Recently Viewed
Vatican Tour: Intimate Art & History Experience
4.7
44 Ratings
Roma
Experience an exclusive small group tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica with skip-the-line access. Marvel at the art and architecture with an expert guide.
Experience an exclusive small group tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica with skip-the-line access. Marvel at the art and architecture with an expert guide.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Vatican Museums - Start your adventure with priority access to the Vatican Museums, one of the world’s largest and most remarkable museum complexes. Accompany your private guide through a journey of art, history, and culture spanning centuries.
- Pigna Courtyard - Enter the picturesque Pinecone Courtyard, a serene open-air area surrounded by…
- Vatican Museums - Start your adventure with priority access to the Vatican Museums, one of the world’s largest and most remarkable museum complexes. Accompany your private guide through a journey of art, history, and culture spanning centuries.
- Pigna Courtyard - Enter the picturesque Pinecone Courtyard, a serene open-air area surrounded by classical architecture, featuring the massive bronze pinecone sculpture that lends the courtyard its name.
- Sphere within a Sphere - Appreciate Arnaldo Pomodoro’s captivating modern sculpture, Sphere within Sphere, situated at the courtyard’s center. Your guide will discuss its symbolic meanings and its place within the Vatican’s context.
- Laocoön - Be amazed by the ancient masterpiece Laocoön and His Sons, one of the Vatican Museums’ most renowned sculptures. Your guide will share the dramatic myth that inspired this powerful artwork.
- Gallery of Tapestries - Stroll through the elaborate Gallery of Tapestries, showcasing beautifully woven scenes of religious and historical events, crafted by expert Flemish weavers.
- Gallery of Maps - Proceed to the Gallery of Maps, an extraordinary hallway adorned with detailed 16th-century topographical maps of Italy. The vibrant colors and grand scale of the frescoes make this a museum highlight.
- Sistine Chapel - Enter the breathtaking Sistine Chapel and admire Michelangelo’s iconic ceiling frescoes and The Last Judgment. Your guide will explain the key scenes and symbols before entry, as speaking is not permitted inside.
- St. Peter’s Basilica - Conclude the tour as your guide leads you to the entrance of St. Peter’s Basilica with special skip-the-line access. The tour concludes here, allowing guests to explore the basilica and its treasures at their leisure.
What's Included
- Free entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica
- Expert & entertaining guide
- Small-group tour, max 10 people
- Visit to the Sistine Chapel
- Vatican Museum Ticket
- Skip-the-line ticket included
- Free entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica
- Expert & entertaining guide
- Small-group tour, max 10 people
- Visit to the Sistine Chapel
- Vatican Museum Ticket
- Skip-the-line ticket included
What's Not Included
- Guided Tour of St. Peter’s Basilica
- Transfers from/to Hotel
- Guided Tour of St. Peter’s Basilica
- Transfers from/to Hotel
Additional Information
Experience an exclusive small group tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica, limited to just 10 guests.
Enjoy skip-the-line access, ensuring more time to explore the stunning art and architecture.
During this 3-hour tour, you’ll be guided by an expert, licensed guide through the Vatican Museums, marvel at the breathtaking Sistine Chapel,…
Experience an exclusive small group tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica, limited to just 10 guests.
Enjoy skip-the-line access, ensuring more time to explore the stunning art and architecture.
During this 3-hour tour, you’ll be guided by an expert, licensed guide through the Vatican Museums, marvel at the breathtaking Sistine Chapel, and immerse yourself in the awe-inspiring St. Peter’s Basilica.
With a small group size, you’ll have a more intimate and personalized experience, allowing for better interaction with your guide.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to uncover the history, art, and beauty of the Vatican.
- 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
- Not recommended for travelers with mobility issues.
- A moderate amount of walking is involved - comfortable shoes are recommended
- Due to the Jubilee, some monuments may be under restoration or closed due to extraordinary celebrations. Please pay attention to any messages we may send regarding potential changes
- The internal visit of St. Peter’s Basilica is not included - tickets are included, therefore the tour will end outside the Basilic - you will skip the line to access it.
