R
Great experience with Francesco
FRANCESCO was awesome! He knew his history and explained so much on this tour. My husband the history buff so they had a wonderful back and forth on this tour. He made the evening a wonderful experience.
Rome travel guide: tickets, best time & real costs
Skip the Line Vatican and Sistine Chapel Private Night Tour
+2 photos
At a glance
- Duration
- 2h 30min
- Price from
- $354 / person
- Location
- Rome, Italy
- Rating
- 5.0 / 5 · 5 reviews
- Languages
- EN, IT
- Group
- Private
- Cancellation
- See policy below
- Confirmation
- Instant
- Ticket
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operator
- Rome Tours by Tommaso
- Meeting point
- At the stairs outside the Vatican museums (street address is viale Vaticano), under the big white monumental door topped with statues. Your guide will be holding a sign with your name on it.
Description
No queuing and an opportunity to see the magnificence of the Vatican in a totally different atmosphere. This magical 2.5-hour evening tour of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel affords you an unforgettable way to see one of Rome’s top attractions away from the usual daytime bustle. You can wander the galleries and get much better views of the masterpieces by such great artists as Michelangelo, Raphael, and many more. Your tour will end in Saint Peter's Square, next to the taxi and bus stations.
Schedule & prices
- Runs
- Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, and Sat
- Start times
- 4:00 PM, 4:30 PM, 5:00 PM, and 5:30 PM
- Next available
- Sat, Oct 17
- Adult (ages 18+)
- $354
- Child (ages 4–17)
- $68
Larger groups pay less per person.
Out at sunset: the 4:00 PM departure is under way when the sun sets, around 5:09 PM in the coming weeks.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 16.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Vatican Museums
You will see some of the Vatican’s numerous treasures, both artistic and historical, many dating back to ancient Roman times. There is a visit to the Gallery of Maps, with its 40 amazing frescoes dating from the late 1500s, and Raphael’s Rooms, four chambers that house works by Raphael and his students. You will see fascinating Greek and Roman sculptures as well as the sarcophagi of Empress Helena and Constantina, the mother and daughter of Constantine the Great. The tour will then move on to the Gallery of the Candelabra, the Gallery of the Tapestries, and Sobieski Hall.
Sistine Chapel
You will then arrive at the Sistine Chapel, the venue for papal elections and one of Italy’s most popular attractions. You will view Michelangelo's vast fresco, 'The Last Judgment', and listen to stories from the Bible, including the creation of Adam.
St. Peter's Square
Please note that entry is not allowed into St. Peter’s Basilica as it is closed in the evening. The finale of the tour is a stroll around St. Peter’s Square, lit by a myriad of lights and sparkling under the night sky. In the piazza, your guide will point out Bernini’s optical illusions, and you will visit the exact spot where St. Peter, who later became the first Pope, was crucified. This area went on to become the foundation of the Catholic Church, an impressive place to end a wonderful evening at the Vatican.
What's included
Included
Private tour
Professional art historian local guide
Skip the line tickets
Not included
Private transportation
Gratuities
Food and drink
St Peter's Basilica
Traveller Ratings
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
5.0
5 reviews
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
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops are allowed. Knees and shoulders must be covered for both men and women. You may risk being refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
- Please note: if you arrive late, you might lose the entrance.
- Each traveler must present a valid passport or ID document that matches the name provided at the time of booking for successful entry.
- Food and drinks are not allowed in the museums except for bottled water.
Cancellation
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
0+ days before0% refund
Frequently asked questions
How long does Skip the Line Vatican and Sistine Chapel Private Night Tour take?
Skip the Line Vatican and Sistine Chapel Private Night Tour lasts about 2h 30min. The itinerary has 3 stops.
How much does Skip the Line Vatican and Sistine Chapel Private Night Tour cost?
Prices start at $354 per person for this Rome experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
What days does Skip the Line Vatican and Sistine Chapel Private Night Tour run?
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, starting at 4:00 PM, 4:30 PM, 5:00 PM, and 5:30 PM.
How much does Skip the Line Vatican and Sistine Chapel Private Night Tour cost for children?
Children aged 4–17 pay from $68, adults from $354.
