Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Guided Tour
Description
See all of the major sites inside the Vatican Museums. Get an up-close look at Michelangelo’s famed artwork in the Sistine Chapel, home to some of history’s greatest masterpieces, including The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment. Our skip the line tickets will save you time and you'll be guided by one of our top-rated guides. They're ready to answer your questions and share with you their knowledge of art history, Catholic traditions, and Vatican culture.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Enjoy with your tour guide one of the most important museums of the world. Admire some masterpieces like the Lacoonte. Enter into the smallest country in the world.
Discover one of the Vatican's numerous outdoor courtyards, distinguished by a massive bronze pinecone sculpture that lends the courtyard its name.
The Vatican Museums consist of several smaller, distinct museums, each offering a unique experience. Among these, the Museo Pio Clementino stands out as one of the most significant, with unmissable highlights. Be sure to visit the Octagonal Courtyard to see the Laocoonte and the Apollo Belvedere, or the Round Room, where a colossal marble bathtub is guarded by a towering bronze statue of Heracles. In the Room of the Animals, you can find sculptures of various creatures, while the Gallery of the Candelabra will leave you in awe with its intricately painted 3D vaults.
One of the most visited galleries in the Museums, this stop invites you to find the Italian cities you've visited or perhaps your ancestor's hometown. These hand-painted maps, created in the late 1500s, are also worth admiring for their remarkable detail and intricate decorations.
Arrive at the final and most famous room of the Vatican Museums: the Sistine Chapel. Home to Michelangelo's frescoes, see first-hand the artwork that earned Michelangelo his global legacy as one of the best artists of all time.
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
- Please arrive at the meeting point, Via Sebastiano Veniero 21, at least 15 minutes before the scheduled tour time
- Please arrive on time. Latecomers will neither be accommodated nor refunded
- This activity is not suitable for individuals with reduced mobility or wheelchair / electric stroller users
- Don't forget to bring a valid photo ID as proof of age for children 18 years and under
- Be aware that there might be delays in your visit due to capacity regulations and security checks.
- Remember that the Vatican Museums have a year-round dress code requiring visitors to cover their shoulders and have their pants/skirts reach their knees. This rule applies to both men and women
- Even if you have a Skip the Line ticket, expect a minor delay of 20-30 minutes due to mandatory security checks conducted by the museum's security team
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
- Please be aware that some sections may close without prior notice due to religious celebrations or Vatican events. Should this occur, we will do our utmost to adapt the itinerary and offer alternative areas to ensure the best possible experience.
- This tour is not wheelchair nor mobility scooter accessible
- This tour is not recommended for those with mobility impairments
- The Vatican Museums provide free entry for visitors who are (according to the requirements stated by the Vatican City) at least 74% disabled with the appropriate certification and provides free entry to caretakers: please inform the local partner when booking if you fit into these requirements
Reviews(793)
Meeting location just feet away from entrance. Check in was easy. Guide was great. So knowledgeable. There is sooo much information! You can spend days in there. The heat was unbearable so dress lightly. Great value.
The headsets provided were not high quality and our tour leader was difficult to understand. I've been on other tours with excellent headsets and tour leaders, so suspect we didn't luck out this time. It's expensive, though. Recommend booking early to avoid later price hikes.
It was really, really crowded which is not the fault of the tour. However, at first we didn’t have headsets (didn’t get them until we got into the Vatican) and it was tough to hear our guide during the walk over and before we entered into the building. In the Vatican, because of the crowds, it was also hard to hear our guide.
My wife injured her knee in an accident the day before our scheduled tour and she wasn't sure she would be able to keep up with a group, but she decided to give it a try because the Vatican visit was one of the most anticipated highlights of our trip to Italy. To her credit, she powered through. But she never would have been able to do so without the caring and thoughfulness of our fantastic guide, Alex. It's appropriate that we were in such a holy place, because Alex was a saint that day in the way she looked after my wife, kept her pace slow so we could always keep touch with the group and found places for her to sit down when available. My wife was moved to tears when she thanked Alex at the end of the tour. Alex is also an incredibly knowledgable guide who did a great job of pointing out and explaining the beauty, history and significance of the artwork and architecture in the museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. The thing about tours like this one is that you're going to see most of the same things no matter which operator you go with. What sets them apart is the quality of the guide who shows them to you. Thankfully our travel agent booked us with Checkandgo Tours and we had the best guide in Italy!
The guide Juliana was rude !!!! All about herself, I had to run to the restroom on an emergency. I wasn’t even gone 10 minutes, maybe 6 minutes max. I had tried to tell her many times that I had to go and ahead ignored me! The. She proceeded to tell everyone while I was in the restroom that the group would have to wait 50 minutes and she would get fined 100 euros- then said that she doesn’t even make that in a day!!! Once on the tour, she was very negative and opinionated throughout the tour, very biased on her own beliefs. It’s unfortunate , I was trip advisor a lot. But because of this and this Person you have lost a customer
Juliana was an amazing and very knowledgeable guide! The museum is very extensive so glad we had a guide!
Dear Kylee, Thank you very much for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear that you had such a great experience with Iuliana. The Vatican Museums are indeed very extensive, so we’re glad that having a knowledgeable guide helped you make the most of your visit and enjoy it more fully. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you again on another tour in the future!
The experience is very good; the guide is an expert and explains everything very well. Our guide was Maria, who is recommended.
Querido Cesar, ¡Muchas gracias por su comentario! Nos alegra mucho saber que tuvo una buena experiencia en el tour. Es fantástico saber que la guía María fue experta y le explicó todo de manera clara, haciendo la visita más interesante y enriquecedora. Agradecemos también su recomendación. Esperamos poder darle la bienvenida nuevamente en otra experiencia en el futuro.
Our guide Juliana has a wealth of information about the history of the places we visited. We are fortunate that we had her for a guide.
Dear Jessica, Thank you very much for your kind words! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed your tour with Iuliana. Her passion and deep knowledge of the history of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel truly make the experience memorable, and we’re so happy you felt fortunate to have her as your guide. We greatly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you again on another tour soon!
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and helpful! We enjoyed the tour very much. She even helped us flag a cab when the tour was over.
Dear Christine, Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the tour and found your guide knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful throughout the experience. It’s also lovely to know she went the extra mile to assist you after the tour as well. We truly appreciate your kind feedback and hope to welcome you again for another memorable experience in Rome!
The guide was super prepared and left us entirely involved in the tour, bringing information with detail and quite critical sense. It was exceptional!
Caro Adrian, Muito obrigado pela sua avaliação maravilhosa! Ficamos extremamente felizes em saber que o passeio foi uma experiência excepcional para você. É gratificante saber que o guia conseguiu envolver todo o grupo com informações detalhadas, preparo e senso crítico, tornando a visita ainda mais especial. Agradecemos sinceramente pelas suas palavras e esperamos recebê-lo novamente em uma próxima experiência conosco!
