G
Positive experience and would recommend.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and excited to share the tour highlights. Did not have to wait in lines which was a big plus considering the intense crowd.
Rome travel guide: tickets, best time & real costs
Private Vatican Tour: Museums, Sistine Chapel, & St. Peter's
+17 photos
At a glance
- Duration
- 3 hours
- Price from
- $285 / person
- Location
- Rome, Italy
- Rating
- 4.9 / 5 · 189 reviews
- Languages
- EN, ES
- Group
- Private
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
- Confirmation
- Instant
- Ticket
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operator
- Europe Odyssey Tours di Rahul Raghavan & C.sas
- Meeting point
- Get to 91, Viale Vaticano. Look across the street and you will see the guide standing by the bus stop along the Vatican walls with a placard of your surname on it.
Description
**This tour will be conducted in English unless you request a Spanish or Portuguese-speaking guide when booking.** Avoid the crowds, spend more time in the Sistine Chapel, and enjoy a truly special Vatican tour! Our private guide gets you into the Vatican Museums ahead of the line, where you’ll explore masterpieces like Raphael’s Transfiguration, the Belgian Tapestries, and Da Vinci’s St. Jerome. Admire the Papal Carriages and stand in awe of the Sistine Chapel before accessing St. Peter’s Basilica through an exclusive passage used by very few tours. You’ll descend the Scala Regia, pass by the Pope’s office and the Swiss Guards — a route rarely offered, making this experience truly unique!
Schedule & prices
- Runs
- Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, and Sat
- Start times
- 8 times a day, 8:00 AM–4:00 PM
- Next available
- Thu, Oct 22
- Adult (ages 18+)
- $285
- Youth (ages 6–17)
- $108
- Child (ages 0–5)
- Free
Prices change with the date; the lowest is shown.
Prices are per person when two book together; a solo traveller pays $478.
Larger groups pay less per person.
Out at sunset: the 3:00 PM departure is under way when the sun sets, around 5:11 PM in the coming weeks.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 14.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Vatican Museums
Start your tour at the renowned Vatican Museums. Aside from being the home of the Pope, Vatican city is also home to the Vatican Museums, the world’s largest collection of art with 9 miles of art that could wrap around the Vatican walls 4 ½ times! It contains 54 museums, 1400 rooms, chapels, and galleries. Aside from the renowned Sistine Chapel, the museums also display the only work of Leonardo Da Vinci in Rome, St. Jerome, the Raphael Rooms, and the Pinoteca, which contains collections of the Popes, all dating back to the middle ages and are set in chronological order.
Sistine Chapel
Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel is possibly the most well known masterpiece in modern day, with over 5 million visitors per year. It was a project the artist took on reluctantly because his focus was sculptures, and he would complain about the physical toll it took on his body. It is said that the design of the chapel from Pope Sixtus IV, is modeled after Solomon’s temple from the Old Testament, measuring at just larger than a professional basketball court! There are many more frescoes to admire here from other artists, including: Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pietro Perugino, Cosimo Roselli and Sandro Botticelli.
St. Peter's Basilica
You will head through a secret entry into our last stop on the tour, St. Peter's Basilica: the largest basilica in the world, with markings inside the church to ensure every other basilica would fit inside. The curious visitor is treated to Michelangelo’s Pieta at the front, 150 mosaics, and Bernini’s baldacchino, which stands at 96 feet tall and 100,000 pounds of bronze! Surprisingly, there is only one actual painting in the basilica, and it can be spotted hanging above the Pieta. Many popes are buried in the church or are on display, but most of the popes are buried underneath the basilica including St. Peter, the first pope.
What's included
Included
Ear phones are included for groups of 6 or more
Not included
Private transportation
Bottled water
Wheelchair is not provided
Traveller Ratings
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
4.9
189 reviews
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- The tour itinerary is 2.3 km long on hard marble. Hence wear comfortable sneakers or shoes with orthopedic inner soles.
- The tour ends in front of the Basilica. You can spend more time inside the Basilica but you cannot go back to the Sistine Chapel nor the Museum.
- Photography is permitted in most rooms but without flash. Photography inside the Sistine Chapel is prohibited.
- There is a dress code for entry into the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You will be refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
- If it is raining carry umbrellas that are compact and can be folded and not ones that have sharp pokey end. The long one give by your hotels will have to be checked into the cloakroom of the museum and involves a 1 km walk to get it back again.
- Do mention your preferred start time for the tour & we will accommodate it depending on the availability of the tickets & guides.
