Vatican Art Tour: Explore Iconic Masterpieces

Experience an exclusive 3.5-hour Vatican group tour, visiting the Sistine Chapel before it opens to the public. Explore the Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica with a top-rated local guide.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Vatican Museums - Enjoy early entry into the museums, one hour ahead of the general public. Explore the Rooms of Raphael, Hall of Maps, Ancient Sculpture Gallery, Belvedere Courtyard, and Cortile della Pigna.
  • Sistine Chapel - Visit the renowned Sistine Chapel.
  • Cortile della Pigna - Located within the Vatican Museums.
What's Included
  • Vatican Museums ticket
  • Escorted entrance to St Peter’s Basilica
  • Expert, English-speaking guide
  • Small Group Size
  • Headsets for groups of 6 or more
  • All Fees and Taxes
  • Ability to enter St Peter’s Basilica on your own accord after the tour has ended
What's Not Included
  • Transportation to and from the meeting and end point
  • Food and beverages
  • Gratuities (optional)
Additional Information

Explore the Vatican Museums, home to what is arguably the finest art collection globally. This 3.5-hour group tour, led by a highly-rated local guide, showcases highlights like the Laocoon and the Apollo Belvedere, along with some lesser-known gems. After the museum visit, admire Michelangelo’s renowned Sistine Chapel. The tour also provides an escorted…

Location
Viale Giulio Cesare, 237
Viale Giulio Cesare
You will meet your guide cy the flower stand on the corner of Viale Giulio Cesare and Via Leone IV. They will have a Through Eternity sign or flag.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(306 Ratings)
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Patrickak7108co
Aug 28, 2025
Amazing tour and GREAT tour guide! - Our tour guide was absolutely great! She was so informative and sweet, really went with the flow of the group! I would absolutely tour with her again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
642brir
Aug 21, 2025
AMAZING! - I booked this tour last minute and I am SO glad! Not only is the Vatican experience breathtaking, but our guide Thomas was fantastic! He was both humorous and knowledgeable and kept us engaged the whole time. St Peter’s basilica and the Sistine chapel are more breathtaking than I imagined. Definitely worth it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marlon_d
Jul 7, 2025
Perfecto 🤌🏽 - Amazing experience with an extremely kind and knowledgeable tour guide. I definitely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Darryll_h
May 6, 2025
Tour was well organized... - Tour was well organized and guide was patient. Too bad we were unable to view the Sistene chapel due to impending Conclave. They assured us we would get a refund for that part of the tour. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Viator
G7421uaamandal
Apr 13, 2025
2025 Vatican experience - We loved our guide, Paolo Lenzi. He kept us moving in the “tourist factory” and provided wonderful context for a variety of rooms and pieces in the Vatican. I was not prepared for how crowded this site is… definitely order tickets in advance. I can’t imagine going at my own pace with just an audio guide. Well worth it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B7245xpamyr
Apr 10, 2025
Excellent tour and guide - Our guide was wonderful. She knew so much about Rome and the Vatican. The tour was a bit rushed but there were so many people visiting that day. She gave us great information. I would do this tour again when in Rome.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sightsee791846
Apr 9, 2025
Eugenia was amazing as a guide of the Vatican / Sistine Chapel - Eugenia was the most wonderful guide. She made sure we could all hear her and basically told us exactly what to expect once we got into the Sistine Chapel. We learned so much from her about the history of the Vatican and all of the pieces of art inside. She was so knowledgeable and made it all interesting for us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Danielle_v
Aug 18, 2025
VERY long day. Very... - VERY long day. Very early meeting time, and waited at least 1/2 hour to start heading to Vatican. If you just want to see Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica, this isn’t the tour for you. We went through every part of the museum, and our guide kept us outside, for what felt like hours, to explain the paintings on the Sistine ceiling. We had about 10-15 minutes in Sistine, and longer in Basilica. We could have stayed after tour also, if we wanted.
Review provided by Viator
Daytrip15370465311
Apr 23, 2025
Loads of information but a bit dry - not for kids - Frankly, the tour was a bit of a let down. I had taken a similar tour 12 years back and it couldn't have been more exciting. I had booked the tour with similar expectations but unfortunately they fell short. First, I had booked the tour for Tuesday and it had included St. Peter's Basilica in the tour. I was informed that the Vatican would be closed on that day so my tour was moved to Wednesday. When we went there I found out that the tours were running on Tuesday and plenty of people took the same tour. Next, the tour guide was well informed and had a lot of knowledge but made the tour very dry. His english wasn't very good and he was struggling to find the right words. It was a very heavy italian accent and my husband and kids had trouble understanding some of the words. I had mentioned I would like to have a kid friendly guide, but the tour turned more like a lecture on everything and kids were bored. The guide kept stopping to talk about things like a boat and even St. Peter's Basilica so we had less time in more interesting rooms like Raphael and tapestry rooms. By the time we reached Sistine Chapel it was so full even though we took the early tour. We had informed of our preferences in the beginning of the tour like Raphael rooms, kids being interested in mythology etc. and also that we had a colosseum tour to get to by 12:00 PM (I had this booked for Wednesday since my original tour was for Tuesday). I will say though that Lorenzo answered some of the irrelevant questions my youngest asked with a lot of patience. Wish he had made it more interactive and explained Sistine chapel with stories rather than the technical details. I did enjoy it but that was because I had prior knowledge of the mythology and stories and had taken the tour earlier.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amy_b
Jun 25, 2025
Sadly, Not worth the money - As a family we were so excited to visit the Vatican. Our guide was rude, non-engaging and very hard to understand. She ruined the experience for the whole family and we just wanted to leave the tour. This was a pricey tour as well. Would not recommend. A tour guide can make or break your experience.
Review provided by Viator
From $194
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).