Tours/Rome/Viator
Viator · Private tour

Skip the Line Vatican and Sistine Chapel Tour for Kids and Family

4.9(42)Rome1 hour
VIATOR4.9(37)TRIPADVISOR5.0(5)

Description

Keep everyone in your family engaged with this 2.5-hour skip-the-line tour of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel that's specifically designed for families and children. Learn about the rich art collection of the Vatican Museums, including Raphael's Rooms and the Gallery of Maps. See Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel . Your children will love this interactive tour.

Tour Options

Private Tour for Families

Itinerary

Admission included80 min

Meet your private guide near Vatican City. With your guide, you'll get to bypass the long queues at the entrance of the Vatican Museums. You may secure your luggage and umbrellas in the Vatican cloakroom. Once out of the cloakroom, you will begin your visit of the collections. Kids will play games and win prizes while exploring Vatican artwork. You will see brilliant Greek and Roman sculptures and the sarcophagi of Empress Helena and Constantina, the mother and daughter of Constantine the Great. Your tour continues to the Gallery of the Candelabra, Gallery of the Tapestries, Sobieski Hall, and the colorful Raphael's Rooms.

5 min

When you will stop in the Pine Cone Courtyard you will see and learn about the "Sphere within a sphere" statue. Designed by Arnaldo Pomodoro, with a 13 meters diameter, it is one of the masterpieces of the contemporary art collection of the Vatican Museums.

Admission included15 min

The Pio-Clementino Museum in the Vatican houses a stunning collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, including the iconic Laocoön and Apollo Belvedere, showcasing classical art at its finest.

Admission included20 min

The Raphael Rooms in the Vatican consist of four rooms decorated with exquisite frescoes by Raphael, illustrating biblical, historical, and classical themes, embodying the pinnacle of Renaissance artistic achievement.

Admission included30 min

You will then reach the Sistine Chapel, the venue for papal elections and one of Italy’s most visited sites. You will view Michelangelo's 'The Last Judgment' and listen to stories from the Bible, including the creation of Adam.

Highlights

Private tour
Top-rated local guide specialized in working with kids
Guaranteed to skip the long lines

What's included

Included
Private tour
Top-rated local guide specialized in working with kids
Guaranteed to skip the long lines
Not included
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Traveller Ratings

4.9
42 reviews
5
39
4
1
3
2
2
0
1
0

Important Information

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Specialized infant seats are available
  • 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 allowed. Knees and shoulders must be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements

Reviews(42)

C
Chandan_J
July 20, 2025
Excellent guide and skip the line tickets are great!

Very knowledgable and friendly guide helped us get much more out of our time - and kept our 10-yr old daughter engaged throughout the process! Skip the line tickets are very useful since there is an incredibly long line otherwise. One thing I didn't realize is that this ticket is for Vatican only and does not cover St. Peter's Basilica for which there is a separate queue, and we didn't have skip the line tickets for it since we didn't know about this separation. This was somewhat disappointing, and it would have been good if this were clearer.

L
Lauren_S
May 16, 2025
Julia was fantastic in...

Julia was fantastic in her explanations and lots of little quick facts. A very knowledgeable guide. We skipped so much time in queues which was a saviour for our 4 year old daughter. Would highly recommend!

J
Jennifer_P
August 14, 2024
A fantastic family experience to see the Vatican we won’t forget!

Our guide Martina was amazing! We were a family of 6 two parents two grandparents and two teenagers ages 13 and 16. She spoke excellent English and was patient and attentive and guided us so well with so much good information along the way about what we saw.

E
Elizabeth_B
July 3, 2024
Great tour, kids engaged but expensive

Our guide was knowledgable and savvy at getting us through the crowds. He engaged really well with the kids (aged 10 and 12) so that it was a memorable experience for them and us. . He followed the lead to explore further the questions the kids had which was very thoughtful in terms of engaging their interests. I was a little disappointed that he did not come into the Sistine chapel and St Peter’s Cathedral with us, but I believe they try to keep guides to a minimum due to crowds. I’d highly recommend, however it was very expensive though, and I can’t figure out why the cost was so high.

E
Emily_L
June 19, 2024
Amazing life experience

Amazing tour! Great communication for meeting point-we were through ticketing and security in 6 minutes. We loved this tour for that reason alone as we saw ppl lining up around the corner before we arrived. The information was perfect for our kids 14, 13 and 9. My husband and I were able to ask other questions and the guide had endless knowledge and fabulous stories to share. We could not rate the tour higher. Thank you so much!

G
Gillian_C
April 28, 2024
Excellent tour

We had an excellent time with Martina our guide. She was knowledgeable, fun and engaging. Travellled wuth 13 and 15 yr old. We were very lucky as tour group ended up just being our family. She was able to guide us through the maze of people an direct our attention to some of the most interesting sights with clear explanations. Would highly recommend

S
Shaina_S
October 20, 2023
Fabulous!

Our tour guide was fabulous. Very knowledgeable and made it fun and engaging for our kids. She knew all the tips and tricks to take short cuts in line. I felt like we really saw and learned so much about the Vatican, Sistine chapel, and St. Peter’s basilica. Worth the money!

L
LoganSmith_P
October 1, 2023
Donato was the absolute best tour guide for our family!!!!

Donato was an incredible tour guide! He brought to life all this is the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican City and was able to focus, educate and energize our children while giving us the most thorough and enjoyable tour. We absolutely loved our time with him and would recommend him to anyone interested in the Vatican or anywhere in Rome. He was simply amazing!

M
Michael_H
June 21, 2023
Small group tour FTW!

Valeria was the perfect guide, bringing to life the stories behind the art and the artists who created it. She engaged the kids on a “treasure hunt” that kept them enthralled throughout the tour. Highly recommend the private small group tour!

J
Joar_W
March 10, 2023
Donato was a great guide...

Donato was a great guide for kids (11 & 13 yo) and adults alike. Kept the kids interested with questions and challenges, while expertly navigating us both to all the highlights, and around all the lines.