Vatican Highlights Tour: Explore Sistine Chapel and Skip-the-Line Entry to Vatican Museum

Discover the Vatican’s most iconic treasures on a highlights tour. Skip the line, explore the Sistine Chapel, and learn the fascinating story of Michelangelo’s masterpiece.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Vatican Museums - Your guide knows every nook and cranny of the museums and will navigate seamlessly through the more than 1,200 galleries while emphasizing the Rooms of Raphael, the Ancient Roman and Greek pieces in the Belvedere Courtyard and the Gallery of Maps while ensuring that you stay on track with an eye on the ultimate prize: the Sistine Chapel.
What's Included
  • Full-immersion guided Vatican Museums experience with an expert Vatican tour guide
  • Skip the Line at the Vatican & get ahead of everyone else
  • Priority access to St. Peter’s Basilica
  • Rooms of Raphael & Sistine Chapel
  • Belvedere Courtyard, Greek and Roman Sculptures
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Join a knowledgeable guide at the entrance of the Vatican Museum, and gain priority access to arguably the world’s most significant art collection. Your guide, well-acquainted with the museum’s every corner, will efficiently guide you through the overwhelming 1,200 galleries.

A key part of this tour revolves around the grandiose Sistine Chapel, from its inception to the final touches executed by the illustrious Michaelangelo Buonarroti. Uncover the compelling tale of this intriguing yet troubled artist, who saw himself as a sculptor rather than a painter, yet dedicated numerous years to crafting frescoes on a towering 44-foot-high ceiling. Delve into the physical and mental strain endured by the artist as your guide distinguishes myth from reality and popular cinematic fiction about this monumental piece of art.

Conclude the tour by independently exploring the additional 1,400 art galleries at your leisure.

  • A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
  • On days immediately surrounding religious holidays at the Vatican, alterations to tours may become necessary due to partial closings of areas normally included in this tour
  • Maximum 20 travelers on this tour
  • Due to the route covered and/or the means of transportation used, it is not possible to participate in this tour using a wheelchair, scooter, or other aid. Please contact us to inquire about customized tour options for guests with mobility challenges.
Location
Via Sebastiano Veniero, 19
Via Sebastiano Veniero
Via Sebastiano Veniero 19, nearest metro station is called Ottaviano / San Pietro / Musei Vaticani on Linea A which on any Rome metro map is coloured orange.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.6
(136 Ratings)
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Tarjav2018
Aug 29, 2024
The Finnish girls - The qiude was very good and funny. She knew many details about the Vatican history/today, paintings and sculptures. She noticed everyone on the group. Thank you for the very best tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bxfrank
Aug 22, 2024
Perfect Vatican tour - Nadia was wonderful - funny and told us everything we needed and wanted to know. Tour was the perfect length of time and made sure we saw all the highlights. Highly recommended, bravo bravo bravo!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gabrielle_w
Aug 16, 2024
Organised and informative. - The amazing architecture and grandness of the Vatican Museum! Sandra made sure the tour kept moving and shared so much information throughout the tour.
Review provided by Viator
Tammy_s
Aug 3, 2024
Getting through the Vatican - Must have skip the line tickets and guide otherwise you won’t be able to navigate the crowds,. Entire tour was efficient and interesting
Review provided by Viator
Michelle
Aug 1, 2024
Excellent tour guide. - Excellent tour guide. Nadia was very knowledgeable. We loved it. She pointed out many small details and Explained history. Great tour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lindsay_k
Jul 27, 2024
tour guide & entertainer in one - The tour was a nice amount of time and more interesting than I anticipated. But what really made it was Chiara. Though we were tired she had such a positive, energetic attitude and love for her job. She was especially good with the kids and involving them and educating us on what we were about to see, my favorite tour guide of my trip.
Review provided by Viator
Tiredandhungry9
Jul 25, 2024
Fascinating and interesting tour. Thanks Nadya! - Thank you Nadya, so glad you were our guide today. We added on a guided tour of St Peter's Basilica and the underground crypts. Your knowledge of the Vatican, St Peter's Basilica and the artwork in the Sistine Chapel was amazing. Your passion for this subject shone though. Very interesting tour. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jacquie_c
Jul 22, 2024
Highly recommend! - Chiara was the best tour guide! She had the perfect balance between humor and history to keep my daughter and I intrigued during the tour. She covered all of the highlights during the Vatican Tour and kept everything going at the perfect pace. There were inevitably some crowds, but Chiara used a great strategy to minimize our interaction with the large crowds. Overall, we highly recommend this tour!! -f1 girls :)
Review provided by Viator
Alyssa_s
Jul 18, 2024
We LOVED Nadia! - Nadia did a fantastic job!! She is so knowledgeable of every painting, sculpture, and overall history of the Vatican. She was interactive, personable, and a lively person to listen to! She also does a great job of keeping things moving faster so you don’t feel stagnant in the museum, you really could be there for hours on end especially if you don’t have a guide. If you are looking for a quicker tour and one that won’t leave you meandering over every painting this is for you! My friend and I would highly recommend her/this tour!
Review provided by Viator
N3906nmkarenb
Jul 18, 2024
Perfect for a quick visit - We thoroughly enjoyed our tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and a lovely lady. It's the perfect way to visit the Vatican and Sistine Chapel if you are after a highlights version or are time poor. For a more detailed visit, we recommend a longer, more in depth tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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