Skip the Line Vatican Tour: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter Basilica

Name: Skip the Line Vatican Tour: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter Basilica
Brand: viator
SKU: 33567
Price: 59 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.0 (221 reviews)

3 h

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Skip The Line

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About this activity

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

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

The Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, is one of the most renowned artworks of the High Renaissance. Central to the ceiling decoration are nine scenes from the Book of Genesis of which The Creation of Adam is the best known, the hands of God and Adam being reproduced in countless imitations. The complex design includes several sets of individual figures, both clothed and nude, which allowed Michelangelo to fully demonstrate his skill in creating a huge variety of poses for the human figure, and have provided an enormously influential pattern book of models for other artists ever since.

Duration: 10 minutes

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

The Vatican Museums (Italian: Musei Vaticani; Latin: Musea Vaticana) are Christian and art museums located within the city boundaries of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by popes throughout the centuries including several of the most renowned Roman sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world. The museums contain roughly 70,000 works, of which 20,000 are on display, and currently employ 640 people who work in 40 different administrative, scholarly, and restoration departments

Duration: 2 hours

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

The Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), is an Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, the papal enclave within the city of Rome.

Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world. While it is neither the mother church of the Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Vatican City Italy

The Vatican City is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state (a type of theocracy) ruled by the pope who is, religiously speaking, the bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various national origins. Since the return of the popes from Avignon in 1377, they have generally resided at the Apostolic Palace within what is now Vatican City, although at times residing instead in the Quirinal Palace in Rome or elsewhere.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Stanze di Raffaello, Viale Vaticano, Vatican City Italy

The four Raphael Rooms (Italian: Stanze di Raffaello) form a suite of reception rooms in the palace, the public part of the papal apartments in the Palace of the Vatican. They are famous for their frescoes, painted by Raphael and his workshop. Together with Michelangelo's ceiling frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, they are the grand fresco sequences that mark the High Renaissance in Rome.

Duration: 10 minutes

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Included

Exclusive Skip-the-line
Professional guide
Headsets
Guaranteed to skip the long lines
Hotel pickup in central Rome (if option selected)
Transport by air-conditioned coach (if option selected)
Entry/Admission - Sistine Chapel
Entry/Admission - Vatican Museums
Guaranteed to skip the lines

Not included

Food and drinks, unless specified
Gratuities
Pickup service (if the option is not selected)

Additional

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
A dress code is required to enter places of worship. 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
Important: The visit inside St. Peter's Basilica is substituted by a visit to the Vatican Library on Wednesday morning tours (8:30 and 11:00 tours) due to the Papal Audience taking place every Wednesday
Near public transportation
If you choose pick-up option, contact us 24 hours in advance, in order to reconfirm your pick-up schedule be ready in the lobby
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level

Features

Cultural

100%

Tourism

95%

Reviews

4.0

221

Estherlita A

4 | 2019-09-27

Three of us in the family joined this guided tour last 9/24/2019 11am. It was worth our money. The lines were long and even if we could have toured ourselves inside the Vatican, we wouldn’t have any idea the history behind the halls/rooms, works of art, etc. Federico was an excellent guide. Thanks, Viator!

michelle.r.mcsweeney

5 | 2019-09-23

I have visited the vatican museum and st peters in the past, when you could just walk in and look at things easily yourself. Not anymore! Huge crowds make navigating difficult without a good guide. We had Roberta and she was excellent. I took my 8 and 4 year old on this 3+hour tour and she kept us moving and had a wonderful personality. Very knowledgeable.

Monil A

5 | 2019-09-23

Absolutely a sweetheart who guided us through so much traffic during this tour while feeding us in depth knowledge. She was such a momma bear. We were extremely thirsty and she went out of her way to get us water!

Mdenchik

3 | 2019-09-20

There must be a better way to see the Vatican. Too many people at once. Perhaps have a more Lock step approach like the Pompeii tours. Or perhaps limit number of people not on a tour.

