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Vatican Tour: Skip-the-Line Access
4.7
6,019 Ratings
Roma
Get fast and easy skip-the-line tickets or tours for the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Explore at your own pace or choose a guided tour upgrade for an expert-led experience.
Get fast and easy skip-the-line tickets or tours for the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Explore at your own pace or choose a guided tour upgrade for an expert-led experience.
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Vatican Museums - Explore the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel independently or with a guide (if selected). Tickets offer skip-the-line access.
- Cortile della Pigna - Discover one of the Vatican’s many open-air courtyards, adorned with a large bronze pinecone sculpture, which gives the courtyard its name.
- Sphere within a Sphere - Enter…
- Vatican Museums - Explore the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel independently or with a guide (if selected). Tickets offer skip-the-line access.
- Cortile della Pigna - Discover one of the Vatican’s many open-air courtyards, adorned with a large bronze pinecone sculpture, which gives the courtyard its name.
- Sphere within a Sphere - Enter the Vatican Museums to see the renowned “Sphere within a Sphere” sculpture.
- Museo Pio Clementino - The Vatican Museums consist of several smaller, distinct museums. Among them, the Museo Pio Clementino is arguably the most significant, with numerous highlights that are not to be missed! Visit the Octagonal Courtyard for the Laocoonte and the Apollo Belvedere, or the Round Room for the massive marble bathtub guarded by a large bronze statue of Heracles. Find a sculpture of your favorite animal in the Room of the Animals, or simply admire the 3D painted vaults of the Gallery of the Candelabra.
- Gallery Of The Maps - As one of the Museums’ most popular galleries, stop here to identify the Italian cities you’ve visited or your ancestors’ hometown. These hand-painted maps, dating back to the late 1500s, are also notable for their exquisite detail and embellishments. Look for the reference to Christopher Columbus’ Atlantic voyage…
- Stanze di Raffaello - Appreciate Raphael’s Rooms, painted by the master and his students around the same time as the Sistine Chapel, inspired and challenged by Michelangelo’s greatest work.
- Sistine Chapel - Marvel at Michelangelo’s masterpiece and take time to admire the vaults.
- St. Peter’s Basilica - For tours where access to St. Peter’s Basilica is selected during booking, direct access from the Sistine Chapel to the Basilica, bypassing the outside security lines, will be provided. The tour concludes at the Basilica’s entrance, and after an introduction, you are free to explore inside on your own.
- St. Peter’s Square - An introduction to St. Peter’s Square will be provided for tours that include access to St. Peter’s Basilica.
What's Included
- Skip the Line Access & Entrance Tickets to the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
- Guided Tour
- Direct Access to St. Peter’s Basilica (only when option selected)
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Skip the Line Access & Entrance Tickets to the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
- Guided Tour
- Direct Access to St. Peter’s Basilica (only when option selected)
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Tips
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Tips
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
Skip the queues and gain early access to the Vatican Museums. Experience a more serene and personal exploration of timeless masterpieces with an expert guide and a small group of no more than 10 people. Uncover the stories and hidden meanings behind invaluable artworks, including Michelangelo’s renowned Sistine Chapel. This is not your typical Vatican…
Skip the queues and gain early access to the Vatican Museums. Experience a more serene and personal exploration of timeless masterpieces with an expert guide and a small group of no more than 10 people. Uncover the stories and hidden meanings behind invaluable artworks, including Michelangelo’s renowned Sistine Chapel. This is not your typical Vatican tour—your itinerary reveals the stories and hidden meanings behind the museum’s priceless artworks.
Looking for direct access to St. Peter’s Basilica? Select a tour that includes it to skip the security lines. Discover the Basilica in just 1 hour with a knowledgeable guide, exploring its iconic highlights and hidden stories.
Pressed for time? Opt for the 1.5-hour Vatican Museums tour to swiftly navigate through and be among the first to enter the Sistine Chapel.
Explore St. Peter’s Basilica in 1 hour with a professional guide! The Basilica Only option takes you directly to its most iconic highlights.
- Children 6 and under are entitled to free access to the Vatican Museums (with proof of age)
- Children aged 7-18 are entitled to a reduced entry fee (see tour and ticket pricing) and must provide proof of age.
- Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
- A 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.
- At least 4 people are required for the guided tour options to take place.
- Check-in is 15 minutes prior to the booked start time. Tickets are time sensitive and we cannot accomodate late arrivals.
- Guests with a certified disability of over 75% are entitled to free entrance to the Vatican and do not require a ticket. For guests who are not self-sufficient, free entry is extended to a companion.
- Due to the Jubilee, some monuments may be under restoration. Please pay attention to any messages we may send regarding potential changes.
