Guided Tours

Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica Early Morning Tour

Sculpture of a bronze sphere in the Vatican Museums courtyard, Rome.

Tour group viewing Laocoön and His Sons statue in Vatican Museums.

Guide leading tour group through Gallery of Maps, Vatican Museum.

Visitors walking through Chiaramonti Museum hall with classical sculptures, Vatican Museums.

Duration

3 hr - 4 hr 30 min

Open today

Free cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience

Book now, pay later

Book now without paying anything. Cancel for free if your plans change.

Guided tour

Meals included

Indulge in a sumptuous meal as a part of your experience

Skip the crowds and experience some of the greatest Renaissance art at the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel with an early morning tour with an expert guide.

4.5/5

(2,250)

Anne

Sep 2025

Verified booking

5/5

Very well organized, everything worked perfectly. Fabricio, our guide, explained everything really well and was very friendly. The whole tour took a good 6 hours. However, the description of the tour was not correct. The tour started with the ascent of the dome and only went into the Vatican Museums at 12 noon. We had hoped to see the Sistine Chapel without mass tourism...just as it was described. Also the time indication of 2-3 hours is not correct. It takes about 6 hours which is good if you know in advance and can take enough drinks with you. However, we would always book and recommend the tour again. Only the booking description should be revised

Leigh

Aug 2025

Verified booking

5/5

Our guide Nadya was exceptional, she was incredibly knowledgeable, fun and paced the tour beautifully. Our tour of the Vatican Museo was filled with incredible history and stunning pieces, the Sistine Chapel was divine and the Dome was worth the climb, that view!! There are no words to describe the awe of St Peter's Basillica, it is mind-blowing. Highly recommend Italia Tours and Nadya

Bart

Oct 2025

Verified booking

5/5

Out guide was very knowledgeable and kind. The group was small (5) so I felt I received a very personal introduction to the museum and Basilica. Everything was just wonderful and overwhelming. The guide Francesco, had certain privileges that allowed us to take doors and stairs and ways that are not accessible to the crowds. The three hours passed very quickly. Well done!

Enter before opening hours and experience the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel in rare peace and quiet.

Skip ticket lines and follow your expert guide through iconic galleries like the Gallery of Maps and Raphael Rooms.

Admire Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel without the usual crowds.

Continue into St. Peter’s Basilica, a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture and one of the most sacred sites in Christendom.

Upgrade to include a dome climb for panoramic views of Vatican City and Rome from the top.

Guided tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with skip-the-line entry

Entry to St Peter's Basilica (as per option selected)

Semi-private group of 6 (as per option selected)

Entry to St Peter's Dome (as per option selected)

Breakfast at Vatican Courtyard (as per option selected)

Expert English-speaking guide

Headsets

Gratuities

You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

4.5
2,250 reviews
How do we collect reviews?
These ratings include verified reviews from both Headout guests and our trusted partners who operate this experience locally. All reviews come from real travelers who've taken this experience.
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Guests from United States, United Kingdom, Australia and over 10 countries have loved this experience
What our guests say
Anna
Oct 2025
Verified booking
3/5
Today's excursion was fine. You can't call it "going through the queue". We queued just like the others. Yes, exactly: the others. The basilica, the cathedral, the dome, the grotto - everything was full of people. In no way can you speak of "exclusivity" or being outside the streams of visitors here. We stood in the grotto for ages because we could neither go forwards nor backwards. In the basilica, we were almost run over. The guided tour with Maria was interesting and balanced. However, due to the crowds of visitors and the fact that it was difficult to get through, she went at quite a pace - you would have struggled to keep up and were constantly getting lost. It was exactly the same in the Vatican Museum. Some people 'got off' because they just couldn't keep up with the pace. We were really stressed and couldn't really take in what we were seeing because we were so busy listening and keeping up. I would book the basilica/dome tour again as we received good information from Maria and found the routes quickly and easily (elevator, dome, Holy Door etc.). I would book the Vatican Museums 1. on another day and 2. with a guide who does not take other guests afterwards. Unfortunately, the latter was not enjoyable at all. I also wouldn't go in the Jubilee year. I have seen so many people, if at all, at concerts and festivals - with the difference that they all look and walk in the same direction and on the cathedral and museum tour they all walk and stand completely differently
Lorean
Oct 2025
Verified booking
3/5
The tour overall felt quite rushed from start to finish. If I could rate our guide Rafa separately, she’d easily get 5 stars. She did an amazing job managing a large group and shared an incredible amount of knowledge throughout the tour. That said, the 3-star rating is more reflective of the organizing tour company. It was clear that Rafa was under a lot of pressure trying to keep everyone together, especially given the size of our group—about 20 people, many of whom were elderly and had limited mobility. This made it especially challenging to navigate the Vatican, which was extremely crowded due to Jubilee. In my opinion, tour groups should be capped at around 10 people to make the experience more enjoyable and manageable, especially in such busy environments. For the price I paid, I expected a more thoughtfully organized experience. To be clear—my disappointment lies with the tour company, not Rafa. She handled everything with patience, professionalism, and grace. Honestly, she deserves a raise.
Bart
Oct 2025
Verified booking
5/5
Out guide was very knowledgeable and kind. The group was small (5) so I felt I received a very personal introduction to the museum and Basilica. Everything was just wonderful and overwhelming. The guide Francesco, had certain privileges that allowed us to take doors and stairs and ways that are not accessible to the crowds. The three hours passed very quickly. Well done!
Susan
Oct 2025
Verified booking
4/5
Tour guide was excellent and very patient. Although not something the tour could control, it was disappointing to have to wait 1.5 hours to get into St Peter's within a big crowd and a lot of that time standing in the sun. It's not what I expected at all with a small group tour and skip the line tickets. The Dome climb and view was spectacular.
Aurelia
Oct 2025
Verified booking
3/5
It is not true that you can visit the Vatican with less people thanks to this early morning tour. It was completely crowded. But fortunately we could skip the loooong queue at the museum to get inside. The guide was very knowledgeable, but had such a strong accent that even native speakers found it hard to understand him.

