This is a superb half-day tour to see the Vatican in the company of a top-rated and very knowledgeable guide. With skip-the-line access you by-pass the waiting lines of tourists and head directly inside to see Ancient Roman and Greek statues, Raphael’s Rooms, the Galleries of Tapestries and Maps, the Sistine Chapel, to name a few. This is one of the most comprehensive tours of the Vatican highlights and we ensure you won’t miss any of the “must-see” treasures that make this such a special place.
Larger groups pay less per person.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 13.
You meet with your guide at the entrance to the Museums and with privileged access by-pass the queues and head inside. You can leave your belongings in the cloakroom and take a comfort break before starting the tour. The visit begins in the rooms that hold ancient Roman and Greek artworks collected from excavations in the city of Rome. When the Popes ruled Central Italy the Vatican had the rights to all finds. Your guide will take you to see the most interesting of these including the Belvedere Apollo, the Torso, the busts of Claudius and Hadrian and the sarcophagi of Helen and Constance, the mother and daughter of Emperor Constantine.Next on the itinerary is a visit to the Room of Animals and the Gallery of Candelabra where you walk over rare Roman mosaics and come face-to-face with the magnificent statues of Diana of Ephesus, the Muses and many Greek philosophers.
You then proceed to the Gallery of Tapestries, the Sobieski Hall and Raphael’s Rooms. The latter were the private apartments of Pope Julius II and were painted by Raphael and his disciples. Here you will see two of the painter’s most famous masterpieces, the Parnassus and The School of Athens.
The highlight of any tour is of course the famous Sistine Chapel, Italy’s most visited site. Your guide will tell you all about Michelangelo’s frescoes, The Last Judgment, the Creation of Adam and the Genesis as well as details of the Stories of Moses and Jesus painted by Botticelli, Perugino and other famous Renaissance masters. Still in use today, the Sistine Chapel is where the conclave takes place to elect a new Pope. Listen to anecdotes and some well-kept secrets about this amazing place.
It is then time for a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica where you will explore the numerous side chapels with their hidden crypts. You will see Michelangelo’s Pietà and your guide will explain why this is the only work that he signed. You will gain an appreciation of the mastery that went into the creation of Bernini’s altarpiece and learn how Michelangelo triumphed over his contemporaries for the honour to paint St. Peter’s magnificent dome.
The tour will end in Saint Peter's Square
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Vatican Tickets & Tour including Sistine Chapel & Raphael Rooms lasts about 3 hours. The itinerary has 5 stops.
Prices start at $406 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.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, starting at 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM.
Children aged 5–17 pay from $90, adults from $406. Infants go free.
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
The meeting point is At the stairs outside the Vatican museums, at the monumental white door topped with the statues of Michelangelo and Raphael (Vatican museum Entrance). Address: viale vaticano. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN, IT.
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 10 travellers can book together.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Specialized infant seats are available
READ CAREFULLY: Because of the growing popularity of the current pope Francis and his intense activity in organising mass events in the Vatican some areas might get closed last minute without previous notice. This has already happened this year and can happen again during your Vatican tour: the Sistine chapel and/or the Basilica of Saint Peter might not be accessible. In case of such events our tour guide will provide you with a valuable alternative focusing the tour inside the Vatican museums. Please note due to the Jubilee, the Basilica might not be accessible as part of the tour. Unfortunately, we know that very last minute.In any case, you can go there after the tour, queueing.
Confirmation is sent by the operator within 24 hours of booking.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
All very well. We loved it. The perfect entry without lines. But it was not a guided tour. We thought we would have a guide as it said in the description. Thank you
The tour was great . Entertaining and informative . Chiara was very personable . We were able to see many important items in many different parts of the tour. When in Rome tours with Chiara was just presented in a way to entertain and inform . The language was clear and easy to understand . We did not go into St. Peter’s Basilica because the lines were enormous . If admission to St Peter’s was included that would have saved us hours of line waiting . But no line waiting on the vat museums and Sistine chapel .
Claudia was fantastic. She knew her material so well. She was funny and thoughtful and took great care with my somewhat frail sister. Loved her!
Our guide was so good and knowledgable. Could not ask for better. Made the Vatican experience come to life. Thank you.
Ciao Keith, thank you very much for your review! I am so happy you had a great tour :)
I am leaving a poor review only because Covid restrictions made this tour a waste of time. We had to meet infront of a monitor for half an hour while the guide explained what we were going to see. Imagine twenty plus people crowded around to see a glimpse of the screen. Then when the walking tour began, the guide talked more about the popes of the era rather than the artwork which we were viewing. The mask police where everywhere and if your mask happened to slip off you nose for a second they rushed to reprimand you. By the end of the tour we finally made it to the Sistine Chapel but the guide was not allowed to tell us anymore about it. It was so anticlimactic that all we wanted to do was escape the Vatican.
Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel We did skip the line which is in Vatican & Sistine Chapel. You can use a live, audio or on your own tour. The portrait and sculpture works are awesome. There is only one way in and one way out. There is a short mass every so often during the day. Lots of people, very crowded. They have a lot of souvenir shops. Excellent presentation of artwork.
Manola was our tour guide for the “Priviledged Entrance Vatican Tour with Sistine Chapel” booked through the Roman Guy (part of the Tour Guy). We entered the Vatican Museums at 8:00 am, an hour before the general public is allowed to enter. Manola did a wonderful job of explaining the art, artifacts, and history in the beautiful Vatican museums, including the Raphael Rooms, in the Sistine Chapel, and in Saint Peter’s Basilica. Of course, there was not time to see all of the art in all the museums but the ones she showed us were made more interesting by the background information she provided that explained its relevance and importance. We especially enjoyed the Map Room and seeing the tomb of St Peter beneath St Peter’s Basilica. We highly recommend this tour.
We booked with city wonders, our guide was Elizabeth. It was good value and Elizabeth was very helpful and knowledgeable. The Vatican museums have so many pieces of art to see and the Sistine chapel is not to be missed, it's a shame though that some people cannot adhere to the rule of silence within it. The tour also included St Peter's Basilica which is also very impressive. In all it was three hours well spent.
Excellent tour through the Vatican with our guide Debra who was fantastic.Very passionate and knowledgeable about all the art works and sculptures. A great day out. Just be aware of the taxi drivers in this area as they charge inflated prices
Outstanding accommodations, close to everything, wonderful host. Recommended if you are staying in Florence Italy.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vatican Tickets & Tour including Sistine Chapel & Raphael Rooms | 3 hours | 4.6 (17) | $406 | |
 Private Vatican Experience with Sistine Chapel & Raphael's Rooms | 2h 30min | 5.0 (109) | $560 | View |
 Skip the Line: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Tour + Basilica | 1–3 hours | 4.7 (6,534) | $40 | View |
 Vatican Museums: Raphael Rooms and Sistine Chapel Private Tour | 2h 30min | — | $303 | View |
 Private Early Morning Express Tour Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms | 2 hours | 4.9 (44) | $251 | View |
 Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Priority Entrance Ticket | 2–5 hours | — | $90 | View |
 Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Reserved Entry Ticket | 1–8 hours | — | $155 | View |