The Quickest Direct Access Private Vatican Tour
Explore the Vatican on a shorter, tailored tour that includes the Sistine Chapel
5.00
(31)
2.5h
+8
Want to see the best of the Vatican without the big crowds and with your own private guide? This private highlights tour lets you do both! Skip the line and join your passionate Vatican guide on a private journey through the famous artworks of the Vatican Museums, then enjoy a less crowded experience as you explore St. Peter’s Basilica and Michelangelo's world-famous Sistine Chapel.
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Select participants and date
Free cancellation up to 60 days in advance!
Early access skip-the-line entry to the Vatican
Tailored private guided tour of the Vatican Museums, rooms, and galleries
Early entry to the Sistine Chapel
Guided tour of St. Peter's Basilica
Early access private Vatican tour
Follow your private Vatican guide past the long general public line and go directly to the special "early entrance" area to enter the Vatican Museums.
Gallery of the Maps
On display here are maps that were painted over 400 years ago and remain extremely accurate even to this day.
Gallery of the Candelabra
This gallery was originally an open "loggia" but was walled off and closed some 200 years ago. The statues and candelabras on display here date as far back as far as the third century.
Gallery of the Tapestries
Some of the masterpieces in this gallery were designed after the cartoons drawn by Raphael. Look out for a tapestry that includes a spectacular optical illusion.
Sistine Chapel tour
Be among the first people to walk into the spectacular Sistine chapel and admire the masterpiece of Michelangelo, leaving the crowds waiting in line outside.
For Reference Only. Itineraries are subject to change
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5.00
31 Ratings
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Excellent experience!
Valerie Biddle
October 13, 2024 21 pm EST
This 8:00AM tour was such a wonderful experience, from beginning to end. Our tour guide, Raffaella, not only made us feel like VIPs but also graciously toured us through the Vatican museums, educating us on important history and art, making certain we got the best vantage points for our photos, all the while with a beautiful smile and a friendly attitude. She even provided photos to further describe other important but relevant pieces of art not housed at the Vatican museums. We learned so much about, how “everything is connected!”This tour was for 4 people and it was worth every penny. We felt fortunate not to have to wait in the long lines, and also not to be in a large tour group. Lastly, navigating the the huge Vatican museums without a guide would have been overwhelming. With Raffaella as our tour guide we were taken through to the top spots by an expert. She was excellent. Thank you!
rushed
teresa seltenreich boyes
October 04, 2024 03 am EST
we felt rushed throughout our tour. our tour guide looked at her phone numerous times and it felt like she was watching the time. we enjoyed the content of the tour but felt we could of learned more if we were not rushed.
Fantastic Tour and Great To Beat The Crowds
Rachel Hall
August 20, 2024 04 am EST
Francesca made our tour enjoyable, fun, informative and wow. We only had 2 days in Rome so this tour was perfect for us being about 2.5 hrs in duration. We bypassed the main queues had aspects of the museum almost to ourselves and were able to move around the Sistine Chapel will ease without the throngs of crowds and hassles of not having enough room to see. The passage to St Peter's also meant we could skip the line and see all that was on offer without rushing. Thanks for sharing the symbolism, history and religious stories behind what we were seeing and for recommending we climb the dome while it was quiet. We had time to see some amazing views and have lunch before heading on to our afternoon tours. I would highly recommend this tour.
Brilliant Tour Very Engaging and Great To Beat The Crowds
Rachel Hall
August 19, 2024 18 pm EST
Greeted with a warm welcome and expertise Francesca got to work immediately sharing her knowledge and preparing us for the tour. Coming at 7.45 am meant the queues were very short and most of the museum areas had very few people let alone crowds. We saw great artworks, learnt the history, symbology and religious backgrounds and got to enjoy the Sistine Chapel without the crush, being able to wander and take things in at our leisure. The private access passageway into St Peter's again allowed us to bypass the queues and enjoy our tour without the hassle of large crowds. The tour was the right length for us at just over 2 hours as we were only in Rome for 2 days. This gave us time afterwards to climb the dome of St Peter's to capture amazing views from the highest point in Rome and take a leisurely early lunch before heading off on another tour in the afternoon. We enjoyed Francesca's stories and sense of humour and how she brought the Sistine Chapel to life with the tales of the hidden messages in the art which made it a wonderful experience for us.
