Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Vatican City, Vatican City, Lazio
Gain exclusive access to the UNESCO-listed Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica with this small-group tour of 20 people or less, experience the renowned sites in the best conditions with your expert guide.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Vatican Museums, Viale Vaticano, 00120 Vatican City Italy
Stroll through rooms like the Gallery of Maps, with its golden, vaulted ceiling and the stunning Sistine Chapel, considered to be the Pope’s home chapel, with Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam and The Last Judgement. On your early-access tour, you’ll find the galleries to be considerably quieter than they would be later in the day.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Cortile della Pigna, Vatican City Italy
Nestled within the Vatican Museums, the Pineyard Courtyard is a tranquil oasis exuding timeless elegance. Adorned with lush greenery and surrounded by classic architecture, this courtyard features a striking bronze statue, the Pigna, designed by Donato Bramante. The atmosphere is serene, providing a peaceful respite for visitors. As you stroll through, the sound of rustling leaves accompanies the captivating sight of the Pinecone Courtyard, offering a moment of reflection amid the cultural richness of the Vatican Museums.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Sphere within a Sphere, Pine Cone Courtyard Vatican Museums, 00120 Vatican City Italy
In the heart of the Vatican's Cortile della Pigna stands a notable bronze sculpture: Sfera con sfera (Sphere Within a Sphere) by Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro. This captivating artwork depicts two fractured orbs resembling intricate machine gears, symbolizing the intricate and fragile nature of the modern world. Pomodoro began creating similar sculptures in the early 1960s, exploring the theme of complexity.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Gallery of the Maps, Viale Vaticano, 00120 Vatican City Italy
Discover the Vatican Museums' Gallery of Maps on your tour: an enchanting showcase of detailed cartography spanning centuries. Immerse yourself in history with vibrant maps, capturing the beauty of geography and artistry.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Sistine Chapel, Viale Vaticano, 00165 Vatican City Italy
Meet and greet your guide opposite the entrance to the Vatican Museums, a collection of galleries filled with classical and Renaissance masterpieces, including the Sistine Chapel frescoes.
Walk inside through a reserved door without any waiting. This access is even faster than the priority lines. Once inside, there are more than 2,000 rooms and nine miles of art, so follow along with your guide who will point out the highlights and explain the story behind each piece. The small-group nature of your tour allows you to remain close to your guide at all times, but a headset is included to make sure you can always hear the commentary clearly.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: St. Peter's Basilica, Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Vatican City Italy
At last, your guide will escort you into St. Peter’s Basilica, bypassing long lines of spectators, to provide an overview of this spectacular church. At the end of the tour, you can remain in St. Peter’s Basilica at your leisure, or you may return outside to St. Peter’s Square to admire Bernini’s clever optical illusion and the basilica’s heavenly façade.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: St. Peter's Square, Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Vatican City Italy
St. Peter's Square, an iconic masterpiece in Rome, embraces visitors with its grandeur. Designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the vast elliptical space is encircled by a majestic colonnade, symbolizing the Church's embrace. The central obelisk and fountains add splendor, while the stunning façade of St. Peter's Basilica stands as a beacon of architectural brilliance, inviting pilgrims and tourists alike to marvel at the heart of Vatican City. The most fantastic way to finish your Vatican tour experience!
Duration: 5 minutes
See Availability.
Via Tunisi, 4, 00192 Roma RM, Italy
3 hours(approx.)
St. Peter's Basilica, Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women to enter to the venues
Only small bags are allowed in the venue
Saint Peter’s Basilica is subject to last-minute closures for religious ceremonies. When this occurs, we're happy to offer customers an extended tour of the Vatican Museums. While we endeavour to tell tour groups ahead of time if there are any planned disruptions to the Basilica's opening hours, this is not always possible and in these cases we are unable to provide refunds or discounts.
On Wednesdays, due to the Papal Audiences, access to St Peter's Basilica is not possible until 1pm
Please note all participant names are required at the time of booking in order to enter the Vatican. If we do not receive the full customers names, we will cancel the booking. Every customer is required to carry a valid ID that matches the name on the ticket, or an entry will be refused. Name changes are not permitted once the booking is confirmed.
Please be advised that this tour option is non-refundable, with no cancellations or date changes allowed due to pre-purchased tickets. It is mandatory to bring a valid ID or Passport for security checks, and entry will not be granted without proper documentation.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Posted By : Paul_B
Our tour was fantastic! Christian Savona was incredibly knowledgeable, personable and went above and beyond for our small group tour. Taking this tour made a big difference in our ability to understand what we were seeing.
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Posted On : 2024-05-17
Posted By : Nancy_J
Christian Savona was the BEST!!! He was very knowledgeable and he made the tour so much fun! The Vatican museums are incredible art galleries, as is St Peter’s Basilica. And the Sistine Chapel is so very moving. Fabulous tour!
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Posted On : 2024-05-16
Posted By : B8184MKchriss
Our guide Valerio Chini was a great source of information and knowledge on the sisteen and museum. Also archeologist so had great insight on artefacts
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Posted On : 2024-05-16
Posted By : Safari57133153376
The tour was amazing. I learned so much and it was more meaningful than had I gone alone. Highly recommended place to visit and it would be so helpful to go with a tour.
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Posted On : 2024-05-15
Posted By : karen_h
Very well organised and informative and passionate guide Christian. Yes you wait in queues but they move very quickly. He was advised that the Sistine chapel had an unscheduled closure on the day of our tour, he made sure that we were able to view it before it closed. Even though we had a lot of time standing, waiting, during the tour which extended the time it took to see all 3. he stayed with us for longer to make sure we got the full tour and didn’t just leave us when our allotted tour time was up which we were all very grateful for.
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Posted On : 2024-05-14
Posted By : Robert_G
Simona was a great guide and narrated the entire time. This is a fast paced tour so not boring. Customers can go back to be bored on their own after the tour. Although the Vatican is not one of the wonders of the world, it should be. Absolutely amazing.
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Posted On : 2024-05-11
Posted By : Josh_N
Tour guide was very through and explained everything in great detail. Gives great details and explains everything about Vatican City, highly recommend!
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Posted On : 2024-05-10
Posted By : Kathleen_Y
Animated, entertaining, funny, and educational tour of the Vatican’s highlights! We saw amazing works in a timely, educational manner. Never boring!
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Posted On : 2024-05-05
Posted By : Robina_H
We enjoyed our visit to the Vatican and St Paul’s Cathedral. Amy, our guide, made a huge difference with her subject area knowledge and experience with the venue.
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Posted On : 2024-05-03
Posted By : Ernesto_C
Julia is a true art scholar. She was informative, provided several tour details that made the visit interesting and memorable. Julia was caring towards the elderly.
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Posted On : 2024-05-03
