VIP Early Access Vatican Tour: Enjoy Exclusivity and Interact with Expert Guides

Experience VIP early access to the Vatican and Sistine Chapel with expert guides. Interact with small groups of 12 people for an exclusive and intimate tour. Avoid the crowds and enjoy the highlights of the Vatican in peace.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Piazza della Città Leonina, 6 - Meeting place: Piazza della Città Leonina, nr 6, Rome, 00193, In front of “ Bar Leonina”, in Piazza Città Leonina , just outside of St.Peter’s Square

  • Vatican Museums - You will visit the 3 amazing galleries : the Gallery of the Candelabra, home to roman copies of hellenistic originals, the Gallery of the Tapestries (16th and 17th century) and the Gallery of Maps, covered with amazing frescoes of geographical maps.

  • Vatican Museums - You will visit the Papal apartments, which are definitely as important as the Sistine Chapel.

  • Sistine Chapel - You will visit the Sistine Chapel without the crowds around you, at your own pace. This is definitely the best VIP experience you could get at any Vatican tour.

  • Vatican Museums - Along this Vip Vatican tour you will also explore the private collection of statutes and paintings that Popes gathered during the centuries. It is breathtaking to walk in the footsteps of the Popes.

  • St. Peter’s Basilica - At the end of the tour, you will be escorted through a special entrance, in St. Peters Basilica, the greatest piece of Renaissance architecture as well as being largest church in the world, to explore at your own leisure.

What's Included
  • Expert English-speaking guide
  • VIP access to the Sistine Chapel
  • VIP access to Vatican Museums
  • All taxes and fees included
  • Headsets provided for clear guidance
What's Not Included
  • Breakfast
  • Private transportation
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

The Vip Super Early Vatican and Sistine Chapel Tour are​ the best you could have if you are looking for an exclusive experience. This unique guided tour starts at 7:00 AM and it is organised for a small group of 12 people only, this way you can interact with your expert English speaking guide as if you were on a private tour. If you are choosing the 7:30 AM tour, your group will be maximum 20 people. This special tours will allow you to enjoy the Vatican highlights with almost nobody around while most of the other tours offered in the Vatican are held with thousands of other tourists at the later hours.