Private Vatican Tour
Nancy Barrazotto
November 06, 2023 18 pm EST
We had a marvelous tour of the Vatican. Our guide was most knowledgable. She interjected information about history, culture, art, archeology, and all of the details of each piece that we studied. My husband and I were thoroughly fascinated by all that we observed and learned. She was magnificent! It was well worth the price to have a private tour. We are still talking about our experience weeks after the tour.
Sally
Sally Huth
September 08, 2023 05 am EST
Christina was a fabulous guide. She spoke well, easy to understand an extremely informative! We really enjoyed our time with her on many levels.
Rachel Minahan
September 03, 2023 19 pm EST
Marina was amazing. She gave such a dynamic tour- we loved her!
Maryam Lisa Odom
July 24, 2023 20 pm EST
Amir Desai
June 10, 2023 06 am EST
Vatican
Janice Derian
March 24, 2023 07 am EST
Our guide was knowledgeable and personable
Alex Taupier
March 23, 2023 21 pm EST
Amazing Experience
PETER YONAN
January 18, 2023 06 am EST
If you are looking for the right tour then look no further. This was the best experience! Giovanni was extremely knowledgeable to say the least. We were able to spend more time in the areas we wanted and get a personalized experience. Highly recommend this tour and if you can request a guide, I would request Giovanni as he worked in the Vatican so had a wealth of extra knowledge.
The best tour!
Mary Del Olmo
December 24, 2022 07 am EST
I have visited the Vatican Museum before with a guide, but I cannot even compare this experience with that one. It wouldn’t stand a chance. We had a private tour. I ordered the tickets wrong but Michaela got it figured out quickly. She was a great teach and willing and able to answer any questions we had. She had supplemental educational tools and pictures for us and tailored the tour to us and our level of knowledge. You couldn’t ask for a better guide. Don’t hesitate. Book now!
Wonderful
Maria R Chamberlain
December 23, 2022 05 am EST
Giovanni was absolutely amazing. He went above and beyond to make sure each of us a great time. Perfect tour for all of our group, ages ranging 9-65. Thank you Giovanni!! You made our trip memorable and informative
gary kaltbaum
November 18, 2022 05 am EST
Jeanmarie Oleary
November 14, 2022 12 pm EST
Private Vatican Highlights
Helen McGrath
November 06, 2022 07 am EST
Mikayla was lovely, knowledgeable friendly and gave us plenty of time. I would highly recommend this tour
Great tour
Bradly Negrych
September 24, 2022 05 am EST
We had a fabulous tour guide. Oksanna(not sure spelled right). She was so engaging, interesting, expressive and knowledgable.
Private tour during Holy Week-- RAF made it amazing!
santiya bell
April 25, 2022 14 pm EST
During a CRAZY BUSY time in Rome (Holy Week, open city after 2 1/2 yrs of Covid!!!) RAF made this tour incredible. It was shoulder to shoulder crowded, but she made it fun, engaging and memorable. The best part was when (because The Tour/Roman Guy is such a big company) we were allowed into a sectioned off area of the Vatican where there were ZERO other people-- it was so special. We got to see *in private comfort* a big room of marble animal statuary and another hall of marble works. It was a welcome break from the press of the crowds elsewhere and made the entire cost of the private tour WORTH IT. RAF was fun, energetic and clearly in love with her job. She was chatting up the "regular" guards and made her way around the facilities like a penguin under water. I highly recommend her!!! Five stars to RAF!!!
December 29, 2019 08 am EST
Awesome experience
Frank Argento
October 25, 2019 20 pm EST
Awesome experience from start to finish. The amount of time was perfect for us. Unforgettable. Thank you, Sara.
Awesome visit
September 10, 2019 13 pm EST
We are so glad we booked this private tour. Ami our guide was simply fantastic! She was lively and made this tour so educational and interesting. The Vatican is such a wonderful site, but just visiting it without having a knowledgeable guide who is well rounded in history, art, religion, and a passion for her job would not have done it justice. We learned so many facts unknown to us today, it all made it worth to take a private tour so we could ask as many questions we wanted (and the 3 of us had many). Two of us had previously visited the Vatican on our own years ago, but we had never learned what we did by having Ami sharing her knowledge. Ami did not just do her job, she made our tour one we will remember when we think of Rome and the Vatican. I highly recommend the Roman Guy, this tour and if you are lucky enough, you should ask for Ami.
Amazing Guide
May 03, 2019 19 pm EST
My partner and I have visited the Vatican before and knew how crowded it can get. This time we chose to book a private tour and it was the best decision ever. The educated guide navigated around the crowds and we were able to cover the highlights with ease.