Can I cancel Skip the Line Vatican and Sistine Chapel Private Night Tour for free?
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Where does the tour start?
The meeting point is At the stairs outside the Vatican museums (street address is viale Vaticano), under the big white monumental door topped with statues. Your guide will be holding a sign with your name on it. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
What languages is Skip the Line Vatican and Sistine Chapel Private Night Tour offered in?
The experience is available in EN, IT.
Is this a private or a group tour?
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 10 travellers can book together.
Is the tour suitable for children?
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Will my booking be confirmed immediately?
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Is Skip the Line Vatican and Sistine Chapel Private Night Tour worth it?
Travellers rate it 5.0 out of 5 across 5 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Rome Tours by Tommaso.
Reviews(5)
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
E
The guide was...
The guide was knowledgeable, fun, passionate about the topic and well balanced. The tour was just long enough to be able to take in as much information as we could absorb.
A
Tour de force
Our guide Tommaso — an archeologist! — provided a wonderful journey through the most significant rooms and treasures of the Vatican Museums. His knowledge of the collections and the historical development of the Museums was breathtaking. Tours in the late afternoon and early evening are blessed with the golden light of the setting Roman sun. Highest possible recommendation!
E
Gorgeous chapel and historical artifacts with an informed tour guide
We had Tommaso as our tour guide who was very informed about many aspects of the Vatican and the Sistine chapel. He was clearly very experienced and able to explain things both thoroughly, but not at too technical of a level. (Probably helps that he is a professor at the university and take field trips to the Vatican). There is actually a lot more to the Vatican than I expected, which Tomosso was glad to explain throughout the tour and explained the significance of all the frescos in the Sistine chapel before we got there so we could really take it in. Highly recommend. It’s an incredible journey. One tidbit, leave more time between tours/ travel time as viator schedules you at a certain time, but that may change by half an hour due to what time they can get tickets. Be in contact with your tour guide to confirm the actual time, rather than rely on what viator says. If you don’t, there’s a change you won’t be able to get in!
K
Great tour and an even better guide!
This tour was originally scheduled for 5:30pm, but I received a message requesting to change the start time to 4:30pm instead. This is a little confusing, because our guide informed us that the Sistine Chapel closes at 6:30pm every day and a start time of 5:30 would make it impossible to see much of the museum. This seems like an oversight on the part of Viator. Given those restrictions, we had to rush our visit a bit. Having said that, our guide, Thomas, was fantastic. He asked us our specific interests and if there were portions of the museum we would like to skip to focus on other areas. He was able to accommodate our preferences and we had a great visit. The private tour for our small group was perfect. It felt intimate, and it was easier to stay near our guide and see and hear what he was talking about. We also ended up being some of the last visitors inside the Sistine Chapel that evening and seeing it nearly empty and with almost no crowd noise was an amazing experience. Thomas was extremely knowledgeable and obviously passionate about the art and history. His English is phenomenal, and he was easy to understand. He was well-prepared and was very open to our group asking questions. I could not be more pleased with our guide.
Compare similar tours in Rome
- Lowest price: Skip the Line Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Entry Tickets — $40
- Best rated: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel Skip-the-Line Ticket with Greeter — 4.9 (1,502 reviews)
- Shortest: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel Skip-the-Line Ticket with Greeter — 45 min
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skip the Line Vatican and Sistine Chapel Private Night Tour | 2h 30min | 5.0 (5) | $354 | |
 Skip-the-Line Vatican, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's | Small Group | 3 hours | 4.9 (8,397) | $113 | View |
 Skip the Line: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Tour + Basilica | 1–3 hours | 4.7 (6,536) | $40 | View |
 Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel Skip-the-Line Ticket with Greeter | 45 min | 4.9 (1,502) | $68 | View |
 Vatican and Sistine Chapel at Night Private Tour, Top-Rated Guide | 2 hours | 4.9 (201) | $292 | View |
 Skip-the-line Private: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel&St Peter's | 3 hours | 4.9 (212) | $406 | View |
 Skip the Line Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Entry Tickets | 1–3 hours | 4.7 (740) | $40 | View |
from$354
5.0(5)