Early Morning Vatican, Sistine, St. Peter's Semi or Private Tour
- 3h 30m
- Skip the line
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 5 languages
Highlights
Get early morning access into the Vatican Museums to admire countless works, and beautiful courtyards! Together with a truly small group of only 6 participants max, or in your very own private group, you will be able to avoid the big crowds and enjoy these wonderful masterpieces. The Vatican Museums is on everyone’s Rome itinerary so you can imagine it gets quite full, quite quickly. This tour guarantees the personalized and intimate feel that is only possible with our truly small group size, or in your very own private group. We believe that having an intimate experience makes ALL the difference! With your expert local guide, make your way through the vastness of the Museums, with the greatest highlights of the Papal art collection, the Raphael Rooms, the Gallery of Tapestries, the Pinecone Courtyard, and of course the exceptional Sistine Chapel. Finish with the incredible Saint Peter's Basilica.
Inclusions
What's included
- Skip the long ticket lines
- Private Option of this tour is Available!
- Tour in a Safe and Semi Private Group of 6 people
- Learn from a Professional Local Expert Guide
- Enjoy Early Morning Entrance to the Vatican Museums
What's not
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities (optional)
Itinerary
With the luxury of our truly small group size of 6 people max, or in the personalized intimacy of your very own private group, you will be guaranteed to get the very most out of your Vatican experience. This way you can easily navigate through the countless masterpieces with an expert guide, ask all the questions you wish, and have the guarantee of a personalized experience. We trust this makes ALL the difference! Walk through the heavily decorated Gallery of the Candelabras and enjoy the trompe l’oeil in the Gallery of the Tapestries. After you learn about the impressive Gallery of the Maps, continue to the exquisite Raphael Rooms. With your professional expert tour guide, you will be sure to see all the highlights as well as hidden gems! You will not only learn the fantastic history of the powerful Popes but will also delight in the bits of gossip and other little-known stories about life in Vatican City.
The Papal art collection at its best in the Raphael Rooms
Enjoy a thorough explanation of the incredible masterpiece that is the Sistine Chapel and learn all about it from your professional expert guide before you actually enter the chapel. As it is a holy place, it is strictly forbidden to speak inside. That is why we guarantee you will learn all about it before you enter. Then, once inside, you will have time to take it all in and admire the breathtaking beauty of this world famous site in contemplative silence.
Your comprehensive Vatican tour concludes with VIP entrance directly into St. Peter’s Basilica without standing in the long lines. Walking through the Basilica, you will learn all about the secrets of the magnificent and ornate decorations, sculptures, altars and chapels. Visit Michelangelo’s Pieta and walk down the main nave to admire the dome he designed that sits on top of the largest Catholic church in the world.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
- 53,896
- 4123
- 352
- 223
- 123
Ratings come from 4,117 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5Amazing experience
The experience was really good and our guide was amazing and passionate about this . However felt the £175 pp a little expensive. I understand that we saw a couple of extra rooms we wouldn’t have had we booked general admission, but for four of us it was £700
5Exceptional Early morning Vatican tour with LivTours
My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed our early-entry tour through LivTours with Alex Chiarot. He was personable, approachable, entertaining, and genuinely engaging. His in-depth knowledge gave us the context we needed to appreciate the extraordinary breadth and richness of the Vatican’s collections. It was an exceptional experience from start to finish. Sincerely, Susan Valiquett
5Small group and early start.
So good to be done before heaps of crowds. We did semi private tour and loved having a small group. Made it a truly enjoyable experience.
5Best way to see the Vatican
This tour was just as advertised. We got in to the main rooms before the hoards. Our guide Giovanni was great and fun. He streamlined our passage through this immense area, and yet was mindful of our one tourgoer who had mobility issues (so we got to take an elevator in one part!) The Vatican is so immense it is hard to take it all in. He gave us time at our leisure in the Sistene Chapel, and gave us great info in St. Peter's about the popes who are laid to rest there, Peter's chair, and just the immensity of the building which you just can't fathom on your own. We really got our money's worth!
5Great Sistine Chapel & Vatican Museum
Sistine chapel & museum tour was awesome. Our guide Laura P was very knowledgeable, pointing out key items, very considerate of the group and super nice! Highly recommend her and the tour.
5Best way to see Vatican!
The best way to see the Vatican…we were treated so well. The most amazing guide! Luisa is warm, funny, knowledgeable and took such good care of us…the BEST! Brian and Caroline, Chicago
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- In front of Cafè Vaticano, right across the street from the Vatican Museum's Entrance. Your guide will be holding a LivTours sign. Please arrive 15 minutes before the start time.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 15 travellers
- Operated by
- LivTours
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Places of worship have strict dress code requirements for entry. All participants are required to have shoulders and knees covered (no tank tops or short dresses) to enter.
- Vatican management maintains the right to delay the opening of the Sistine Chapel for religious reasons, in this case the guide will modify the itinerary and extend your visit of the museums to ensure you make the most of your time before access to the Sistine Chapel is permitted.
- Photography is not allowed in the Sistine Chapel and all other artwork can only be photographed without flash.
- Please be aware that the Sistine Chapel is a Holy Place and talking during while inside the chapel is strictly forbidden. Therefore, your guide will provide a comprehensive overview of the Sistine Chapel before entering and will be able to answer more questions once you have left the space.
- St. Peter’s Basilica is an active church and can be closed unexpectedly for liturgical ceremonies. If closed, your guide will provide a revised itinerary including more of the Vatican Museums. No compensation is granted in these circumstances.
- Backpacks are not permitted in the Museum.
How it compares in Rome
- Its from-price is 27% above the median of the 8352 experiences we list in Rome.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 25 of 8352.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Rome
Rome layers nearly three thousand years of history into one walkable city, from the Colosseum and Forum to Baroque piazzas and Vatican art.
Ancient Rome is still in plain sight. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill sit together at the city's heart, the Pantheon still stands with its open oculus, and fragments of temples and aqueducts turn up between apartment blocks. Across the Tiber, Vatican City holds St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Top-ranked sights in Rome: Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel.
Special offers in Rome
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
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