Privileged Entrance Vatican Tour with Sistine Chapel
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Privileged Entrance Vatican Tour with Sistine Chapel
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Privileged Entrance Vatican Tour with Sistine Chapel

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About this activity
Itinerary
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Stop At: Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Vatican City Italy

Enter Before the General Public!

Skip the line and go straight to Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel with this guided tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. See the Vatican Museum’s best galleries and tour St. Peter's Basilica with a professional English-speaking guide. Our Privileged Entrance guided Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel tour starts at 7:30 am and doors open shortly after 8 am (a full hour before general admission opens at 9 am). before entering, your guide will give you the insider's look to the Sistine Chapel so that you can awe in its glory as soon as you enter!

Short delays at the security check may occur during June and July, our busiest months. However, we have a team of experts at the Vatican every morning to best help our groups avoid delays. Your guide will meet the group at 7:30 am to begin the early access Vatican Museum tour prior to doors opening for special groups at 8 am.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Sistine Chapel, Citta del Vaticano 1, 00120 Vatican City Italy

The Sistine Chapel

First stop is a visit to the Sistine Chapel before it opens to the general public. Upon entering, you’ll see why the Sistine Chapel is one of Michelangelo’s most prized masterpieces. The Sistine Chapel also serves as a gathering place for cardinals of the Catholic Church, where new popes are elected. As the Sistine Chapel is a place of worship, speaking inside is forbidden. Your guide will tell you about its history and provide you with a map for reference prior to entering.

Please note: The Sistine Chapel is a sacred place, so visitors are required to have their knees and shoulders covered when inside. Failure to do so will result in refused entry to a portion of the Vatican tour. During Rome’s hot summer months, consider bringing a shawl or sweater for covering yourself when necessary.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Vatican Museums, Viale Vaticano, 00120 Vatican City Italy

The Best Galleries at the Vatican - Visit the Vatican’s most celebrated galleries including the Borgia Apartments, Gallery of the Candelabra, Gallery of the Tapestries and the Gallery of the Maps. Predating a unified Italy by nearly 300 years, the Gallery of the Maps contains painted topographical maps of Italy. This is one of our favorite places in the Vatican.

Raphael Rooms - The term Renaissance, meaning "rebirth," refers to the period of European history between the 14th and 17th centuries that produced a revival in art, literature and learning. The ideal Renaissance man, Raphael was one of Rome's most famous Renaissance artists who designed and painted multiple rooms connected to the Vatican Museums. Among the many Vatican Museum masterpieces, you’ll see one of Raphael’s most famous works, The School of Athens.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Sistine Chapel, Citta del Vaticano 1, 00120 Vatican City Italy

Pass back through the Sistine Chapel briefly before short-cutting it over to the beautiful St. Peter's Basilica.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: St. Peter's Basilica, Piazza di San Pietro, 00120 Vatican City Italy

Skipping the Line at St Peter's Basilica

Except on Wednesdays

St. Peter's Basilica is the Vatican’s grand centerpiece. Upon entering, you’ll encounter the largest church you've ever seen, filled with artwork from all of Italy’s historically-renowned artists. Skip the lines waiting outside in St Peter's Square and access the basilica through a special side entrance available to our guides. Once inside, admire masterpieces such as Bernini’s Baldacchino, La Pieta and the statue of St. Peter. While it is free to enter, this guided tour will optimize your Vatican Museum experience while skipping the long lines outside.

Important: If you wish to further explore the museums toward the end of your guided tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, you must forgo the guided visit of St. Peter’s Basilica. If you choose to do this, you’ll lose the opportunity to skip the lines with your guide and use the special entrance from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter’s Basilica. If you decide to leave the tour early, please return your headset to the tour guide. You are welcome to remain in the basilica longer once the tour concludes, we ask that you do not proceed with your tour guide to take photos in the piazza. The regular security line is long and re-entry on your own is not recommended.

Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Vatican Museums, Viale Vaticano, 00120 Vatican City Italy

Pio-Clementino Museum and Nero's Bathtub - On Wednesdays Only!

The itinerary for any guided tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel will change on Wednesdays due to the weekly Papal Audience. If you take the Privileged Entrance Vatican Tour on a Wednesday, the visit to St. Peter's Basilica is substituted with a visit to the Pio-Clementino Museum, home to three of the most iconic historical statues. Learn the oral history associated with the Apollo Belvedere, Laocoön and His Sons and the Belvedere Torso. You'll also visit one of the biggest and oldest bathtubs in existence, which to this day, is impossible to recreate.

Duration: 20 minutes

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Included
  • Early access to the Vatican Museums
  • Professional English-speaking guide
  • Headsets for groups of 6 or more
  • Maximum group size of 14
  • Entry/Admission - Sistine Chapel
  • Entry/Admission - Vatican Museums
Not included
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesdays
Additional
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • A specific 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.
  • A fair amount of walking is involved, and there will be stairs between different levels. If you have any doubts about your mobility, we strongly recommend considering a private tour.
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
Features
Tourism
85%
Cultural
75%
Sport
15%
Reviews
4.7
206
c
cookingkathyjo
5 | 2019-09-30

Sara the tour guide was amazing. Because she is a Vatican museum recognized guide she had an in depth knowledge of the intricacies of the museum. We spent the entire time in awe of the beautiful artifacts throughout. I do not however recommend this trip to people with large crowd issues or limited mobility. There are hundreds of stairs throughout. Sara did say if you go December through March you will have the place to yourself.. something for next time I think...

D
Daryl G
5 | 2019-09-30

Guide was fantastic. Very knowledgeable and interesting and spoke clearly. The early arrival meant we saw many rooms and features before the crowds started. Just amazing!

c
carolannfm
3 | 2019-09-10

We arrived at 7:15 as directed for the "privileged entrance", but had to wait in line with our guide until after 8:00 along with everyone else waiting to get in to the Vatican. It did not feel like we were in any kind of special group, as advertised. The tour was very crowded and our guide rushed us through so quickly that many times he was way ahead of all of us walking on his own and talking through the microphone. It was amazing to see everything, and I recommend taking a tour, but did not feel like this tour was advertised correctly.

E
Eber F M
4 | 2019-09-02

Great tour. I highly recommend it, our tour guide was very good. I was going to give 5 stars but I didn’t because it’s a little misleading. Even though it’s early the Sistine chapel it’s pretty packed, not as packed as regular hours. Other than that great overall.

R
Ronald W
4 | 2019-08-06

Saw a huge amount of the Vatican museums. Very informative. Highly recommend this tour. Lines would be incredibly long otherwise.

R
Robert P
5 | 2019-07-31

This tour absolutely exceeded our expectations! We had a small group which made the experience even better. Sara was very knowledgeable, personable and genuinely seemed excited to share the history with our group. She made this experience even better! Entering the museums and Sistine Chapel early in the morning before the crowds is definitely the way to go. When we finished the line to enter the museum was half way around the block. I highly recommend this tour - you won't be disappointed!

D
Dragonfly
5 | 2019-07-22

Should definitely be on your schedule to visit, but you really need more time as there is SO much to see. Worth paying to get inside before it is "open" to the public.

R
Randy H
5 | 2019-07-16

The tour through the Vatican was amazing. The Sistine Chapel was inspiring, and our guide Marco shared details that became apparent when we were inside. Our guide made all the difference as his commentary really shed light on the history of all we saw. And we saw a great deal. After quickly visiting the Sistine Chapel we circled back to view the grounds more thoroughly. Marco provides rich details of the relationship between Michelangelo and Raphael, and then we saw the artwork. The tour ends in Saint Peter's basilica. Fantastic tour, delivered by a great guide.

k
kdcarver4
5 | 2019-07-08

The early morning start was nice to beat the massive crowds to see the Sistine Chapel. When we passed back through the chapel about an hour later it was a significantly more crowded. Our tour guide was very informative although I never caught her name.

