Rome
Self Guided Priority Access to Vatican Museums Ticket in Rome

2-in-1 Vatican Museum Ticket & St. Peter's Dome Climb

Badge of ExcellenceRome, Italy
  • 6 hours
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Visit the Vatican Museums during your time in Rome with priority access by booking this skip-the-line ticket. Choose your preferred time when booking, and then explore the museums independently on a self-guided tour to see the priceless artwork, including the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel.
  • Skip-the-line ticket to the Vatican Museums
  • Explore the museums at your leisure on a self-guided tour
  • See the Sistine Chapel and other rooms and galleries
  • Don't wait in the long main entrance line

What's Included

  • Guided tour all the way up to the top of Michelangelo’s dome/terrace of St. Peter’s
  • In-depth guided tour of St. Peter’s basilica with an expert art historian
  • Priority-access ticket to the Vatican Museums (self-guided)
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting points

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Start time

08:00 AM

End point

  • Saint Peter's Square
    Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City

    The tour concludes on St. Peter's Square in front of St. Peter's Basilica.

What To Expect

On the day of your booked ticket, enjoy skip-the-line access to the Vatican Museums, and head inside for an independent tour of the galleries and artwork. It can be overwhelming when you're on your own, so it's recommended that you use a guidebook, map, or app of your choice.

Once inside, you can stay until closing time with no fixed itinerary. Explore the Raphael Rooms, Gallery of Maps, and Gallery of Tapestries, among other rooms, and finish up at the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo's legendary ceiling.

St. Peter's Square

1 hour 15 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

St. Peter's Basilica

45 minutesAdmission Ticket Included

Vatican Museums

1 hour 30 minutesAdmission Ticket Included

Sistine Chapel

30 minutesAdmission Ticket Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • 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
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Photography is allowed in some areas of the Vatican Museums, but not all. Please ask Vatican Museums security for more details
  • Photography inside the Sistine Chapel is forbidden
  • Maximum 20 travelers on this tour
  • Near public transportation
  • Infant seats available
  • Not recommended for travelers with back problems
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • Dome climb is a moderate+ exertion activity undertaken in a short space of time. Please be aware of this before you book
  • Due to the route covered and/or the means of transportation used, it is not possible to participate in this tour using a wheelchair, scooter, or other aid. Please contact us to inquire about customized tour options for guests with mobility challenges
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 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

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Traveler Tips


Its massive so you need at least half a day to explore, and they provide you with headsets so you still get an informative tour.
Reviews by Viator travelers. We perform checks on reviews

