Vatican & Papal Tombs: Treasures of the Sistine Chapel
Wander through the Vatican and uncover its many stories and secrets, with this comprehensive guided tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica. This 3+ hour tour covers the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, "Vatacombs" (Papal tombs), and St. Peter’s Basilica. Witness the Vatican’s rich history and heritage with the help of your expert guide, who is an art historian by profession.
Your tour starts after you meet your guide in central Rome and follow him to the Vatican Museums. Here you can admire one of the greatest art collections in the world, with over 20000 works on display in 1200 rooms. Your guide will lead you to the most important masterpieces, such as the rooms of Raphael, and the ancient Roman and Greek pieces housed in the enigmatic Belvedere Courtyard, all the while explaining to you the significance and importance of these exhibits.
Get Skip the Line Access to Iconic Christian Landmarks; the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s BasilicaFrom here, you will be taken to the Sistine Chapel, where you can admire the sheer spectacle of what the human imagination is capable of. Your guide will sketch out a detailed history of the Chapel and its construction, and you can then differentiate for yourself the truth from the many legends that surround this hallowed structure. After visiting the Sistine Chapel, you will granted direct access to St. Peter's Basilica, skipping the long lines and extra waiting time. Wander through the largest basilica in the world, built over the bones of St. Peter. Inside you can catch a glimpse of Michelangelo's Pieta and Raphael’s Transfiguration, all under the immense bronze canopy sculpted by Bernini. Here you can learn more about the history of the Vatican State, its design and layout, and the role played by the Swiss Guard in protecting the many treasures housed within it.
End Your Tour Down at the Underground Levels of St. Peter's Basilica in the Papal TombsFinally, your guide will lead you down to the underground catacombs, a rarely visited spot where the tombs of former popes lay silent and still for all eternity, carrying their many secrets and stories into the great beyond. This somber place is where your tour concludes, leaving you with many haunting memories of the Vatican that you will cherish for the rest of your life.