Enjoy the Vatican’s masterpieces before the crowds with this early morning guided tour.

Getting started

Meet your guide at the designated meeting point near the Vatican Museums entrance by 7:45am. Skip the ticketing lines and enter with your group before the doors open to the public. Be prepared for a quick security check—ID may be required.

What to expect

Vatican Museums

Step into one of the world’s most visited museums, home to centuries of art collected by the popes.

Explore the Gallery of Maps, Tapestries, and Candelabra in a quiet, crowd-free setting.

See the celebrated Raphael Rooms, adorned with frescoes by Raphael and his students.

Sistine Chapel

Admire Michelangelo’s Last Judgment and Creation of Adam in near silence—a rare privilege.

St. Peter’s Basilica

Gaze up at Michelangelo’s dome and Bernini’s towering Baldachin.

Pause before the Pietà, one of Michelangelo’s most moving sculptures.

Wrapping up

Want to go higher? Choose the upgrade for a dome climb after your basilica visit and take in Rome from above.

Vatican Museums

Monday	08:00am - 08:00pm	last entry 06:00pm
Tuesday	08:00am - 08:00pm	last entry 06:00pm
Wednesday	08:00am - 08:00pm	last entry 06:00pm
Thursday	08:00am - 08:00pm	last entry 06:00pm
Friday	08:00am - 08:00pm	last entry 06:00pm
Saturday	08:00am - 08:00pm	last entry 06:00pm
Sunday	Closed

St Peter's Basilica

Monday	07:00am - 07:10pm
Tuesday	07:00am - 07:10pm
Wednesday	07:00am - 07:10pm
Thursday	07:00am - 07:10pm
Friday	07:00am - 07:10pm
Saturday	07:00am - 07:10pm
Sunday	07:00am - 07:10pm

Sistine Chapel

Monday	08:00am - 07:00pm	last entry 05:00pm
Tuesday	08:00am - 07:00pm	last entry 05:00pm
Wednesday	08:00am - 07:00pm	last entry 05:00pm
Thursday	08:00am - 07:00pm	last entry 05:00pm
Friday	08:00am - 07:00pm	last entry 05:00pm
Saturday	08:00am - 07:00pm	last entry 05:00pm
Sunday	Closed

What to bring

Wear comfortable shoes as the experience requires a fair amount of walking.

What's not allowed

Strict dress code: knees, shoulders, and back must be covered for all guests.

Inside the Sistine Chapel, it's all about the quiet vibes. No chatting, no phones, and no photos, just pure admiration.

Luggage and/or large bags are not allowed inside the venue. You may drop off your bags with the free cloakroom service.

Pets and other small animals are not allowed in the venue.

Accessibility

This experience is wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible.

The Vatican Museums offer free wheelchair hire and free entry for visitors with mobility impairments (certified invalidity exceeding 74%) and a companion if required. Click here for the accessible route.

Additional information

The entrance to the Museums is timed. Be sure to select your activity starting time when booking. Once inside the Museums, you will be free to explore at your own pace.

Although not included in these tickets, access to St. Peter's Basilica is free but there could be a waiting line during peak season.

Please be aware that during the Jubilee Year, certain areas of the Vatican Museums may be inaccessible due to religious ceremonies. Additionally, entrance to St. Peter's Basilica may also experience unannounced closures. These circumstances are beyond our control. Thank you for your understanding.

Your voucher will be emailed to you instantly.

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.