Rome: Vatican Museum Tour and Colosseum Experience

Your experience

Highlights

• Get this tour and ticket package to skip queues at four of Rome’s most famous attractions. Listen as a guide enlightens you with the works of Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, Caravaggio, and others on a walk to some of the city’s art treasures. Explore the crypts and catacombs lying beneath the streets of Rome, learning about the heathenish pagan cults as well as early Christian history in this extremely well-preserved site, one of the kinds found anywhere. Stand so near to Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel that they are hardly more than two hand-spans above your head. Experience the eerie “Vatacombs,” where former popes were laid to rest under St. Peter.
• Why not enjoy the exclusivity of entering the Vatican Museums and having a breakfast meal before they are open to the public? At your own pace, you will be able to see the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Palatine Hill with priority.

Full description

In the Vatican Museums, there are many things that you can expect when it comes to art treasures. If you wish to learn more about the splendor of this collection, head over to the entrance where your guide will be patiently waiting for you. Let us not waste any time but follow the most coveted trail of all art collections in the world, numbering around 11 million. To avoid queues and crowds, we will enter from an alternate access point.With an experienced guide by your side, you can explore the museum complex seamlessly while being shown highlights such as The Rooms of Raphael, The Belvedere Courtyard featuring statues from ancient Greece and Rome, or The Gallery of Maps culminating in the Sistine Chapel. All these rooms were constructed during different periods and had distinct functions from what they now have.Rome has been considered a cultural hub of Italy for over five centuries. A number of famous popes collected magnificent pieces of Italian art, ranging from paintings and sculptures to elaborate architectural marvels, with the primary intent of displaying aesthetic appeal or making statements in the presence of clergy, artists, nobles, and intellectuals.Over the years, every Pope since the Renaissance era has contributed to the magnificent Vatican art collection through the sponsorship of churches, chapels, paintings, sculptures, and libraries. Currently, the collection houses more than 70 thousand works of art in about 1,400 rooms. This grand museum holds an extensive range of cherished treasures from ancient Greece and Rome as well as masterpieces created during the High Renaissance period. Our visit will include a deep exploration of the Raphael Rooms where we can observe both the commissioning process of art and also learn about Michelangelo’s outstanding artistic accomplishments that resulted in this world-renowned masterpiece.It’s worth noting that if you step into the archive, you must first allow a professional guide to dispel the many false impressions imparted by Hollywood. Another place to visit is St. Peter’s Basilica, where masterpieces like Michelangelo’s Pieta, Raphael’s Transfiguration, and Bernini’s Baldacchino can be seen. The basilica also has papal crypts underground that will provide you an opportunity to learn about the rich history and traditions of the Catholic Church.While completing our tour on the porch, we will be brought to the magnificent piazza of Bernini, St. Peter’s Square with an obelisk and Swiss Guard, who are well known as the guards of the Pope. After your Vatican adventure, allow yourself a breather so that you may replenish your energy in order to join me on a journey back in time to ancient Rome. We will have skip-the-line tickets for the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill, where we will experience what is left from this grand civilization. Do not pass by these remarkable places without spending enough time to learn their history and make sure you capture pictures as evidence of this memorable day – a day that will be held in a special place in your heart!

Includes

• Among the famous sights featured in the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, you should consider including a St. Peter’s Basilica guided tour and skip-the-line tickets as well. Similarly, for an excellent experience, a guide who is fluent in English and experienced in these sites will enhance your visit to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill with the benefit of fast-track tickets (self-guided).

Not includes

• Our shuttle service is available from the Vatican to the Colosseum, which is highly appreciated by tourists and allows them to conveniently reach the hotel and return to their accommodation after completing their sightseeing.
• Gratuities

What to bring

• I am very sorry, but I’m afraid I cannot take a walk in comfortable shoes to help someone.

Not allowed

• The shorts, short skirts, and sleeveless shirts you will see here have been created for your viewing pleasure and enjoyment.

Know before you go

• In Vatican City, it is mandatory for everyone visiting the religious state to go through an airport-like security control system. During times of high tourist population, people have to wait at least 30 minutes in order to clear security.
• For an entry at the Colosseum at 3:30 PM, all guests are required to assemble at the meeting point by 3:15 PM. However, it is not practical to undertake this visit with a wheelchair, scooter, or other aids in place; either the covered route or means of transportation used prevents it. If you need information on how visitors with mobility impairments can participate in such trips and there is no information available on our website, please call our representative to explore possible options for these tours.