Early Vatican Museums Tour: The Best of the Sistine Chapel

based on 755 reviews

Duration:4 hours (approx.)
Location: Rome, Italy

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Enter the Sistine Chapel at the most peaceful time of day to enjoy Michelangelo’s masterpiece in serenity and embark on a thorough guided tour of the Vatican Museums, ending at the awe-inspiring St. Peter's Basilica. There's no better way to see the highlights of the Vatican without the crowds that descend upon the galleries later in the day.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1.
Your guide will lead you on a full tour of the Vatican Museums, stopping to see all the most important works. Since you got a head start compared to most of the day's visitors, you’ll stay one step ahead of the crowds in most galleries.
2.
Inside the peaceful, Pinecone Courtyard you'll pass a spectacular bronze globe. It was designed for the Vatican by well-known Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro and copies of it can now be found all over the world, including Dublin, Tel Aviv and New York City.
3.
During the day, the Raphael Rooms are as busy as the Sistine Chapel. At this hour of the morning, however, when the Museums have just opened for the day, you'll have plenty of space to enjoy them peacefully. Your guide will point out where Raphael worked the faces of his contemporaries Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo into his frescoes.
4.
The Sistine Chapel wasn’t meant to be seen standing shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of other people. Beat the crowds by entering first thing in the morning and enjoy the incredible frescoes in relative peace.
5.
Last but certainly not least, you'll head straight to St. Peter's Basilica via a special secret passage, bypassing the long lines that are starting to form outside. End your morning with a full tour of the sacred space and gaze upon Michelangelo's moving Pietà, Bernini's grandiose altarpiece, and so much more as you learn the stories and legends behind them. Note: The special access passage between the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica is subject to unexpected closures. On such days we will instead explore the magnificent Pinacoteca Gallery.

ADDITIONAL INFO

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• All guests (including children) must bring ID on the day of their tour.
• Please note the attire must be appropriate for the visit. Both men and women are required to wear clothing that covers both shoulders and knees. We cannot be held responsible for denied entry due to improper dress. It is sufficient to bring extra coverings (i.e. scarves and shawls) with you to wear before entering the holy areas.
• While the Vatican Museums are equipped with elevators for wheelchair and stroller access, they are not conveniently located on the group tour route and only give access to specific sections of the Museums. We advise clients to contact Walks Customer Service Team to make further arrangements
• The tour is in English
• Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments, or for wheelchairs or strollers. Please contact the Guest Experience team to make alternative arrangements.
• Walks / Devour complies with all local government regulations. Please refer to local government guidelines for the most up-to-date information.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : Katie_H
Our tour guide Leah was absolutely amazing. She walked us through the Vatican with such excitement and knowledge! It was easy to get to the meeting point and get in first thing! We got to spend some time in the Sistine Chapel and truly look at the amazing ceiling, we were prepped before hand about all the details of it too! So glad we did this tour.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-30 13:55:13

Posted By : im4yanks
I was a little hesitant to take a tour with with other travelers, but I knew the vatican museums would be completely overwhelming without a guide. I chose this tour because of the great reviews and fair pricing.

Since there’s no entrance before opening any longer, I chose the first time slot (i think 7?), hoping for the fewest amount of people (in the sistine ideally). However, since many groups of tours start at this time, there really would be no way to get to the sistine unless you directly head there (and it’s quite far).

Our guide (her name was maybe Cecelia?) was WONDERFUL. She is so knowledgeable and clearly has passion for the subject matter. She led us through the important works through all the museums & st. peter’s - sculptures , paintings, tapestries etc- and told us why they were important, set them in time historically. She also had funny anecdotes to tell and was never boring. She was also able to deftly handle a woman in our group who tried to speak over her and interject often.

Highly recommend this tour. The little headphones they gave were great and necessary. I saw a few groups without them and they were obnoxious. No matter what, do not visit the vatican museums without a guide. I really underestimated the enormity of it.

Bring comfortable walking shoes! it’s a lot of standing and walking for 3 straight hours. This tour was a great way to get directly into st. peter’s as well. the line when we were leaving in May at 11 was astounding to me.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-29 11:38:43

Posted By : daphGG
Very informational and lots of highlights in 4 hours. Otherwise would have taken all day to see and understand everything. Lots of walking.
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Posted On : 2024-06-27 04:19:23

Posted By : John_S
Excellent guide with great knowledge and very good at getting us into good position to view things, we were 1st into The Vatican
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Posted On : 2024-06-26 14:40:43

Posted By : Leanne_M
Siri was an amazing guide. So passionate and very knowledgeable. We had a brilliant experience on this tour
😊
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Posted On : 2024-06-22 12:58:11

Posted By : Gil_T
This tour was overwhelming and felt rushed. There was never time to take in the atmosphere or art. Also, though not the fault of the tour group, I/we were disappointed that the main altar of St. Peter's was covered in scaffolding and the famous Pieta was not viewable. Not sure we would have booked this, if we had known...

I visited the Vatican 20 years ago, and the experience was quite different. Sadly, it is now overcrowded and the experience was frenetic. If I had it to do over again, I would not book this tour. There are other beautiful churches and places where you're able to truly appreciate the art and the history of the Catholic church...in peace.

All that being said, the tour guide was very kind, knowledgeable and friendly.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-22 01:28:40

Posted By : Sandra_B
Jeb our tour guide was outstanding! He was the best tour guide I’ve ever had. The amount of information he provided was exceptional. He was extremely detailed and friendly. Kept everyone moving but it did not feel rushed. As an art history major, it showed. Amazing!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-21 13:44:37

Posted By : James_S
We enjoyed this tour of the Vatican. The two highlights were our guide and the fact you can go directly from Sistine Chapel to St Peter’s Basilica. Our guide Elizabeth was great. She did a good job moving us through a very crowded Vatican museum. She had great information about what we were seeing. She also had great information about Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s. The reason we gave this only four star was it was advertised as early morning lower crowds. It was early morning but crowds were already huge. Not sure paying extra for early morning actually bought us anything over later morning for less.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-20 02:53:33

Posted By : JoAnna_D
Great way to explore the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. Only draw back was we went on a Wednesday so didn't realize we wouldn't get to visit St. Peter's Basilica. Our tour guide was great and very passionate about the arts. We learned a lot. Would recommend.
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Posted On : 2024-06-17 03:11:16

Posted By : Anthony_S
Our Tour guide Sabina was excellent. She was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. The tour was a fantastic experience and we saw all the main highlights.
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Posted On : 2024-06-16 09:16:50