Larry H

5 | 2019-09-16

It was a memorable tour. We toured the museums and all their ancient artwork - hordes of statues. Then we saw the Sistine Chapel! And finally St. Peter's Basilica. We even got to see the famous Swiss Guard at the end! The guide was knowledgeable and spoke perfect English.

Peter J

3 | 2019-09-16

Too much time spent in general areas. Tour guide did not accompany us through the chapel and failed to meet us for the remainder of the tour. Won't use this company again in future.

SOLEDAD N

3 | 2019-09-16

The experience of seeing the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and Museums was great, but unfortunately I can not say the same about the tour guide that we had. I believe her name was Luisa - It was very hard to hear anything that she was saying, the sound was terrible, not just for us but quite a few people had the very same problem. Others just quit following what she was saying. She kept moving so fast and without any plan in mind that it was hard to keep up. The tour guide informed us the in the Sistine Chapel we were to not talk or take pictures and then she went ahead and continued speaking on her microphone inside the Chapel! The group was almost thrown out by a security guard! Not happy at all with the tour guide that we had. Very disappointing.

kayly25

4 | 2019-09-09

This tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter Basilica was great! We opted for the hotel pick-up option since we were staying a little farther from the vatican and the driver picked us up right on time, and even greeted us in our hotel lobby. Our tour started promptly after our arrival and our tour guide was very knowledgable about Vatican city. We're giving this tour a 4 out of 5 because our audio gear was not very good and we had to basically be right next to our tour guide to hear her on our headsets. As you can imagine this proved to be quite difficult when you're in a large group in crowded spaces and find yourself all the way in the back. Would recommend the company update their audio so people can take full advantage of what their tour guide is saying without trying to stay right next to her the whole time.

David M

5 | 2019-09-09

This was an amazing tour. We had alexandrea who was fantastic. Great knowledge and very interactive. She answered every question asked. Vatican city is stunning highly recommend this tour. Meeting point was clear and easy to find. Will use this tour group provider again.

STETHEN W

5 | 2019-09-02

Highly recommend this tour! Knowledgeable guide and timing was perfect for seeing everything and not being too rushed or having too much idle time.

Francis J

4 | 2019-08-26

Our tour guide, Cristina (given in Spanish) was fantastic. I would only complain about the check in process: it was disorganized and long.

Robert I

5 | 2019-08-22

Any time you can "skip a line" in Rome, DO IT. There still was a line for us to wait on (security, etc), but the "non-skip" line was 100x worse. Great tour, knowledgeable guide.

Philip C

1 | 2019-08-19

We were all excited to take this tour, we arrived to find all the tour guides arguing about which group they were going to take, skip the line ??? We waited in the hot sun for 45 min while they did this, then our tour guide took us to the Vatican (museum, not the real Vatican) while we again waited in line while they got tickets for us, another 40 min. Our tour guide talked so fast we could not understand her and moved so fast we kept loosing her. at one point the crowd was so big that they kept pushing us along and our tour guide was back in the next room, she didn't even look for us nor could we come back as the Vatican guards will not allow you to go back against the flow of traffic even if you have a tour and your separated. She could not answer questions and there was so many people we really did not get to see anything we wanted to see. The tour of the Sistine Chapel.... Non exsistant as we lost our guide, we were pushed through the chapel by the guards and got to spend about 5 minutes in there when we wanted to spend alot more time and the tour of St Peters never happened because we didn't have our tour guide, so the one tour we waited all summer to take was a huge bust for my family and I, worst tour ever in the beautiful city of Rome

Kerri M

5 | 2019-08-19

This tour was amazing skip the line was great as it's very busy. It's has so much history no matter where you look there is always something more to see. The great works from Rafael and Michael Angelo bernini are truly magnificent

Gizem E

5 | 2019-08-19

Very good guide and skipping the line was very good. Fast tour that showed us the most important parts.

