T
Vatican tour
Very informative with a guide who must have had a degree in Vatican history. Lots of info to absorb. Good tour
Special First Entry Vatican Museums Small Group Tour
+5 photos
At a glance
- Duration
- 2 hours
- Price from
- $67 / person
- Location
- Rome, Italy
- Rating
- 4.8 / 5 · 33 reviews
- Languages
- EN, IT, ES
- Group
- Small group, up to 20
- Cancellation
- See policy below
- Confirmation
- Instant
- Ticket
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operator
- Italy Wonders SRLS
- Meeting point
- Meeting place is at our office located in Via Vespasiano 28. By Metro, (Line A), get off at Ottaviano. Ottaviano metro stop is only 10 minutes walk to our office.Please noteSt. Peter's square is not the Vatican Museums meeting point.
Description
VIP First Entry Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, beat the crowd and access one hour prior the opening to the general public. At 7:30 am you will access to the priority with your friendly professional guide and line to enter the museums at 8:00am, in the meantime your guide will introduce you the Sistine Chapel as explanation are not permitted inside, you will learn about Michelangelo and his amazing frescoes of the Creation of the World and Last Judgement painted in the 1500s for two Popes! Your itinerary includes the most important Vatican galleries such as Gallery of Tapestries, Gallery of Maps and Gallery of the Candelabra. This experience will continue to the the Raphael Rooms once the apartment of the Pope Julius II. You will learn about Raphael and Michelangelo and the famous rivalry among them. This is an unmissable chance to visit the Vatican Museums early in the morning in a sharing with an expert licensed guide who will make your visit a memorable experience.
Schedule & prices
- Runs
- Tue
- Start times
- 7:30 AM
- Season
- Starts Dec 1
- Next available
- Tue, Dec 1
- Adult (ages 18+)
- $67
- Child (ages 6–17)
- $59
- Infant (ages 0–5)
- Free
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 11.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Vatican City
The Vatican City State, also known simply as the Vatican, became independent from Italy with the Lateran Treaty (1929), and it is a distinct territory under "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" of the Holy See, itself a sovereign entity of international law, which maintains the city state's temporal, diplomatic, and spiritual independence.With an area of 49 hectares and a population of about 825,it is the smallest state in the world by both area and population.
Vatican Museums
Your tour will start by visiting the Vatican Museums and Upper Galleries, including the one of the Maps, Tapestries, and Candelabra.
Vatican Museums
Apollo of Belvedere, Laocoon, Nero's Bathtub
Vatican Museums
Raphael rooms
Sistine Chapel
After the Vatican Museums, you will visit Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel with the Frescoes that he painted in the 1500s for the Pope Julius II and Paul III.
What's included
Included
Headsets to hear the guide clearly
Professional guide for 2.5 hours
Early skip the line access
Not included
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Traveller Ratings
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
4.8
33 reviews
How it compares in Rome
- Starting price $67 is 40% below the typical $113 for tours of similar length in Rome
Excurgo comparison of 8,076 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
Important Information
- 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
- 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
- St Peter's Basilica is not included
- A current valid passport or ID document is required on the day of the tour for children under 18 as proof of age
- This group is up to 20 travelers or less.
- Please note: if you arrive late you mights lose the entrance at the Vatican Museums
- Please note that, for disabled visitors with certified invalidity of more than 74%, the Vatican Museums offers free entry that is extended to a companion for visitors who are not self-sufficient. To benefit from this, make sure you mention it at the time of booking so that our staff may handle your request.
- Please show up 10 minutes before the tour to do the check in
- Please note that you will be asked a full refundable 10 euros deposit at the meeting point in order to ensure all the radios are given back to the guide or our staff. Once you return the radios you will be refunded your 10 euros. If you don't give back the radios you will be charged 30 euros for each of them.
Cancellation
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
0+ days before0% refund
Frequently asked questions
How long does Special First Entry Vatican Museums Small Group Tour take?
Special First Entry Vatican Museums Small Group Tour lasts about 2 hours. The itinerary has 5 stops.
How much does Special First Entry Vatican Museums Small Group Tour cost?
