Vatican crowds and long ticket lines can eat up your day and drain the experience. Skip the wait and explore the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with just 10 guests per group. This semi-private tour offers a more personal experience with a dedicated guide, plus direct entry to St. Peter’s Basilica through the Scala Regia. You’ll end in the basilica, free to explore until you’re ready to take on the rest of Rome.
Expert, English-speaking guide
Skip-the-line ticket to Vatican Museums
Entry to Sistine Chapel
Exclusive access to the Scala Regia
Direct entry to St. Peter’s Basilica
Guaranteed max group size of 10
Guide tips
Basilica entry on Wednesday mornings
Your tour begins near the Vatican Museums entrance
Meet your guide near the Vatican Museums entrance. Look for the exact location on your booking voucher. Get ready to bypass the long general entry lines and head straight into the vast complex of the Vatican Museums.
Vatican Museums
Uncover the incredible breadth of the Vatican's extensive art collection, featuring pieces across distinct galleries and halls. Your expert guide will lead you through the highlights, providing historical context and captivating stories behind the masterpieces you encounter.
Pinecone Courtyard
In this open-air courtyard, you’ll enjoy a moment of calm surrounded by greenery and iconic sculptures. It’s a refreshing pause before diving deeper into the museums’ most celebrated halls.
Pio-Clementino Museum and Nero’s Bathtub
Explore the Pio-Clementino Museum, home to iconic ancient statues like the Apollo Belvedere and Laocoön and His Sons. You’ll also visit Emperor Nero’s massive bathtub, carved from a single block of rare red marble.
The Best Galleries at the Vatican Museums
Follow your guide through the Vatican's spectacular corridors, including the Candelabra Gallery and the Gallery of the Tapestries. Next, stroll down the 400-foot-long Gallery of Maps, admiring the stunning 16th-century topographical depictions of Italy.
For Reference Only. Itineraries are subject to change
Select participants and date
Start times are in the product’s local time
Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance!
Tue, 10 Mar 2026
...
...
4.96
1762 Ratings
5
1699
4
52
3
10
2
1
1
0
Fabiola was fabulous!
Julie M.
Verified Review
March 09, 2026
Great and informative tour
Dawn H.
Verified Review
March 08, 2026
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. We very much enjoyed the tour.
Wonderful
Jeanne K.
Verified Review
March 07, 2026
Our guide Kate was so funny and informative - she was definitely pointing out things that other tour guides around us were not and I felt we really lucked out getting her as our guide. We absolutely loved the tour - one of the highlights of our trip.
Tracey S.
Verified Review
March 07, 2026
Recommend this tour!
Reydesel G.
Verified Review
March 04, 2026
First time to Rome, guide was knowledgeable and took us to the most interesting spots
Great!
Kylie G.
Verified Review
March 04, 2026
Fabiola was an absolute legend! She was funny and very informative! Would love her to be our tour guide for everything!
Agnes H.
Verified Review
March 02, 2026
Carolyn K.
Verified Review
February 28, 2026
Amazing experience
Karen T.
Verified Review
February 27, 2026
First of all the “skip the line “ is real. We entered the museum very quickly and efficiently. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable of all the different areas of the museums and talked about all the history and related artifacts as we toured the Vatican museum. There is so much to see that you could literally spend days. Our guide ensured we experienced the highlights of the museum.
We were also allowed ample time to experience the Sistene chapel. We then moved to St. Peter’s basilica. The guide shared her knowledge before leaving is on our own to experience the basilica and compete the tour.
Vatican, Sistine and Basilica
David M.
Verified Review
February 21, 2026
Great Tour! Maria C was so knowledgeable and informative! Keep up the good work Maria, you clearly enjoy your job! My son and I had a great experience.
Amazing
Gail G.
Verified Review
February 20, 2026
Maria had so much knowledge. It was so easy to understand. We covered some much of the Vatican!
I will be recommending THE TOUR GUIDE!!! This was the second time we use your company. 10-10
Ruth F.
Verified Review
February 16, 2026
Great tour. He was enthusiastic about the material and it made it even more interesting
Dante C.
Verified Review
February 16, 2026
William L.
Verified Review
February 10, 2026
Semiprivate tour with Sistine chapel and St. Peter’s
Marguerite G.
Verified Review
February 09, 2026
Our guide was outstanding! We loved it
Neil D.
Verified Review
February 08, 2026
Best guide ever
Henry C.
Verified Review
February 06, 2026
Wonderful
George D.
Verified Review
February 04, 2026
Raffa was our guide. She was extremely knowledgeable and kept us moving at a good pace. It was my first time at the Vatican and I am grateful that she was the guide.
A lot of art and information!
Michelle M.
Verified Review
February 04, 2026
Having a smaller group made a big difference in getting through all the amazing areas covered in this tour. Raffa did a great job keeping things moving and explaining everything, but also giving us chances to look around on our own. She also has a great sense of humor!
matthew D.
Verified Review
February 02, 2026
Marica A.
Verified Review
February 02, 2026
Great tour guide for Vatican and St. Peter’s basilica
Sharon D.
Verified Review
January 28, 2026
We had a fantastic tour with Giada of the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s basilica. She was extremely knowledgeable and shared new u formation with me even though I had been to both of these places es before . We highly recommend this tour
Amazing Vatican Tour!
Kevin D.
Verified Review
January 27, 2026
We absolutely enjoyed our tour of the Vatican! Kate, our tour guide, was engaging, knowledgeable, and funny! We learned so much about the history of the Vatican and the art inside. Thank you so much, Kate!
Wonderful!
Julian F.
Verified Review
January 22, 2026
The Vatican is to say the least, overwhelming! The best way to see it the first time is to have guide, but not just any guide. Our guide was extremely well versed in the details of the Vatican and ALL the history it enshrines. We were very impressed and highly recommend THE TOUR GUY. Why a guide…The short cuts, the added knowledge, the ability to ask questions, historical insight including the most recent changes, etc. There is no way to see it all in a day, or at least thoughtfully, but knowing the highlights we can come back on our own to spend more time looking and absorbing more visually all the great information shared by our guide.
Tom C.
Verified Review
January 21, 2026
Nice tour structure to see all the main attractions. Could have done most of it on self guided but nice to have ability to skip some lines. Guide was hard to understand in English.
