Vatican: Museums, Basilica, and Chapel Small-Group Tour
Your tour begins at an office location around the corner from the Vatican entrance. Meet your guide and the rest of your group (up to 12 people). Head over to the Vatican Museums and breeze right past the crowds at the door: Tours include skip-the-line admission tickets. The collections are vast, but your guide directs you to the main highlights, including the Gallery of Maps. During the roughly 90-minute visit, hear about the collection of artworks and the Vatican’s papal history. From there, head to the Vatican's star attraction: the Sistine Chapel. Before heading inside, listen to your guide explain the intricacies of Michelangelo’s famous fresco. The last stop is St. Peter’s Basilica to see Michelangelo’s "La Pietà" and Bernini’s massive gilded baldachin. Tours end inside the basilica’s stunning interior, leaving you free to continue your visit.
Highlights
- ✓Ensure your spot inside with prebooked entry tickets
- ✓Enjoy plenty of personal attention on a small-group tour
- ✓Don't miss a word with personal audio headsets
- ✓Check off the must-see highlights without spending hours on foot
What you'll see & do
- ✓Meeting Point: The meeting point is our office, very close to the Museums' entrance, the exact address is Via Santamaura 14B. The closest Metro stop is Ottaviano. Please allow extra time due to traffic during the summer months! AFTERNOON TOUR - Meeting Point: Our office is located 2-min away from the Vatican Museums' entrance, the exact address is Via Santamaura 14B. If you do need assistance with how to reach the meeting point, please don't hesitate to contact us.
- ✓We continue our visit entering Vatican City, the smallest country in the world. Encircled by a 2-mile border with Italy, Vatican City is an independent city-state that covers just over 100 acres, making it one-eighth the size of New York’s Central Park. Vatican City is governed as an absolute monarchy with the pope at its head. The Vatican mints its own euros, prints its own stamps, issues passports, licenses plates operates media outlets and has its own flag and anthem. One government function it lacks: taxation. Museum admission fees, stamp and souvenir sales, and contributions generate the Vatican’s revenue.
- ✓The Vatican Museums feature many works of art that belonged to the different Popes and are full of artistic beauty. Here is a glimpse of some of the most beautiful things to see in the Vatican Museums. Rooms and Galleries of the Vatican Museums, as the Greek Cross Room, the Gallery of Maps, the Gallery of Tapestries, Raphael Rooms and much more! These collections have been piled up over the course of centuries through acquisitions, donations, commissions, confiscations, and quite often lucky discoveries from underground Rome and not only.
- ✓The Gallery of Maps is a stupendous hallway where geography and history are perfectly intertwined. Created at the end of the 16th century, the entire room is dedicated to customized maps, which display the whole of Italy. On one side of the 393-foot long gallery are two representations of the country: one from the Imperial Roman Era and the other from the 1500s. Each map shows political happenings, religious roles, and major battles. The ceiling is no less remarkable, with frescoed scenes displaying episodes and miraculous events of apostles, saints, and martyrs, which are linked to the geographical maps below.
- ✓Admire the breathtaking Sistine Chapel of Michelangelo! The most famous section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling is Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam. This scene is located next to the Creation of Eve, which is the panel at the center of the room, and the Congregation of the Waters, which is closer to the altar. Not everything was done by Michelangelo and your expert guide will be able to point that out. This proves just how great artists, even little known, left their marks in these magic locations. This is the right time to discover that!
- ✓If you thought the size of the Vatican Museums was overwhelmingly spectacular, St. Peter’s Basilica takes the “wow factor” to another level. The sheer capacity of the interiors is enough to leave any visitor searching for words to describe its vastness. At 613 feet long, 85 feet wide and 147 feet high, it took an incredible 120 years to build, starting from 1506. Admire Michelangelo’s unparalleled Pietà masterpiece and stroll towards the center-right nave to observe Bernini’s 30-foot high bronze Baldachin, which sits directly atop the site of St. Peter’s tomb.
What's included
- ✓A small group tour with a local tour guide
- ✓Skip-the-line for the Sistine Chapel
- ✓Comfortable Meeting Point to the Office near the Museums' entrance
- ✓Skip-the-line entry to St. Peter's Basilica
- ✓All fees and/or taxes
- ✓Other
- ✓English-speaking licensed tour guide
What's not included
- ✓Hotel pickup and drop-off
- ✓Not wheelchair/walker accessible
Good to know
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
While the Vatican Museums are equipped with elevators for wheelchair access, they are not conveniently located on the group tour route and only give access to specific sections of the Museums. As a result, we cannot accommodate wheelchairs on this tour.
All participants MUST cover their knees and shoulders during visits to religious sites, the Vatican Museums included. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
Please notice that we are not responsible for the number of visitors the Vatican Museums allow inside.
Large umbrellas are not allowed, please leave these at your accommodations.
Your tour voucher is valid only for the day and time reserved. We’re unable to accommodate late arrivals due to a strictly timed entrance ticket to the Vatican Museums. Missed tours or tickets due to late arrivals are non-refundable. Please allow extra time to reach the meeting point as Rome's streets can be confusing. Meeting time is 15 minutes before the start time of the tour.
ACCESSIBILITY: While the Vatican Museums are equipped with elevators for wheelchair access, they are not conveniently located on the group tour route and only give access to specific sections of the Museums. As a result, we cannot accommodate wheelchairs or walkers on this tour.
Passport/ID : Due to Vatican security regulations, we strongly recommend you bring a picture of your ID document with you for all participants, in case the Vatican guards check.
Cancellation policy
- •A full refund will apply if you cancel more than 24 hours before the activity start time.
- •No refund is possible if you cancel less than 24 hours before the activity start time.