Reviews

5.0
190 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 190 reviews
Great tour, the guide was...
Laureana_G, Sep 2023
Great tour, the guide was very nice and I had a great time and learned a lot of the Vatican. Thank you
2-in-1 Must Do in Rome
Stuart_B, Sep 2023
Great to visit this area of Rome and glad we did it with a small group. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and easy to understand. Only downside for us was when it came to the museum section of the tour we did not realise that the Viator Tour did not include the guide. something to watch out for when booking tour, check what's included.
Totally worth it!!!
Milynn_L, Sep 2023
My husband and I was really looking forward to this experience. We met the tour guide at the fountain and we were off! The guide was super welcoming and knowledgeable, the communication was quick if you had questions, they were fast to text. The dome climb was not as bad as I was expecting it to be at all! There are two sets of stairs to climb, so you get a break before having to go up to the top. The view of rome was amazing. Definitely do the earliest time slot because when we got out the security line was 2-3x longer than when we arrived. Plan to walk A LOT, especially through the Vatican museum. We would recommend this to anyone interested in spending the day in Vatican City.
Exceeded Our Expectations
Daniel_S, Aug 2023
Climbing St. Peters dome was amazing! The Vatican museum was so much more amazing than we imagined - we could have spent days in those hallways!
Awesome tour
Elizabeth_W, Jul 2023
The climb the dome was awesome, great views and nobody rushed us, plenty of time for it. Guide was very rvvoutsfing and knowledgeable
Fun but need to rethink the headphone situation
Todd_S, Jun 2023
We had a nice time on the tour, though to be honest we missed about half of what the tour operator was explaining to us because 1) We only had one headphone on our ears and it was SO loud there that having both headphones would help out tremendously 2) Her English was ok but between the noise and the 1 headphone, it was very hard to understand what she was saying. Otherwise, despite the oppressive heat, we enjoyed the tour.
Wonderful!
Donna_R, Jun 2023
Mama Sabrina was the best!!!! Very knowledgeable and funny! Highly recommend the Dome climb!! Enjoyed St. Peter Church!
skip the line is worth the money
Claudia_G, May 2023
Good guide and the skip the line ticket is really worth it! We booked the tour without guide in the museum which was fine for us. Unfortunately the ticket does not allie to walk in the Vatican gardens.
Highly Recommend including Dome
Margaret_L, May 2023
The reason this tour stood out from others is because of our guide, Sandra. She is a native of Rome and provided so much history about Vatican City.
Organised tour with excellent guide
victoria_m, May 2023
Excellent tour guide was very informative we booked the 8am tour best for avoiding the crowds . Small numbers meant it wasn’t a large group , guide was friendly and helpful
Worth every penny
Charles_M, Apr 2023
You need more than one day to do this properly. It's a fantastic tour. Be prepared to be on your feet and bring snacks. The museum is ENORMOUS. If you only have one day in Rome hit this tour and the Collisium.
Douro climb
Kathryn_H, Apr 2023
Tour was great but long, bring snacks. tour guide was very knowledgeable. Be prepared for small space in stairway.
Educational
Gene_C, Apr 2023
Dome climb was spectacular,museum was amazing and Sistine Chapel breathtaking.Highly recommended for all
A Great All In One Option to See The Vatican
Lauren_B, Mar 2023
This tour was excellent and certainly a highlight of our trip. Our tour guide Sandra was amazing - so knowledgeable, friendly & helpful. The whole process was very smooth & seamless. Would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a hassle free visit to the Vatican.
Great tour and time saver!
Jeff_K, Mar 2023
We met up easily thanks to the GPS coordinates and had an incredible tour of St. Peter’s with our knowledgeable guide. Climbing to the top of the dome was breathtaking! As we left the lines (which we skipped) were already sprawling down the square, so I was grateful to have had the guide and early entrance! From there we went to the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel. Our package did not have a guided tour for that part, but the guide walked us there and gave us our tickets so we were able to skip the line! The Vatican museums and Sistine chapel are tragically crowded, so best to have some help getting in!
SO GREAT!!!!!! Fun climb for the best view and work off that Roman Pizza and pasta!
Stacey_R, Jul 2022
Amazing tour guide - very organized tour - saw the perfect amount in the perfect amount of time - you can climb more steps if you are brave!! So much fun and interesting all in one! * make sure you really know which fountain to find at the beginning meeting point - it's NOT the ones in the middle of st. peter's square! My husband and son missed our tour and they allowed them to go the next day for no extra charge. Wonderful service. HIGHLY recommend this tour and company.
Response from Host, Oct 2022
Dear Stacey, Thank you for taking your time to write this enthusiastic review and for recommending our company! We are so grateful that the effort we spend on organisation and for taking care of our guests lead to such a satisfaction! Also, thank you for providing the tip about the meeting point :) it will surely be helpful for the guests to come Best regards
Excellent Tour!!! Thanks to Chiara!!!
Cheridyn_D, Jul 2022
10 stars!!! Highly recommend booking this tour and if you’re lucky, you’ll have the most amazing experience with Tour guide: CHIARA! CHIARA brought life to this tour- from the very beginning, she made sure she knew each of us, and personalized our tour by calling out our names, where we are visiting from, or simply found ways to keep us 100% engaged. She is a history major and explained everything in a way that her audience of all ages understood. And she is HILARIOUS. Her humor and comments kept us all engaged. I even brought “flat Stanley” pictures of our priest and our family dogs and CHIARA would randomly insert comments into her tour using our priest (Fr. Kwame) name. Of all the tours we’ve taken throughout Italy, CHIARA has, by far, been our best tour guide! We booked a 4 hour tour with the first half guided and 2nd half self-guided. Time flew by so fast that when it was time to do the self guided portion, we asked if we could upgrade our package and she immediately called her office to let us continue with her for the remainder of the full 5 1/2 tour. Time flew by with this tour- my husband and I, along with our three grown kids left this tour feeling knowledgeable, and because this was the root of our faith, we felt complete. Thank you, CHIARA!!! -Cheridyn
Response from Host, Oct 2022
Dear Cheridyn, Your enthusiasm warms our hearts! Thank you for recommending our tour and our amazing Chiara! The way you described your experience really makes us so happy and grateful - both to Chiara and to you! Getting to know cultural heritage while having so much fun is undoubdtedly the best way to appreciate the stunning masterpieces you can enjoy in Italy! We hope you may carry this memory with you forever! Warmest regards
Top 3 best guide of my experiences
Laura_B, May 2022
Paolo is an experienced tour guide who know just when to tell a little more, make a joke or just skip the heavy historical part so everybody can enjoy.
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Dear Laura, thanks for your review. Paolo is a great guy, and we are glad to read that he made such an amazing job. Best regards, hope to see you again soon!
Good tour; incredible guide.
Ryan_K, May 2022
It's a good tour, all are a must see in Roma. It's worth it to add in the hike up the dome if you're able. But the real standout was our tour guide Massimo (When in Rome Tours). Hands down the best guide I've ever had, I would literally go see any site in any town if he was leading it. He's a walking encyclopedia, but he doesn't just recite a script, he talks about it like you're just having a normal conversation. On top of that he has personality and wit. The day of our tour there was a ceremony for a deceased cardinal and the line was huge outside. Time flew by as Massimo gave us a history lesson and tossed in some jokes. I know you can't choose your guide, so I'll say the tour is good regardless. But if your get Massimo you're in for a treat.
Wonderful tour
Greg_V, Mar 2022
Very friendly, knowledgeable guide. The tour was enjoyed by asults and children. Definitely recommend this tour.

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