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Vatican Tour: Sistine Chapel & Museum Highlights
4.6
170 Ratings
Roma
Experience the breathtaking Sistine Chapel and the key attractions of the Vatican Museums on this guided tour with your small group. An expert guide will accompany the group as you explore the Vatican Museum’s galleries, Pinecone Courtyard, and ultimately, Michelangelo’s masterpiece in the must-see Sistine Chapel.
Experience the breathtaking Sistine Chapel and the key attractions of the Vatican Museums on this guided tour with your small group. An expert guide will accompany the group as you explore the Vatican Museum’s galleries, Pinecone Courtyard, and ultimately, Michelangelo’s masterpiece in the must-see Sistine Chapel.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Vatican Museums - Bypass the typically lengthy queues and delve straight into the galleries showcasing some of the world’s most renowned artworks. An expert, English-speaking guide will provide enlightening insights and context (along with fascinating stories) as you explore the Belvedere Courtyard featuring ‘Apollo Belvedere’ and ‘Laocoön and…
- Vatican Museums - Bypass the typically lengthy queues and delve straight into the galleries showcasing some of the world’s most renowned artworks. An expert, English-speaking guide will provide enlightening insights and context (along with fascinating stories) as you explore the Belvedere Courtyard featuring ‘Apollo Belvedere’ and ‘Laocoön and Sons’, the Pinecone Courtyard, the Gallery of the Candelabra, the Gallery of the Maps, and the Gallery of the Tapestries. Visiting after the daytime crowds have dispersed, you’ll enjoy the additional space and tranquility to fully appreciate the stunning art within the Museums.
- Sphere within a Sphere - In the serene Pinecone Courtyard, you’ll encounter a remarkable bronze globe. Created for the Vatican by the renowned Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro, replicas of this piece can be found worldwide, including in Dublin, Tel Aviv, and New York City.
- Pigna Courtyard - Guided tour & Photo Stop
- Cortile del Belvedere - Guided tour & Photo Stop
- Gallery of Maps - Guided tour & Photo Stop
- Sistine Chapel - Proceed to the Sistine Chapel. Before entering, your guide will share the stories behind the creation of these iconic frescoes and their meanings. Once inside, you’ll be able to admire the room’s full grandeur, noticing the subtle details and quirks that often go unnoticed.
Please note that the Sistine Chapel (and the door providing access to St. Peter’s Basilica) will be closed from April 28 to mid-May for the Papal Conclave. The Vatican Museums will remain open, allowing you to explore its many highlights with your expert guide, who will lead you on an alternative itinerary during this significant period at the Vatican.
What's Included
- Skip the Line Access tickets to the Vatican Museums
- Local English-speaking guide
- Small groups of 18 people or fewer
- Headsets
- Skip the Line Access tickets to the Vatican Museums
- Local English-speaking guide
- Small groups of 18 people or fewer
- Headsets
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
Additional Information
- Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments or with wheelchairs, or strollers.
- All guests (including children) must bring ID on the day of their tour.
- Due to the religious nature of the Vatican, all individuals regardless of gender must cover their shoulders and knees. Walks cannot be held…
- Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments or with wheelchairs, or strollers.
- All guests (including children) must bring ID on the day of their tour.
- Due to the religious nature of the Vatican, all individuals regardless of gender must cover their shoulders and knees. Walks cannot be held responsible for those denied entry.
- Areas visited during this tour are subject to closure. Your guide may need to modify the itinerary on the day of the tour.
- Please note that the Sistine Chapel (and the door with access to St. Peter’s Basilica) will be closed from April 28-mid-May for the Papal Conclave. The Vatican Museums will remain open and you will still be able to see its many highlights with your expert guide as they lead you on an alternative itinerary during this historic time at the Vatican.
- Walks Tours is an Accredited Tour Operator with an official ticketing agreement with the Vatican Museums.
Location
Antico Caffè Candia
Via Candia
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour, your guide will be holding a green Walks sign. This tour meets at Antico Café Candia, Via Candia, 153, 00192 Roma RM.
