Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica Guided Tour

Fill your visit to the Vatican with extra meaning, history and interesting facts with an expert guide on an intimate small-group tour of up to 13 guests only

A tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica lets you into the secrets of the main events in the controversial history of the Vatican and reveals background stories about its great art. The complex of museums, created by prominent popes, is one of the top 5 most visited museums in the world; major treasures of its impressive 54 galleries include the Sistine Chapel. Admission is included and will allow you to enter the Vatican in comfort, without having to wait in a long line.

• 3 hour tour with a fun expert guide
• Tickets included for the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
• Skip the line with priority entry
• Personal attention with small groups of up to 13 guests
• Headsets included for your comfort

Highlights

Hear the fascinating story of the state of the Holy See, where the conclave is held to elect a new pope and the meaning of the name of the head of the Vatican.

Discover the history and distinguishing features of works by Italian geniuses Raphael, Pinturicchio, Perugino and Botticelli, among others; the meaning of the divine frescoes by Michelangelo "Separation of Light from Darkness", "Creation of the Sun, Moon and Plants", "Separation of Land and Water” and "Creation of Fish and Birds".

Find out the main facts about the most majestic and sumptuous basilica of the Catholic Church, its artefacts and values. You will discover the history of St. Peter's Square, surrounded by the brilliant Baroque architecture of Bernini, and experience the effect of an optical illusion that arises when you stand at the exact centre of the square.

Follow your guide to visit the Vatican Post Office from where you can send postcards home with the Vatican postmark.

Experience not to miss!

The museum displays cover a good 7 km (about 5 miles), however and it’s said that if you were to dedicate just one minute to each exhibit it would take 12 years to see the whole collection! Join your guide to follow a selective route taking in key exhibits and covering the most significant events in the history of the Vatican, including:

• Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo's celebrated masterpiece, and part of the cultural deposit for all mankind. The ceiling of the chapel portrays the creation of Adam and includes paintings of the Last Judgment while wall frescoes depict the life of Moses and Christ.
• Gallery of Maps, the world's largest geographical museum.
  
• Pio-Clementino Museum with an extraordinarily rich collection of antique art.
• Belvedere Courtyard with its enormous bronze pine cone, once part of a fountain dating from the 1st century AD.
• Lacoöon and His Sons, one of the world's most significant sculptures, and the Apollo del Belvedere, canon of beauty of the human body.
• Gallery of Tapestries and its collection of unique textiles, skilfully restored by nuns.
• St. Peter’s Basilica. Without leaving theVatican, you will find yourself in St. Peter’s Basilica. You will see Michelangelo’s Pieta’, one of the most beautiful sculptures in the history of art, and the sculptor’s only signed work.

Getting ready

ID To enter the Vatican you might be asked to present a document (or a copy) proving your identity, in addition to documents confirming the age of under 18 years of age in the case of youth’s tickets.

Forbidden items Umbrellas with long handles, oversized backpacks, knives and other sharp or pointed items as well as alcohol and liquids in glass containers may not be taken into the Vatican Museums.

Beware Take care of your money, documents and other belongings – thefts do occur even at these central tourist sites.

Dress the part To visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, also St. Peter’s Basilica, your clothing must cover your shoulders, knees and neckline.

Don’t forget your camera! Photos and videos are permitted at the Vatican, except in the Sistine Chapel where it is completely forbidden to talk or take photos or videos. At St. Peter’s Basilica you can take photos and videos but talking loudly is not permitted.

Before you book Due to the architectural organization of the Vatican Museums, the itinerary used by group tours differs from the itinerary that fits visitors with limited mobility and wheelchairs. That's why unfortunately our tour is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments and wheelchair users.

Booking You will receive a message confirming your payment and order number, with details of the tour and the meeting point, as soon as you’ve completed your booking.

Cancellation Reservations cancelled no later than 24 hours before the start of the tour will be refunded in full. Your ticket to the Vatican Museums can be used for group entrance only and will be with your guide. For more details on our cancellation policy, please see our Terms.

Vatican Museums Itinerary Please notice that most of the group itinerary is set by the Vatican and is organized in one way direction. This means that once you moved from the Museums to St. Peter's Basilica with our guide, then it will be impossible to return to the Museums on your own. We do not visit Raffael's Rooms in groups due to their small size and very limited maneuverability.

St. Peter’s Basilica visit rules At St. Peter’s Basilica you can take photos and videos but you cannot talk loudly. In the winter months (November 1 to April 1), as well as on some specific days decided by the Pope, the mass at the St. Peter’s Basilica may start earlier than usual. During the mass, guides are forbidden to speak and to show tour groups around inside the cathedral. At such times, the guide will tell you about the church from the outside, while inside they will only be able to accompany the group. To avoid this, we recommend choosing a tour with a starting time no later than 2:00 pm for winter tours (Nov-April) if possible.

Visiting the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica If you decide to visit the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, from April to October you can do so right after the end of the tour, without leaving the Vatican territory and so skipping the line. From November to March, the ascent to the dome closes earlier (at 4:45pm), however, so if your tour begins after 2:00pm, you should visit the dome BEFORE the start of the tour. After the dome visit, it is a 15 minute walk along the walls of the Vatican to get to the entrance of the museums where you will meet your guide. Please plan ahead, taking into account the possibility of long queues. Entry to the dome is from the right entrance to the St. Peter’s Basilica; entry to the basilica is free. For your information, the cost of the ascent to the dome is €10 by lift / €8 on foot. The dome is open 8:00am-5:45pm in summer; to 4:45pm in winter.

Busy times The Vatican is very crowded on Bank Holidays such as Easter, May Day and Christmas, as well as in summer. The only way to avoid this is to plan your trip to Rome during the low season (November to March). If you are in Rome at holiday times and decide to visit the Vatican Museums, your patient and positive attitude will help the guide, and indeed the whole group, enormously. We will do our best to ensure that waiting times are as short as possible, and the tour as comfortable as it can be, whilst at the same time keeping it interesting.

What to expect

An inspiring expert guide! Our guides are officially licensed and hand-picked for their inspiring and communicative personalities as well as their in-depth knowledge of the Vatican and the arts in general, in order to make your visit an enthralling and unforgettable experience.

The best of the Vatican in one tour! The tour lasts for 3 hours, of which 2.5 hours will be spent in the Vatican Museums to see its key exhibits; the other half hour will be dedicated to visiting St. Peter’s Basilica.

No stress! We guarantee no waiting in line to enter the Vatican Museums as we provide priority admission tickets to help you get the most out of your time in Rome. Your tickets will be with your guide when you meet.

Personal attention! Our groups are small (max 13 guests) so you’ll be able to interact with your guide and benefit from individual attention.

Discounts! We offer a discount for each participant in the same group of 4 and more visitors, and for 6-18 year-olds. Tours are free for children aged 5 and under. Discounts are applied automatically with online bookings.

No need to wait! Our tours always begin on time. Please arrive at the meeting point 10 minutes before the start of the tour, out of respect for the other group members and taking into account that all Vatican Museums tickets are very strictly tied to the time of entry.

Comfort listening! We provide all participants with high-quality headphones, included in the cost when the group has 6 or more participants, both in the Vatican Museums and in St. Peter’s Basilica.