Rome
Top Rome landmarks

Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica Guided Tour

Rome, Italy
  • 3 hours
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Tens of thousands of people visit the Vatican Museums each day to see St. Peter’s Basilica, masterpieces by the likes of Michelangelo and Raphael, and the Sistine Chapel. Get inside the UNESCO-listed complex to the general public on this tour that’s limited to a small group. Enter through a reserved doorway to skip the lines, and stay a step ahead of the large crowds on this carefully planned route that ensures you make the most of your time.
  • Hear your guide's commentary clearly with provided headsets
  • Enter through a groups-only doorway to skip the long lines
  • Enjoy the Vatican highlights including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica
  • A small-group tour ensures you can always see and hear the guide

What's Included

  • Reserved Access to the Vatican Museums
  • All entrance & reservation fees
  • Access to the Sistine Chapel
  • Skip-the-Line Access to St. Peter’s Basilica
  • Small groups of 20 people or less
  • Audio headsets so you can always hear your guide
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • Via Tunisi, 4, 00192 Roma RM, Italy

    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). Arriving from Ottaviano - Musei Vaticani Metro A Station: Exit the turnstiles – walk straight to the back end of the station and go to the left side exit. Once you’ve reached the left side exit – exit at V.le Giulio Cesare (to your right). Exit Station and walk down V.le G. Cesare to street light, cross the street and take left on Via Leone IV. Take right on Via Sebastiano Veniero and go 1 ½ blocks.

End point

  • St. Peter's Basilica
    Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City

What To Expect

Meet and greet your guide opposite the entrance to the Vatican Museums, a collection of galleries filled with classical and Renaissance masterpieces, including the Sistine Chapel frescoes. Walk inside through a reserved door without any waiting. This access is even faster than the priority lines.

Once inside, there are more than 2,000 rooms and nine miles of art, so follow along with your guide who points out the highlights and explains the story behind each piece. The small-group nature of your tour allows you to remain close to your guide at all times, but a headset is included to make sure you can always hear the commentary clearly.

Stroll through rooms like the Gallery of Maps, with its golden, vaulted ceiling, and the stunning Sistine Chapel, considered to be the Pope’s home chapel, with Michelangelo’s 'Creation of Adam' and
'The Last Judgement.' On your tour, you find the galleries to be considerably quieter than they would be later in the day.

Finish with a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church ever built and one of the holiest and most important sites in Christendom. Get an overview of its long history from your guide, and get an up-close look at 'La Pietà,' one of Michelangelo’s earlier sculptures that depicts the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion.

Your tour ends inside the basilica. After you’ve finished exploring with your group, you can stay as long as you want on your own. It’s the perfect time to head down into the crypts or climb up to the top of St. Peter’s dome (own expense) for uninterrupted views of Rome.

Vatican City

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Vatican Museums

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Cortile della Pigna

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Sphere within a Sphere

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Gallery of the Maps

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Sistine Chapel

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Basilica

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Square

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women to enter to the venues
  • Only small bags are allowed in the venue
  • Saint Peter’s Basilica is subject to last-minute closures for religious ceremonies. When this occurs, we're happy to offer customers an extended tour of the Vatican Museums. While we endeavour to tell tour groups ahead of time if there are any planned disruptions to the Basilica's opening hours, this is not always possible and in these cases we are unable to provide refunds or discounts.
  • On Wednesdays, due to the Papal Audiences, access to St Peter's Basilica is not possible until 1pm
  • Please note all participant names are required at the time of booking in order to enter the Vatican. If we do not receive the full customers names, we will cancel the booking. Every customer is required to carry a valid ID that matches the name on the ticket, or an entry will be refused. Name changes are not permitted once the booking is confirmed.
  • Please be advised that this tour option is non-refundable, with no cancellations or date changes allowed due to pre-purchased tickets. It is mandatory to bring a valid ID or Passport for security checks, and entry will not be granted without proper documentation.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

