The Complete Vatican Tour With Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
4790 reviews
3 hours
Max 20
Why take this tour?
Highlights
- Skip the line at the Vatican Museums with pre-reserved group entrance tickets, saving hours of waiting
- Visit the most essential areas of Vatican City - the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel
- Enjoy a specially designed route highlighting all the works you wanted to see and a few surprises you won’t expect
- Stand in utter awe under Michelangelo’s celing in the Sistine Chapel and learn the incredible stories behind its frescos
- With only 20 people (or fewer), a comfortable headset and an expert guide, your experience will be intimate and surpass your expectations
- Sites Visited
- Vatican Museums
- Sistine Chapel
- Vatican Museum Terrace with view of St. Peter's Basilica
- Raphael Rooms
- Apollo Belvedere & Laocoön & His Sons
- Pinecone Courtyard
- Gallery of the Candelabra
- Gallery of the Maps
- Gallery of the Tapestries
- Tour Includes
- Local English-speaking guide
- Skip-the-line ticket for Vatican Museums
- Headset
Take a walk through the Palaces of the Pope
$72.41
Free Cancellation
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Verified guest reviews
4790
5 star reviews 4149
4 star reviews 480
3 star reviews 161
2 star reviews 0
1 star reviews 0
Latest Reviews
We had a reservation for the morning tour but missed it because the instructions on where to meet were confusing. However, we were able to contact the Italian help line and they booked us on the afternoon tour. Our tour guide was very enthusiastic and we appreciated her very much. Herding a tour through massive noisy crowds is not easy and she still made it fun and not feel rushed. Would highly recommend.
Luigi was spectacular. Booking the tour was easy and straightforward. Finding our guide was simple. Everything about the process was great. Luigi was particularly adept at helping a family with a disabled member navigate the grounds and was a font of valuable information. He alone made it worth the time and money.
Julietta is extremely knowledgeable and has wry sense of humor. Would not hesitate to take another tour from her.
Jeb was a great tour guide. Knowledgeable and kept the tour moving and relevant
only book one tour if you book more than one you will be dissapointed as most of the guides are careless.
Meeting Point
Meeting Point
Bar l'Ottagono, Piazza del Risorgimento, 60, 00192 Roma, Italy
Please meet 15 minutes prior to the tour start time.
FAQs
Why can't I take photos inside the Sistine Chapel?
When the chapel was restored in 1990 the biggest donors to the project (donating a whopping $4.2 million) were a Japanese television network. In return, they received exclusive rights to photograph and film inside and quickly banned any professional photographers from taking pictures. Although they didn't mind if tourists took photos, the Vatican guards decided to enforce the rule on everyone because it was impractical to differentiate between a normal visitor and who was a professional photographer. The Japanese network's exclusive contract has expired now but the rule persists. If you try to take any images in the Chapel Vatican, security is authorized to make you delete them.
I am in a wheelchair/have a mobility impairment. Can I take this tour?
The Vatican Museums are equipped with elevators for wheelchair access, but they are not located on the group tour route. If you have a mobility impairment and/or use wheelchair please contact our customer service department and we will be happy to design a private tour for you. [email protected] We can then work out a suitable alternative.
I've heard the Vatican has a strict dress code. What should I wear?
It does, but it isn't anything too formal. The big rule is to make sure your shoulders and knees are covered - that applies to both men and women. Also remember that shorts of any length are not allowed at all in St. Peter's Basilica so if you are visiting both the Vatican Musuems and the Basilica, wear trousers or a long skirt. Occasionally visitors get away with wearing a bit less but it’s best not to risk it. Hats are also not allowed.
Walks cannot be held responsible for guests who are refused entrance due to inappropriate dress so please remember to cover up.
What items can I NOT take into the Vatican Museums
Knives, scissors, and other cutting tools must also be deposited in the cloakroom as a precaution against harming the artwork inside. No hammers, either, as one was once used to smash Michelangelo's Pietá. This probably goes without saying, but firearms are also strictly prohibited for visitors within the Vatican Museums and you can't check them in the cloakroom.
IMPORTANT: Can I bring a bag into the Vatican Museums?
Yes, as long as it's within a certain size. You cannot bring any bag, backpack suitcase or container larger that 40cm x 35cm x 15cm into the Vatican Museums. In fact, size limits apply to all items; because of the sheer number of people that visit the Museums, space is at a premium. You can’t enter with medium to large umbrellas, any umbrellas with spiked tips, camera tripods, signage (apart from signs used by certified guides) or walking sticks – except those required by disabled visitors.
All of these items can be left in the cloakroom, which is located at the entrance to the Museums. This means that you will need to walk 15 - 20 minutes back here after you finish your tour at St Peter's Basilica. On our afternoon tours you may need to leave the tour early to collect your bag before the cloakroom closes.
Can I use a wheelchair on this tour?
Yes, but we require advance notice in order to accommodate wheelchairs on this tour. After booking, please contact us so that we can organize a private tour for you. If we cannot find a guide to lead you that day we'll offer you the same tour on the next avaialbe date or give you credit for another tour anywhere else in the world.
I want to take a selfie in the Raphael Rooms, can I bring my selfie stick?
No. Selfie sticks are strictly forbidden inside the Vatican Museums, along with flash photography. However, visitors are allowed to take non-flash photographs anywhere besides the Sistine Chapel.