Vatican City Guided Museums and Chapel Tour

Enter the Sistine Chapel at the most peaceful time of day to enjoy Michelangelo’s masterpiece in serenity and embark on a thorough guided tour of the Vatican Museums, ending at the awe-inspiring St. Peter's Basilica. There's no better way to see the highlights of the Vatican without the crowds that descend upon the galleries later in the day. Not a morning person? Book the Afternoon Vatican Museums Tour with Sistine Chapel for a relaxed afternoon visit after the crowds have left for the day.

Meeting Point

Antico Caffè Candia

Via Candia, 153, 00192 Roma RM, Italy

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.

What's included:

• Guests can stay and enjoy time at their leisure after the tour finishes
• Small groups of 15 people or fewer
• Expertly guided tour of the Vatican
• Skip the line ticket for Vatican Museums
• Skip the line ticket for St. Peter's Basilica (AM Tour option only)

Not included:

• Gratuities
• Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off

What to expect:

Duration: between 3 hours and 4 hours

Vatican Museums

Viale Vaticano, Vatican City, 00120

If you select the Early Vatican Museums Tour or Afternoon Vatican Museums Tour: Your guide will lead you on a full tour of the Vatican Museums, stopping to see all the most important works. Visiting either before or after the daytime crowds, you’ll appreciate the extra space and silence to appreciate the magnificent artwork in the Museums.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Cortile del Belvedere

00120 Vatican City

Guided tour & Photo Stop

Pass by without stopping

Sphere within a Sphere

Pine Cone Courtyard, Vatican Museums, Vatican City, 00120

If you select the Early Vatican Museums Tour or Afternoon Vatican Museums Tour: Inside the peaceful, Pinecone Courtyard you'll pass a spectacular bronze globe. It was designed for the Vatican by well-known Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro and copies of it can now be found all over the world, including Dublin, Tel Aviv and New York City.

Pass by without stopping

Stanze di Raffaello

Viale Vaticano, Vatican City

If you select the Early Vatican Museums Tour: During the day, the Raphael Rooms are as busy as the Sistine Chapel. At this hour of the morning, however, when the Museums have just opened for the day, you'll have plenty of space to enjoy them peacefully. Your guide will point out where Raphael worked the faces of his contemporaries Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo into his frescoes.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Gallery of Maps

VA, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City

Guided tour & Photo Stop

Pass by without stopping

Gallery of Tapestries

VA, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City

Guided tour & Photo Stop

Pass by without stopping

Sistine Chapel

Viale Vaticano, Vatican City, 00165

If you select the Early Vatican Museums Tour or Afternoon Vatican Museums Tour: The Sistine Chapel wasn’t meant to be seen standing shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of other people. Beat the crowds by entering first thing in the morning or in late afternoon to enjoy the incredible frescoes in relative peace.
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.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Basilica

Piazza San Pietro, Vatican City, 00120

If you select the Early Vatican Museums Tour: Last but certainly not least, you'll head straight to St. Peter's Basilica via a special secret passage, bypassing the long lines that are starting to form outside. End your morning with a full tour of the sacred space and gaze upon Michelangelo's moving Pietà, Bernini's grandiose altarpiece, and so much more as you learn the stories and legends behind them. Note: The special access passage between the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica is subject to unexpected closures. On such days we will instead explore the magnificent Pinacoteca Gallery.

1 hour