  • On Wednesdays, due to the weekly Papal Audience, and on religious ceremony there is a possibility that St Peter’s Basilica will be unavailable during which the access to St Peter’s Basilica is closed.
  • Meeting place: Piazza della Città Leonina, in front of the “ Bar Leonina”, just outside of St.Peter’s Square
  • Meeting time: Please make sure to be at the meeting point at least 15 minutes before your booked time slot. Latecomers won’t be waited for and no refunds will be granted.
  • Important: Please note that large bags/backpacks/suitcases have to be checked in the Vatican cloakrooms,located at the entrance of the museums,while your tour will end up in front of the Basilica. Only very small bags are allowed.
  • Important: Shoulders and knees must be covered
  • Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
  • Pets are not allowed inside the venue
  • We can’t be held responsible in case of sudden closure of the Saint Peter’s Basilica or any other room inside the Vatican Museums without notice, as this is a decision of the Vatican Administration itself and we have no control over it.
  • Please note that from August 6th, 2021, all public museums in Italy will require all visitors above the age of 12 years old to show a valid ID and certification proving that you have either: Been vaccinated with an approved vaccine (Pfizer-BioNtech, Astrazeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna) Been tested (PCR or antigen) with a negative result within the last 48hrs; Recovered from COVID-19, attested by a PCR or antigen test result, at least 15 days and no more than six months old;
Location
Piazza della Città Leonina
Meeting place: Piazza della Città Leonina, 00193 Rome. In front of " Bar Leonina", in Piazza Città Leonina , just outside of St.Peter's Square
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.6
(111 Ratings)
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Melissa_m
Aug 6, 2024
Great Tour - Tour guide was awesome! I believe her name was Barbara. Very knowledgeable and personable. Made sure we were able to navigate and see everything regardless of the crowds.
Review provided by Viator
S7153cipatrickd
Jun 25, 2024
Tour Guide Barbara was the best!! - We used this company for our tour of the Vatican. Our tour guide, Barbara, was absolutely incredible! She was super kind, knowledgeable, and extremely passionate about history and the Vatican. The tour included the museum, chapel, and basilica. I learned a ton from the tour and the tour guide was very engaging. I couldn't imagine touring the facility without her assistance and I definitely wouldn't have had the positive experience I had without the information she shared on the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
P1390acrichards
Jun 7, 2024
Well worth your time and money. - I can’t imagine seeing the Vatican museums and the Sistine chapel without this tour. The throng of people and crowds were truly overwhelming, but our guide was able to navigate the craziness for our group. She said she had a PhD in archaeology, but she was knowledgeable enough to have a PhD in art history, and I think she has a major crush on Michelangelo but a few hundred years too late!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Taylor_v
Apr 19, 2024
Best decision you’ll make! - We had such an amazing tour! It is SO WORTH IT to take the early tour. It gets you in line before the museum open and saves you from some of the crowds. Our tour guide was an archeologist and she knew so much she did such a great job at making sure we got all of the information and keeping us on time. It was seriously amazing! Would go again!!!
Review provided by Viator
Christy_a
Apr 8, 2024
Great tour guide and experience in the Vatican - George was a great guide. His explanation of the paintings in the Sistine Chapel provided good context. The page was spot on, and I would recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Santiagoteacher
Oct 18, 2023
Excellent!!! - Excellent tour! Our guide Simona was a paragon of knowledge, kindness and willingness. Everything explained in great detail and addressing our questions and requirements. It was an unforgettable experience!!! A success.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ctbluelineoutdoors
Jul 10, 2024
Great early start tour!! - Very encompassing tour of the Vatican. Not sure i would call it a "VIP" tour as you are going through that the same time as all the other early tours. This was still a GREAT tour and would recommend it for sure. Here a quick rundown review: Tour was slow to start. First was St. Peters Basilica. It was nice going into the Basilica with few people in there. You then make you way out and around to the museum entrance where there were lines to wait in. We arrive about 815ish for an 8am timeslot due to the lines and walking. It's understandable as everyones trying to visit the Vatican. Once inside the guide discussed the sistine chapel at one of the several guide boards. In my opinion, this time would of been nice if this was done with a hand out of the chapel in line while waiting to get in rather then in the sun and spend that time to see another offshoot of the museum such as the animal room. Once the tour got on way, the path taken to the chapel encompassed alot. You see numerous sections and artifacts/art is incredible. Our guide did a good job explaining the art and the significance of the pieces. Your moving with periodic stops for about an hour and a half at which time we saw an astonishing amount. We went back to the Basilica with the guide after and paid to do the dome (recommend if fit enough to do 500 steps). Upon reaching the Basilica it was night and day the amount of people already inside. For that reason Going early is highly worth it!!! Like I said I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting. There were alot of people at 8am already there so I could not imagine what a later tour would be like.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Arnoe439
Jun 10, 2024
Good, but too expensive. Because starting in the museum at 08.15 our - It's was not a early entrance as been expected, but still when the doors opened (at 8.00) we could fast skip the lines. The guide (female) was very passioned and explained a lot. Also questions been answered well. That was great. So it's wasn't a VIP tour, because of the 'normal' crowd around us, but we'll still could enjoy al the artwork. I think when entering the museum later, it would be more crowded. So at the end I felt satisfied, but payed a lot for it. I won't do it again, and I'll find a cheaper option next time to start at 08.00 our with a guide. They are plenty.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tammy_m
Jul 16, 2024
Loved early skip the line feature. - Loved the early access, skip the line, but our tour guide was just an escort. We held back in line so we could hear the expert information provided by the other tour guide.
Review provided by Viator
Richard_g
Jun 21, 2024
Worst Tour Ever! - I went to the Vatican in 2022 and got an early access ticket (booked direct from the Vatican website) because I wanted to see the museum as empty as possible. That tour was superb - every room was practically empty and it was an amazing experience that I wanted to relive with my early-20s age kids. Unfortunately, I couldn't find that tour advertised on their website again, so booked with the 'Italy with Family' tour company. Again, I booked early access tickets (7am meet for a 7.30am start). The tour rep (Michael) gave us our headsets at 7.30 and we had to then walk to the Vatican entrance for an 8am entry - already 30 minutes later than was advertised! Once in the museum (behind dozens of other guided tours), the first thing the guide (Georgio) did was spend 15 (!) minutes standing and telling us all about St Peter's basilica and showing us Wikipedia pages of Michelangelo's Pieta (also in St Peter's!) on his mobile phone!. Meanwhile, hundreds more people were walking past us into the place we'd paid a lot of money to visit EARLY! Once we'd actually started the tour, the guide then stood 20 yards behind the other groups and vaguely pointed to things that we couldn't see because he couldn't be bothered getting closer and actually showing them to us. We were rushed through the crowds for another 15 minutes or so (we got to the tapestry room), before we decided the tour guide was useless and we'd just end up missing everything. We deliberately split off from the group and looked round ourselves (actually seeing what we'd paid to see)! The tour rep, (Michael) again, called me - presumably after the tour had finished - to say we'd got lost and to hand the headsets in. I told him we'd deliberately left the 'tour' and were still only 3/4 of the way through the museum. He didn't have much to say about the whole thing, but he didn't sound surprised, so I guess this has happened before. Please don't waste your money on this 'early access' tour - there are much better operators out there. However, if you like the tour guide showing you internet pages of other places in Rome instead of the one you've paid to visit, this is just the company for you!!! Needless to say, I'd give zero stars if I could.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 12 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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