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Reserved Access

Semi-Private Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums & St. Peter's Basilica Tour

4.93

(1,820 Reviews)

English

Mon to Sat

08:30, 10:30 & 11:00

A Semi-Private guided tour with a group of 10 is the ideal way to explore the Vatican Museums. Your art historian guide will bring you through the small state to take in the treasures inside.

Our Reserved Access gets you First Access into the Vatican before everyone else.
Your expert Vatican guide will inspire you with the hidden stories behind the art of the Sistine Chapel and the Museums.
Follow your guide from the Sistine Chapel directly into the Basilica and the Pietá with Skip-the-Line access.
Enjoy an intimate experience with a small group of only 10 or fewer.

Skip-the-Line on Your Intimate Semi-Private Vatican Tour

What's Included

Reserved Access to the Vatican Museums
Skip-the-Line Access to St. Peter’s Basilica
Groups of 10 people or less
English speaking cultural guide
All tickets and reservation fees

Gratuities (welcomed and appreciated)

Sites Visited

Vatican Museums
Sistine Chapel
Gallery of Maps
Gallery of Tapestries
St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Square

Reserved Access to the Museums

Bypass the lines through our Reserved Access to the Museums on our Semi-Private Tour of the Vatican Museums and share the quality of the papal art collection on an engaging tour of the Vatican highpoints with an expert cultural guide.

No One Gives You More Access

Our tour really starts when you see the giant dome of St Peters Basilica rising over the gardens in the center of the Vatican. Among the rooftops of this small state, you'll just be able to make out the rather plain looking exterior of the Sistine Chapel. To get there you'll enter the Pinecone Courtyard where the Popes used to welcome visiting dignitaries. Today it acts as a sort of holding area for groups about to enter the Museum halls. Between the statues from Egypt and the unusual modern sculptures, you will learn about Michelangelo. The Sistine Chapel is a place of worship and there is no guiding allowed inside so this is where you will discover what to look out for.

The path to the Chapel will take you through rooms full of maps and statues, marble floors, exquisite ceilings and walls lined with hanging tapestries and glittering frescoes. Your guide will keep you enthralled with stories of the artists, their techniques and their relationship with the popes as you make your way towards the chapel. Once inside you will have time to examine all the finer points of the artwork inside and discover the genius behind Michelangelo's radical techniques which are considered the apex of the Renaissance style.

No One Gets You in Faster

When you leave the Sistine Chapel on our tour you do not have to line up again with others to enter St. Peter's Basilica. You can go straight through the doors to stare up at the enormous dome inside. You'll get to view Michelangelo's sublime Pieta, Bernini's twisted bronze canopy and the resting places of the popes. Afterward, say arrivederci to the Swiss Guards and head out into St. Peters Square which was designed by Bernini to be strangely circular.

Over the course of 3 hours, our guides will uncover the stories of the Vatican Museums and its exquisite architecture on a tour designed to be as engaging as possible in a location which attracts so many people every day. From the heavenly Basilica to the bible stories coming to life on the frescoes, you'll discover how the Popes used art to carry their news in the centuries before bibles were printed.

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Know Before You Go
Meeting Point
Near Museum Entrance - Open in Google Maps
Important Notes

Please be advised that access to St. Peter's Basilica will not be guaranteed unless the names of all participants in the booking are provided in advance. This requirement is essential for security and the Venue organizational purposes. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in ensuring a smooth and enjoyable visit.

Due to St. Peter Basilica security regulations, a PASSPORT OR VALID ID DOCUMENT IS MANDATORY to join this tour. It is your responsibility to ensure you have a valid document with you on tour. Passengers who fail to provide a valid proof of identity when requested will be denied entry.

Appropriate dress is required for entry into some sites on this tour. Knees, shoulders, and backs must be covered.

Please note that in case of unexpected closures of some of the areas inside the Museums, the guide may have to modify the itinerary slightly.

Saint Peter’s Basilica is subject to last-minute closures for religious ceremonies. When this occurs, we're happy to offer customers an extended tour of the Vatican Museums. While we endeavour to tell tour groups ahead of time if there are any planned disruptions to the Basilica's opening hours, this is not always possible and in these cases we are unable to provide refunds or discounts.

Cancelation Policy

Please be advised that some tour options are subject to a 24-hour cancelation policy. If you wish to cancel or amend your booking, you can do so without charge by contacting us up to 24 hours in advance of your expected departure time.

Please be advised that some tour options are non-refundable, with no cancellations or date changes allowed due to pre-purchased tickets.

It is mandatory to bring a valid ID or Passport for security checks, and entry will not be granted without proper documentation. Thank you for your cooperation.
FAQs
Are the Vatican Group tours accessible for people with a disability?
Please note that the Vatican Museums offers free tickets for people with disabilities exceeding 74%. Show the required documentation (certification of invalidity) to our City Wonders staff at Meeting Point to avail of this. After the tour you can contact our CW Customer Care in order to get the reimbursement of Vatican ticket cost. However, due to some itinerary restrictions, we are unable to accommodate wheelchair users or customers with restricted mobility on our Vatican Group Tours.

We welcome wheelchair users on our Private Vatican tours. Wheelchair users are required to use a different route through the Vatican Museums. Our Private Vatican Tours fully accommodate wheelchair users and persons of reduced mobility. Your guide will bring you through the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, but not the Basilica.

*Important note: Neither option detailed above includes the special skip-the-line access to Saint Peter's Basilica as it is not wheelchair accessible. If you wish to visit Saint Peter's Basilica after your tour, you will need to exit the Vatican Museums, go to Saint Peter's Square and queue to enter. Entry to the Basilica is free.

I am taking a Vatican Tour that includes Saint Peter’s Basilica, will we go up the dome?
It is possible to climb the Dome on your own if you wish, however you will need to purchase a ticket directly on site. Our tours do not include a visit to the Dome. Please note that if you intend to climb the Dome after your tour ends, you should make sure to book a morning tour (not on a Wednesday) as the Dome access is already closed in the afternoon before our afternoon tours reach Saint Peter’s Basilica, and the Basilica is often closed on Wednesday mornings.
Is photography permitted during the tour?
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US$142.70

per adult

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