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Closing Time Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel without the Crowds
4.6
152 Ratings
Roma
Experience the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel without the crowds. Enjoy a guided tour and see Michelangelo’s masterpiece in peace.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Vatican Museums - Skip the (always long) lines into the museums, diving right into the galleries holding some of the most famous works of art in the world. Your expert, English-speaking guide will offer eye-opening insight and context (along with some great stories) as you explore the Belvedere Courtyard with ‘Apollo Belvedere’ and ‘Laocoön and Sons’, the Pinecone Courtyard, the Gallery of the Candelabra, the Gallery of the Maps, and the Gallery of the Tapestries. Visiting after the daytime crowds have left, you’ll appreciate the extra space and silence to appreciate the magnificent artwork in the Museums.
- Sphere within a Sphere - Inside the peaceful Pinecone Courtyard you’ll pass a spectacular bronze globe. It was designed for the Vatican by well-known Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro and copies of it can now be found all over the world, including Dublin, Tel Aviv and New York City.
- Sistine Chapel - Then head to the Sistine Chapel just before closing time for a peaceful experience with just a handful of other visitors. Before entering, your guide will explain the stories behind the creation of these iconic frescoes as well as what they mean. When you enter, you will then be able to appreciate the full majesty of the room, spotting the little details and quirks that most people miss.
What's Included
- Skip the Line Access tickets to the Vatican Museums
- Entry to the Sistine Chapel
- Expert English Speaking Guide
- Headsets
- Small Group
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
Additional Information
Experience the breathtaking Sistine Chapel after the daytime crowds have dispersed. Gain entry three hours before closing and embark on a guided tour of the Vatican Museums. As the last visitors of the day depart, relish the tranquility away from the mid-afternoon rush. Your small group, led by an expert guide, will explore the Belvedere Courtyard featuring ‘Apollo Belvedere’ and ‘Laocoön and Sons’, culminating in a serene viewing of Michelangelo’s masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel.
- Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments, or for wheelchairs or strollers. Please contact our Guest Experience team to make alternative arrangements.
- This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
- The Vatican policy insists that guests cover their shoulders and knees inside the Museums and Basilica at all times
- Walks / Devour complies with all local government regulations. Please refer to local government guidelines for the most up-to-date information.
Location
Antico Caffè Candia
Via Candia
Please meet your guide in the plaza outside of Antico Café Candia, Via Candia, 153, 00192 Roma RM, at the bottom of the stairs. The closest Metro station is Cipro. Your guide will be in the center of the plaza holding a green Walks sign.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(152 Ratings)
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Lee_k
Aug 9, 2024
Thumbs up - Good way to see the Vatican, a little crowded but that is to be expected. Easy to meet up with the guides at meeting place.
Review provided by Viator
Brian_s
Aug 6, 2024
Holy Tour, Batman! - Our guide (Rosanna, I believe) was excellent and knowledgable, and patient when dealing with a bored child. She explained everything in detail and was able to get us in the back door of St. Peter’s Basillica. The museum was massive, but she seemed to know about every piece. The Sistine Chapel seems to be somewhere you go to say you went. It was chock full of people milling around and taking pictures when they shouldn’t have been.
Review provided by Viator
Stacey_b
Jun 26, 2024
brilliant - fantastic tour with guide Sev would highly recommend..
informative, interesting with so much to see great for families, metro only 10mins walk away.
Review provided by Viator
Lloydt362
Jun 25, 2024
Great tour with Sev - We had a great tour with our guide Sev. Sev was extremely knowledgeable and the information he imparted was very interesting and just flowed for the whole tour. Can’t speak highly enough of Sev and the tour through the Vatican Museum and the Sistene Chapel. Very enjoyable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patricia_z
Jun 13, 2024
Tour of the greats with a expert guide - I have been to the Vatican Museums quite a few times but took the tour to have my guest start to know it in a concise but extensive enough way. Jeb our guide did a great job of explaining and taking us to the historical highlights and also explains Sistene Chapel
Review provided by Viator
Miroslav_s
Jul 21, 2024
Recommend, But… - The tour was good and small. It was later so not as crowded. The guide Gigu was extremely knowledgeable and smart. He had a PhD from UCLA and knew the history of EVERYTHING.
That being said the tour felt a little rushed; and he spoke extremely quickly. I think he had another tour to get to after us. I think he did the best he could with the timeframe. I wish we would’ve be able to go with him to St. Peter’s basilica. Nice guy, but I wish they would not have given the allotted time as we ended only after 1:40, not the advertised 2-3 hours.
I would recommend this if it’s late in the day, you want to see the Vatican, want to skip the line, and it’s last minute. Otherwise I would go with another tour.
Review provided by Viator
Breeana_g
Jun 21, 2024
Great tour with Franco! - Franco was a great tour guide. Provided paper references and taught us about the Sistine Chapel before we headed out from the meeting spot as he lets you wander on your own once you reach the chapel. Very knowledgeable as he led us through Vatican museum.
Review provided by Viator
Nirav_s
May 21, 2024
Good overview of the Vatican - This was a thorough tour of the Vatican museum and the Sistine chapels. Our tour guide was Hillary and she provided a good overview of both sites. At times, I felt that the tour was rushed, but that was mainly because of the museum staff, not the tour guide.
Review provided by Viator
Anna
May 17, 2024
Disappointed, Skip the Tour - Booked this as a way to see the Vatican Museum during our honeymoon. We were very disappointed in the tour - you would be better off doing the museum on your own. The tour consisted only of the statues and ancient marbles, tapestries and the Sistine Chapel - that’s it. While our guide was knowledgeable, the tour didn’t start for almost an hour past the meeting time, which dramatically cut into our time in the museum. Because we had to wait so long for bathroom breaks of others on the tour, most places in the museum were open only for a short time once we got in. The tour guide completely skipped the Raphael Rooms with no mention (which is listed on the tour as a site visited). What we saw was so limited compared to what is in the museum and we had no time to see other sites within the museum. Had I known I would’ve skipped the tour entirely and gone on our own thru the museum since there is so much we will now not see during our stay in Rome.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Margaret_m
Jul 17, 2024
Terrible refund policy - Because of flight cancellations we had to cancel our tour. Even though this was out of our control, Viator refused a refund.
Review provided by Viator
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