Marianna S

5 | 2019-08-16

Amazing tour guide very detailed and by passing the endless line ups was so worth it ! So much to see and explore this will explain the marvels of the Vatican and it’s museums ❤️

raymond s

5 | 2019-08-14

This is a must see if you visit Rome, we met our guide Francesca at the meeting point, be sure to arrive at least 15minutes before the official time. The guide spoke very good english, she took care of all the group, we were about 30. She explained in great detail the many interesting rooms and paintings found in the museum and the sistne chapel and also of the St Peter's Basilica.

kshepherd97

5 | 2019-08-12

If you are planning on visiting the sites in Rome, I would highly recommend Viator as a tour guide. The cost, which we thought was reasonable, was well worth it. Not only do you get to skip the lines, but our guide, Paulo, was very knowledgeable pointing out items that we would not have been aware of otherwise. I really liked that they gave you a headset to wear so you didn't have to struggle to hear your guide. That allowed me a chance to stop and take pictures and still hear what she was saying 10 to 20 feet away from the group, and then catch up with the group.

Joann T

5 | 2019-08-12

The tour guide was up on her history and kept me engaged. I can get lost sometimes with tour guides that have an accent but she was into her knowledge for sure.

Lourdes P

5 | 2019-08-12

Excellent tour and tour guide, Matt was awesome!!! He covered everything very thoroughly and answered questions and was very friendly! Please keep Matt going!

Dennis B

5 | 2019-08-05

Chiara did a great job with our tour. Saved 2-3 hours of waiting by going the "skip the line" route. Very respectful tour and this tour is a must for the Rome. So much to see and the Vatican is very crowded.

Brandon M

3 | 2019-07-25

The sights were incredible but way too busy, I'm shocked they let that many people through every day. It's hard to enjoy everything you want when you're crammed so tightley into the rooms and all the tour groups are pushing their way through, I do not recommend going that time if the year.

catherine w

1 | 2019-07-24

Our guide was unorganized and late. She did not keep track of our group. Some boys were lost and she said she had no time to help find them. Very rude. The tour was unbelievably crowded, and it would have been nice if the crowd could have been controlled like it was at the Colosseum. So disappointing.

Beryll H

5 | 2019-07-22

Our tour guide was excellent and gave us so much information. Be prepared though because of the crowds to not be able to see as much as you would like. Just being there is awesome.

Jimmy R

4 | 2019-07-15

My girlfriend and I thought Juliann was superb amongst all the hurdles and toxic elements that were presented that day. First of all, the weather was sweltering hot and the mass of people and tourists did not help (we think the Vatican should limit folks in, it felt unsafe being amongt the throngs of people, it felt like a meat market). Secondly, there were a few toxic people in our tour group and Juliann handled them with aplomb being nice and calm even though those individuals were rude and impatient. So I admired Juliann's relaxed way that he handled himself. He was also very informative and showed real love and care for his group. Would recommend him anytime. As though the scheduling of such a packed event, that is where we take a star off for the company not our beloved tour guide, he rescued the tour.

Jennifer S

3 | 2019-07-04

I was disappointed in this tour despite the amazing artifacts and art we got to see and hear about. Perhaps it was the 90 degree afternoon heat or the fact that we had a very large group to guide through the museum, chapel and church or the sheer number of tourists crowding the area in June but it was hard to take everything in and appreciate it. It was sometimes hard to hear the guide through the headset and my husband's headset battery died only about 45 minutes into the several hour tour. He was very knowledgable but I was surprised that he spent a good 20-30 minutes of the tour explaining about the Sistine Chapel from laminated pictures out on the back terrace before we even really got started seeing anything. I want to just start moving and seeing the place, not stand and listen to a lecture from posters! And the whole "skip-the-line" thing is a misnomer as there was still a lot of gathering to begin, standing in line with the other "skip-the-line" tour groups, going to the bathrooms and shuffling slowly thru the museum halls and standing room only in the Sistine Chapel. Granted, this was still faster than those who stood in line to get in without a tour but not a quick bypass. I would maybe suggest this in the off-season.

