Skip-the-Line Group Tour of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica

based on 5276 reviews

Duration:3 hours (approx.)
Location: Rome, Italy

From $

Book in 2 easy steps:

1. Select A Date

2. Enter Total No Of Travellers

CHILD (Age : 0 to 5)

YOUTH (Age : 6 to 17)

ADULT (Age : 18 to 100)

Free Cancellation

Upto 24 hours in Advance.

Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Top Selling Tours & Activities

Museums

Excellent Quality

Viator Plus

Half-day Tours

Art Galleries

Viator Experience Award 2022

Museum Tickets & Passes

Attractions & Museums

Walking Tours

Cultural Tours

Historical Tours

Skip the line Tickets

PRODUCT DETAILS
TRAVELER REVIEWS
TRAVELER PHOTOS

A holiday in Rome without visiting the Vatican is like a day at the beach without swimming in the sea. See the best of the Vatican museums and gain direct entrance with skip-the-line access to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, while our excellent guides entertain you with stories that go with each masterpiece.

This budget-friendly tour is the best value for money for travelers that are interested in 1) seeing the museum’s highlights 2) meeting a new friend or two through your group and 3) skipping the lines (trust us, with over 6 million tourist spilling into the museum every year, you'll want it!)

Disclaimer: you will be entering the Vatican museum during one of the busiest times of the day. While the tour provides skip-the-line access, the crowds in the museum vary from day to day and some delay with security can be expected (it would be misleading for other tour operators to not tell you this!)

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Borgo
Meet your tour guide at our office, located in the oldest neighbourhoods of the Vatican, Borgo Pio. Following a self introduction by your guide, you will walk through the charming shops of the Borgo, as he/she shares some local tips for eating and site seeing in Rome, including off the beaten track sites that you must visit during your holiday! Some background will also be provided on the history of the Sistine Chapel (we do it here as the chapel forbids noise and travellers are expected to observe silence once entering).
2. Via della Conciliazione
Admire the flags and surrounding embassies as you walk through this street, which serve as the primary access point to St. Peter's Square, and by extension, to the Vatican City itself.
3. St. Peter's Square
We arrive at St. Peter's Square, which is marked by a towering Egyptian obelisk and enveloped by columns and statues of saints. Hear about the history of the square and the legendary artist Bernini who designed it. Fun fact- the Pope addresses crowds from his apartment window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, during the Papal audience held every Wednesday and Sunday morning.
4. Vatican City
En route to the museum, you will get to see and hear about how residents of the smallest city in the word go about their day to day life (including getting their mail!) Snap a pic of the Swiss guards- the pontifical bodyguards in their distinctly Renaissance uniforms. Our Tip: send yourself a post card after the tour. The post office sells a variety of memorabilia, including stamps with Pope Francis's face! Then, slowly head towards the museum's entrance, where you will be led to a special area reserved for skip-the-line groups.
5. Vatican Museums
Be prepared to hear about stories as your guide walk you through an astonishing collection of Roman and Greek statues, the gallery of tapestries, and a gallery of maps depicting 16th century Italy.
6. Sistine Chapel
Admire Michelangelo's famous works, including the Creation of Adam and the Last Judgement. This spectacular fresco evokes lifelike images within the mind, vividly portraying stories of mankind in the biblical era. Note that the museum requires visitors to observe silence and a dress code (knees and shoulders covered).
7. St. Peter's Basilica
You will be brought in front of St. Peter's Church, where a special entrance will allow you to enter directly from the museum and bypass the long queue out in the square. Got questions? Ask you guide before parting ways!

ADDITIONAL INFO

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : John_G
The tour started on time. Our guide clearly knew what to expect and did a great job letting the group know what to expect. He gave clear instructions and kept track of the entire group. He was very knowledgeable and engaging. I'm not sure of the spelling but his name but our guide was Fillippe and I strongly recommend requesting him as a guide.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-08 12:56:39

Posted By : 755sierrag
Our tour guide, Marco, was great! He was very knowledgeable throughout the tour. The Vatican is huge! Marco did an amazing job focusing on the highlights of the Vatican. I would recommend doing this tour in winter as the Vatican can be incredibly busy.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-08 12:41:13

Posted By : Relax08027798271
Great tour and very informative guide. I would have loved to have heard more about the history of the Vatican both the good and the bad. Most of the offering was pretty general and I feel like more “meaty” stories could be shared. And not enough of an opportunity to ask questions but Giovanni was lovely. The company was a bit rude at checking and we left late but other than that - it was good
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-08 09:53:03

Posted By : 204rahula
This was a good comprehensive tour of the vatican museum, sistine chapel and St. Peters basilica. Our guide was Lorenzo, he was sweet and personable and had very good knowledge of the Vatican and it's history. The tour can be quite overwhelming as there is a lot to see and comprehend, but its also very unique and rich in history. It would have been good if the tour guide came with us inside the St. Peter's basilica, but this was left to us to explore on our own.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-08 05:17:15

Posted By : wmj2000
Awesome tour of the Vatican. Three hours was the perfect length for the tour. Laura/Yoda was amazing. She was very informative and very professional. Highly recommend this company. The skip the line part of the tour in mandatory. It was a 3 hour line to get into the museum and St. Peter’s. Thanks!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-07 14:40:39

Posted By : Kalyani_C
Joya was our tour guide for this walking tour. Both me and my husband aren’t very knowledgeable about art. Joya made it very interesting for us by explaining the history behind the masterpieces in the Vatican museums, Sistine chapel. We also had a quick driving tour of the Vatican garden which I really appreciate. Skipping the line saved us so much time too.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-07 11:15:50

Posted By : Kathy_L
We really enjoyed our guide Marco! He was knowledgeable, and had a great sense of humor, he involved the participants.

Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-07 11:04:22

Posted By : RUTH_P
The tour guide was the best we have had ever
We have been to Rome before and he was informative thoughtful and got us through to the most important areas as quickly as possible
The organization was incredible and the company has been doing this for many years so it know what it’s doing RECOMMEND 100%
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-07 06:48:55

Posted By : Kris_W
We loved our tour with Karl. He was animated, full of informations and his enthusiasm for what he was sharing with us was evident. So much history and beauty on the tour. Loved it.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-07 02:30:16

Posted By : Jennifer_B
Marco was a great guide! Super friendly and informative! Would definitely do another tour- lots of good tips!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-06 17:54:17