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Vatican Tour: Early Access to Iconic Sites
4.8
12 Ratings
Vatican City
Unveil the Vatican’s masterpieces on an exclusive and VIP early morning tour of the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Discover Michelangelo’s hidden secrets and explore one of Christianity’s holiest shrines.
Unveil the Vatican’s masterpieces on an exclusive and VIP early morning tour of the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Discover Michelangelo’s hidden secrets and explore one of Christianity’s holiest shrines.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Sistine Chapel - Renowned as one of the most famous artworks of all time, Michelangelo’s frescoes are hailed as the pinnacle of human artistic achievement. The iconic ceiling, depicting the Holy Creation and biblical stories, complements the massive wall scene (60 feet tall) behind the altar: the “Last Judgment” featuring 391 figures….
- Sistine Chapel - Renowned as one of the most famous artworks of all time, Michelangelo’s frescoes are hailed as the pinnacle of human artistic achievement. The iconic ceiling, depicting the Holy Creation and biblical stories, complements the massive wall scene (60 feet tall) behind the altar: the “Last Judgment” featuring 391 figures. Michelangelo’s work is accompanied by pre-existing narratives of the Life of Jesus and Moses by Botticelli and other Renaissance masters on the side walls. Although dedicated to religious themes, the Sistine Chapel’s significance extends beyond the Church, offering a universal message to humanity.
- St. Peter’s Basilica - As the largest Basilica in the world, it houses global masterpieces, including Michelangelo’s renowned Pietà. It also features an underground crypt for Popes, which is open to visitors. Michelangelo’s influence is evident throughout the Basilica. Originally constructed over the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, it is a site the Pope visits every Christmas or Easter (not accessible on Wednesday mornings due to the Papal Audience).
What's Included
- Blue Badge certified private tour guide
- Pick Up from your hotel/accommodation to the tour site (within the Aurelian Walls)
- Skip the line access to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
- Guided Visit to St. Peter’s Basilica
- Blue Badge certified private tour guide
- Pick Up from your hotel/accommodation to the tour site (within the Aurelian Walls)
- Skip the line access to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
- Guided Visit to St. Peter’s Basilica
What's Not Included
- Food And Drinks
- Hotel Drop-Off
- Food And Drinks
- Hotel Drop-Off
Additional Information
Experience three of Vatican City’s most renowned attractions before the crowds and heat make it difficult with this early morning express private tour. Benefit from a seamless hotel pickup and proceed directly to the Vatican Museums with your knowledgeable guide. Bypass the lines with priority entry and concentrate on the key masterpieces before…
Experience three of Vatican City’s most renowned attractions before the crowds and heat make it difficult with this early morning express private tour. Benefit from a seamless hotel pickup and proceed directly to the Vatican Museums with your knowledgeable guide. Bypass the lines with priority entry and concentrate on the key masterpieces before arriving at the awe-inspiring Sistine Chapel. Complete your tour with a guided exploration of St. Peter’s Basilica, where you’ll marvel at its magnificent architecture and Michelangelo’s Pietà.
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Begin early to explore the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with minimal crowds
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Tour with a private guide, efficiently covering top masterpieces in detail
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Save time with skip-the-line tickets, enhancing your Vatican experience
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Enjoy the ease of hotel pickup, ensuring a smooth start to your tour
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St. Peter’s Basilica is not available on Wednesdays and may close at the last minute for ceremonies or masses without warning
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A 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
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A moderate amount of walking is involved - comfortable shoes are recommended
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Please advise in case of mobility issues - wheelchair partly accessible
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Please check the reminder we send a day prior the tour through Viator in case of last minute changes in the service.
Location
Sistine Chapel
Viale Vaticano
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(12 Ratings)
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Donnatpearson
Jan 29, 2024
Highly recommend this tour with Pamela - Fantastic tour with an amazing tour guide Pamela, very informative and so knowledgeable giving us detailed information about every part of the Vatican and St Peters, Pamela was an absolutely amazing story teller with key information for us to understand the beauty of everything we saw, would highly recommend this tour and highly recommend Pamela! Cant thank you enough for making one of our dream tours fantastic!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sunir_k
Jul 1, 2023
Vatican & Sistine Chapel - We took the express tour and Elisa was an excellent tour guide - deep knowledge and passion for art and history!
Review provided by Viator
Msnyder6
Oct 21, 2022
Two *Amazing* Tours with Eyes of Rome - We had booked a cruise that was leaving out of Rome - so my wife and I decided to fly in a few days early and do some touring.
I worked with the *great* team from Eyes of Rome team to help customize some tours for us.
For Day 1 - they customized and did a private Vatican / Colosseum Combo Tour. Our *amazing* guide Marta and our driver Massimo picked us up at our hotel and we discussed the plan for the day.
We visited the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, stoped for a very local and amazing lunch, and then toured the Colosseum.
Marta was the most amazing, wonderful guide. She was so warm and friendly - and had such deep knowledge about the places we visited - but also when driving around Rome pointed out so many interesting things.
On the second day - we needed to be to the boat by 3pm or so - so the team suggested a private, abbreviated walking tour. We had a new guide Michela and got to see Massimo again!
Michela was also amazing. She took us to the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona and the Trevi fountain.
She also booked another stellar local / authentic restaurant for us for lunch.
