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Small Group Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, & St. Peter’s Basilica Guided Tour

Badge of ExcellenceRoma, Italy
Likely to Sell Out

From $53.38

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Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
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Likely To Sell Out
Unique Experiences
  • 3 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Discover the Vatican on a group tour of the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums with an expert guide. Navigate the vast complex of rooms, artwork, and history with a guide, who brings the ancient collection to life. Skip all the entrance lines to explore halls such as the Gallery of the Maps; step inside the Sistine Chapel to admire ‘The Creation of Adam’ by Michelangelo and finish your tour visiting St. Peter's Basilica. Choose from several departures, or upgrade to a small-group tour.
  • Enjoy the Vatican highlights including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica
  • Choose from several different departure times, or upgrade to a small-group tour
  • Audio headsets are provided to make sure you can hear your guide clearly
  • Avoid long queues with skip-the-line entrance tickets

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

“Skip the line” with this tour means using a special entrance to bypass even the fast-track line.

What's Included

  • Reserved Priority Access to the Vatican Museums
  • Guided visit of St. Peter’s Basilica (If Option Selected)
  • Access to the Sistine Chapel
  • Audio headsets so you can always hear your guide
  • Small groups of 20 people or less
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • Via Tunisi, 4
    Via Tunisi, 4, 00192 Roma RM, Italy

    Meeting point: At the bottom of the steps across the street from the Entrance of the Vatican Museums. The steps are located right next to Caffè Vaticano on the corner of Viale Vaticano and Via Tunisi. The closest Metro stop is Line A (Ottaviano – Musei Vaticani).

End point

  • St. Peter's Basilica
    Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City

What To Expect

Vatican tours with skip-the-line access are sought-after, so even the fast-track lines are long. This experience includes admission through a special entrance, so there are no lines whatsoever. Follow your guide directly inside the vast collection of private artwork that is the Vatican Museums.

Walk through the Gallery of the Maps and Gallery of Tapestries as you listen to tales of Vatican intrigue. Gaze at artifacts such as timeworn yet fascinating Italian maps, and admire the sculptures and candelabras of the Gallery of Candelabras. Stop for photos in front of the Pigna statue in the Pinecone Courtyard, designed by Donato Bramante.

Step inside the Sistine Chapel—the pope’s personal place of worship and a highlight of any Vatican trip. Stand beneath Michelangelo’s 'The Creation of Adam,' which cloaks the ceiling, and admire 'The Last Judgement,' his colorful mural that adorns a wall.

After your Sistine Chapel visit, continue to St. Peter’s Basilica, the symbolic heart of the Catholic church. Learn about its history and see more Vatican art including Michelangelo’s 'La Pietà,' which was sculpted when the maestro was only 24 years old. Gaze at the baldachino by Bernini, and then say goodbye to your guide in St. Peter’s Square.

Keep in mind that St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square might be unavailable on Wednesdays due to the weekly Papal Audience. As an alternative, enjoy an extended itinerary within the Vatican Museums, which still includes the Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Rooms. If you want to make sure that St. Peter's Basilica and Square are included in your tour, don't select Wednesday as your travel date.

If you want to enhance your Vatican experience, select one of the following experiences:

Small-Group Tour in the morning: Enter the Vatican Museums as soon as it opens, before the other lines enter. Your tour is limited to 10 people for personal attention and information about the Vatican’s must-see sights.

Tour in the evening: Explore the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel after the doors close to the general public. A visit to St. Peter’s Basilica is not included.

Vatican Museums

Vatican tours with skip-the-line access are sought-after, so even the fast-track lines are long. This experience includes admission through a special entrance, so there are no lines whatsoever. Follow your guide directly inside the vast collection of private artwork that is the Vatican Museums. Walkthrough the Gallery of the Maps and Gallery of Tapestries as you listen to tales of Vatican intrigue. Gaze at artifacts such as timeworn yet fascinating Italian maps, and admire the sculptures and candelabras of the Gallery of Candelabras. Stop for photos in front of the Pigna statue in the Pinecone Courtyard, designed by Dontao Bramante.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Sistine Chapel

Pass through the rooms, and then step inside the Sistine Chapel — the pope’s personal place of worship and a highlight of any Vatican trip. Stand beneath Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam, which cloaks the ceiling, and admire The Last Judgement, his colorful mural that adorns a wall.

