced throughout experience

Traveler Photos

See more

Traveler Tips

Arrive early since it is a bit difficult to locate the tour guide to check in.
Bring water with you as you won’t find any inside.
Don’t go on a Wednesday because the Pope will be doing mass and it supposedly gets really crowded.
Reviews
4.5
25,606 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers
Showing 1-10 of 25,606 reviews
Sistine Chapel
Martin_O, May 2022
The Your was great! Laura was so pleasant and knowledgeable. We enjoyed her very much. . The tour was very organized and easy.
A definite must.
Erica_O, May 2022
Amil our guide made this tour. She was so engaging, knowledgeable and friendly. I would advise anyone to take this guided tour otherwise you might be a bit overwhelmed. These museums are vast and full I wouldn't know where to start. You could spend days in them......2.5 hrs was plenty as my elderly mother was exhausted with all the walking (including a lot of stairs). Highly recommended and hope you get Amil.
Very informative and good fun
Justine_H, May 2022
Our guide Christian was really knowledgeable and even though we had been to the Vatican on a previous trip we learned much more this time. He made it all very interesting and his enthusiasm was great. I would definitely recommend
Great times
Eoin_H, May 2022
Guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. The tour moved fairly quickly which was good, we also took the shortcut into st.peters square. Great experience
Pretty fun tour!
Phillip_B, May 2022
Alexandra was very knowledgeable and fun! Site was much too crowded which wasn’t her fault. I do feel I got more out of the tour with the guide than if I had gone alone.
Great guide, overwhelming tour.
Luke_O, May 2022
Our tour guide was brilliantly passionate and made such an effort to show us all that the Vatican had to offer. However, our group was oversubscribed and that made it really hard to enjoy traveling with the group, especially through the Vatican's packed and narrow galleries. We tried to book an early hours tour, but it was sold out for our dates, I imagine that would make visiting the Vatican a lot more enjoyable.
An absolute must
Lesia_M, May 2022
I would highly recommend this tour. The skip the line is well worth the money otherwise you’ll be standing in line for quite a while. Our tour guide had so much knowledge to share that I would have never picked up on on my own. This is definitely worth it.
Our guide Maria was...
Henning_K, May 2022
Our guide Maria was totally fantastic. She really new her stuff and spoke about everything passionately.
1 traveler found this review helpful
Great visit
Derek_P, May 2022
Great guide, who interjected the information with humour to stop it from being an overload of information We were given enough time to stand and stare. It was worth the extra to go in early and to see St Marks Basilica without the crowds.
Great museum- boring tour guide
hrajgarhia, May 2022
Our guide was knowledgeable but recited the facts in a monotone the whole time. We felt bored after 10-15 minutes- we could’ve looked up the information on the internet and saved the money. Since we had ear pieces to hear her above the crowd we would wander around a bit but the guide continued to talk regardless if anyone was there or not. The museum was magnificent and worth seeing but I’d save the money and just get an audio tour which might be more enjoyable than the guide.
...

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Product code: 3731VATICAN

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