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Private Early Morning Express Tour Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms

4.944 reviewsVatican Museums

  • 2 hours
  • Free cancellation up to 24h before
  • 5 languages
  • Instant confirmation

Highlights

The Express Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms Private Tour is a perfect 2 hours tour that will allow you to experience first hand and in a private environment, one of the most important sites in Rome. With your expert local guide, skip the lines and gain direct access into the Sistine Chapel to fully absorb the beauty of Michelangelo's masterpiece prior the hustle and bustle of the crowds. Your guide will then escort you to the Raphael Rooms for an intimate experience with these fresco masterpieces. This private tour creates a friendly environment where you can interact with your knowledgeable guide, and enjoy the peace of an almost-empty museum. Your guide will then lead you back to the Museums' galleries, where you will be given information on how to enjoy the rest of your time.

Inclusions

What's included

  • Early morning tour of the Vatican Museums
  • Visit to the galleries
  • Raphael Rooms
  • Sistine Chapel

What's not

  • tips and gratuities

Itinerary

  1. Make the most of your time in Rome with direct access to the Sistine Chapel prior to the arrival of public tourists. Enjoy the incredible beauty of Michelangelo's masterpiece with your expert local guide and learn the history, techniques and secrets behind one of the most visited sites in Italy. With over 25,000 tourists visiting per day, you will be thankful to enjoy it prior to the regular opening times! From January 12 through March 31, the Vatican Museums will be carrying out special conservation work on Michelangelo’s Last Judgment inside the Sistine Chapel. During this time, a scaffolding structure will cover the entire Last Judgment wall. The Sistine Chapel will remain open and fully accessible, but this specific artwork will not be visible during the restoration period. Thank you for your understanding as this masterpiece receives important care.

    45 minAdmission included

  2. After experiencing the wonder of the Sistine Chapel, your private expert guide will take you to your next stop - the Raphael Rooms. Have a truly intimate experience in a near-empty museum to enjoy the gorgeous frescoes of Raphael as your expert guide explains these masterpieces in detail with historic anecdotes.

    45 minAdmission included

  3. Your guide will then escort you to the Raphael Rooms for an intimate experience with these fresco masterpieces.

    10 minAdmission included

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

4.9

  • 540
  • 43
  • 31
  • 20
  • 10

Ratings come from 44 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

Meeting point
Viale Vaticano 100, in front of Cafè Vaticano, right across the street from the Vatican Museum's Entrance.
Pickup
Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
Ticket type
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Operated by
LivTours
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • 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.
  • No photography is allowed inside the Sistine Chapel.
  • The Sistine Chapel is a Holy Place and talking while inside is strictly forbidden. Your guide will provide all commentary prior to entry
  • Backpacks are not permitted in the museum.
  • Everyone in your group, regardless of age, needs a government issued ID to enter the Vatican Museums.
  • Guests with mobility concerns should contact us as soon as possible, as the itinerary may need to be adjusted to accommodate specific needs.

How it compares in Rome

  • Its from-price is 40% above the median of the 8352 experiences we list in Rome.
  • It is shorter than most of them.
  • By number of reviews it ranks 1144 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.

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