Guided tour

Rome: Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel Skip-the-Line Tour

4.7 / 5

57 reviews

Activity provider: Walks of Italy
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    Guided tour

    Rome: Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel Skip-the-Line Tour

    Activity provider: Walks of Italy
    Likely to sell out
    Likely to sell out

    From US$ 62.28 per person

    Explore the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, and get a unique understanding of the history and world-class art collection of the Vatican.

    About this activity

    Free cancellation
    Cancel up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund
    Covid-19 precautions
    Special health and safety measures apply. Learn more
    Reserve now & pay later
    Keep your travel plans flexible—book your spot and pay nothing today. Learn more
    Duration 3 hours
    Check availability to see starting times.
    Skip the ticket line
    Live tour guide
    English

    Experience

    Highlights
    • See Michelangelo's frescos in the Sistine Chapel
    • Enjoy a guided tour of the Vatican Museums, including the Raphael Rooms
    • Enjoy a specially designed route that shows you all the works you know you wanted to see and a few surprises you won’t expect
    Full description

    Covid-19 Update

    Due to health and safety regulations, this itinerary may change. See Know before you go for the latest updates.

    Start your tour by skipping the (always long) ticket lines to get into the museum and diving right into the galleries holding some of the most famous works of art in the world. This specially-designed route encompasses all the can’t-miss pieces while also including some of the lesser known works that will really dazzle you. Your expert, English-speaking guide will give you eye-opening insight and context (along with some great stories) as you explore the Raphael Rooms, the Belvedere courtyard with ‘Apollo Belvedere’ & the Laocoön group, the Pinecone Courtyard, the Gallery of the Candelabra, the Gallery of the Maps, and the Gallery of the Tapestries. The piéce-de-resistance is, of course, the Sistine Chapel. Your guide will prep you for your time here by telling you the stories behind the creation of the iconic frescoes as well as what they mean. When you enter, you will then be able to appreciate the full majesty of the room, spotting little details like Michelangelo’s self-portrait and the rather painful revenge he plotted for the Pope’s aide (he wasn’t his biggest fan…) The Vatican is more than just a museum. It's home to the Pope and Catholicism and is one of the world's smallest yet powerful states. On this intimate tour, your guide will ensure that you get an overview of it all – from papal scandal to Renaissance masters and the day-to-day operation of Vatican City.

    Includes
    • Skip-the-ticket-line entry and reservation fees for the Vatican Museums
    • Skip-the-Line entry to the Sistine Chapel
    • Headsets
    • English-speaking expert tour guides
    • Gratuities
    Not suitable for
    • Wheelchair users
    Covid-19 precautions
    Safety measures in place
    • All required protective equipment is provided
    • All areas that customers touch are frequently cleaned
    • The number of visitors is limited to reduce crowds
    Traveler requirements
    • All participants are required to bring and wear FFP2 masks. Blue surgical masks will not be accepted

    Select participants and date

    Participants

    Date

    Meeting point

    Meet at the green bar (called l'Ottagono) in Piazza del Risorgimento. We meet just outside the green bar in the middle of Piazza del Risorgimento Square. This is the only bar/cafe located on the square. The bar is on the side of the square towards via Crescensio - close to Tram stop number 19.

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    Important information

    What to bring

    • Passport or ID card
    • Long pants
    • Long-sleeved shirt

    Not allowed

    • Shorts
    • Weapons or sharp objects
    • Luggage or large bags
    • Short skirts
    • Sleeveless shirts
    • Drinks
    • Umbrellas

    Know before you go

    •  All visitors must pass through airport-style security which may take up to 30 minutes in high season
    • Guests are asked to wear clothing that covers the shoulders and knees inside the chapel and may be denied entry due to improper dress
    • It is the responsibility of the guest to return to the Vatican Museums entrance to collect any left luggage after the tour
    Customer reviews

    Overall rating

    4.7 /5

    based on 57 reviews

    Review summary

    • Guide
      4.5/5
    • Value for money
      4.4/5
    • Service
      4.8/5
    • Organization
      4.8/5

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    Star rating:

    We did very few guided visits while in Rome, but this one was definitely worth it: skipping the lines for the Vatican Museum (including the Sixtine Chapel) AND the St. Peter’s Basilica, plus a great guide to avoid getting stuck in the less interesting parts really helped us to stay on time with our rather short visit to the city.

    June 19, 2022

    G
    GetYourGuide traveler – Switzerland Verified booking

    Helpful?

    Amazing Guide and Wonderful Tour

    Mario was a perfect guide for this tour. A very good-humoured guy from the Netherlands with a jokle on his lips for every occassion. The entrance of the Vatican Museums was crowded but as a pre-booked group the entrance and security control was easy and fast. Mario showed us main parts of the museum on the way to the highlight of this tour - the Sistine Chapel. He was full of information and told it to us in a very funny and interesting way. We also had enough time to enjoy the Sistine Chapel and his explanations in advance were great (inside the chapel speaking is forbidden). After the chapel the tour was continued in St. Peter's basilica, which we did not attend as we had another tour in the evening and we were out of time. But we had another tour in the morning were we visited it. But I am sure the tour with Mario inside the basilica was as great as in the Vatican Museums. REMARKABLE AND ABSOLUTELY RECOMMENDABLE

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    October 15, 2018

    S
    Stefanie – Germany Verified booking

    Helpful?

    Really good!!!

    Our tour guide was John and he is really good! He is very informative and speaks with a good soft voice. He knows everything into detail so we learned a lot. We really enjoyed this 3 hour tour which did not felt like 3 long hours. Also the group was small around 14 ppl, which is nice. I would really recommend this tour. Better than other tours with big groups up to 35 ppl.

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    August 17, 2018

    G
    GetYourGuide traveler – Netherlands Verified booking

    Helpful?

    Product ID: 49095