Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel Tour with St Peter Basilica Access
Description
Unlock the Vatican on a 3-hour semi-private tour with priority entry. Follow an expert guide through the Vatican Museums, exploring the Papal collections of art, sculptures, and treasures gathered over centuries. Be amazed by Raphael’s Rooms and marvel at the breathtaking Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo’s genius fills every inch of the ceiling and altar wall. Your guide will end the tour at St. Peter’s Square, dropping you off at the Basilica entrance. From here, you’ll explore St. Peter’s Basilica on your own, taking in Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s magnificent sculptures at your own pace.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Come face-to-face with Michelangelo's masterpiece before the Vatican officially open.
Journey through the Vatican Museums' vast and treasured collection. Encounter breathtaking ancient sculptures, the School of Athens and other immersive frescoes in the Raphael Rooms, the eye-wateringly beautiful Flemish artworks of the Gallery of Tapestries, and the incredibly lifelike statues of the Gallery of the Candelabra. That, and so much more, all in the company of an expert, licensed guide.
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
- 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 being refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
- Please note that the Papal Audience (held on Wednesdays) may result in the closure of the Basilica. There is no way of knowing where the Pope will choose to hold his audience, but should the Basilica be closed, we will spend more time in the Vatican Museums.
Reviews(52)
Luisa was enthusiastic, informative and friendly. However, the earpieces used were of such poor fit that those with glasses had to decide whether to wear glasses or listen through the earpiece. The earpieces were falling out of our ears, and some were simply carrying them. I don’t feel like I got what I paid for unfortunately.
Dear Guest, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're pleased to hear that Luisa was a great guide to you. Regarding the earpieces, we understand they may not have felt comfortable for you. However, these headsets are provided directly by the Vatican, and tour operators are not permitted to use alternative devices inside the Vatican Museums. They are standard size and are used by more than 26,000 visitors every day. We are sorry that this affected your experience, but unfortunately this is not equipment we are able to choose or replace ourselves. We appreciate your understanding and are glad that Luisa's guiding was otherwise a positive part of your visit. Kind regards, Walks Inside Rome Team
Sara was an amazing guide, her background made her super knowledgeable about the Vatican and artwork inside. The best tour we’ve taken in Italy, by far. Worth the skip the line ticket and direct access from Sistine Chapel to the Basilica.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that Sara made your Vatican experience this special - she’ll be so happy to know you enjoyed the tour so much. Thank you again for choosing us, and for calling it your best tour in Italy - that means the world to us!
Our Vatican Museum tour with our guide Antoinette (Toni) was EXCELLENT! Entering the museum early in the morning and skipping the VERY long line put us in great position to see so much without big crowds. Her knowledge about what we saw and her English were outstanding. She did a wonderful job of setting up our time in the Sistine Chapel before we entered. While we were disappointed that St. Peter's Basilica was closed due to a Jubilee celebration, we did get the surprise of seeing Pope Leo when he made an appearance in the square. We would highly recommend this tour to anyone.
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the tour with Toni — and what a bonus to see the Pope! Hope to see you on another adventure soon!
You spent a lot of time outside before you entered the Vatican. It was very cold and windy, I felt like we could’ve eliminated some of this time. Our Guide spoke English, but it kind of ran together. It was difficult to understand.
We have done several Viator tours over the years. This tour was a fast paced tour that hit the highlights, but little else. She was a sweet lady, however, the guide’s English was very broken. My teenaged son understood almost nothing from the guide. I only understood maybe 25%. The guide would repeat or restart, but still not clear. This was sold as an 7 or 8 person max tour. There were 11 people in the group. My family made up 5. We all deserve a partial refund as we were not provided the personal attention which was sold. We spent the first hour looking at a picture of the Sistine Chapel instead of ACTUAL art. AAARRRGGGHHH! We spent too much time on unimportant details, and then not enough time on the important items even if we had no competition from other tours. Finally, when my daughter got separated from the group and we could not find her, the guide’s first concern was getting the radio back, NOT finding my daughter. Other tour group members were happy to help us. All for $880, disappointed. We got much better tours at the Vatican from other guides.
Fantastic tour. Well worth the money. Extremely knowledgeable and friendly tour guide. You won’t regret it. 1 Timothy 2:5
Hi Wesley! Thank you for sharing your experience! We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed one of our tours to the Vatican Museum with one of our amazing tour guides! It is truly a wonderful place to visit! Thank you for your kind words and we would love to have you on another tour with us the next time you are in Rome!
Chiara was amazing!! Thank you for the amazing tour! She was great at explaining and took her time. She is also very kind!
Dear Alexa, Thank you for your stellar review! We're so glad you enjoyed your time with us exploring the Holy See! All the best, Walks Inside Rome
Sylvia was our guide through the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s. We took the 7:20am tour and was the 2nd group in line at the entry gate. She was very pleasant, easy to understand, knowledge and very patient. Our group of 7 was small compared to the huge groups of 20+ that were around. The size gave us an opportunities to ask questions throughout and definitely felt more intimate. Highly recommend this tour.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We are so grateful you appreciated our talented guide Silvia's knowledge and our small group sizes! We hope to see you in Rome again soon!
Barbara was a fantastic guide. She provided so much insightful information about the Vatican and Sistine chapel. The works of art of what has been preserved is just wonderful. When we got to the Basilica di St. Pietro the original statue of the Pieta was being cleaned to prepare for next years Jubilee, so they had a replica but it did not disappoint. The size of this church is enormous. The intricacies and detail that went into building it and what they do to preserve it is unbelievable. The emotional part was when we were able to get a private blessing from a priest. It was a visit of a lifetime to see the Sistine chapel and its works of art. An experience that made me feel my late mother’s presence.
Thank you for this incredibly touching review. We are beyond honoured that we were able to help facilitate such a heartwarming experience for you in St. Peter's Basilica. The Vatican is such a special place for many and we do our best to offer our clients private moments of reflection. We'll be sure to let Barbara know how much you appreciated your time with her and we hope to see you in Rome again soon!
Our tour guide Barbara was amazing! She was waiting for us at the entrance when we arrived and made everything go smoothly. Our group needed some special accommodations and she made sure to help and allow everyone to participate. I am so grateful to have been able to have my whole family see and experience the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica! It was amazing! Thank you.
Dear Carrie, Thank you for this incredible review - it always warms our hearts whenever someone loves our talented guides as much as we do. We're beyond grateful you had such a positive experience as the Holy See and we hope to see you again soon!