Rome: Skip the Line Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St Peter Small Group
- 3h 15m
- Skip the line
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 5 languages
Highlights
Enjoy a semi-private Vatican tour with a maximum of six guests. With your expert guide and skip-the-line tickets, explore the Vatican Museums, experience the wonders of the Pinecone and Octagonal Courtyard and the Belvedere Torso. Admire Constantine’s coffins and unique sculptures while learning about Church history, the Popes, and the artworks. After this, it’s time to head over to see one of the stars of the tour – Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Admire the 8,000 square feet of this masterpiece standing in its center surrounded by paintings. After the Chapel and all its glory, your tour guide will take you towards your final stop, St. Peter’s Basilica* where you will enjoy exclusive access to the most immense and ornate Catholic church in the world. Visit one of the most stunning pieces of art in the basilica, Michelangelo’s statue of the Pietà, depicting the Virgin Mary holding her dying child in her arms.
Inclusions
What's included
- Pinecone and Octagonal Courtyard
- Private Option available!
- Private Family Experience | Vatican Tour for Kids OPTION
- St Peters square
- The School of Athens painting
- Raphael Rooms*
- Tour in a Safe and Semi Private group of 6 people
- Sistine Chapel
- Michelangelos ceiling & Last Judgement
- Berninis bronze alter canopy
- Gallery of Tapestries
- St Peters Basilica*
- Professional, Local, Expert Guide
- Belvedere Torso
- Gallery of Maps
- Reserved Vatican entrance tickets
- The round room
- Constantine coffins
What's not
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Itinerary
Discover some of the most famous paintings and sculptures from western civilization and listen to amusing anecdotes about the former popes and artists represented in the museums. With a small-group tour of maximum of 6 people, or in your very own private tour, easily manoeuvre through the crowded museums at a comfortable pace. After a view of the terrace over the Vatican gardens, make your way across the beautiful early Renaissance courtyard to admire Hadrian's Pinecone, and then to the modern art piece of Arnaldo Pomodoro. You will then head to the magnificent Octagonal Courtyard which is one of the most remarkable collections of Roman and Greek artefacts. Admire the famous Belvedere Torso, learn about the mystery of the Laocoön Priest of Troy, and visit the Muses Room. Walk through the beautiful galleries to admire an abundance of candelabra, tapestries, and maps. Then head to the Julius II apartments and see the grandeur and the magnificent details of the Raphael Rooms.
Admire the the famous frescoes, painted by Raphael and his workshop. Please note that the visit to the Raphael Rooms may not always be feasible.
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.
Next, learn of Michelangelo's masterpiece from your guide before you enter through a tiny door to admire the majestic Sistine Chapel. Take in its grandeur in contemplative silence as you admire this 8,000 square foot wonder. 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.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
- 53,808
- 4187
- 385
- 224
- 144
Ratings come from 4,148 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.
5Excellent tour and guide was amazing
The tour was excellent and Caterina was brilliant. She was so intelligent about the museums and St Peter’s and genuinely interested in her guests and helping them get the most out of the experience. I explored the museums by myself the day before but Caterina made the same experience infinitely better. Thank you.
5Amazing!!!!
I absolutely loved the small-group, skip-the-line Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s tour. The 3-hour tour was incredibly informative, and the amount of history, education, and detail we received made it so worth it. Our guide really brought everything to life.
53 hour Vatican tour
This tour is 3 hours to see something that could take weeks. Our guide did an excellent job of sharing information on key areas of the Vatican. There were 6 of us on the tour and he made sure we all were taken care of.
5Vatican Skip the Line Small Group Tour
The tour was fantastic and our guide, Fabrizio could not have been better. I learned so much from him. I will recommend your service to everyone I know going to Rome.
5Vatican Tour
Absolutely great. The tour guide was exceptional. It was like having a fun history class only you are walking in the history. I learned a great deal.
5Semi private tour of the Vatican
It was well worth the money to have an expert walk us through the Vatican complex. Had I attempted on my own to visit there I would have missed out on so much information. Alessandro was very engaging and knowledgeable about the Vatican and the art work it contains.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- In front of Caffé Vaticano, just across the street from the Museum 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
- *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.
- *Saint Peter’s Basilica is closed on most Wednesdays mornings due to the weekly Papal Audience. If you book this tour for a Wednesday the time inside the Vatican Museums will be extended.
- 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.
- There is no photography allowed inside the Sistine Chapel.
- Please be aware that the Sistine Chapel is a Holy Place and talking during your visit inside is strictly forbidden, therefore your guide will give you an explanation of the Sistine Chapel beforehand during your tour, in order to give you a comprehensive explanation before entering the chapel.
- Guests with wheelchair accessibility needs will find difficulty with this small group tour. In order to ensure a barrier-free tour with alternative routes, please book the private version of this tour.
How it compares in Rome
- Its from-price is 238% above the median of the 477 attraction tickets we list in Rome.
- It is longer than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 3 of 477.
- 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
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