Italy · Museum

Semi-Private Vatican Tour with Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica

3 Hours Round trip from Rome Moderate pace

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The journey

Trip highlights

01 Semi-private Vatican tour with a maximum group size of 12
02 Skip-the-line entry to the Vatican Museums
03 See the Raphael Rooms and The School of Athens
04 Visit the Gallery of the Candelabra, Tapestries, and Maps
05 Experience Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel
06 Enter St. Peter’s Basilica through the Scala Regia
07 Led by a passionate English-speaking guide

Skip the long lines and discover the artistic and spiritual treasures of Vatican City on this semi-private guided tour. With a maximum of 12 guests, you’ll explore the Vatican Museums in a more personal setting, taking in celebrated spaces such as the Pio-Clementino Museum, the Gallery of the Candelabra, the Gallery of the Tapestries, the Gallery of the Maps, the Borgia Apartments, and the Raphael Rooms.

Along the way, your expert English-speaking guide will bring the masterpieces to life, from Raphael’s School of Athens to Michelangelo’s extraordinary Sistine Chapel ceiling. Your experience continues into St. Peter’s Basilica via the Scala Regia passageway, where you can admire one of the world’s most revered churches before continuing your day in Rome.

Along the way, your expert English-speaking guide will bring the masterpieces to life, from Raphael’s School of Athens to Michelangelo’s extraordinary Sistine Chapel ceiling.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 3 Hours

Tour type Shared

Activity level Moderate

Accommodation Not included

Transport Not included

Wheelchair access No

City Rome

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Guided Tour of the Vatican Museums

The Best Galleries at the Vatican - Visit the Vatican’s most celebrated galleries including the Borgia Apartments, Gallery of the Candelabra, Gallery of the Tapestries and the Gallery of the Maps. Predating a unified Italy by nearly 300 years, the Gallery of the Maps contains painted topographical maps of Italy. This is one of our favorite places in the Vatican.

Raphael Rooms - The term Renaissance, meaning "rebirth," refers to the period of European history between the 14th and 17th centuries that produced a revival in art, literature and learning. The ideal Renaissance man, Raphael was one of Rome's most famous Renaissance artists who designed and painted multiple rooms connected to the Vatican Museums. Among the many Vatican Museum masterpieces, you’ll see one of Raphael’s most famous works, The School of Athens.

Raphael's Rooms- The School of Athens

Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel

St. Peter's Basilica

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map — Round trip from Rome 1 city · 3 Hours

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

Skip-the-line tickets to the Vatican Museums
Pio Clementino and the best of the Vatican's galleries
Raphael Rooms and Borgia Apartments
Silent tour of the Sistine Chapel
Skip the Line through the Scala Regia (Holy Staircase) to St. Peter's Basilica
Guided visit of St. Peter's Basilica (included in guided tours starting May 27th 2025)
A passionate, English-speaking guide
A maximum group size of 12

What's Not Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Gratuities
On Wednesday's we are unable to visit St. Peter's Basilica due to the mass.

Know before you go

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NEARBY
A specific dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
A fair amount of walking is involved, and there will be stairs between different levels. If you have any doubts about your mobility, we strongly recommend considering a private tour.
Not wheelchair accessible
Not stroller accessible
Not suitable for pets
Infants must not sit on laps
Infant seats unavailable
Please contact to book a wheelchair-accessible tour
* DRESS CODE: Entrance into any religious site requires a strict dress code. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. We will not be held responsible for refused entry due to unsuitable dress.
On Wednesdays, we are unable to visit St Peter's Church due to the mass, instead, our guide will make up for this by visiting more sites inside of the Vatican Museums.
IMPORTANT: During State visits or special religious events, there may be unexpected closings of different parts of the Vatican. We will do our best to inform you on time of possible closings, but for the most part, the Vatican does not announce them in advance. In the event that an area normally covered on the tour is closed, our guide will still provide the explanation and will show you an extra site or gallery to compensate for the closure.
Large bags, backpacks, luggage, and tripods cannot be brought into the Vatican Museums. There is a coat check at the museum entrance, however, the tour ends far away. If you choose to leave anything at the Vatican Museums coat check, you will be responsible to retrieve it on your own after the tour. We encourage you to leave such items and anything similar at your accommodations.
Guests arriving after departure cannot be accommodated, & missed tours or tickets cannot be refunded.
We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any walking impairments that require special assistance on our group tours. We are also unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages on our group tours.
We will be subject to a security check at the entrance to all sites. Depending on the volume of visitors, we may have a short wait in the security line.
The museums, sites and monuments we visit on our tours are among the most popular in the world. Careful planning helps limit crowd exposure, but please be aware that some locations may be unavoidably busy during standard hours/high season.
Mandatory: Everyone is required to carry a copy of the identification page of their passports on all tours. A photo of the first page of your passport saved on your smartphone works as well.