Skip-the-Line Group Tour of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica
Description
A holiday in Rome without visiting the Vatican is like a day at the beach without swimming in the sea. See the best of the Vatican museums and gain direct entrance with skip-the-line access to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, while our excellent guides entertain you with stories that go with each masterpiece. This budget-friendly tour is the best value for money for travelers that are interested in 1) seeing the museum’s highlights 2) meeting a new friend or two through your group and 3) skipping the lines (trust us, with over 6 million tourist spilling into the museum every year, you'll want it!) Disclaimer: you will be entering the Vatican museum during one of the busiest times of the day. While the tour provides skip-the-line access, the crowds in the museum vary from day to day and some delay with security can be expected (it would be misleading for other tour operators to not tell you this!)
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your tour guide at our office, located in the oldest neighbourhoods of the Vatican, Borgo Pio. Following a self introduction by your guide, you will walk through the charming shops of the Borgo, as he/she shares some local tips for eating and site seeing in Rome, including off the beaten track sites that you must visit during your holiday! Some background will also be provided on the history of the Sistine Chapel (we do it here as the chapel forbids noise and travellers are expected to observe silence once entering).
Admire the flags and surrounding embassies as you walk through this street, which serve as the primary access point to St. Peter's Square, and by extension, to the Vatican City itself.
We arrive at St. Peter's Square, which is marked by a towering Egyptian obelisk and enveloped by columns and statues of saints. Hear about the history of the square and the legendary artist Bernini who designed it. Fun fact- the Pope addresses crowds from his apartment window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, during the Papal audience held every Wednesday and Sunday morning.
En route to the museum, you will get to see and hear about how residents of the smallest city in the word go about their day to day life (including getting their mail!) Snap a pic of the Swiss guards- the pontifical bodyguards in their distinctly Renaissance uniforms. Our Tip: send yourself a post card after the tour. The post office sells a variety of memorabilia, including stamps with Pope Francis's face! Then, slowly head towards the museum's entrance, where you will be led to a special area reserved for skip-the-line groups.
Be prepared to hear about stories as your guide walk you through an astonishing collection of Roman and Greek statues, the gallery of tapestries, and a gallery of maps depicting 16th century Italy.
Admire Michelangelo's famous works, including the Creation of Adam and the Last Judgement. This spectacular fresco evokes lifelike images within the mind, vividly portraying stories of mankind in the biblical era. Note that the museum requires visitors to observe silence and a dress code (knees and shoulders covered).
You will be brought in front of St. Peter's Church, where a special entrance will allow you to enter directly from the museum and bypass the long queue out in the square. Got questions? Ask you guide before parting ways!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Unforeseen events= The Vatican is its own country and therefore the Pope can decide also last minute to close St. Peter’s Basilica for ad hoc events. It is a very rare event during the year but it is possibile and we will do our best to inform you. If it is too late to inform you, our guide will extend the tour in the Vatican. Not to worry that the incredibile collection of Vatican Museums and the masterpiece of Michelagelo in the Sistine Chapel will still be included.
- Most of our tours include the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. However, there are two specific options with different inclusions. You will find below:
- Museums & SISTINE CHAPEL Tour – Includes the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel but does NOT include St. Peter’s Basilica.
- ST.PETER'S BASILICA TOUR – Includes St. Peter’s Basilica but does NOT include the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.
Reviews(14,867)
Barbara was a wonderful guide tour and very helpful telling us all the information we needed to know, great to have a local show us around. Was a great tour
I couldn’t have been happier with our Vatican + St. Peter’s Basilica tour. We had to absolute best tour guide, MARIO! He felt more like a friend than a guide by the end. Many thanks to you Mario!!
Our tour guide Paula was absolutely brilliant and genuinely made the trip memorable, interesting and fun. The trip itself is unmissable if you’re visiting Rome and well worth every penny. Just right in terms of time spent and plenty of time afterwards to stroll at your leisure through the Vatican.
Monica was very easy to follow and understand. Very patient and enthusiastic in such hot and crowded conditions
Monica was the best tour guide. Thoroughly enjoyed the tour. The paintings on the inside are breathtaking.
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and kind, I 100% would recommend this tour and would love to go again
My guide was very good explained everything very thoroughly was helpful waiting for me being slower than this group as I use a walking stick guided me to assisted areas great time
Tour office and guide were easy to find. Guide was knowledgeable and helpful. A guided tour made ticket acquisition easy, and made a large crowded place easier to navigate, as well as providing more history and context. Would recommend.
My tour was led by the great Carl! He was funny, informative and very generous by giving us cold water during the tour. I felt very safe and Carl made sure to make sure we felt no pressure to rush and that we had time to look at the different art work. His fun facts was great and I had so much fun!
My wife and I did many tours around all of Italy, and I have to say, Carl was simply THE BEST tour guide we ever had. Not only did he take the time to get to know every person and where they’re from - he then wove that into his tour and made reference to different facts as they were relevant to each person and their background (eg. You said your Dad was from Southern Naples - here’s an ancient map of his home town 🤯) Beyond that Carl did such a fantastic job at pre-empting each obstacle along the path and masterfully managed expectations throughout. I highly recommend booking this tour, and if you are so lucky - you may just get Carl yourself. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