- Entry to St. Peter's Basilica is subject to availability and may be restricted or closed without prior notice due to religious ceremonies, papal events, or Vatican regulations. If access is unavailable, your guide will extend the tour within the Vatican Museums instead. No refunds or partial refunds will be provided.
- Not recommended for clients who cannot climb and decend stairs
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
1+ days before100% refund
0–1 days before0% refund
Frequently asked questions
How long does Private Vatican Tour: Museums, Sistine Chapel, & St. Peter's take?
Private Vatican Tour: Museums, Sistine Chapel, & St. Peter's lasts about 3 hours. The itinerary has 3 stops.
How much does Private Vatican Tour: Museums, Sistine Chapel, & St. Peter's cost?
Prices start at $285 per person for this Rome experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. That is the per-person price when two book together; a solo traveller pays $478. There are 2 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
What days does Private Vatican Tour: Museums, Sistine Chapel, & St. Peter's run?
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with 8 departures a day between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
How much does Private Vatican Tour: Museums, Sistine Chapel, & St. Peter's cost for children?
Children aged 0–5 pay nothing, adults from $285.
Can I cancel Private Vatican Tour: Museums, Sistine Chapel, & St. Peter's for free?
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Where does the tour start?
The meeting point is Get to 91, Viale Vaticano. Look across the street and you will see the guide standing by the bus stop along the Vatican walls with a placard of your surname on it. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
What languages is Private Vatican Tour: Museums, Sistine Chapel, & St. Peter's offered in?
The experience is available in EN, ES.
Is this a private or a group tour?
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 15 travellers can book together.
Is the tour suitable for children?
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Will my booking be confirmed immediately?
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Is Private Vatican Tour: Museums, Sistine Chapel, & St. Peter's worth it?
Travellers rate it 4.9 out of 5 across 189 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Europe Odyssey Tours di Rahul Raghavan & C.sas.
Reviews(189)
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
U
Great Experience.
Christina was a wealth of knowledge. Very friendly and made sure we had the complete experience. Great tour!
A
An Outstanding Guide Makes an Excellent Tour
My wife and I took a tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistene Chapel, and St Peter’s Basilica that lasted four hours. Our guide Rahul Raghavan was excellent showing his knowledge as we moved through the tour, sharing his personal photos when appropriate. He was a big help as my wife is disabled and was in a wheelchair. I appreciated him leading us through the crowds and directing us to the accessible entrances and elevators when appropriate. His communication skills were superb. When we go back, we will use Rahul again.
R
Fantastic!
During our recent trip to Italy we took numerous tours. Our guide for the Vatican tour, Rahul, was one of the highlights! He was incredibly knowledgeable and there wasn’t a question asked where he did know the inside story, and the history! It was truly amazing! I would take the tour again just to get his insight!
Q
A wonderful morning in the Vatican
We had a fabulous morning with our guide Rahul. He was extremely knowledgeable and professional, and we were delighted with how much we learned from him during our tour. We 100% recommend him and Europe Odyssey Tours.
T
Small group tour!
Our guide was great! Loves the small group!
U
Memorable tour of Vatican by Mr.Rahul Raghavan
On our trip to Rome, our tour guide Rahul was amazing. Through a friend, we came to know about Mr. Rahul Raghavan. We had signed up for a tour of Vatican museum,Sistine chapel and the Basilica. Mr.Rahul was able to convey the nuances as well as the historical aspects contained in those amazing works of art in a precise and concise manner which we will cherish always. He also spent time giving us tips on nice places to eat dinner etc. Would highly recommend him and this company. He made us comfortable and gave a wonderful experience. Thank you so much, Rahul for the great insights.
S
Excellent experience from a travel agent
I booked this tour through Viator for my clients, they were running late and the emergency number was very quick to respond and assure me that the guide would wait for my clients so they could enjoy their experience. They were very happy with the tour, with their guide, and for the patience I'll deffinitely book with them again for future trips for my clients
C
Excellent private tour of the Vatican and st. Peter’s Bascillica
What a wonderful experience! Our guide Andrea was fabulous - so knowledgeable about the History of the Vatican. He was passionate and personable, it was an absolute pleasure to spend the afternoon with him. Thank you from New Zealand 🇳🇿
G
Top tier tour
An unforgettable experience with Rahul as he takes us on a art-centric walk through nearly three millenia of Vatican history. Slow pace allowed for in depth presentations of pieces and stories of everything we saw. A tour not to miss!
1 people found this helpful
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4.9(189) Free cancellation