We're definitely planning on returning and doing a more involved tour of Southern Italy - and will be contacting Eyes of Rome when we do
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bbjones
Oct 14, 2022
Outstanding Tour with Top-Notch Tour Guide! - My husband and I were very fortunate to have selected Azzurra as our guide. She met us at our hotel right on time and quickly secured a cab to Vatican City. We found her to be a genuinely kind person who made sure to adjust the tour to prioritize our interests. We loved the intimate nature of the private tour and appreciated the opportunity to ask for clarification and elaboration. Azzurra was so knowledgeable and familiar with every aspect of the art, history, and nuances of the Vatican complex that no question went unanswered. The tour surpassed all our expectations. The beauty and history of St. Peter's, the Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel are beyond words, and this tour really enhanced our experience exploring them. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Discover534788
Sep 25, 2022
Great private tour on Vatican, Sistine Chapel &St. Peter Basilica with Rosalba Cilione - We had a great experience on our tour in Vatican, Sisten Chapel and St. Peter Cathedral due to our guide Rosalba. She is very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. She knew how to point out the most interesting things. She helped us from the beginning to the end, with all helpful information. I would highly recommend Rosalba Cilione for individual private tours. As an art history major, she knows a lot about paintings sculpture tapestries history and the artists.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
854genevievep
Aug 24, 2022
Thanks Azzurra Della Seta! - We had an amazing time seeing this wonder! Our tour guide Azzurra Della Seta was so knowledgeable and warm. It was all thanks for her that we enjoyed our tour so much!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cruiser47171749220
Apr 10, 2022
Treat yourself to a private guided tour of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica with Elisa Dattile! - In April 2022 my daughter and I were privileged to be taken on a private, guided tour of the Vatican City, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica by a delightful tour guide, Elisa Dattile!
Elisa was charming, articulate and extremely knowledgeable. Her passion and commitment to her work, as well as her incredible archeological and historical knowledge of the history of Rome, were both admirable and inspiring!
Our private tour with Elisa was also very well organised.
Our time spent with Elisa was definitely one of the highlights of our fabulous 5 days spent in Rome!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bearcubnsc
Sep 16, 2021
Early bird tour of the Vatican. - We had an excellent tour with Serena Cantagalli. She is very well knowledgeable and went out of her way to make sure we were comfortable and well taken care of. We had a member of our family who uses a cane so the pace was very manageable and friendly. I can not recommend her and the Eyes of Rome enough. The hotel pick up was an extra bonus of convenience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Isonicq
Jul 7, 2024
Great tours but some problems with the back office - We booked two tours with them, the Early Entry Sistine Express and the Coliseum private tour with hotel pickup/dropoff with arena access. Several months before the tour, they informed us that there would be no more early access tours for the Sistine Chapel, and that they would be increasing the tour time would be extended by 30 minutes at no extra cost to compensate.
However the day before the tour, someone else contacts me on their official WhatsApp account and says I have to contact Viator to "fix" my tour and get on the Sistine early morning express tour instead (which is the equivalent tour offered now, without early entry). So I call Viator (international call while in Italy) and they tell me that the Sistine Express tour is over 50% more expensive that what I had originally paid (something like US$900 vs US$600 for 3 people). I ask them about this on WhatsApp, and am now told that I will have to pay the extra ~$300. Obviously I am not very happy with this and tell them that this is quite ridiculous after promising that the tour price would still be the same, and eventually they relent and just conduct my tour at the original price, but not after I had spent over an hour on my vacation dealing with this nonsense. Screenshots of my conversation with them telling me the price would be the same, and then later telling me the price has increased are attached.
Anyway, that's why the rating is not 5. The tours themselves were fantastic. Both guides for the Vatican and Coliseum were great and informative. For the Vatican we explored the museums, the Sistine, and St Peter's Basilica, and had a good amount of time on the private tour to see it all. For the Coliseum we visited the arena and the Roman Forum and they were both great tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jimre1062cb
Oct 28, 2022
Guide great, but too crowded to be "early bird" - Our guide, Denis, was fabulous. Charming, informative and personal. Couldn't have asked for a better guide. I submitted a previous review stating this. HOWEVER ... after further thought, this was crazy expensive and a bit misleading that this was pre-crowds as an "early bird" tour. It was technically private as it was my wife and I with Denis, but the other thousands of tourists also on private and early bird tours (including multiple pushy groups of 30) made it seem anything but early bird. Stupid crazy packed, and I mean wall to wall people by the time we got the corridor of maps.
In hindsight, we should have been more specific on what we wanted to see. We missed the Raphael Gallery which was on our must-see list, and was taken outside of security to visit the store before we realized we were literally out of the secured area and would have to wade back through the line to get in to St. Peter's again. Did not spend enough time in St. Peter's, we would have preferred saying goodbye to Denis inside knowing this after the fact. Very disappointed with that aspect. We will take responsibility to not have spoken up sooner, but with the choreographed tour, we were led along until it was too realize the Raphael's were not on the tour list. I would have happily given up on the Byzantine artifacts, etc. and streamed past the crowds in the long gallery to see this.
This is not on Denis, he was great, but do your research on what you want to see and DO NOT expect this tour to be anything close to "private". And state up front what you want to see. The after hours evening tour might be better?
Review provided by Tripadvisor