S
Sheryl J
5 | 2019-07-08

What a memorable experience. It was record heat and crowds but the 7:30 start time and skip the line was definitely worth it. It didn’t feel that crowded and our guide made it a special experience.

T
Terry F
5 | 2019-07-03

It was an hour before actual entry. Then 15minutes for security. The crowds were quite large at the early time slot. Our tour guide was pushing us all the time. We were lost from the group in the Bascilica and had to find our own way out.

m
mallorym1977
4 | 2019-07-03

This tour was great. Small group and got to see all of the key attractions. The museums are huge and wish we had more time to view because most areas you move through very quickly.

C
Chris D
5 | 2019-07-03

Great tour getting in early for the chapel was way worth it. The tour guide was an incredible source of knowledge and really enjoys his job great visit

Z
Zachary W
5 | 2019-07-03

My wife and I greatly enjoyed this tour. The Vatican Museums are enormous and a good guide really points out the highlights. Franco is an experienced guide with a plan. He got us into the Sistine Chapel before the crushing crowd. I can not say enough positive things about this guide!

L
Leigh P
5 | 2019-07-03

Our tour guide Raf was incredible. She was so enthusiastic and so knowledgeable. She ensured that we got to do and see everything before most crowds. If you go on this tour try and go with RAF as a guide. Grazie mille!

V
Victoria Z
5 | 2019-04-15

We had an excellent tour of the Vatican museums and the Sistine Chapel. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and energetic. She was able to give us a lot of historical information in a story like manner so it was interesting and easy to understand. Excellent job!

K
Kevin M
5 | 2019-03-18

Excellent guide who knew her facts and spoke excellent English. She knew the best sequence to view the various locations and starting early meant we missed the crowds

C
Chris C
5 | 2018-12-28

What a great experience. Stella was by far the best guide one could ask for. Knowledgeable, courteous and engaging with our group. Please extend our many thanks to Stella!!!!

c
clpowersinc
5 | 2018-11-08

Absolutely recommend the before hours. When we were leaving the line to get in had to be about 3 hours long. The day we went was very cold, but we managed to cover all the highlights. Ella (?) our tour guide was excellent. She was a professional archaeologist. Very knowledgeable and managed to get our group around at the best times. This is a must tour.

C
Carol D
5 | 2018-09-24

This early morning experience was well worth getting out off bed agree a long day of travel. We were above to see the museum's, the Sistine chapel and Vatican before the throngs of people arrived. We wetter very lucky to have Elenora, an archaeologist, with a wealth of knowledge who kept us engaged for the entire 4 hours. Loved the excursion!

R
Robin A
4 | 2018-09-22

This was a good tour and our guide, Ellie was excellent. Things were great in the beginning before the Vatican actually opened to the public because you had enough space to move around and observe things. However, once the Vatican opened to the public it was a mad house. Thank goodness our guide took us to the Sistine Chapel before the public came in so it was not very crowded. Great to really be able to admire and take everything in. When we had to walk back through the outer part of the chapel later in our tour it was filled with people and was so crowded. Because of time constraints we barely had any time to look at things in the Vatican gift shop. We had to ask our guide if we could take a few minutes to look around and be able to buy any presents we wanted, because we would not be able to come back to the gift shop after our tour. The tour ended at St. Peter's which was also beautiful. This was a good way to see the Vatican but you should be aware that there are numerous small group tours about 15 people in each group. All of these groups go in an hour before it opens to the public. So you are not really alone there are many small groups going around during that first hour. I think if I did this again I would do the very private early tour that starts at 6:00 am even though it is extremely expensive. If you can afford it that would be my recommendation. Otherwise this type of tour is the next best thing.

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