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
4.6
(170 Ratings)
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Z6067jbroberte
Mar 4, 2025
Wonderful tour. Fabulous tour guide. - Our tour guide Alessia was simply wonderful! She guided my wife and I through the Vatican Museums, full of information and insights into everything we saw. And she was an absolutely delightful individual, so professional, but more importantly, so very friendly. She made my wife and I feel so at ease as we toured these beautiful museums. We could not have asked for a better experience. She helped to provide us with a wonderful memory of our trip to Rome.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rhianelen
Nov 2, 2024
Excellent. - This was an excellent tour and our guide Claudia was superb. We'd booked because our trip to Rome was a last-minute one and the Vatican was otherwise sold out and so although we worried about how expensive it was, the money was absolutely worth it.
Claudia proved her worth right from the outset by dealing with two issues firmly and efficiently and then proceeded to engage the whole group really effectively. Everybody on the tour was an adult aside from my 9-year old niece and so Claudia immediately made her feel special by inviting her to lead the group. This ensured that my niece was captivated for the entire duration and everything Claudia told us was interesting and engaging.
She also ran the tour very well indeed, ensuring that everybody had time to see what they wanted, reassuring everybody that despite the crowds they wouldn't be left behind and also being very clear about where she intended to pause and for how long. She also realised that none of us on the tour had managed to see St Peter's basilica because of the queues so she led us to it via a back entrance, ensuring that we skipped the 3-hour wait.
Overall, superb.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marianne_d
Oct 26, 2024
Go on the tour! - We had a lovely experience at the Vatican with this tour. The museum was breathtaking, and Apollo is back on display! The Sistine Chapel was beautiful. I would not have enjoyed it as much without the tour to help fill in the details and better understand just how amazing the collection in the museum was!
Review provided by Viator
F6585xmkasiaw
Oct 21, 2024
Amazing Vatican museum tour! - Very informative! Great understanding of art history! Saw all the highlights of the Vatican museum and didn’t have to wait in any lines!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Almorris30
Oct 21, 2024
Sev was the best tour... - Sev was the best tour guide we had. He engaged everyone including the kids, we learned a ton and a lot of fun! Thank you Sev!
Review provided by Viator
Peterby6395bf
Oct 18, 2024
Sistine and St Peter’s Stunning - This was an amazing tour, Marco C our guide was very knowledgeable and ensured we got a good understanding of the background to the important highlights of the tour. Amazing artwork, well worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pioneer99386
Oct 13, 2024
Excellent visit - Excellent, knowledgeable guide Michael delivered the information so well and with a sense of humour when appropriate. Well worth the price.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
709beths
Oct 24, 2024
Tour guide was great, but tour was very rushed (and crowded!) - First things first - don't believe any tour that says "without the crowds." There are ALWAYS crowds, this one was no exception.
Second - use the bathroom before you get to the meeting spot/tour, as the cafe was not open. And the line for the bathroom inside the museum was very long, and the few people that "had to go" took about 20 minutes to get back to our group, keeping us all waiting to start the tour.
We did get to skip the line for our tour, which was nice. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the museums. We spent a lot of time outside viewing posters of what we would see inside, with our guide explaining them. But it did help explain some of the history behind the art we were about to experience.
We ended at the Sistine Chapel, where I had heard they pack you in - they do. But it was still an amazing sight to see.
Overall, we felt very rushed through the museums. To be fair, it looked like all of the other tours (and there were so many tours!) were doing the same. It might be worth it to get there earlier and stand on line for tickets, so you can go at your own pace. But if you just want a very topline view of all the art and gaudiness, this is good for you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elizabeth_m
Oct 11, 2024
Not a great experience. - Our guide Enzo began the closing time tour with excellent explanations of the work of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately she was slow in moving through the galleries giving long explanations of her favourite pieces whilst many other tour groups passed us by. Consequently we had little chance to soak in and appreciate one of the world’s most significant pieces of art in the Sistine Chapel.
Review provided by Viator
Thejams
Oct 12, 2024
Overcrowded, Disappointed, Waste of time and money! - Our tour was not worth the time or effort. We moved quickly through the Vatican Museums to have extra time in the Sistine Chapel. The chapel itself was a nightmare - way overcrowded and guards constantly screaming for visitors to be quiet, stop taking pictures and push closer together. It was impossible to appreciate the chapel and its remarkable artwork. We were VERY disappointed. The guide was fine and did what he could but the overall tour was a terrible experience. I would NOT recommend a tour of the Sistine Chapel. Much more to see at St Peter’s and the crowds handled much professionally.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
