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Guided Tours

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

Vatican Gallery of Maps showcasing detailed frescoes of Italy's regions.
raphael liberation of st peter
Belvedere Torso sculpture in Vatican Museum, Rome, Italy.
Belvedere Courtyard with sculptures and visitors in Vatican City.

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

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Guests from United States, United Kingdom, Australia and over 30 countries have loved this experience
María José Diez Montoro

María

5/5

Dec, 2024

Phenomenal! Guido did an impeccable and commendable job. Not only his treatment and kindness, but also his complete and detailed explanations made the 2 hours seem like minutes.
View original review in Spanish
Laiqa Mannan

Laiqa

5/5

Nov, 2024

The tour guide Jessica was incredible!! Super enthusiastic, such a nice person and you can tell she is so knowledgeable on the subject. She's excellent!
María Milagro Gómez Henares

María

3/5

Nov, 2024

Positive: to make the visit with less people around. Negative: the guide didn't show much interest in explaining the wonders we were going to see: on the explanations panel you couldn't see it and she didn't bother to turn on the flashlight.
View original review in Spanish
Gary Nevala

Gary

5/5

Nov, 2024

Our tour guide knew a ton about the Vatican and it made it an enjoyable experience. It was easy to locate the guide and they took great steps to get our entire group through the ticketing and security. It should be noted, this is a WALKING tour - no problem for me but there were some folks in my group (had cane/mobility issues) who seemed surprised by that and weren't able to complete the tour. The walking was about 1.5-2 hours total.
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.

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

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

  • 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.

  • 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 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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