6 hours
2 languages
Instant confirmation
Private tour

Highlights

With over nine miles of galleries, much of the magnificent artwork in the Vatican Museums would be missed without a proper tour. Join us for an extended tour of the Vatican Art Gallery, the Sistine Chapel. Led by our expert English-speaking guide, you will surely see the very best of the Vatican. Our Extended Vatican Tour provides the opportunity to truly appreciate all the Vatican City has to offer. The tour itinerary ensures that you don’t miss any of the most famous sights, but also shows you some things you never knew existed.

Inclusions

What's included

skip the line ticket
private tour

What's not

Private transportation

Itinerary

Our Extended Vatican Tour provides the opportunity to truly appreciate all the Vatican City has to offer. The tour itinerary ensures that you don’t miss any of the most famous sights, but also shows you some things you never knew existed.
Passes by
The first step is the Pigna Courtyard. Composed of a large bronze pine cone almost four meters high which once spouted water from the top, the Pigna originally stood near the Pantheon next to the Temple of Isis. It was moved to the courtyard of the Old St. Peter's Basilica during the Middle Ages and then moved again, in 1608, to its present location. The courtyard where it stands was originally part of the Cortile del Belvedere, designed by Donato Bramante to connect the palace of Pope Innocent VIII with the Sistine Chapel.
30 minAdmission included
Then you'll enter the Vatican Museums with its magnificent masterpieces. The main Italian artist letf us the biggest heritage ever.
2 hAdmission included
The tour includes the Gallery of Maps, Gallery of Tapestries, Gallery of the Candelabra, and the renowned sculpture of Lacoon and his sons. Plus, you’ll see a real highlight of the Vatican Museums - the beautiful Raphael Rooms. A standout of this tour is the Borgia Apartments. In the 15th century, these rooms were home to the infamous former cardinal Rodrigo Borgia (then Pope Alexander VI). You’ll see the family portraits as your guide spills some of the secrets of one of the most renowned and most controversial papal families. There is so much history hidden within the paintings’ religious content, and you’ll get a peek into the scandalous life of the Pope’s beautiful daughter Lucretia and his son Cesare.
1.5 hAdmission included
Michelangelo’s world-famous Sistine Chapel is next. Your guide will prepare you to enter the Sistine Chapel with detailed information about Michelangelo’s frescoes, their meaning and their significance. Michelangelo spent eight years of his life painting these wonderful frescoes – an incredible undertaking. Once inside, you will have time to fully appreciate the splendor of this historical chapel.
30 minAdmission included
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.
30 minAdmission included
The tour will end in the magnificent Saint Peter's square.
30 min

Cancellation

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Know before you go

Meeting point: At the Vatican museums entrance. At the white gate topped with the statues of Michelangelo and Raphael. Your tour guide will have a sign with your name on it.
Pickup: Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
Ticket type: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Operated by: Rome City Tours

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult
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 refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
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 you 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 m
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.

How it compares in Rome

Its from-price is close to the median of the 984 day trips we list in Rome.
It is shorter than most of them.

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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