Semi-Private Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Basilica & Papal Tombs Tour

Experience the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel like never before with a skip-the-line evening exploration. Marvel at the incredible art collections, visit St. Peter’s Basilica, and explore the Papal tombs with an expert guide. Book now!

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Maya Tours - Once you book, we organize everything. Just show up and check-in at the Maya Tours office (VIA GERMANICO, 16) at the correct time (Please arrive 10 minutes before your booked departure time) and your guide will escort you inside the Museums & provide you with your ticket.
  • Vatican Museums - Explore the Vatican Museums with an Expert Guide, visit the highlights of the incredible collections comprised of a colossal 20,000 works on display, over 4 miles of Art, Sculptures, Tapestries, Paintings and Architecture.

Belvedere Courtyard
Pinecone Courtyard
Pio Clementino Museum
Octagonal Courtyard
Sala Degli Animali
Sala Delle Muse
Sala Rotonda
Sala A Croce Greca
Gallery of the Candelabra
Gallery of Tapestries
Gallery of Maps

  • Sistine Chapel - Marvel at the incredible Sistine Chapel, an impressive sanctuary that boasts works of art by master painters like Perugino, Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio, Rosselli, Botticelli, Signorelli, della Gatta and, of course, Michelangelo.

See the world famous frescoes stretch magnificently across the ceiling with the renowned Creation of Adam as the central focus and the majestic Last Judgement upon the rear wall, offering a visual spectacle that encapsulates the divine.

Sistine Chapel Frescoes
Cosmati Floor Mosaic
Forseen conception of Jesus Christ
Pagan Sibyls / Icons
Prophet depictions
Creation of Adam
The Last Judgement
Sacrifice of Jesus Christ
Greek Mythology Styx

  • St. Peter’s Basilica - Gain privileged direct entrance to the heart of the Catholic faith and lose yourself in the monumental grandeur of Saint Peter’s Basilica. See the highlights of the phenomenal church with a guide and enjoy free time to explore its many secrets including getting your blessing at Saint Peter’s feet and head down into the Vatican Grottoes which contain the Papal Tombs.

The Pillars
The Ceiling
Statue Of St. Peter (Blessing at Saint Peter’s Feet)
Tomb Of Innocent XI
St. Peter’s Throne
La Porta Santa (Holy Door)
Loggia Of The Blessings Or Central Balcony
The Dome
High Altar (St. Peter’s Altar)
Baldacchino
Vatican Grottoes (Papal Tombs)
La Pietá
Tomb of John Paul II
La Navicella Mosaic

  • St. Peter’s Square - Exit the Basilica on to St. Peter’s Square, a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, one of the largest, most beautiful squares in Europe where the Papal Audience is held.

Bernini Fountain
Maderno Fountain
Vatican Egyptian Obelisk
St. Peter’s Square colonnades
Columns
Basilica Façade
Central Balcony
Statues of the Saints and first century apostles

What's Included
  • Skip The Line St. Peter’s Basilica Entry (when possible)
  • Skip The Line Access to Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
  • Small Group Tour Experience with Expert Official Licensed Vatican Guide
  • Introduction to the highlights of St.Peter’s Basilica with a guide
  • Free to explore in the Basilica and Papal tombs after the tour has finished
What's Not Included
  • Location Pick Up & Drop Off
  • Scavi / Necropolis
  • On Wednesday mornings St. Peter’s Basilica may be closed to the public due to the Papal Audience
  • St Peter’s Basilica is subject to last-minute closures for religious ceremonies, with no warning
Additional Information

Skip the lines and see the incredible Sistine Chapel, the best of the Vatican’s extraordinary collections & galleries, visit St.Peter’s Basilica and enter the Papal grottoes with an expert guide, in a small group for those who want to see all the Vatican has to offer on this comprehensive and exclusive experience.

The Vatican Museum boasts over 4 miles of Art, and a whopping 20,000 works on display, along with beautiful sculptures, frescoes and architecture the Vatican Museums make up an impressive collection like nowhere else on earth.

Visit the breathtaking Sculptures, Tapestries, Paintings and Architecture of Master Artists like Bramante, Bernini, Perugino, Botticelli, D’Antonio, Rosselli, Signorelli, Della Gatta, Ghirlandaio, Raphael and of course The Sistine Chapel decorated with magnificent frescoes by Michelangelo. Gain privileged direct entrance the heart of the Catholic faith and lose yourself in the monumental grandeur of St. Peter’s Basilica and explore its many secrets.