Prices start at $67 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 Special First Entry Vatican Museums Small Group Tour run?
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs on Tuesdays, starting at 7:30 AM.
How much does Special First Entry Vatican Museums Small Group Tour cost for children?
Children aged 6–17 pay from $59, adults from $67. Infants go free.
Can I cancel Special First Entry Vatican Museums Small Group Tour for free?
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Where does the tour start?
The meeting point is Meeting place is at our office located in Via Vespasiano 28. By Metro, (Line A), get off at Ottaviano. Ottaviano metro stop is only 10 minutes walk to our office. Please note: St. Peter's square is not the Vatican Museums meeting point. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
What languages is Special First Entry Vatican Museums Small Group Tour offered in?
The experience is available in EN, IT, ES.
Is this a private or a group tour?
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 20 participants.
Is the tour suitable for children?
A current valid passport or ID document is required on the day of the tour for children under 18 as proof of age
Will my booking be confirmed immediately?
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Is Special First Entry Vatican Museums Small Group Tour worth it?
Travellers rate it 4.8 out of 5 across 33 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Italy Wonders SRLS.
Reviews(33)
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
C
Excellent experience
Excellent tour. Our tour guide Renata was engaging, knowledgeable and funny. Can’t say enough about what a great experience we had!! The History and art just came alive. Also great communication with the booking agent and clear instructions on where to go. It made entering the Vatican so much easier than going on your own. Highly recommend the skip the line and early entrance.
L
First rate tour of the Vatican Museums
Wonderful experience, excellent tour guide! Very charismatic really made history come alive. Thoroughly recommend
A
VISIT TO VATICAN MUSEUMS AND SISTINE CHAPEL
Visit to the Vatican museums and Sistine chapel with guide. The guide Ilaria Sinisi accompanied us throughout the journey entertaining us impeccably, with competence and sympathy, and making us spend three hours without even realizing it.
J
Average at best
Average at best. The employees barely acknowledge you when they arrive. You're just another one time customer, so why should they care? Our tour guide was late without any apology. We waited and no one explained what was going on. We didn't know if our guide was coming or not. I wanted to really like this tour, but with the chaos and tardiness and lack of customer appreciation, I can only say that if you find another company with a more competitive price, please chose another tour company.
Operator response
Thank you for reviewing. We are sorry to hear that our services did not match your expectations and we apologize for that. This was due to the high amount of unexpected reservations that we received during this high season which complicated our work and the organization of it. We take into consideration your opinion to make sure this won't happen again.
T
Highly recommend!
Excellent guide- informative and fun! We both really enjoyed it - would highly recommend this tour to all. Missing the maddening crowd was a game changer- especially in the heat-worth every penny!
K
Amazing tour of the Vatican
Amazing tour! Simona is an incredible guide and her passion and knowledge made for a great tour! The amount of artwork is incredible!
Operator response
Thank you so much for your kind words, it's much appreciated!
Z
very good experience
the guide Martina was very gentle and precise, mostly elegant and empathic. she learnt us interesting things about the philosophy in the ancient times and it was quite ludic.
F
Great experience
Matjes was a great guide, I would do a tour with him again anytime. Huge expertise!
1 people found this helpful
L
I repeated the dose - Note 10
We had the pleasure of conducting the tour with Italy Wonders and the guide Frederico. So I can give you a note... 10. We made the tour, me, my wife and my 13-year-old son. My son loved the history class, we didn't have to face any queues, everything was optimized and with the entrance ticket included. The Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel were other after this visit, a super class!!! Super recommend !!! Do not miss visiting without the tour, including the entrance fee.
2 people found this helpful
Operator response
Querido LuizPipa, Obrigado por reservar um tempo para escrever uma resenha incrível! Federico é realmente um dos nossos melhores guias, e ele ficará mais do que feliz em ler suas amáveis palavras. Trabalhamos duro para oferecer aos nossos hóspedes as experiências mais memoráveis possíveis e ficamos felizes em saber que o fizemos por você! Obrigado por nos escolher e esperamos vê-lo em breve novamente.
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from$67
4.8(33)