- Important: St. Peter’s Basilica is not included in all tour options. If you wish to visit the Basilica as part of your experience, please ensure you select a tour where it is explicitly listed as included.
- Please include all names as they appear on your passports when booking. Tickets are non-transferable and if the names on your booking do not match your ID you may be denied access and will not be due a refund. Any name changes must be communicated at least 72 hours in advance.
- Please bring an ID or a photo/copy of ID.
- Important: If you choose ‘Basilica Only’ option does not include access to the Vatican Museums.
Location
Via Tunisi, 4
Via Tunisi
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(6019 Ratings)
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Suzy_h
Jul 18, 2025
Guide Sarah was fantastic - Guide from EcoArt Sarah was fantastic. Very knowledgeable. We were in a small group of 6. Explained the important artwork all the extra history that went with it.
Review provided by Viator
388cliftonb
Jul 17, 2025
Great tour. Skip the lines. Well worth it. - Assunta was a fantastic tour guide. Very knowledgeable and friendly. We had lots of time to look at things and to ask questions. We had a nice small tour group and truly walked right past the long line outside and right into the Vatican. We did the Vatican museums first, then the Sistine Chapel, and then Assunta left us to visit St Peter's Cathedral on our own. Note: To actually go into the cathedral is a separate charge and is unguided. However, the whole thing is well worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisa
Jul 16, 2025
Vatican experience - Fred was great! Extremely knowledgable, answered all questions while being very entertaining and providing funny comments. Loved having him in our group!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G1312dclizw
Jul 16, 2025
Super room , helpful receptionists and excellent location - This Hotel is in an excellent location being near the park, restaurants and bus routes. The helpful staff in reception realized i had difficulty with stairs and without asking gave me a lovely downstairs room.
There is no bar or restaurant but very clean, comfortable and i fully recommend this Hotel . I booked four nights.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Edward_l
Jul 15, 2025
Amazing! - An amazing experience. This was our first time in Rome and this tour was the best experience of our trip! I highly recommend this tour and company!
Review provided by Viator
Christian_b
Jul 14, 2025
Great way to experience the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum - This was a well organised, well informed and incredible experience thanks to our guide. The site is so large and with so much history that i feel it does improve the experience to have a guide. It was easy to find our meeting place on the steps and entry was relatively smooth given such a large number of people entering at 930 am. Maybe we should of gone earlier but we had a 20min Uber that i was worried would take longer so did not want to book to early.
I had my wife and 3 kids, the youngest 3. We did not bring a pram and i think it is not feasible to do so with the rooms not designed for it.
The sites are truly amazing. It was so special to see the works of so many great artists, and get so close to them. It is hard to say which room impressed me the most.
My only negative is that with so much to see, you don't really get an opportunity to spend a large amount of time in places such as the Raphael rooms that i could of spent hours. but you could only spend 5mins. Our guide did a great job of sharing details on the rooms we visited so you felt you got some great learning from each room.
The tour finished with a clear walk to St Peters Basilica. This was easy to enter and enjoy its own magnificence. You do need to make sure you book a day where they do not have papal celebrations.
Overall this was a great way to experience one of the worlds great museums.
Review provided by Viator
Lacey_h
Jul 13, 2025
Satisfied! - This was a seamless experience and ran exactly on time. Received exactly what was expected. The guide was knowledgeable. A small gratuity at the end was appreciated.
Review provided by Viator
Lynn_c
Jul 14, 2025
A Long hot experience - This experience was too long. Too much time wasted before the chapel. I would have liked more time for the items after the chapel
Review provided by Viator
Alana_c
Jul 15, 2025
Fine, does what it said on the tin - Good experience, easy to book and guide was easy to find (although was not standing where we were instructed to go!). Skipped all lines and quickly into museums. Not five star as whilst standing trying to listen to the guide, I received a phone call (which turned out to be from another guide standing directly behind me) telling me to arrive soon or I would miss the tour. I could hear him speaking so turned around we ended the call. He then gave me a telling off for not checking in, despite me having done so with the woman I was listening to. She witnessed the whole conversation yet didn’t correct him. All very odd!
Review provided by Viator
Atman_k
Jul 17, 2025
Waste of money. Waste of time. Cannot hear the guide. Doesn’t make any sense. - Cannot hear the travel guide at all. Until they purchase a proper sound amplification system (ie headphones, disposable ear pieces, etc) this is a waste. Cannot hear anything properly. The speaker system provided by the museum is poor. Please check if they have invested in a solution prior to booking. We spent $750 for 4 of us, and you can do this tour for $100 for 4 without any issues. I would NOT recommend. Just stand in line, by the way, we stood in the same line. It’s like 15 mins. Not worth it for $650 more. Easier to read Wikipedia which is what I did as I walked through with the guide we could not hear.
Review provided by Viator
