Rome: Complete Early Morning Vatican Tour

Experience the Vatican like never before with our small group Vatican tour. Get early access to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums, enjoy personal attention from expert guides, and explore St. Peter’s Basilica before the crowds arrive.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • What a Life Tours - The activity starts directly at our office located conveniently very close to the Museums’ entrance.
What's Included
  • Meet your guide at our comfortable offices near the Museums’ entrance
  • Skip-the-line access to St. Peter’s Basilica
  • Headsets to hear the guide
  • Small group
  • Expert English-speaking tour guide
  • 3.5-hour guided tour
  • Early entrance guaranteed
  • Entry to the Sistine Chapel (Temporary Closure from April 28 until the end of the Conclave)
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Visit our welcoming offices located just a short distance from the museum entrance. Participate in our intimate Vatican tour early in the morning with an exceptional tour guide, and enjoy the earliest access to the museums, Sistine Chapel, and Raphael Rooms. In a small group, you can leisurely explore the incredible wealth of history and art.
Your guide…

Location
What a Life Tours
Via Santamaura
*** MEETING POINT *** at our office at Via Santamaura 14B, What a Life Tours. The closest Metro stop is Ottaviano which is a 6-minute walk away. You must allow extra time to reach the meeting point, CHECK-IN is 15 minutes before the tour departure time. WE CANNOT WAIT FOR LATE ARRIVALS.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(1737 Ratings)
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1 star
Kanom2025
Apr 28, 2025
Amazing Early Morning Vatican Tour — Highly Recommend! - We did the early morning Vatican tour and it was an incredible experience. Although the Sistine Chapel was closed due to the recent passing of the Pope, the tour was still absolutely worth it. Our guide, Michael, was amazing — knowledgeable, engaging, and handled the unexpected change with real grace. He brought so much life and depth to everything we saw. Skipping the lines and getting in early made a huge difference. We actually had time and space to stop, take in the art and history, and really appreciate the beauty of the Vatican without feeling rushed. I honestly wouldn’t suggest doing this without a guide — the stories and insights Michael shared added a whole other layer to the experience. Even without the Sistine Chapel, the tour exceeded all our expectations. Highly recommend this tour — and if you’re lucky enough to have Michael, you’re in great hands!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bkennie
Apr 26, 2025
Vatican tour - So nice to have an expert guide to point out all the details I would have otherwise missed. The Vatican museum art collection is overwhelming.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
T2931jxmatthewt
Apr 25, 2025
Tour with Cinzia - Cinzia was our tour guide and was excellent. Well spoken and knowledgeable about Vatican history, and despite the death of Pope Francis and temporary closure of St. Peter’s Basilica, Cinzia was able to give us a great tour of Vatican City.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sonia_s
Apr 25, 2025
The tour guide was very... - The tour guide was very informative, attentive and kind. She always had a smile on her face and was very friendly. I would highly recommend this tour
Review provided by Viator
309laural
Apr 25, 2025
Great tour - Great tour. Used this company for two tours in Rome. Both had knowledgeable and friendly guides. Using a tour group to get un and around crowds is the way to go.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
915gregb
Apr 25, 2025
Top things to do in Rome - amazing, amazing, amazing this is the best tour I’ve done since I’ve been in Rome. Elaine is incredible and if you book this trip you must ask for her Elaine knowledge her passion and excitement of the Vatican is something I’ve never seen before. This woman is amazing. the tour is amazing the quality is second and none can’t recommend enough.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laurav4001
Apr 24, 2025
Interesting and informative tour - Tour guide, Cinzia, was very knowledgeable about the museum and the vatican, as well as the best ways to beat the crowds. The vatican itself is very busy, and I think this would be hard to avoid any time you go, but being able to skip most of the queues was a big plus. By 9am the queue for general entry was extremely long. Even with the tour being 3 hours, we only saw a snippet of the vast amount of artefacts on display. The tour was fantastic, but I'd suggest preparing for a full day at the vatican, and bring a packed lunch if you want to see more.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elizab830
Apr 23, 2025
Vatican Small Group Tour - Great tour and Jeb was a great guide! Knew heaps and kept the tour moving without feeling rushed. Would recommend to anyone!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annjtravels
Apr 18, 2025
Best Vatican tour of many tried - Do not miss this tour. I have taken Vatican tours before tried private tours all over Europe and Cinzia is the best tour guide. Here is why: 1. Extremely well educated in Italian history AND the history of art 2. Choice of highlights - Vatican collection is overwhelming. Her tour highlights each area perfectly 3. Group management- tours groups can be difficult to manage; Cinzia keeps the group well organized, moving easily through large crowds 4. Practical information- being told where to stand, sit, find a bathroom and extend your visit is helpful, and most guides neglect to do this 3.5 hours sounds like a long time, but the tour is very fast paced. You will not believe how quickly it goes by and how much you have learned.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
J4173oyhectorb
Apr 26, 2025
Misleading and overpriced - Misleading and overpriced. You still queue with other groups and, since it is the normal opening time, the place is bustling with people. The guide was great, but only serves as an intro, since the group has to rush ahead as there is a lot of ground to cover.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $145
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).