Guided Tour of Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel

based on 94 reviews

Duration:2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Location: Rome, Italy

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This Vatican tour (MAX 25 PEOPLE) to the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel will allow you to avoid the long lines with the advantage of a priority entry.

Vatican Tour – Four Centuries of papal patronage have resulted in one of the world’s significant collections of Classical and Renaissance art. we can offer a complete highlight guided tour through the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Experience the ancient Roman and Greek statuary collection from Renaissance popes, the Belvedere Courtyard, the Hall of the Muses, the circular room with a colossal statue of Hercules, the Greek cross room with Constantine’s sarcophagus, the gallery of maps overlooking the Vatican Gardens, and Michelangelo’s breathtaking “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel. You will journey through history, hear the secrets enveloping the Catholic Church, and fascinating stories of rivalries from Renaissance artists. (Vatican Tour kids-friendly)

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

ADDITIONAL INFO

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Customers have a mandatory meeting time stated 20 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time due to managing and organizational reasons.If you arrive late for the meeting time, it will not be possible to join the group or reschedule, unless you pay for the activity again. As per "No Show" rules you will not be entitled to a refund.
• A dress code is required to enter places of worship and Vatican Museum. 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
• To get inside the monuments it is used group ticket and not individual one. It cannot be asked just the ticket entrance.
• Children must be accompanied by an adult
• The activity can suffer 20/30 min variation due to organizational resons
• Please be advised capacity regulations and security may delay the tour departure This could also influence the smooth running of the tour especially on national holidays and events.
• Cancellations, changes or issues due to weather, security and events held by the monument are beyond our control and are directly decided by their administration team. These issues will be reviewed by us and dealt with on an individual basis but are the responsibility of the monument.
• You must have a valid photo ID to enter the monuments (student's ID, Driver License, Passport or State ID all work.) You will be asked to also provide your name, last name and date of birth (at the beginning of the tour, if not provided beforehand.) Security may prevent you from entering the site if the information provided is not accurate and/or don't match the one on your ID.
• Child discount is applied only with a valid ID card
• Note: tour will not operate on religious holidays
• Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
• All visitors must pass through the monument/attraction security check please allow at least 20 minutes to clear security.
• Please be aware that large bags/backpacks/suitcases are not permitted in the monument/ attraction. Only very small bags are allowed. Please do not bring these items with you on the day of your tour as there are no cloakrooms at the monument.
• For security reasons all visitors and their luggage shall be screened. To facilitate the security checks please insert any object (including mobile phone) in the bag/backpack or in the tray to be included in the X-ray
• No change on a booking can be accepted after 24hrs to the starting time of the tour. In that instance, no refund will be issued.
• For the safety of all guests, the tour operator reserves the right to refuse service to passengers who are intoxicated or show signs of intoxication. If, as a result, your tour is canceled, you will not be entitled to a refund.
• Pets are not allowed
• Tour is not accessible to people with motor disabilities. Any kind of disabilities must be communicated at time of booking, otherwise it is impossile to have access to the Musuem
• Not recommended for traveler with motor difficulties and walker users
• We kindly inform you that any kind of disability (visual impairment, hearing impairment,... ) or anything that might prevent you to regularly join the tour, MUST BE communicate in advance to our staff.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : Amber_B
This was an absolute must see, do it with a guide, pay for the entire excursion. There is no way to grasp how massive and elaborate this is until you get there. I wish I could remember who our guide was she was so great and well versed.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-27 11:04:06

Posted By : Sean_O
What an experience! The value of a guided tour is priceless. There is too much history to not use a guided tour. Make the best of your time and pay for the guided tours.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-25 03:10:09

Posted By : Helen G
Our guide Juliana was fantastic!! So kind and knowledgeable!! She navigated us through the crowds and made sure we all stayed together and answered all of our questions!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-22 03:16:48

