Vatican Museums Early Access Tour

Experience the Vatican Museums like never before on this exclusive small group tour. With early morning access and a maximum of 6 participants, enjoy a more intimate exploration of the treasures and avoid the crowds. Book now!

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Vatican Museums - With our Prime Tour, we get you inside the Museums at its first access.
    Watch the Vatican Museum Galleries slowly come to life.
  • Cortile della Pigna - The Courtyard of the “Pigna”, created from the 16th-century area of the “Belvedere”
  • Sphere within a Sphere - The Sphere within a Sphere” by Arnaldo Pomodoro at the…
What's Included
  • Visit to St. Peter’s Basilica (Admission Ticket Free)
  • Guided Tour
  • Small-group Tour (max. 6 people)
  • First Access (8:00 AM)
What's Not Included
  • Transfers from/to Hotel
Additional Information

Take part in an unprecedented small group tour of the Vatican Museums and experience them in a unique way. You’ll be part of a maximal group of 6, allowing for a more personal and detailed journey through the Vatican’s riches. Early admission gives you entry to the museums one hour prior to their official opening, providing the exclusive chance to…

Location
Giuly's Café
Via Santamaura
You will meet your English Speaking guide at the Giuly's Café, located a few meters away from the Vatican Museums main entrance. The guide will be holding an "Eyes of Rome" sign.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(71 Ratings)
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Mark_l
Dec 3, 2025
Private Vatican Tour - Very nice tour. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the Vatican City. I would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
A3665xbjosephc
Dec 2, 2025
Great Tour - Ala was a very knowledgeable and considerate tour guide. We had to leave early so she worked well with us to see the most important sites. It was a very enjoyable experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sue_m
Nov 10, 2025
Got to see the Pope! - The Vatican is a huge place, so don’t think you can cover it in only a few hours. However, this tour was a great taste of what the Vatican and St Peter's Basilica have to see. Our tour guide stayed on top of the often occurring closures and gave us a choice to race to the Basilica before it could possibly close at 11 or stay at the Vatican. We opted to race to the Basilica. Once there our guide heard the signal that the Pope would be arriving and ushered us to a spot where (in a sea of people) we were able to see the Pope enter the Basilica! What a treat! Highly recommend this tour! Plus, only 6 people max in our group meant we were better able to move quickly. Bigger groups were seen waiting on stragglers which I’m sure was frustrating for others. The Vatican is huge with 100s of people milling about - one could easily get lost or separated from others in their group, so smaller is so much better!
Review provided by Viator
Nancy_h
Oct 31, 2025
Vatican Tour - Great tour with Carlos. Very knowledgeable of the Vatican and the area and chose the best parts of the Vatican to visit. Walked to St Peter’s Basillica and he told us what to look for and how to get back in once the doors opened after the Pope’s visit was completed. Highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Brigid_k
Oct 11, 2025
Once is never enough! - Always love visiting the Vatican! Our guide was great, full of knowledge, and great personality! Highly recommend the tour!
Review provided by Viator
Debra_h
Sep 3, 2025
Highly recommend the skip the line experience! - Our guide was very knowledgeable and informative. It was so nice to skip the line since my husband and I cannot stand for hours at a time. We felt that we saw everything we came to see and more!
Review provided by Viator
Darleneh912
Aug 29, 2025
Luxury Early Morning Private Tour - Eyes of Rome Tour Evaluation Our Guide for the Early Morning Private Luxury Tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chaple and St Peter’s Basilica was Rosalba (Rosie). The overall experience was fantastic. To start, we had limited time for this tour/visit. We were to be at the Cruise terminal by 2:00 that same day, which meant we needed an early morning tour. I was concerned about getting to the Vatican and getting back to the hotel in time for us to get transported to the cruise terminal. This tour was ideal as it included a pickup at our hotel, the full tour, then a drop off back at our hotel. I did cost more than I was planning to spend but was worth every penny. I would do it all over again. They had this incredibly well coordinated and put all my concerns about missing our cruise to rest. They didn’t miss a beat. Transportation was excellent. Our tour guide was in the van when we were picked up at the hotel. Rosalba was a great guide. She was so friendly and knowledgeable. We had a few ideas what we wanted to see at the Vatican and she adjusted her tour to meet our needs. Even though we knew we had to get through quickly we never felt rushed. She was able to explain in great detail the most important aspects of each of these sites. The private tour was ideal for our group of 6. We were able to ask so many questions and Rosalba was always happy to make sure we understood what we were viewing. She was able to thoughtfully explain all of the paintings in the Sistine Chaple before we went in so when we entered the room (no one can talk while there) we were able to take it all in. What a great experience. She was also very able to easily wind us through the mass of tourists in St Peters Basilica and give us an incredible experience at that site. I would highly Recommend Eyes of Rome and Rosalba. I give this tour and our guide a 10 out of 10. Andy
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan_w
Aug 5, 2025
It was everything and... - It was everything and more than we even expected! Our guide was terrific and the access to all we wanted to see and learn was perfect!
Review provided by Viator
Heather_w
Jul 31, 2025
Excellent family experience - For us, the private tour was the way to go and we had no regrets. We went during the busy summer months and there were thousands of tourists there. It was nice to have a small group. Early morning was the smart move too because we beat the worst of the crowd with a skip the line ticket.
Review provided by Viator
Susan_h
Jul 22, 2025
Highly Recommend This Amazing Experience - Our tour guide was Dorian’s and she was amazing. She guided us through the very busy Vatican City with ease and was so knowledgeable and friendly. It was an amazing trip and we learnt so much. Highly recommend. Whatever your religious everything is stunning and the depth of treasures and history is amazing.
Review provided by Viator
From $177
up to 6 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).