James W

5 | 2019-07-03

One of the radios for the tour stopped working and nowhere to change it. The ‘English Speaking’ guide wasn’t that fluent and so quick to get around the Vatican museums Beautiful inside and well worth it!

Robert S

5 | 2019-07-03

Very crowded but the guide kept us together and added plenty of insight. I liked that she left us time in the Cistine Chapel to take it in.

Billy B

5 | 2019-07-03

Mara was our guide and it was well worth the money. There are large crowds in the summer and the tour moves fast at times. If you want to see the Vatican without the crowds do this in December. There is a lot of standing but the views and art are wonderful. The guide was very informative.

Geroge M

5 | 2019-07-03

I loved the Sistine chapel and the tour guide was very professional friendly and knew the best things to point out. Considering how crowed it was she manage to stay in touch and in check with all of us at all times making sure no one was missing out . Christina had some great stories to tell and really knows and loves the history .

Terry K

2 | 2019-07-03

We paid extra for the “small (12-16) group tour” since we were traveling with children ages 6 and 8 (there were six of us). We paid extra for “skip the line” and extra for pick up from our hotel. our “small group” was 45, then cut to 30 people - when we pointed out we were supposed to be in a “small” group we were told “it happens” by tour guide - no skip the lines, (tour guide did get our tickets); we actually had to take the longer routes, no reason given and then we were hurried along to make up for time lost. Pick up from hotel went well. Our tour guide was good. Advice - skip this tour, get to the Vatican early, get the headphones for a self tour and spend at least a full day - would take weeks to see everything! Awe inspiring!

shnorton

5 | 2019-07-03

Even though we went early in the morning there were large crowds at the Vatican. Thank goodness we took this tour. We also had a driver pick us up at our hotel - this service was excellent - the driver was prompt and courteous. I highly recommend this tour.

David P

5 | 2019-07-03

We had a great time on this tour. The organisation, tour guide, views were excellent. The Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter Basilica was so busy and it was very exhausting, but so amazing.

Lpathayden

5 | 2019-05-06

Great tour. The guide was very knowledgeable. I visited the Sistine Chapel 40 years ago and found that after the restoration you are able to have a greater appreciation for the beauty and details hidden by centuries of smoke and soot.. Skipping the long lines was a joy. The 3.5 hour tour is tiring, but we'll worth the effort. If you are in Roma do not miss seeing G these site.

gbushel

5 | 2019-04-15

We had a great time visiting the Vatican and others. Our tour guide Marie navigated 29 of us thru a large crowd and gave us all the information we needed to learn about the history.

StephanieDV89

2 | 2018-08-17

Our tour guides name was Marcus. Now I am sure he had lots of good information to give but no one on our tour could hear or understand his accent. His microphone was attached to his shirt. When we looked around at other tour companies around here in the Vatican all of the guides had their microphones attached to a headset so the microphone was close to their mouths. We told him we couldn't hear and he said don't worry when we go into a different room it will get better. Well it didn't. The last part of the tour is St. Peter Basilica. By the time we got there more than half of the 26 people in our tour group were so fed up that we couldn't hear/understand our guide that we gave him back our headphones and walked around St. Peter's on our own. We were disappointed to say the least.

lindsayolevitch

1 | 2018-07-02

Not worth the money!!! Buy a NON-GUIDED skip the line pass if you want to truly experience the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Basilica. I understand that it is crowded all the time however our guide rushed us through the entire tour, never stopping to allow us to actually enjoy or take in the maginificence. In fact she didnt even take us through the entire museum, we skipped the statue hall, which is a HUGE part of the museum. The guided tour was frustrating and by the end my husband and I felt like we didnt learn or see anything that we couldnt have just googled. Definitely avoid this tour and do it your self but still buy a skip the line pass or youll be waiting forever!

DAVID u

3 | 2018-04-01

GOOD IDEA TO PRE BOOK TOUR AND BE PREPAIRED TO WAIT FOR ENTRY DUE TO VOLUME OF VISITORS ALSO LOTS OF INFORMATION TO TAKE IN

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