Skip-the-Line Group Tour of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica
Description
A holiday in Rome without visiting the Vatican is like a day at the beach without swimming in the sea. See the best of the Vatican museums and gain direct entrance with skip-the-line access to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, while our excellent guides entertain you with stories that go with each masterpiece. This budget-friendly tour is the best value for money for travelers that are interested in 1) seeing the museum’s highlights 2) meeting a new friend or two through your group and 3) skipping the lines (trust us, with over 6 million tourist spilling into the museum every year, you'll want it!) Disclaimer: you will be entering the Vatican museum during one of the busiest times of the day. While the tour provides skip-the-line access, the crowds in the museum vary from day to day and some delay with security can be expected (it would be misleading for other tour operators to not tell you this!)
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your tour guide at our office, located in the oldest neighbourhoods of the Vatican, Borgo Pio. Following a self introduction by your guide, you will walk through the charming shops of the Borgo, as he/she shares some local tips for eating and site seeing in Rome, including off the beaten track sites that you must visit during your holiday! Some background will also be provided on the history of the Sistine Chapel (we do it here as the chapel forbids noise and travellers are expected to observe silence once entering).
Admire the flags and surrounding embassies as you walk through this street, which serve as the primary access point to St. Peter's Square, and by extension, to the Vatican City itself.
We arrive at St. Peter's Square, which is marked by a towering Egyptian obelisk and enveloped by columns and statues of saints. Hear about the history of the square and the legendary artist Bernini who designed it. Fun fact- the Pope addresses crowds from his apartment window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, during the Papal audience held every Wednesday and Sunday morning.
En route to the museum, you will get to see and hear about how residents of the smallest city in the word go about their day to day life (including getting their mail!) Snap a pic of the Swiss guards- the pontifical bodyguards in their distinctly Renaissance uniforms. Our Tip: send yourself a post card after the tour. The post office sells a variety of memorabilia, including stamps with Pope Francis's face! Then, slowly head towards the museum's entrance, where you will be led to a special area reserved for skip-the-line groups.
Be prepared to hear about stories as your guide walk you through an astonishing collection of Roman and Greek statues, the gallery of tapestries, and a gallery of maps depicting 16th century Italy.
Admire Michelangelo's famous works, including the Creation of Adam and the Last Judgement. This spectacular fresco evokes lifelike images within the mind, vividly portraying stories of mankind in the biblical era. Note that the museum requires visitors to observe silence and a dress code (knees and shoulders covered).
You will be brought in front of St. Peter's Church, where a special entrance will allow you to enter directly from the museum and bypass the long queue out in the square. Got questions? Ask you guide before parting ways!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Unforeseen events= The Vatican is its own country and therefore the Pope can decide also last minute to close St. Peter’s Basilica for ad hoc events. It is a very rare event during the year but it is possibile and we will do our best to inform you. If it is too late to inform you, our guide will extend the tour in the Vatican. Not to worry that the incredibile collection of Vatican Museums and the masterpiece of Michelagelo in the Sistine Chapel will still be included.
- Most of our tours include the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. However, there are two specific options with different inclusions. You will find below:
- Museums & SISTINE CHAPEL Tour – Includes the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel but does NOT include St. Peter’s Basilica.
- ST.PETER'S BASILICA TOUR – Includes St. Peter’s Basilica but does NOT include the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.
Reviews(14,287)
The sweet tour guide was a very old kind man however, he did not speak good enough English for me to understand the tour. We were with him for three hours, and we had expected to be through all three areas of the tour and we were not a third of the way done.. It was very disappointing.
Mario was a fantastic guide, he was very knowledgeable, funny and enthusiastic while taking us on the tour and we learned alot of interesting facts. The meeting point was clear and we were contacted before the meeting point time to make sure we were in the right spot. Would definitely reccomend this tour!
We had this really nice Italian lady named Shak. She was very nice and extremely knowledgeable. You could tell she was very passionate about what she was explaining. Learned several things about the Sistine Chapel that I didn’t know. Overall would highly recommend. Thank you Shak!
Our experience in St Peter’s church with my girlfriend was wonderful. The monuments , the paintings, but also our tour guide, Carl. He was really polite , humorous and knowledgeable. He really enjoys receiving questions and is really happy to provide you with all the information needed. He made really clear that we can take our time for photos and we both felt really welcomed since he was really funny. And remember he doesn’t need a flag since he is really tall (haha).
Alessia was amazing! Definitely a must see if you are coming to Rome, a once in a lifetime experience
Meh. It’s not the tour’s fault but the volume of people surrounding us made it difficult to stay together as a group. Quite honestly, I had difficulty hearing the tour guide due to his talking so rapidly. I understood about 75% of what he said. This is the only review I’ve ever given a so-so rating.
The ticket needs to have the specific meeting place. We didn’t realize how difficult it would be to locate even though we arrived in plenty of time. Our guide was excellent with knowledge but talked very fast with accented English which made it difficult to keep up with at times. The title of tour is deceptive since it’s only the Basilica
Fantastic experience, the tour guide Mario made it exceptional!
Thank you for choosing our Vatican Tour – Made in Rome Tours!
Mario was excellent, guided us through the Vatican City and basilica. Got us in quickly with minimal waiting, he was knowledgeable and amusing, careful not to leave anyone behind, and clearly passionate about the city, its churches and treasures
Thank you for choosing our Vatican Tour – Made in Rome Tours!
You’ll literally skip the lines and Carl is very knowledgeable and can respond to any questions. Great tour.
Thank you for choosing our Vatican Tour – Made in Rome Tours!
