Embark on an extraordinary journey at the Vatican with this semi-private morning tour that includes an American-style breakfast inside the Vatican’s Courtyard. You’ll explore the Vatican Museums before they open to the general public so you can admire famous sights like the Sistine Chapel in a more intimate atmosphere before finishing with skip-the-line access to St Peter’s Basilica through a reserved entrance.

Explore the Vatican before members of the general public
Enjoy an Italian-American breakfast buffet
Visit the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica through a fast-track entrance
Enjoy an intimate tour experience with a small group

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Visiting the Vatican is a must-do experience in Rome, and this tour is a unique way to do it. Beat the crowds and start your tour with a breakfast right in the heart of the Vatican Museums complex.

What's Included

Professional English-speaking guide
Buffet breakfast inside the Vatican Museums
Guided tour of Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica (Introduction)
Small groups of 20 people or fewer
Headsets to hear the guide clearly
Priority Entrance to the Vatican Museums & St Peter's Basilica

Gratuities
St Peter's Basilica on Wednesday morning

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Via Tunisi, 4, 00192 Roma RM, Italy
At the bottom of the steps across the street from the Vatican Museums entrance. The steps are located between on the corner of Viale Vaticano and Via Tunisi. The closest Metro stop is Line A (Ottaviano – Musei Vaticani). Our City Wonders coordinators wear blue City Wonders jacket or polo shirts.

Start time

08:00 AM

End point

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

What To Expect

In the early morning, meet your guide at the Vatican Museums before the site opens to the public. Depending on the option selected when booking, you’ll be escorted to either the Vatican’s Courtyard or the Vatican cafeteria for breakfast, followed by your exclusive tour of the Vatican’s many iconic attractions, from the Sistine Chapel to the Gallery of Maps.

Both tour options end at St Peter’s Basilica, which you have access to via a VIP entrance. Inside, prepare to be wowed by art like Michelangelo’s Pieta sculpture and Bernini’s Baldacchino canopy. When your tour ends and you say goodbye to your guide, you are welcome to stay inside St Peter’s Basilica.

See the Itinerary section below for details about the two tour options.

Vatican City

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cortile della Pigna

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Sphere within a Sphere

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Vatican Museums

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Gallery of the Maps

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Sistine Chapel

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Basilica

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Square

10 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
Please note that this tour is only available up to 60 days in advance, due to the nature of the tickets. We recommend booking early to avoid disappointment!

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.
A dress code is required to enter to the museums. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women.
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.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

1,556 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 1,556 reviews

Beautiful informative time!

Katy_T, Apr 2024

We loved our tour with Chiara at The Vatican. The breakfast was a wonderful way to start. She graciously ushered us through the throngs of people and was so informative and kind. She took the time to show us where our next tour was taking off. Very grateful to her knowledge

Great Tour with Chiara

Lesley_M, Apr 2024

Chiara was a great tour guide. Very knowledgeable and friendly! Breakfast was delicious! Highly recommend!

Unique experience! Well worth it.

Jason_S, Apr 2024

It was great to have breakfast in the courtyard of the Vatican! A very unique experience. And it was awesome to be able to skip all of the lines to get into everything quickly. Highly recommend!

Beautiful tour, not happy about the downgrade

Michele_E, Apr 2024

Aksana was an amazing guide- very knowledgeable, easy to understand, presented everything in a very respectful and engaging way. Was disappointed that the breakfast was cancelled and the tour was down graded. Especially when we saw people having the breakfast and told by one of the other guides that is was possible to book.

Don’t book

Donna_B, Apr 2024

We needed to cancel over a month before the tour and they would not give us a refund for canceling. This is unacceptable

Breath taking and worth every penny

Andrea_G, Apr 2024

Federico aka “Fred” was an amazing tour guide. He has a background in archaeology and was able to go through extensive detail about the Roman history and the specific history behind each piece. He highlighted the important art in each room. He was very knowledgeable about the context of each piece. He was able to entertain my nine-year old during a 3 hour tour. He was very personable and made the day so memorable. I initially was skeptical about the price tag of this tour but would book it again in a heartbeat. It was a beautiful and memorable day. My only advice do not eat at the cafe across the street from the entry of the Vatican the food and coffee are mediocre. Thank you aviator team for making my trip to the Vatican extra special.

Great breakfast tour- highly recommend climbing the basilica dome too.

Lucy_W, Apr 2024

Frederica did a great job conveying so much history and art of the ancient Roman’s. It was wonderful to take it all in. Breakfast was great too!

Breathtaking

Conor_W, Apr 2024

Absolutely breaktakkng experience. Would 100% recommend this tour. Would personally advise doing this tour last on your trip as nothing will top it.

What a great guide!

Scott_B, Jan 2024

Our guide was terrific! Not only knowledgeable about everything but so passionate also. Recommending to my daughter who will be in Rome in a few months.

Very educational description of the Vatican

Frank, Jan 2024

Our guide was outstanding. Had a very helpful handout describing the paintings in the Sistine Chapel as well as other visual aids explaining the various areas that we visited.

Excellent and memorable day

John_G, Dec 2023

The Sistine Chapel is the most memorable. Our tour guide gave a very good history throughout the tour

Breakfast at the Vatican

Anthony_W, Dec 2023

Christian was a knowledgeable and pleasant guide. His knowledge of and passion for the Vatican Museum brought it to life. The breakfast was delicious. Truly, the Vatican is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been and this tour brought all the beauty to the surface.

Amazing experience!

Eddie_N, Dec 2023

Great way to beat the crowds and experience the beauty and grandeur of the Vatican! Breakfast was delicious. Being able to truly appreciate Sistine Chapel without the crowd was unforgettable! Thank you Viator for making our day in Vatican City one to remember.

Great Guide and the Sistine Chapel almost to ourselves!

Shannon_Q, Dec 2023

We were lucky enough to get our guide all to ourselves which was a happy surprise. Asund (I'm sure I'm spelling her name wrong), was knowledgeable, helpful and a complete delight. We were also very lucky to see the Sistine Chapel and the rest of the Museums before the big crowds. The breakfast was nice too. Highly recommend!

Historic

Catary_P, Dec 2023

It is so hard to get a good breakfast experience for an American anywhere in Rome. In Rome you only get Ham and melted cheese sandwiches or pastries and coffee. So the Food was ok at this breakfast. It was cold on a very cold day. We did have eggs, which was great to see as you can't find eggs for breakfast almost anywhere in Rome. The tour was amazing, the guide was knowledgeable. The Vatican was grand and ornate. So much history and so much information.

Great tour - early morning access recommended

mab86, Dec 2023

The tour was excellent. Klaus is a great guide - knowledgeable on the history and able to relate it in a very engaging way. Great way to see the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. Thank you!

Beat the crowds

Sandra_K, Dec 2023

This is the way to do the Vatican. We breezed through security & had breakfast before the Vatican opened to the general public. After the museum, Sistene chapel and St Peter’s we we’re finished about noon when the crowds we’re getting thick. St Peter’s is mind blowing and our guide was very informative & kept our group together.

Loved it!

Christy_L, Dec 2023

Loved it! Very filling breakfast, efficient access to the museum and basilica, and our guide Fabio was wonderful. Highly recommend!

Vatican breakfast

Brian_P, Nov 2023

Wonderful expierience, excellent guide. Really moving. We enjoyed the tour and our guide. Everything was breathtaking. Breakfast was better than expected.

Breakfast at the Vatican beat the crowds

Ronda_M, Nov 2023

Tour guide very knowledgeable. Excellent English and easy to understand. Would recommend this tour. Wear good walking shoes. It’s well worth it.

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