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Guided Tours

Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Early Morning or After-Hours Skip-the-Line Tour

Vatican Gallery of Maps
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Belvedere Torso - Vatican Museum
Tour group exploring the Vatican's Belvedere Courtyard, a highlight of the 'Vatican & Papal Tombs: Treasures of the Sistine Chapel' tour

Enjoy a skip-the-line tour of the Vatican Museum and explore Sistine Chapel. Choose between early morning or after-hours for best experience.

Highlights

  • Make the most of your day by gaining priority access to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, renowned for their vast art collections.

  • Enter the Vatican Museums before it gets crowded and explore 54 stunning galleries that flaunt Renaissance artists' works, accompanied by a multilingual guide.

  • Witness the iconic masterpiece, "The Creation of Adam," up close at the Sistine Chapel. Upgrade your ticket to enjoy a banquet breakfast in the Pinecone Courtyard.

  • You can choose between an early morning or after-hours guided tour of the museum by upgrading your ticket.

  • Fun fact: The Vatican Museums have an impressive collection of ancient artifacts, including mummies, Greek and Roman sculptures, and Egyptian sarcophagi.

Inclusions

  • Entry to the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

  • After-hours guided tour of Vatican Museums (optional)

  • Early morning guided tour of Vatican Museums (optional)

  • 30-min breakfast in the Vatican's Courtyard (optional)

  • Group of 20 people or less

  • Reservation fees

Cancellation policy

These tickets can't be cancelled or rescheduled.

Reviews

3.7
1.1K ratings
5/5
513
4/5
179
3/5
88
2/5
127
1/5
158
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Guests from United States, United Kingdom, France and over 36 countries have loved this experience
David Brown

David

5/5

Oct, 2024

Stefano was engaging, knowledgable, passionate and I found his dry sense of humour funny. It was amazing to be literally the last people on n the chapel. I can only imagine what it must be like to be in the middle of a daytime crowd.
Anais Carolina Santander Colmenares

Anais

5/5

Oct, 2024

Excellent tour, everything very well explained. Christian Mineo is a wonderful guide, very friendly and knowledgeable about the history of the Vatican.
View original review in Spanish
Roshini Greenwald

Roshini

5/5

Sep, 2024

my tour guide was AMAZING (i cant remember the spelling, but it was yazmina?). she was so knowledgable, super energetic, had great interesting stories and facts to share. It was a very rainy day, but that didnt stop us from having an amazing time. She made sure all members of the group were accounted for, enjoying themselves and had plenty of time to experience, ask questions and enjoy the amazing vatican!
Kathleen Cattani

Kathleen

3/5

Sep, 2024

The guide was very knowledgeable but there were issues getting started. Not sure if it was because of the crowds. I don't know that it was anything within the guides control but the tour ended up being very riushed and she had tot all really fast to get us through so that we had 5 minutes in the sistene chapel before it closed.
Gary Ripley

Gary

3/5

Sep, 2024

I think everything was rushed and the guide lost track of me twice and finally completely and I was on my own I was expecting more original statues not fake things over all the best was RYAN and the Saint Petersburg Basilica that was awesome answering the pope which I did do the following day. I thought my ticket was supposed to include a guided tour that was not a big deal. The guide was very friendly. and knowledgeable. I would not take that away from her, except for she lost me within the first five minutes I heard her speaking, the German speaking man on the radio and then it cut out later on in the visit she found me and lo and behold she lost me again, and I finished the tour on my own, but I did turn in my headphones and speaker device with my hand so I'm sure you received it back so please do not charge me for it. I did honorable thing and did return it.

Explore Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel

Make your way to the Vatican Museums by skipping the lines and check out some of the most important galleries and highlights of the Vatican Museums. The Vatican Museums are home to several classical sculptures and paintings by Renaissance greats such as Raphael, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Bernini, and Leonardo da Vinci.

The tour will continue to the Sistine Chapel where a guide will give an introduction. You can then explore the chapel on your own.Gaze in wonder at Michelangelo's stunning ceiling, meticulously painted over four years, and his iconic masterpiece, Last Judgement.

Enjoy at leisure with a ticket upgrade

Choose between early-morning and after-hours guided tour guided tour of the Vatican Museum by upgrading your ticket. The early-morning option provides you with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the museums without the usual crowds. You will be able to explore galleries and the Sistine Chapel. With thousands of visitors flocking to the museums every day, it is one of the most crowded attractions in Rome.

If you choose to visit the museum after hours, you will be able to see the exhibits in their soft evening light, which is when they look their best. Your guide will be on hand to bring the museum to life, weaving tales along the way.

Additionally, you can enjoy a spread of American-style breakfast in the peaceful atmosphere of the Pinecone Courtyard, before your tour with a ticket upgrade.

What's not allowed

  • Note that tripod and flash photography are not allowed in this experience.

Additional information

  • It's recommended to wear clothing that covers their knees, arms, and back.

  • The Sistine Chapel is often subject to last-minute closures for religious ceremonies.

  • Photography allowed.

  • Your voucher will be emailed to you shortly.

  • Display the voucher on your mobile phone with a valid photo ID at the meeting point.

  • Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled time of your tour to avoid any delays.

Meeting point

  • Please check your final voucher for the meeting point details and specific instructions.

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