Vatican: Museums, Basilica, and Chapel Small-Group Tour
Your tour begins at an office location around the corner from the Vatican entrance. Meet your guide and the rest of your group (up to 12 people). Head over to the Vatican Museums and breeze right past the crowds at the door: Tours include skip-the-line admission tickets. The collections are vast, but your guide directs you to the main highlights, including the Gallery of Maps. During the roughly 90-minute visit, hear about the collection of artworks and the Vatican’s papal history. From there, head to the Vatican's star attraction: the Sistine Chapel. Before heading inside, listen to your guide explain the intricacies of Michelangelo’s famous fresco. The last stop is St. Peter’s Basilica to see Michelangelo’s "La Pietà" and Bernini’s massive gilded baldachin. Tours end inside the basilica’s stunning interior, leaving you free to continue your visit.
Highlights
- ✓Ensure your spot inside with prebooked entry tickets
- ✓Enjoy plenty of personal attention on a small-group tour
- ✓Don't miss a word with personal audio headsets
- ✓Check off the must-see highlights without spending hours on foot
What you'll see & do
- ✓Meeting Point: The meeting point is our office, very close to the Museums' entrance, the exact address is Via Santamaura 14B. The closest Metro stop is Ottaviano. Please allow extra time due to traffic during the summer months! AFTERNOON TOUR - Meeting Point: Our office is located 2-min away from the Vatican Museums' entrance, the exact address is Via Santamaura 14B. If you do need assistance with how to reach the meeting point, please don't hesitate to contact us.
- ✓We continue our visit entering Vatican City, the smallest country in the world. Encircled by a 2-mile border with Italy, Vatican City is an independent city-state that covers just over 100 acres, making it one-eighth the size of New York’s Central Park. Vatican City is governed as an absolute monarchy with the pope at its head. The Vatican mints its own euros, prints its own stamps, issues passports, licenses plates operates media outlets and has its own flag and anthem. One government function it lacks: taxation. Museum admission fees, stamp and souvenir sales, and contributions generate the Vatican’s revenue.
- ✓The Vatican Museums feature many works of art that belonged to the different Popes and are full of artistic beauty. Here is a glimpse of some of the most beautiful things to see in the Vatican Museums. Rooms and Galleries of the Vatican Museums, as the Greek Cross Room, the Gallery of Maps, the Gallery of Tapestries, Raphael Rooms and much more! These collections have been piled up over the course of centuries through acquisitions, donations, commissions, confiscations, and quite often lucky discoveries from underground Rome and not only.
- ✓The Gallery of Maps is a stupendous hallway where geography and history are perfectly intertwined. Created at the end of the 16th century, the entire room is dedicated to customized maps, which display the whole of Italy. On one side of the 393-foot long gallery are two representations of the country: one from the Imperial Roman Era and the other from the 1500s. Each map shows political happenings, religious roles, and major battles. The ceiling is no less remarkable, with frescoed scenes displaying episodes and miraculous events of apostles, saints, and martyrs, which are linked to the geographical maps below.
- ✓Admire the breathtaking Sistine Chapel of Michelangelo! The most famous section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling is Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam. This scene is located next to the Creation of Eve, which is the panel at the center of the room, and the Congregation of the Waters, which is closer to the altar. Not everything was done by Michelangelo and your expert guide will be able to point that out. This proves just how great artists, even little known, left their marks in these magic locations. This is the right time to discover that!
- ✓If you thought the size of the Vatican Museums was overwhelmingly spectacular, St. Peter’s Basilica takes the “wow factor” to another level. The sheer capacity of the interiors is enough to leave any visitor searching for words to describe its vastness. At 613 feet long, 85 feet wide and 147 feet high, it took an incredible 120 years to build, starting from 1506. Admire Michelangelo’s unparalleled Pietà masterpiece and stroll towards the center-right nave to observe Bernini’s 30-foot high bronze Baldachin, which sits directly atop the site of St. Peter’s tomb.
What's included
- ✓A small group tour with a local tour guide
- ✓Skip-the-line for the Sistine Chapel
- ✓Comfortable Meeting Point to the Office near the Museums' entrance
- ✓Skip-the-line entry to St. Peter's Basilica
- ✓All fees and/or taxes
- ✓Other
- ✓English-speaking licensed tour guide
What's not included
- ✓Hotel pickup and drop-off
- ✓Not wheelchair/walker accessible
Good to know
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
While the Vatican Museums are equipped with elevators for wheelchair access, they are not conveniently located on the group tour route and only give access to specific sections of the Museums. As a result, we cannot accommodate wheelchairs on this tour.
All participants MUST cover their knees and shoulders during visits to religious sites, the Vatican Museums included. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
Please notice that we are not responsible for the number of visitors the Vatican Museums allow inside.
Large umbrellas are not allowed, please leave these at your accommodations.
Your tour voucher is valid only for the day and time reserved. We’re unable to accommodate late arrivals due to a strictly timed entrance ticket to the Vatican Museums. Missed tours or tickets due to late arrivals are non-refundable. Please allow extra time to reach the meeting point as Rome's streets can be confusing. Meeting time is 15 minutes before the start time of the tour.
ACCESSIBILITY: While the Vatican Museums are equipped with elevators for wheelchair access, they are not conveniently located on the group tour route and only give access to specific sections of the Museums. As a result, we cannot accommodate wheelchairs or walkers on this tour.
Passport/ID : Due to Vatican security regulations, we strongly recommend you bring a picture of your ID document with you for all participants, in case the Vatican guards check.
Cancellation policy
- •A full refund will apply if you cancel more than 24 hours before the activity start time.
- •No refund is possible if you cancel less than 24 hours before the activity start time.