Location
Giuly's Café
Via Santamaura
Meet your guide in front of the Giuly's Cafè (Via Santamaura, 3 - Rome, Italy)
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
4.7
(44 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Nicole_b
Jul 7, 2025
Great guide! - We had a very nice experience with our tour guide Ornella. She was attentive to my mother in law making sure she had a place to stand in the shade and a spot to sit and rest. She was extremely knowledgeable and even took photos of us which was appreciated. Would definitely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Shawna_t
Jul 1, 2025
Highly recommend this... - Highly recommend this tour! Ornella was a fabulous guide-a fountain of knowledge of the Vatican, Roman history, Italian history and World history!
Review provided by Viator
Isaac_r
Jun 30, 2025
Great Tour, Even Better Tour Guide - My wife and I toured Vatican City with Alex (Alessandro). We were the only two people who booked this specific tour, so we were given a very individualized experience. Alex was extremely knowledgeable of the Vatican, its architecture, and its historical and religious significance. He explained everything in a brief yet thorough manner and made sure that we were not overloaded on details that we were not interested in. He also gave us some time to explore certain areas independently. Alex himself was extremely kind and made it an all-around amazing experience. Would highly recommend this tour and Alex, specifically.
Review provided by Viator
Michelle_m
Jun 22, 2025
Absolutely do not miss this experience - Fabulous experience!!! Marina was amazing and so knowledgeable! The visit to the Vatican Museums was a perfect length and hit the highlights. The Sistine Chapel was stunning. I would have loved to take pictures, but that was a restriction from the Vatican. St. Peter’s Basilica was outstanding!! Marina gave us so much information and helped us navigate the day. I highly recommend this experience!!
Review provided by Viator
Liz_h
Jun 17, 2025
Best tour I've had, and I've had lots! - Alessandra was excellent! Engaging, knowledgeable, accommodating, and made good use of time. Also great communication before tour with details.
Review provided by Viator
Todd_h
May 30, 2025
Terrific Tour Of Vatican - Luigi was a great tour guide. Very knowledgeable, funny, friendly, and passionate about Roman antiquities. He's a professional. Learned a lot. Very enjoyable.
Review provided by Viator
Carrie_u
May 26, 2025
Very Interesting Tour - This was a very interesting tour and our guide Alberto did a great job navigating us through the crowds and pointing out things that we would have totally missed on our own. Definitely learned a lot and enjoyed it more than if we had tried to do it on our own. I enjoyed the fun facts and enlightening stories.
Review provided by Viator
Cheryl_f
Apr 27, 2025
One of the best experiences I’ve ever had! - This tour is a must if you’re in Rome. Our tour guide, who was exceptional, covered a huge amount of content and inspired, energized, and engaged us throughout the tour.
Review provided by Viator
Theresa_h
May 29, 2025
The tour company reached... - The tour company reached out to us a few days before to inform us that due to the upcoming Conclave, the Sistine Chapel would be closed, and asking if we would still like to do the tour. We said we did and they let us know the meeting time and location. Our guide Luigi was right on time. He was very knowledgeable and personable, but spent the first 15 or so minutes of our time inside the museum explaining a lot of Roman history to us, which could have been shortened or skipped altogether as it reduced our museum time and ended up rushing us between the museum and St. Peter's. The Vatican Museum was amazing to see - so much history and beautiful artwork - which I would have appreciated more time to take in. Once done with the museum, we went to St. Peter's Square, but had to wait for over an hour to get through a single gate to enter - not the fault of the tour company, though since it was Jubilee. Once we finally were able to get into the Square and Basilica, it was fantastic. St. Peter's Basilica is a spectacular structure and we were lucky enough to be able to witness Mass (possibly with Pope Leo also in attendance before his selection!). The pipe organs were enormous and filled the basilica with the most amazing music and the structures, sculptures, and artwork were breathtaking. I would definitely love to go back but would likely do tours of the museum and basilica on separate days since there is so much to see in both areas.
Review provided by Viator
Yvonne_s
Jun 22, 2025
Beyond disappointing because of your guide - The Vatican was amazing. It was a very disappointing experience considering the amount of money we spent to get an intimate small group experience. But most importantly a once in a lifetime e patience that did not come to fruition as we had dreamed of. We had a horrible tour guide. A 3 hour tour that only lasted 2 hours. Our tour guide, Angelica was inconsiderate in her tone and approach. She said we didn’t have time for pictures. She gave very minimal insight into what we were seeing. We must have drawn the short stick in the guide we got.
Review provided by Viator
