Guided Tours

Vatican & Papal Tombs: Treasures of the Sistine Chapel

Discover the Vatican and all its secrets and stories with this guided tour through the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museum and the Papal tombs (“Vatacombs”). Learn more about the immense collections of art housed in the Vatican, and the many historical locations and artifacts collected over many centuries, with helpful and insightful commentary from your expert guide.

Get skip-the-line priority access to the Vatican museums and St. Peter’s Basilica, saving time spent in the long lines.

Follow your expert guide and discover renowned classical artworks and Renaissance masterpieces accumulated by Popes through the years.

Explore the rich galleries of the Vatican Museums, namely The Raphael Room, Gallery of Maps, Gregorian Etruscan and Egyptian Museum and much more.

Discover classical sculptures and paintings of great artists like Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci at the Vatican Museums.

Feast your eyes on Michelangelo's "The Last Judgment" and admire the frescos that decorate the interiors of the Sistine Chapel.

Get direct access to St. Peter's Basilica from Sistine Chapel and see the tombs of former popes buried underneath the church.

Skip-the-line tickets to Vatican Museums

Guided tour with an expert art historian guide

Locations visited: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, Papal sarcophagi, St. Peter's Basilica

Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off

Food or drinks

These tickets can't be cancelled or rescheduled.

Follow Your Expert Guide Through the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica with Skip the Line Access

Wander through the Vatican and uncover its many stories and secrets, with this comprehensive guided tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica. This 3+ hour tour covers the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, "Vatacombs" (Papal tombs), and St. Peter’s Basilica. Witness the Vatican’s rich history and heritage with the help of your expert guide, who is an art historian by profession.

Your tour starts after you meet your guide in central Rome and follow him to the Vatican Museums. Here you can admire one of the greatest art collections in the world, with over 20000 works on display in 1200 rooms. Your guide will lead you to the most important masterpieces, such as the rooms of Raphael, and the ancient Roman and Greek pieces housed in the enigmatic Belvedere Courtyard, all the while explaining to you the significance and importance of these exhibits.

Get Skip the Line Access to Iconic Christian Landmarks; the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica

From here, you will be taken to the Sistine Chapel, where you can admire the sheer spectacle of what the human imagination is capable of. Your guide will sketch out a detailed history of the Chapel and its construction, and you can then differentiate for yourself the truth from the many legends that surround this hallowed structure. After visiting the Sistine Chapel, you will granted direct access to St. Peter's Basilica, skipping the long lines and extra waiting time. Wander through the largest basilica in the world, built over the bones of St. Peter. Inside you can catch a glimpse of Michelangelo's Pieta and Raphael’s Transfiguration, all under the immense bronze canopy sculpted by Bernini. Here you can learn more about the history of the Vatican State, its design and layout, and the role played by the Swiss Guard in protecting the many treasures housed within it.

End Your Tour Down at the Underground Levels of St. Peter's Basilica in the Papal Tombs

Finally, your guide will lead you down to the underground catacombs, a rarely visited spot where the tombs of former popes lay silent and still for all eternity, carrying their many secrets and stories into the great beyond. This somber place is where your tour concludes, leaving you with many haunting memories of the Vatican that you will cherish for the rest of your life.

Important Information

The following locations are not included in this tour: St. Peter's Tomb / Scavi / Necropolis. Please book them separately.

No photos are allowed inside the Sistine Chapel.

On days immediately surrounding religious holidays at the Vatican, alterations to tours may become necessary due to partial closings of areas normally included in this tour. In the event that the Papal tombs beneath St. Peter's Basilica are closed, the tour of the Basilica itself will be extended and no refunds made.

** Timings and Availability **

The tour starts at 10:30 AM every day and lasts for 3 hours, approximately. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the starting time of the tour.

Guide Languages

Please be advised that the tour will be conducted in English.

** Dress Code **

Since the tour will cover a fair amount of ground in 3 hours, we recommend you put on some comfortable shoes to walk with ease.

** Accessibility **

Unfortunately, this experience is not accessible by wheelchair.

Reduced Price Tickets

Child tickets (children below 17 years of age) are available at a reduced price of 59 EUR. While infants aged 0-5 can visit for free.
Please select the right profile type for your group during checkout. Warning: Ensure that you are carrying a valid ID of the members in your group if you select any reduced price tickets during checkout.