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any impairments requiring special assistance. We are also unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages on our group tours.
  • Avoid bringing large purses, bags, or backpacks on your tour
  • We may experience delays in getting through mandatory security checks when entering these venues
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

See more

Traveler Tips

Arrive early since it is a bit difficult to locate the tour guide to check in.
Bring water with you as you won’t find any inside.
Don’t go on a Wednesday because the Pope will be doing mass and it supposedly gets really crowded.
Reviews
4.5
27,364 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 27,364 reviews
Amazing experience
Juanita_B, Mar 2023
My husband, two teens and I loved the experience and our tour guide was very knowledgeable. Great experience.
Great way to see the Vatican!
Jill_J, Mar 2023
Fantastic way to see the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St.Peter’s Basilica! Our guide was very knowledgeable as well!
Our tour guide — Eleanora...
Eileen_S, Mar 2023
Our tour guide — Eleanora was wonderful — knowledgeable, helpful and took the time to answer all our questions.
Great family tour
Josh_R, Mar 2023
We were worried the kids (5 & 8) couldn’t keep up with a 3 hour tour, but I actually think it would have been MUCH harder to attempt this visit without the organized tour. Oscar did an amazing job modulating the tour for curious kids and adults alike. If you plan on visiting the Vatican with a family, this tour is a wonderful option
Really glad we booked...
Brianna_C, Mar 2023
Really glad we booked this tour! Felt like we saw all the main attractions and were given a thorough history. The skip the line option was a must. Our guide, Patrick, was very kind and funny. Would recommend this!
Unforgettable Tour of Sistine Chapel and Vatican with an Amazing Guide
Gurkan_O, Mar 2023
Last week, we visited Rome and chose a tour to explore the magnificent beauty of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican with a group. Our tour guide was amazing, providing us with an informative tour of the chapel and museums. Michelangelo's frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were truly breathtaking, and the Vatican Museums' rich collection was awe-inspiring. Our guide's narration was so engaging that we didn't even realize how quickly time passed. We didn't even have a chance to get bored during the tour. This experience was unforgettable for me, and I highly recommend this tour.
We loved having Marina as...
Kristine_V, Mar 2023
We loved having Marina as our tour guide! She provided excellent explanations of things, added humor where appropriate, and was extremely respectful of Catholic faith traditions. Wonderful tour!
Michaelangelo’s girlfriend
Christopher_L, Mar 2023
Amil was an excellent guide, full of information and with a quirky sense of humour that brought the tour to life.
Enjoyable and a must to see when you come to visit Rome Italy
Minerva_C, Mar 2023
We love the tour. Its beautiful and very majestic. The architectural beauty inside the St Peters Basilica makes me come back again next year. We love our tour guide Doriana. Shes so knowledgeable about the history behind St Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine chapels and museum.
Great Guide Lots of History
Sal_D, Mar 2023
Our guide, Marina, was fantastic. She understands church tradition and was able to explain it to those who are not of the catholic faith. Her explanations were clear and informative. The art work and history lesson are well worth your time.
Vatican museums, Sistine...
Bahareh_S, Mar 2023
Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica deserves a tour guide no doubt! Our tour guide was not well informed and did not do a good job explaining the highlights. It was a loss for us
Sistine chapel and crypts
Randy_U, Mar 2023
Estella was an amazing tour guide. Very knowledgeable and fun. Totally enjoyed the experience with her. The crypts was really good and the Sistine chapel.
Fantastic guide - fantastic experience
Suzanne_L, Mar 2023
We had a wonderful experience with Alexandra as our guide - her knowledge & enthusiasm were exceptional & we would highly recommend a small group tour to get the best insight into the Vatican history.
Recommend a tour guide at the vstican
dawn_s, Mar 2023
Dont remember our tour guides name but she spoke so fast that we could barely understand alot of what she said. Could not believe how crowded the vatican gets so if crowds dont bother you then go! Having a guide is almost necessary. I dont know how this was a small group because it seemed like it was alot of people
Cristina was a superbly...
Vinia_M, Mar 2023
Cristina was a superbly knowledgable guide. We learned a lot about the history of the museums, the importance art pieces, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica. She spoke clearly and made sure we understood her. I would highly recommend this tour!
Paulina was an excellent...
Lisa_M, Mar 2023
Paulina was an excellent tour guide-speaks very clear English & was quite knowledgable. She did a great job keeping us together
Amazing
Lance_P, Mar 2023
Most Definitely would recommend for older kids not for littles at all. The overall tour was beautiful and a must see
Not very helpful tour guide
Zhenyu_Z, Mar 2023
The place is great, but I have issues with the tour guide. It seems she is very knowledgeable. But she was too passionate about some specific details, and gave a lot of so-called "fun facts" (which are not that fun) and details in areas most visitors don't care, while missing a huge amount of general introductions and background stories. Also she wasted a lot of time, and I really wish I just bought a skip-line ticket and doing my own tour.
Vatican Tour
Neil_G, Mar 2023
A very informative whilst relaxed tour, well recommended. Our tour guide Salvadore was brilliant, he was very professional, entertaining and had a great sense of humour. The whole experience was very good, would defo book another trip
Our tour Guide, Salvador,...
Elizabeth_B, Mar 2023
Our tour Guide, Salvador, was knowledgeable and entertaining. Vatican City was very crowded for March, but he led us through with finesse and humor!
...

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