Posted By : Bay_L
I think the garden behind the Vatican was my favorite part.
We were late for our tour. Because we were using our google maps to get us to the meeting point did get the phone call from the guide telling us they were waiting. Sorry we missed the 3 hour tour, but we bought another ticket. Got in.
Did the audio tour , which was excellent.
I just can’t imagine lasting 3 hours in the Vatican. So glad I am vaccinated. It was like the New York subway at rush hour. Too many people . I checked the box. Do not need to go back.
Our Viator golf cart tour of Rome was fabulous and I am so glad we did that!!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-16 14:29:49

Posted By : aaronpi12
Great visit, the only bad thing is that you have to be prepared to move all the time. As for the guide, everything is good, Alicia is a wonderful and involved professional who more than demonstrates her passion. I recommend it to anyone.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-26 04:02:31

Posted By : D5151ETmartinao
On 12/21/2023 my family and I were lucky enough to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel with the guide Chiara Triggiani. Many compliments to this VERY competent, professional, prepared, friendly, cheerful girl who immersed us in this fantastic tour to discover the beauty of the Vatican Museums, involving everyone, adults and children, with her profound knowledge, her tireless enthusiasm and her inexhaustible energy. You can really feel the dedication, passion, love and joy in transmitting art. In 2 and a half hours he never lost our attention even for a second. Well done, keep it up! I highly recommend it to everyone! 10+++
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-12-23 10:12:59

Posted By : adamj842
Honestly a very average experience.
Firstly, the museums are so tightly packed with people it makes it difficult to see and appreciate much of the artwork. It is to the point where it almost feels unsafe. It’s hard to move in any normal sense let alone if there was (god forbid) any sort of emergency.
The corridors are bottlenecks and the hundreds of your groups all stop and completely block any path to get through.
As for the Sistine chapel. The less said the better. Yes it’s beautiful but the whole experience of being herded like cattle and scolded for daring to stop when the person in front of you stops really takes the shine off it.
With regard to the tour itself, the guide was very knowledgeable and friendly, but early on in the tour our group made him aware that we were not getting clear sound out of our ear pieces. It was cutting in and out if at all. We were told to stay close to the guide for best sound (we were at most 2-3 meters away and that simply because of the hordes of people making it almost impossible to stay closer) and that failing that “it is what is is”. I’m sorry?? This was not an overly cheap tour so not being able to hear probably 50% of it clearly enough to understand, being told “it is what it is” really doesn’t cut it.
And the cherry on top, the guide left us before the Sistine Chapel, but told us on multiple occasions, that if we want to go into St Peter’s Basilica from the Sistine Chapel (directly this skipping the lines outside) to take the door on the right. This door is marked very clearly for authorised tours only but we did as we were told and were very curly told by security we were not allowed and that our guide has told us something ‘incorrect’.
If you want to skip the lines to St Peter’s then your tour needs to include that- it makes sense- but then why tell us all multiple times we can do it ourselves?
The whole experience of the museums and the tour has so much potential but is just an absolute money grab from start to finish. Cram as many people as humanly possible in without any thought or consideration given to any sort of safety or comfort implications. Slap a Vatican sticker on any sort of merchandise you can get your hands on (Vatican Jewellery? Really?) and the jewel in the crown, the Sistine Chapel was a jam packed, loud, uncomfortable experience that needs to be far better managed and controlled.
Of course you can’t go to Rome and not visit the Vatican Museums but temper your expectations because when then you will still be disappointed, just less so.
Oh and the church has money- there is no denying that- so please for the love of god invest some of it in air conditioning. Heat waves and thousands of people jammed together, I’d be shocked if each day didn’t end up with a body count.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-08-25 01:46:17

Posted By : keithhowells190565
The Basilica was for me the highlight.skipping the queue was a must and our tour guide mila was very good
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-08-22 03:26:11

Posted By : Hannah B
Dina was incredible. I had a private tour with her, and it was the perfect way to absorb information and learn with so much to cover. Naturally it is very crowded, due to the popularity of the Vatican, and so a private tour is the best way to see everything, and Dina was amazing! Highly recommend.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-08-08 11:58:48

Posted By : Melanie R
Christian Savona was an expert on the art here and took good care of us all. We saw the some of the best art in a chapel and learned much!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-07-14 09:01:46