Get inside the UNESCO-listed complex of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica before the crowds on this early-access small-group tour that’s limited to just 10 participants.
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.
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.
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.
Semi-Private Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter’s Basilica Guided Tour
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Tour Information
Key Details
- Mobile Voucher Accepted
- Hotel pickup Available
- Instant Confirmation
- Lowest Price Guaranteed
- Duration: 3 Hrs
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Language:
English
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Departure Time :
8:10am and 10:25am, depending of the option selected.
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Return Details :
• 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 t.. read more
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Cancellation Policy : This activity is non-refundable Tours booked using discount coupon codes will be non refundable.
Overview
See the highlights of the world-famous Vatican Museums in one morning on this intimate, small-group Vatican walking tour! Starting early in the morning to beat the heat and crowds, you'll skip the line and head straight inside with your priority access ticket. Led by an expert Vatican guide, your comprehensive tour visits the sacred Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms, St. Peter's Basilica and more!
Due to a new Vatican partnership, this tour provides VIP access through a reserved door, allowing you to skip all the lines even the priority lines. Numbers are also limited to just 10 people on this unique Vatican tour, ensuring you'll see the very best of the Vatican Museums in a small-group atmosphere.
Know More about this tour
Itinerary:
Get inside the UNESCO-listed complex of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica before the crowds on this early-access small-group tour that’s limited to just 10 participants.
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.
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.
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.
Inclusions
- Skip-the-Line Access & Guided Visit of the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
- Semi-private groups of no larger than 10 people
- English-speaking Expert Guide
- Skip-the-Line Access & Guided Visit of St. Peters Basilica
Exclusions
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
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 Peters 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
Traveler Reviews
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Enjoyed the tour, guide was very knowledgeable and courteous. Completed everything on time. St Peter’s Basilica is the highlight of the tour.
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Exceptional. Interesting conversations and he was very engaging. He took his time to explain, answered our questions. Very enjoyable.
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Signed up for a tour with 10 or fewer people. Had 20 in the group and was told a couple leaders called in sick. Have a feeling that was BS and you do it all the time.
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Checking in was a bit chaotic but the tour itself was excellent. We were in to the Vatican quite swiftly and the guide had no end of information and was very good at steering us around. Total group size was 10 people which worked fine.
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The guide was amazing and so knowledgeable. Highly recommended . Told us so much the paintings, pointing out so many interesting facts
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Unfortunately, we have had a less than happy experience with this company. I booked two tours. One was cancelled a month before travelling, however the company refunded us within 5 days and fortunately I booked something similar with Get My Guide. When we arrived for the second tour we were told our guide was poorly and were placed in a cheaper tour in a large group. We were promised a refund of the difference. The tour guide, Rita was amazing. Very knowledgable and great fun. On our return home after the holiday no refund had been given. When I enquired how long this would take the City Wonders sent a very rude email saying that 'on this occasion' I would be refunded 20% of the original more expensive tour. This did not cover the difference. I would not use them again.
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Very good info. It was crowded and our tour guide navigated well around the crowds to show us the best spots.
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Chiara shared her most important works of art in the Vatican collections. Great insights about the vast treasures.
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Turns out it’s not that private tour around Vatican because lots of people also booked a semi private tour like this one, so it’s still crowded. BUT, better to have this semi-private tour rather than wait for hours outside!!! Alexandra the tour guide (if I’m not mistaken), seems to know about arts and history of Vatican pretty well!!! She explained every small details of the paintings, statue’s histroy, etc! It was super worth it to be inside the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica!!!
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The tour guide was knowledgeable and the Vatican and Basilica are beautiful. But when you lay $200 for two semi private tours…you will not get what you pay for. They do not hire responsible or reliable tour guides as the guides cancel daily. So they lump tours together and they tell you they will offer a partial refund for the trouble. But the truth is, they only refund $14. That’s not $14 per ticket…just $14. So save yourself the money and just book a basic tour for much less. They cannot offer what you are paying for and they know it but they bill you anyway and pretend it can’t be helped. I hope this honest review is helpful in your booking process. Do not waste your time with private or semiprivate.
