Vatican and Vatacombs Tour: Treasures of the Sistine Chapel
Description
Enjoy skip-the-line entry to what is arguably the most important and largest art collection in the world. For over five hundred years, popes commissioned works of art from the most talented painters and sculptors to enjoy at the Vatican amongst an elite circle of clerics, nobles, and scholars. Walk in the footsteps of popes and Renaissance masters as you take in the Rooms of Raphael and the Sistine Chapel, from its commissioning to the finishing touches by none other than Michelangelo Buonarroti. With an expert guide, learn to discern between myth, fact, and popular Hollywood fiction regarding this epic work of art. Gain fast-track access to St. Peter’s Basilica to view masterpieces by Michelangelo, Raphael, and Bernini, among others, before descending to the papal crypts below. We conclude on the portico with an overview of Bernini’s magnificent piazza (St. Peter’s Square), the central obelisk, and the renowned Swiss Guard.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Vast museums inside the Vatican City which house many thousands of ancient works of art and sculpture. The most important museum complex in the world!
Simply the most colourful room in the world! Michelangelo's ceiling will deeply impress all who enter.
Visit the Papal Basilica of Vatican City, believed to be the resting ground of St. Peter's remains.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Dress comfortably, shoulders and knees must be covered for both men and women.
- On days immediately surrounding religious holidays at the Vatican, alterations to tours may become necessary due to partial closings of areas normally included in this tour.
- Due to the route covered and/or transportation used, it is not possible to participate in this tour using a wheelchair, scooter, or other aid. Please contact us to inquire about customized tour options for guests with mobility challenges
- Please note: This description is provided as a general example. Actual experiences may vary slightly depending on the season, local conditions, and other factors beyond our control.
- Please note that essential travel documents and final itinerary details might be delivered electronically closer to the activity date.
Reviews(415)
We loved visiting the Vatican and, given the crowds and heat, the Italia Tours lounge was well worth the tour from the start. Given we were there during the weekend of Pentecost, crowds were especially large. People without “skip the line” access were waiting over four hours to enter! Please be aware this is basically a march through to the Sistine Chapel. There are certainly spotlight items along the way but everyone - not just those with this tour- pass the galleries and move towards the chapel. The ear pieces were perfect for keeping up with the guide while still being able to pause for our desired pictures. Given the special services, we were not able to access several areas of the vatacombs and chapels. Sabrina did a great job educating us and sharing many fantastic art pieces with us!
Highly recommend this tour. The guide, Sandra, was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The Vatican was extremely busy and we were grateful that our tickets were already purchased and gave us skip the line access. Italitours had amazing support and were always accessible through what’s app and email. I highly recommend it. The primo membership pass was well well worth it and in our few days in Rome we managed to make use of a number of benefits.
The cost is worth it! The end of the tour in the catacombs when you go up the stairs is breathtaking. The tour is great. This was our first trip to Rome and we would take this tour again. There is so much too see.
It is fantastic. Best experience you will ever have. We used ItaliaTours to see the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Saint Peter’s Basilica, and The Colosseum so far. Our tour guide for the Vatican was Massimo and he is superb, very friendly and helpful. Luigi was our guide for The Colosseum and he is amazing, just like Massimo he was so gracious and very intelligent. We have learned so much and would not trade it for anything. I am very grateful that we got to experience these attractions like this. We have the Accademia Gallery next to tour and I cannot wait to get these kind of experience again!
Highly recommend the Italia Pass! It was super easy to use and book tours and train tickets, and was an amazing value! Lots of great tours and tickets to sites included. Tour guides were knowledgeable and friendly! The Vatican tour with Massimo was amazing and definitely worth it!
Massimo was a fabulous tour guide. He explained and enunciated in English very well. It was a very interesting tour.
Chiara was an amazing tour guide and Italia Tours is lucky to have her on their team. She is friendly, comedic, and personable and made the tour both informative and fun. If I were to book another tour, I would specifically want Chiara as my tour guide again. It was a pleasure meeting her and the tour went over such beautiful areas of the Vatican.
Great tour. I had injured my knee the previous day, and our tour guide made sure I could keep up. He even found me a seat in the Sistine Chapel. The lines were enormous, but our “skip the line” tickets were well worth it. Our guide was very knowledgeable and experienced.
Chiara was a knowledgable and entertaining tour guide. She kept things interesting, was funny and constantly made sure that we were all okay along the tour. We had a wonderful experience! Don't miss this guided tour.
It was very worth while having a.guide to explain things. We would never navigated it with one. So much to see, Sandee was our guide and her back ground is art history, awesome at her job and very pleasant personality.