Visiting the Vatican Museums is a huge job. With four miles of art and lines that stretch for hours, you could easily lose a day here and still leave feeling like you didn't really see it. Here, more than anywhere in the world, we recommend that you take a guided tour.
Besides benefitting from skip-the-line tickets at both the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica; you'll get a carefully-planned itinerary and an expert guide to tell you exactly what you're looking at. [readmore]Our Complete Vatican Tour is one of our most popular services worldwide, offering an affordable but comprehensive view of these huge galleries. You'll see a king's ransom of religious and secular treasures - from the most influential Ancient Greek and Roman sculptures to incredible medieval tapestries and Renaissance masterpieces.
You'll start in the Vatican Museums where we have carefully traced out an itinerary that takes you past the most famous rooms and treasured artifacts, including the ancient sculpture that inspired Michelangelo's depiction of God in the Sistine Chapel (the Belvedere Torso), the mythical Greek sculpture Laocoön & His Sons, the mind-boggling Gallery of the Maps, the Gallery of the Tapestries, and, of course, The Raphael Rooms - considered by many to be every inch as beautiful as the Sistine Chapel.
The highlight of our Complete Vatican Tour is, of course, that same Sistine Chapel where Michelangelo's towering frescoes threaten to overwhelm most visitors. You, on the other hand, will have already learned the history behind them from your expert guide and will be able to pick out details others will miss.
After the Museums, you'll take the special, group-only entrance into St. Peter's (no waiting in lines) for a full tour of Christendom's most awe-inspiring basilica. From Bernini's towering baldachin to Michelangelo's peerless Pietá, your guide will give you the inside scoop on the art and architecture that make the church such a wonder, while also telling you the 120-year story of its construction.
Lee masPlease be at the meeting point 15 minutes before departure
The St. Peter's Dome climb requires separate tickets
Only very small backpacks and handbags may be taken inside the Vatican Museums
In the Vatican Museums, both men and women are asked to wear clothing that covers at least the shoulders and knees