Vatican: Museums and Sistine Chapel Earliest Access Guided Tour

Highlights

• You can go to the Vatican Museums as early as dawn when there are no queues yet and explore this magical place together with a limited number of people. The trip will finish with a visit to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Papal Basilica. If you do not want to stand in long lines, buy tickets that allow bypassing the turnstiles. Find out about a tour guide who can provide many details about the history of Michelangelo's Pietà or Bernini's Baldachin, for example.

Full description

For those of you who are lucky enough to be in Rome, don't forget about the first-class tickets. They grant you entry into the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica before the general public gets in. Reach there early when there is still no rush of people, join a small group guided tour, and make your trip educational as well. You will be astonished at the vast collection of Renaissance artworks in the Vatican Museums led by your guide, some of which are said to be great historical treasures expressing significant artistic meanings.

Go for a walk through the enormous corridors of the museum that are all filled with artworks and be enchanted by the amazing frescoes in the Gallery of Maps. After that, move on to the Sistine Chapel where you can gaze in awe at Michelangelo's world-famous creation on its ceiling. These frescoes are not only visually stunning but historically and culturally significant as well.

While the Sistine Chapel is a must-see attraction, St. Peter's Basilica too is considered one of the places of pilgrimage where Catholics from all over the world come in search of spirituality. Observe with pleasure how delicate tile mosaics adorn this architectural wonder, be it Michelangelo's Pietà or Bernini's Baldachin.

Includes

• Early access to the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica
• Skip-the-line tickets
• Official guided tour

Not includes

• Hotel pick-up and drop-off
• Tips
• Dome climb tour

What to bring

• Passport or ID card
• Comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing

Not allowed

• Pets
• Shorts and short skirts
• Sleeveless shirts
• Baby strollers, sharp objects, food or drinks, luggage
• Tripods
• Oversized backpacks
• Large umbrellas

Know before you go

• Some areas may be closed without notice due to religious holidays or Wednesday mornings (Papal Audience), when your tour will only include a guided external visit of the Basilica. Proper attire is required with shoulders and knees covered.
• High-traffic times can sometimes result in a half-hour line; all visitors are screened by airport-style security measures.
• Latecomers cannot be accommodated. Photography is not permitted inside the Sistine Chapel.
• The Vatican Museums do not allow bags exceeding 40×35×15 cm, tripods, large umbrellas, or dangerous objects. These must be checked at the cloakroom.