Vatican Museums Early Access Tour

Experience the Vatican Museums like never before on this exclusive small group tour. With early morning access and a maximum of 6 participants, enjoy a more intimate exploration of the treasures and avoid the crowds. Book now!

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Vatican Museums - With our Prime Tour, we get you inside the Museums at its first access.
    Watch the Vatican Museum Galleries slowly come to life.
  • Cortile della Pigna - The Courtyard of the “Pigna”, created from the 16th-century area of the “Belvedere”
  • Sphere within a Sphere - The Sphere within a Sphere” by Arnaldo Pomodoro at the…
What's Included
  • Small-group Tour (max. 6 people)
  • Sistine Chapel
  • St. Peter’s Basilica (Not accessible on Wednesdays)
  • First Access (8:00 AM)
What's Not Included
  • Private transportation
  • Breakfast
Additional Information

Take part in an unprecedented small group tour of the Vatican Museums and experience them in a unique way. You’ll be part of a maximal group of 6, allowing for a more personal and detailed journey through the Vatican’s riches. Early admission gives you entry to the museums one hour prior to their official opening, providing the exclusive chance to…

Location
Giuly's Café
Via Santamaura
You will meet your English Speaking guide at the Giuly's Café, located a few meters away from the Vatican Museums main entrance. The guide will be holding an "Eyes of Rome" sign.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(53 Ratings)
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Stephanee_e
Oct 15, 2024
Wonderful day at the Vatican - Dorian a was an EXCELLENT guide! I appreciated that she is an archeologist and knows so much about everything we could ask. This was a great tour to take being a first timer to Rome. The early bird tour was wonderful as we missed a lot of the crowds and bypassed the long lines. We got in as soon as the Vatican opened. I loved all the galleries we got to walk through! I personally thought the Sistine chapel was an unholy experience because it was so crowded and noisy. It was hard to really appreciate it. I was glad our guide explained it before we got there so we would know what to expect. The steps leaving the chapel and going down to St. Peter's were really visually pleasing and my favorite part. The whole tour was really just incredible and I can hardly believe I got to see so much in just half a day.
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Theresa_m
Oct 15, 2024
Rafaela was so accommodating to me- needing assistance navigating the stairs. - Rafaela was just wonderful. She gave a concise history of every section and it was interesting and informative.
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Caren_j
Oct 9, 2024
Great Tour - Lovely tour lovely guide. Well worth doing and good value for money. Guide was very knowledgeable and helpful throughout
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Karen_b
Oct 8, 2024
Stepping back in time - Having a tour guide with such historical knowledge brought everything back to life! Lucca was engaging and so easy to understand. The small number of people in our group made it easy to get around.
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Kevin_r
Oct 3, 2024
Fabulous Tour of Vatican - Francesca was so knowledgeable and friendly. She really made the tour so enjoyable. She moved at a perfect pace and touched upon so many things we would have missed if we had tried to do this on our own. I highly recommend this tour!
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Nam_b
Aug 23, 2024
No AC so carry water. You will need it - Elisa was a wonder guide and talked through the period well. Early morning still had a lot of people so get there early. Having an art historian really helped understand the period and era.
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Mavisdawn_t
Aug 10, 2024
Great! - The Vatican Museum, St Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are not to be missed. Our guide, Benjamin, was very knowledgeable, friendly and patient.
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Dwight_z
Aug 4, 2024
Excellent tour, but visit the Vatican during cooler weather. - The tour was fantastic and well worth the money. Only two couples, including us, were on the tour, with Ella as our tour guide. She was highly knowledgeable of the Vatican and Roman history. She would pause during the tour to provide excellent context about what we were about to see. We bypassed many lengthy lines to enter the most sacred areas, such as the Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. I would strongly recommend this tour and entering the Vatican early. When our tour was done, a line of probably 1,000 people were waiting to enter the Basilica. Given how hot and humid it was, I could not imagine waiting in that line. The only downside had nothing to do with the tour but the weather. It was 98F with 60% humidity and no indoor A/C (only sporadic fans). It was almost unbearable, with about 60% of the tour indoors. Book this tour, but go during the cooler weather.
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Jessicabrink
Jul 31, 2024
Captivating experience - Francesca was an amazing tour guide. She shared her knowledge in a way that was easy to suggest and kept our two teenagers captivated. Her love of art was clearly demonstrated in her explanations. It is a fascinating tour. A great investment of time and money. The small group was a definite advantage.
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Sharon_f
Sep 28, 2024
Interesting Tour - Enjoyed skipping the lines as well as great information provided by our guide. Price was a bit too high for this tour.
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From $156
up to 6 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).