Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Guided Tour

Highlights

• Licensed art historian guide
• Priority access
• Direct passageway from the Sistine Chapel

What's included

Itinerary

1. 1

   Vatican Museums

   1h 30min

   Meet your expert tour guide and bypass the notoriously long admission lines to enter the sprawling complex of the Vatican Museums. Equipped with individual headsets so you can hear every detail clearly, your guide will navigate you through miles of magnificent hallways containing centuries of papal art collections and classical antiquities. Walk through the open-air Pinecone Courtyard (Cortile della Pigna) to admire its 4-meter Roman bronze pinecone before entering the Pio-Clementino Museum, home to iconic ancient sculptures like Laocoön and His Sons and the Belvedere Torso. Continue along the grand halls to marvel at the 16th-century tapestries in the Gallery of Tapestries and the gilded ceiling of the 120-meter Gallery of Maps. Before moving forward, step inside the private papal apartments known as the Raphael Rooms (Stanze di Raffaello) to view monumental Renaissance frescoes, including The School of Athens.

2. 2

   Sistine Chapel

   1h

   Step inside the world’s most famous sacred room, the Sistine Chapel, where papal conclaves gather to elect new Popes. Out of respect for the sacred nature of the venue, absolute silence is observed inside; your guide will provide a thorough walkthrough of the artwork beforehand so you can appreciate every detail. Look up at the soaring vaulted ceilings painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, featuring dramatic biblical scenes such as The Creation of Adam. Stand before the altar wall to absorb the emotion and power of Michelangelo's massive masterpiece, The Last Judgment, as well as surrounding wall frescoes painted by Renaissance masters Botticelli, Perugino, and Ghirlandaio.

3. 3

   St. Peter's Basilica

   30min

   Your guide will take you to St Peter Basilica by utilizing the reserved group passageway leading directly from the chapel into Saint Peter’s Basilica. Once inside the magnificent basilica, your guide will bid you farewell, leaving you with complete freedom to explore the largest church in Christendom at your own pace. Wander beneath the soaring 136-meter dome to discover world-famous masterpieces without feeling rushed. Take all the time you need to admire Michelangelo’s deeply moving marble sculpture, La Pietà, and stand before Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s colossal 29-meter bronze Baldacchino towering over the papal altar. When you are finished exploring, step out into St. Peter's Square.

Before you go

Location