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      Reviews

      4.5
      3,179 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 3,179 reviews
      Good sense of humor despite crowds
      lteicheira, Apr 2024
      Guide was great and helpful. Good pace. Sistine chapel too crowded but guide helped group by discussion beforehand
      An amazing tour that was fun and informative!
      Vincent_S, Apr 2024
      Seeing the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica was amazing. The history and beauty were overwhelming. Our guide, Amy shared so much information in an easy to understand and fun manner! We could not ask for a better guide or experience! Thanks Amy for making our first trip and tour in Italy a memorable one!
      Could not have been better
      James_D, Apr 2024
      Iman, the guide, provided an excellent background and explanation of all of the exhibits and he was insightful. He has a great deal of knowldege and clearly enjoyed presenting it in a very easy and understandable way. We are seasoned travelers and he provided the best tour we have ever experienced.
      Perfevt
      Michele_S, Apr 2024
      We had a fabulous tour from start to finish Our guide,Laura, was very knowledgeable and always made sure that our group was together and able to hear her and follow along The group was small 10 people which made the tour more enjoyable I highly recommend this tour
      The best day at the Vatican
      MaryVeres, Apr 2024
      The beauty of the Vatican was every rite hoped for. Our tour guide was fabulous. She was well versed in the history and not at all boring in her details. We had only five in our group and got in very smoothly as our guide took care of everything. Rosa! Thank you for a fabulous day!
      Expensive for all the waiting
      Laura_R, Apr 2024
      Museums were very crowded. There was a lot of stepping to the side and waiting for the group to catch up - stuffy and hot in many rooms. Guide was soft spoken with heavy accent. Overall it was a good way to see so much in short time. Also Basilicata was closed which I know is out of their control, but a disappointment none the less.
      Response from Host, Apr 2024
      Hi Laura_R, Thank you for sharing your experience with us for your of the Vatican! We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the crowded conditions and the closure of St. Peter's Basilica. While it's out of our control, ur Skip-the-Line Access and expert guides are designed to provide the fastest possible entry to the Vatican, especially during peak times like Easter, and a more carefully planned environment to explore the Vatican. We hoped that both helped mitigate some of the crowded aspects of the tour. We're glad to hear that overall, you found the tour to be a good way to see so much in a short time. Happy Travels, The City Wonders Team
      Errod was our guide. He...
      Julie_M, Mar 2024
      Errod was our guide. He was pleasant and knowledgeable about the places we visited. We were able to skip the lines and skip the additional security line getting into the church. Great tour.
      Top tour with Gaga
      Suzanne_L, Mar 2024
      Gaga was our tour guide and she was the best. Learned a lot about art and artists like Michelangelo and DaVinci. Top recommendation for Gaga
      Absolutely fantastic
      ygmazziniwncomau, Mar 2024
      Our tour guide Aimee made our tour very memorable based on her knowledge and humour made for a special day
      Great Tour with Lots of Info
      Stacey_P, Mar 2024
      Amil was a great guide. She was very knowledgeable and thorough. This is a fast moving tour and there are many stairs (if you have trouble walking). Well worth every penny.
      Amy was excellent
      Tracy_B, Mar 2024
      Amy was an excellent guide. She was knowledgeable and very articulate. Her sense of humor was well appreciated and made it even better. It was incredibly crowded but she was a professional and got us through with no problem.
      Highly Recommend
      Amanda_M, Mar 2024
      I can't imagine what a nightmare it would've been without a guide and arriving first thing in the morning. We were there end of May 2023 and it was PACKED. Wall to wall people, long line to get in. Luckily we had this tour and entry was easy. The guide was friendly and knowledgable.
      Amazing art work
      Razor1020buffy, Feb 2024
      Amazing to see all the history and art/sculptures unable to enjoy as much as I would have like due to guide walked very fast
      The keys to the kingdom
      Ruth_T, Feb 2024
      It was a thorough tour of all the points of interest. Our guide was gracious and informative. She was also careful to make sure the group stayed together. (Don’t laugh! On another tour I was on, that guide couldn’t be bothered to hold up her flag at key points—she lost one us.)
      Vatican for anyone
      Pam_C, Feb 2024
      Wow! Skip the line is right! We got right in and saw the highlights of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St Peters. John was an excellent guide. He gave us a lot of information and insights. His knowledge of the Vatican and it's art and treasures was huge.
      Best tour and guide I have had in my life
      Tony_P, Feb 2024
      Valentina was simply the Best tour guide ever! Super knowledgeable, humorous, full of happy vibes and energy and care for every member of the tour. The skip-the-line perks is absolutely incredible, not a single regret!
      Eye opener, lesson in history.
      YeeLing_H, Feb 2024
      The wealth and influence of the Vatican is astounding. I was amazed by the number of art pieces the museum held. Our guide Marco was knowledgeable. Absolutely no regrets.
      Exceptional Vatican tour
      Thaier_A, Jan 2024
      Professional and knowledgeable guide, providing wealth of information. Highly anticipated Thank you very much.
      Highly recommend this tour especially at 8am before the crowds!
      Linda_S, Jan 2024
      We easily found our tour group and had an excellent tour guide who loves history and sharing the knowledge and stories with us. We did an 8 am tour in late November 2023 and we were very fortunate that the museum, Sistine Chapel and Basilica weren't very crowded and we could get close to everything we wanted to see. Highly recommend!
      Highly Recommend!
      Joshua_T, Jan 2024
      We’re so glad we took a tour this morning with Yaya (sorry if it’s spelt wrong). So knowledgeable and really helped us understand such a wonderful place with so much history. Highly recommend! Thank you for a memorable experience!
      ...
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      -You will not receive a refund if you cancel.

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