  • The tour reservations have strict timing. To join the tour, you are required to be at the meeting point for check-in at least 15 minutes prior to your tour departure time.
  • If you arrive late for the meeting time, it will not be possible to join the group or reschedule, the tickets and guide are void. As per Vatican rules you will not be entitled to a refund.
  • Knees & Shoulders MUST be covered for both men & women to enter the Sistine Chapel!
  • St Peter’s Basilica is subject to last-minute closures for religious ceremonies, with little to no warning and in this case, the tour will conclude in the Sistine Chapel. When this occurs visitors will have an extended tour of the Vatican Museums.
  • Should St. Peter’s Basilica be closed or not accessible within the scheduled time, the tour will include Raphael’s Rooms or the explanation of the Basilica from the outside. In this case we are unable to provide refunds or discounts as the Basilica is free to enter and not included in the tour price.
  • The Raphael’s Rooms are not included in the tour and are visited only when St. Peter’s Basilica remains closed to the public or if the Vatican makes the internal itinerary mandatory.
  • Please note that on the day of your visit certain areas of the monument/attraction can be closed due to either religious events or national holidays.
  • Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not suitable for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair. Please be aware that large oversized bags/backpacks/suitcases are not permitted in the monument/ attraction.
  • Students booking a reduced ticket must have a photo ID to be allowed into the monument. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
  • It is not possible to contact guides when they are inside the Vatican museums, it is the clients responsibility to stay with the guided tour group, if you lose your guide inside the Vatican, there is nothing we can do in this case.
  • Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not suitable for those with walking difficulties or using a wheelchair.
Location
Via Germanico, 16
Via Germanico
Once you book, we organize everything. Just show up and check-in at the Maya Tours office (VIA GERMANICO, 16) at the correct time (Please arrive 10 minutes before your booked departure time) and your guide will escort you inside the Museums & provide you with your ticket.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(22 Ratings)
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1 star
Charles_j
Jul 3, 2024
Fantastic Tour on Very Hot Day—- - Great visit and terrific guide. We can’t remember her name but she was very knowledgeable and terrific communication skills for my wife and me and three teenager grandchildren.
Review provided by Viator
725randaa
Jun 18, 2024
Marc- thank you!!!!! - Marc was a perfect guide, he gave us an unforgettable tour. Full of historical and very “knowledgeable” information. I live in NY and I was very happy to do the tour in French. Lyne
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kkanthony
May 3, 2024
Easy. Educational. Worth the Money! - We took our tour today and Christina was our guide. She was fantastic. Our tour had 8 people - a perfect number - and she did an expert job moving us efficiently through - positioning us to exactly the right spot to talk and ask questions. She knew her material very well and had in depth knowledge of art history. She was fun to listen to and had a bubbly personality which enhanced our time together. We highly recommend this tour. Well worth the money. On our way in we passed folks waiting in the “regular “ line and they indicated they had been out there for 3 hours and were not even near the front of the line. That was especially penal as today was a bit rainy and they were wet and soggy. We passed by them in the “skip” line and went right in to enjoy the sights.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eykonv
Apr 27, 2024
Instructive and professional - From the organization to the technology (audio system) to the content, it was a very convincing offer. The guide spoke excellent German and offered a lot of background information.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D3060cdcharlenec
Mar 11, 2024
Water point or toilet more often - The visit was carried out by Marco/Marc, it was great, a very enriching visit, the guide is great, he gives lots of explanations, speaks French very well, very pleasant, he takes the time to show us everything, he It was very smooth! At the end we were free to spend more time in St. Peter's Basilica and the square. It's incredible. Lots of memories in mind, thank you Marc for your professionalism! I recommend! 😀
Review provided by Tripadvisor
N8564ibalexandrep
Feb 18, 2024
Really great - Top guide (Marc) tour in French, superb explanations. Small group of 10, a really nice time. A detailed, fascinating visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
670louisppk
Jan 30, 2024
Great Guide Great Tour - Fantastic tour, we saw everything we wanted to and the guide was brilliant, very happy with Koen so knowledgeable and made everything very interesting for us
Review provided by Tripadvisor
W7451yjbriane
May 30, 2023
Great company - Our tour guide booked with Maya Tours and it was great. Our tour started at 1230. It was great bypassing the hours long wait line to get into the museum. Our English speaking tour guide. Christina, has lived in Italy for 20 years and was very knowledgeable. She is the type of person my wife and I 2o7ke like to hang out with socially. She has studied in Italy and knew quite a bit about what items in the museum. Our tour ended outside of Saint Peter's Basilica, and we went straight in bypassing that line too. She told us of a bunch of different places to get a bite to eat to avoid the tourist ones that have a lesser quality of food and prices. I was stationed in Italy and this was a trip for our kids who were born here but were 1 and 2 when we left so wanted to show them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elisabethp1465
Sep 8, 2019
Great tour - Our guide in french Paolo was really great! Very interesting and interested by the info. His french was pretty good! I recommend him!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
972verenag
Apr 6, 2024
Lostguide - At first the tour was quite good, entertaining guide. Unfortunately the guide disappeared after the Sistine Chapel, so we couldn't take the shortcut to St Peter's Cathedral. We had to get out again and stand in the endless line. It's a real shame that Maya Tours didn't react afterwards.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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1 Adult
September 2024
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