Rome

Rome: Early Bird Vatican Museums Small Group Tour (MAX 6 People)

Name: Rome: Early Bird Vatican Museums Small Group Tour (MAX 6 People)
Brand: Eyes of Rome
SKU: 20163P55
Price: 115.18 USD
Rating: 5.0 (30 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceRome, Italy

Before Opening Vatican Experience VIP Access for a True Small group Tour

3 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

The Vatican Museums is one of the most visited attractions in the world, and the daytime crowds can be daunting. With this First-Access tour, savor the collections with a small group when the galleries are less crowded. Skip past the line at the entrance with fast-track tickets and admire works by Michelangelo, Raphael, and others with a guide for insights into their history and significance.

Avoid most of the crowds with first access to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.
Make the most of your time with skip-the-line entry tickets
Take in the collection’s highlights in just hours with the help of a guide
Enjoy more personal attention with a small-group of up to six participants

What's Included

First Access (8:00 AM)
Sistine Chapel
St. Peter's Basilica (Not accessible on Wednesdays)
Small-group Tour (max. 6 people)

Private transportation
Breakfast

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Giuly's Café
Via Santamaura, 3, 00192 Roma RM, Italy
You will meet your English Speaking guide at the Giuly's Café, located a few meters away from the Vatican Museums main entrance. The guide will be holding an "Eyes of Rome" sign.

Start time

07:30 AM

End point

Saint Peter's Square
Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City
The tour will end in St. Peter's Square

What To Expect

Vatican Museums

1 hour 10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Cortile della Pigna (Pass By)

Sphere within a Sphere (Pass By)

Gallery of the Maps

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Gallery of Tapestries

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Galleria dei Candelabri

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Sistine Chapel

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Basilica

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

La Pieta (Pass By)

St. Peter's Baldachin

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Square

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Most travelers can participate
A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
A moderate amount of walking is involved - comfortable shoes are recommended
St. Peter's Basilica will not be accesible on Wednesdays
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers

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.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

30 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 30 reviews

Just do it

Kellie_M, May 2024

This was a fabulous guided tour. If you are lucky enough to get Manny as your guide, count yourself Blessed. His passion and knowledge for this excursion was overflowing. He kept us engaged the entire time and wanting more information and left us filled with his knowledge.

Vatican Early Bird Small-Group Tour

James_M, May 2024

I visited the Vatican personally 15 years ago on a large group tour, and it was so hard to remember everything. What i did remember were the throngs of people, the overcrowding, and being rushed. These did NOT happen on this amazing small-group tour with Eyes of Rome. It was my wife’s first time visiting Rome and the Vatican. As Catholics, this part of our trip meant a lot to us and we wanted the best tour. We were so lucky that Eyes of Rome offered a tour that enabled our group to enter the Vatican Museums as they first opened. The meeting location was extremely convenient, close to where our group was to enter, and our waiting time to get inside and start our tour was as advertised. Our tour guide, Sylvia, was energetic, positive and spoke great English to our group. Her knowledge of the Sistine Chapel, the history, the architecture was vast - we learned so much on the tour. Sylvia even accommodated our group's request to see the Rafael Rooms. We never felt rushed, yet Sylvia made sure we were on time. Sylvia made sure we saw everything on the itinerary as advertised. Having a small group made the tour more personable and we had a fun time with the other four people in our group. And when we went to St Peters Square and Basilica, we saw the THRONGS of people who were waiting to either get in to the Vatican Museums or try and get through security… This tour was well worth the money, well priced, and we felt like VIPs. Sylvia knew the security and the people working at the Vatican. Do this tour with Eyes of Rome, you will not be disappointed!

Excellent experience!

Shelley_R, Apr 2024

Our guide Valentina was well versed and communicated her knowledge very well. It was a small group of 5 people which made the experience even better. Valentina made sure we all were able to see the best places in the Vatican and kept the group together even though it was pretty crowded the day we were there.

1000% worth it

Anna_K, Apr 2024

Worth every penny being able to skip the miles long line! Elisa was amazing a so patient with us as we had our one year old daughter with us! Thank you!

Brilliant Insight by tour guide at Vatican Museum

doy_g, Apr 2024

The leader of the tour group, Eleonora Federici, was superb. She gave insight into the architecture, family and religious background of the Popes, and the work of Michelangelo/Bernini/Davinci and others. It was a pleasure and well worth the money.

We loved our tour guide!

phiphung_p, Apr 2024

Sylvia was our tour guide and she is excellent. We learned a lot about the history of the Vatican and Sylvia was a caring and enthusiastic tour guide! The Vatican was crowded with visitors at 8am so eventhough we were the first tourist group of the day, around 500 people were present!

Spectacular tour!

Brandi_D, Apr 2024

Paula was the best tour guide ever. She wasted no time getting us in line avoiding as much crowd as possible. Utilizing every minute she started sharing information and photos while we waited for the security line. We truly felt like she pointed out all the best art and history. To walk through the Vatican with a local Roman art history expert was truly amazing. Highly recommend this tour - with only 6 guests it was easy to see and hear every detail.

Early morning Vatican Tour

Joe_H, Mar 2024

Touring the Vatican early in the morning is a must do. The crowds are not oppressive providing a more positive experience. Our tour guide, Marco (Italian native), provided insights/recommendations on both the Vatican and Italy that were very informative. Touring the Vatican can be quite intimidating but Marco did a very nice job compressing the content into a digestible presentation resulting in one of the best tours my son (age 17) and I booked while in Rome.

Wonderful!!

