Skip-the-Line VIP Private Tour: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Basilica

Highlights

• Guaranteed Skip-the-Line Access
• Private Expert Guide
• Exclusive Room Access

What's included

Itinerary

1. 1

   Vatican Museums

   1h

   You meet your guide for either a 9.00 am or 2.00 pm start and head directly for the Belvedere Courtyard.  Then it is on to the largest collection of ancient Roman and Greek statues in the Pio-Clementino Museums. As you meander through the collections your guide will share the history and many anecdotes about the wonderful treasures to be seen.  Hear about the tapestries in the Gallery of Tapestries and the largest collection of Renaissance Maps in the world housed in the Gallery of Maps.  See the largest canvas in the Vatican in the Sobiesky Room and learn about the frescoes in the Immaculate Conception Rooms.

2. 2

   Stanze di Raffaello

   30min

   You will also see Raphael’s famous masterpieces, the Parnassus and The School of Athens.  These are displaced in the rooms painted for Pope Julius II by the young Raphael and are considered some of his very best works.

3. 3

   Sistine Chapel

   15min

   Before you enter the Sistine Chapel (no talking is allowed inside) your guide will tell you about the marvelous frescoes by Michelangelo, Botticelli and other Renaissance painter of the day.  The chapel is also where the conclave is held to elect a new Pope.  Hear all about this as well as many other interest facts and anecdotes.

4. 4

   St. Peter's Basilica

   30min

   It is then time for a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica where you will explore the numerous side chapels with their hidden crypts. You will see Michelangelo’s Pietà and your guide will explain why this is the only work that he signed. You will gain an appreciation of the mastery that went into the creation of Bernini’s altarpiece and learn how Michelangelo triumphed over his contemporaries for the honour to paint St. Peter’s magnificent dome.

5. 5

   St. Peter's Square

   15min

   The tour will end in the magnificent Saint Peter's Square

Before you go

Location