Lauren_B, Mar 2024

Pamela was a wonderful and knowledgeable tour guide. She was entertaining and really well versed on the Vatican and the history of Rome. We were the only 2 people on the tour and I highly recommend the early bird tour..

Vatican tour

Donna_N, Mar 2024

Was a great tour in an historic place. Guide was wonderful, very friendly easy to understand. Was very impressed by her ability to speak English. Very knowledgeable about Vatican. From 1 to 10, with 10 being great, I would give her 10

Vatican tour is a good deal if you want avoid the worst of the crowds

lyric, Nov 2023

If you want to see the Vatican and can get up early, I recommend this tour. You'll get to the Vatican before it gets super crowded and be able to see it and a decent pace. Don't get me wrong, there will be other tours in there, but you won't be packed in back-to-back like happens later in the day. Our guide was great and very knowledgeable. We had access to the Vatican Museum, Sistine chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and the underground tombs of the popes. What we didn't get to see (which I was sad about) was the Rafael rooms. So I guess decide what is important to you. I would do this tour again, but I would ask my guide if there was some way to go back and see the Rafael rooms.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Dear Guest, Thank you for your wonderful review of our Vatican tour! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your experience and appreciated the early start to avoid the crowds. It's great to know that you also had a great time with our guide. We're sorry to hear that you missed the Raphael Rooms, but it's impossible to tour the Museums in one day, that's why we have included in the tour only the must-see sections. We look forward to welcoming you again and ensuring you get the opportunity to explore every aspect of this magnificent place! Arrivederci, Eyes of Rome Team

Super experience

Loreen_A, Oct 2023

We met Marta & the tour consisted of us & 3 other people, we went to the Vatican ,Sistine chapel & St. Peter’s , We will never forget it, as much as people try & describe it , you can’t, it takes your breath away, we wished we could stay all day, we felt so grateful to be there, especially with someone who knew so much about everything there, she adapts to your pace , is helpful , sweet & super knowledgeable, It was the perfect day with a great tour guide, Book it & ask for Marta

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Dear Loreen, We sincerely appreciate you sharing your extraordinary Vatican experience with our delightful guide Marta. Having a tour guide who possesses a deep understanding of the history and intricate details, while also being attuned to your pace, truly enhances the overall experience. Your generous recommendation to book a tour with her is of immense value to us, and we will ensure that your kind comments reach her. We look forward to welcoming you back to Italy for more unforgettable experiences! Best regards, Eyes of Rome Team

The Five Star Early Bird Tour

Emma_T, Oct 2023

We had the most amazing guide called Rosalba cannot fault her. As we waited for security she explained all about the Sistine Chapel paintings so when we were in there we understood the story. Her other stories throughout the tour were great so we came away understanding the huge significance of The Vatican in its entirety. Thank you so mucg.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Dear Emma, Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience with us! We're delighted to hear that you had such a fantastic guide, Rosalba, who made your visit to the Vatican truly memorable, we'll be sure to pass on your praise to her. We appreciate your kind words and hope you carry the knowledge and memories from your tour with you for a long time. If you ever plan to visit again or explore other destinations, we'd be more than happy to assist you. Thanks again for choosing our services! Best regards, Eyes of Rome Team

Amazing visit.

Nick_A, Oct 2023

Fantastic tour guided by Alessandro who is a Roman archaeologist. Started early so crowds not bad. Guided past the crowds there were. Brilliantly well informed. Only three of us so no problem with questions and adjusting time at various points. Highlights of Vatican museum - you could spend a lifetime there - and the Vatican buildings. Great advice on Sistine Chapel before we went in and no hurry in there - much more impressive than folk had told me. And great experience in St Peter’s Basilica too. Some advice on areas nearby too for lunch and for other sites to see.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Dear Nick, Thank you for sharing your fantastic experience on the tour with our lovely guide Alessandro! It sounds like you had an exceptional time exploring the Vatican and its treasures under his guidance. Alessandro's expertise and early start to the tour seem to have made a significant difference in your visit by avoiding the crowds. It's great to hear that the Sistine Chapel exceeded your expectations, as it is indeed a masterpiece that often leaves a profound impact on visitors. Alessandro's advice on the Sistine Chapel and recommendations for lunch and other nearby sites added even more value to your experience, ensuring you had a well-rounded and memorable visit. Your review provides valuable insights for anyone considering this tour, and it's clear that Alessandro and the tour provided you with an exceptional and memorable experience. Thank you for sharing your feedback! Best regards, Eyes of Rome Team

Fantastic!!

Nora_L, Sep 2023

This tour was amazing. We signed up for the small group, but the two of us were the only ones in it that day-so a private tour! Our guide Elisa knows her history and showed us the many hidden gems we would not know to look for. We highly recommend!

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear Nora, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your review! We're happy to hear that you had an amazing experience on our tour, especially with the unexpected private tour upgrade. It sounds like you had the perfect guide in Elisa, who clearly has a wealth of knowledge about the Vatican's hidden gems. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we hope to have the pleasure of hosting you again in the future. If there's anything else we can assist you with, please don't hesitate to reach out. Safe travels! Eyes of Rome Team

Before the Opening Vatican Experience: VIP Access

razteach, Oct 2019

Our tour guide was excellent. She was very, very knowledge. There was only one problem n that she and I were given different times to meet, a half hour later for her. We at first became nervous and looked form her. Thank God she phoned me and we met. There were only 2 of us in the group, my nephew and me. This was fantastic. I saw more of the Vatican Museum than I had on the previous 8 public tours. I highly recommend this tour.

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