Vatican at Closing Time with Sistine Chapel
Book a unique experience that visits the Vatican in the early evening with fewer crowds
4.89
(315)
2 h
Max 20 Guests
Exploring the Vatican Museums in the evening alone means missing expert insights, hidden details, and the most immersive way to experience its masterpieces. Skip the lines and let an engaging, passionate guide bring the art to life as you admire Raphael’s School of Athens, the ancient sculpture of Laocoön and His Sons, and Michelangelo’s breathtaking Sistine Chapel frescoes. With fewer crowds and a captivating storyteller leading the way, see the Vatican’s treasures in their most magical setting
Don't miss out on this unusual opportunity to explore the Vatican in the early evening when other tourists have gone back into Rome. Your local guide will lead you from the top of the steps at Caffe Vaticano into the Vatican Museums. Their passionate knowledge will bring the art and architecture to life as you explore the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, and other areas. This small group tour is ideal for anyone who enjoys adventuring in the evening hours when attractions are less busy.
Select participants and date
Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance!
Skip-the-line Vatican Tickets
Expert English-speaking guide
Pio-Clementino Museum
Gallery of the Maps
Sistine Chapel
Max 20 people
Tour guide gratuities
Meal
Hotel pick-up
Wheelchair accessible
Meet your guide outside Caffé Vaticano
Your early evening tour begins with a warm welcome from your guide outside Caffé Vaticano, conveniently located near the Vatican.
Vatican Museums
With skip-the-line tickets in hand, bypass the queue and head straight inside the Vatican Museums to uncover its magnificent art collection.
Pinecone Courtyard
Pause in the Pinecone Courtyard to take in timeless statues and beautifully manicured gardens looking spectacular in the early evening glow.
Pio-Clementino Museum
Explore halls filled with some of the world’s most important classical sculptures, including Laocoön and His Sons and Apollo Belvedere.
Gallery of Candelabra
Follow your guide’s lead through a corridor lined with intricately carved marble candelabra and statues, each a clue to Roman history.
For Reference Only. Itineraries are subject to change
Meet in front of Caffe Vaticano, directly across the street from the Vatican Museums Entrance on Viale Vaticano. A representative will be there holding a sign with our company name on it. Your tour will end inside the Vatican Museums.
Comfortable shoes are always recommended for walking tours.
4.89
315 Ratings
5
4
3
2
1
Definitely less people
Roxanne Russell
May 30, 2025
This tour was wonderful for less people. Our guide was super knowledgeable . The only bummer was we spent a solid 30 min looking at signs of the sistene chapel and taking about it instead of seeing anything in the museum or being in the chapel. Other than that it was a great tour
Good quest for Cappella Sistina
Andrew Glover
May 29, 2025
I think this tour is great if you’re mostly interested in seeing the Sistine chapel. It’s worth it just to avoid the massive lines and have a less packed/chaotic time to be inside the Museum. I had a misunderstanding that I’d be able to spend time looking around the museum outside of the tour, or the tour would include time to wander. It’s mostly a quest for the Sistine chapel with good commentary about the more famous works you pass on the way there. If you have specific Museum rooms or works of art you want to see, this probably isn’t the right format for you. If you want the highlights with a friendly guide, this is a great option!
This is the ideal way to do it!
Maria Chalko
May 29, 2025
Seeing the Vatican after closing is the ideal way to see it. No rush, no crowds, no pressure. Our tour guide was a history buff and knew things that we would of never known even if we read every single sign. I would only see the Vatican this way in the future.
Susan Wieczorek
May 29, 2025
Lots to see
Bron Burke
May 29, 2025
Would have liked more time in the chapel, which was the last stop on the tour. We were being rushed out for closing.
Mira Iskandar
May 27, 2025
Fabiola was fabulous aa a guide. Because of her the tour was fun and enjoyable.
What an amazing tour!
Jon Easley
May 25, 2025
Valeria was an amazing guide. She was knowledgeable organized and so fun. She lead us through the Vatican museum as well as the Sistine chapel. Her knowledge of every room in the museum was staggering. And yet she was able to break it down and make it easy to understand it and to comprehend the point of how the museum was laid out. She did a great job through the Etruscan area to point out some of the real fabulous pieces in the collection that were unusual due to how intact they were. Her deep knowledge of both the history and the art history of the works brought Italian History to life. Her descriptions in the map room really help me understand Italian history in a different way. She was delightful. + Wonderful to speak with. She answered every question put to her in a thoughtful and and respectful manner. I was able to understand everything that she said about the various histories of the Vatican and of Italy as a whole. I highly recommend this tour but even more so with Valeria at the lead.
Vatican Museum at Closing Time & Sisteen Chapel
John Holland
May 24, 2025
Stefano was a wonderful guide for this tour.
Wonderful tour!
Katherine Lawn
May 24, 2025
My family had the most wonderful time! The tour guides are so knowledgeable and super friendly.
Great Tour
Michael Rollins
May 23, 2025
Really enjoyed this tour. It was much more than we expected and our guide was very informative.
TRACY PRICE
May 22, 2025
Awesome experience!
Kathleen Oleary
May 22, 2025
Neil Garner
May 21, 2025
So much to see!
Kendee Sigmon
May 21, 2025
We enjoyed our evening tour of the Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica & Sistine Chapel. Our guide gave us a lot of information & let us take time to really look at everything & take pictures (when it was permitted.) This was our 1st time in Rome & I wanted to make sure we were able to see everything so booked this tour despite a having a day tour of the same places with our group tour. I am so glad I did because during our day tour there were so many more people & we were not really able to look at things or take good pictures. It felt rushed. Our day tour took place the day before Pope Leo XIV‘s Coronation Mass so it may have been busier than usual. I would definitely recommend taking this evening tour so you can enjoy the experience of being in these wonderful places with less crowds.
Sistine Chapel
Gaye Goforth Cobb
May 21, 2025
The guide was good, but the description did not tell us how hard this would be for those of us who are physically impaired.
Sistine chapel during conclave
Andrew Coble
May 20, 2025
Although we did not get access to the Sistine Chapel due to the conclave about to start, the guide did her best to give us lots of information about the chapel as best she could. She had some pictures on hand which helped a bit. The rest of the tour was very good, and access into the building at that time was quite fast.
Hannah Miller
May 20, 2025
Tour at pace which was ace!
JOANNA EPTON
May 20, 2025
The tour was done at pace but we preferred that so thought it was ace! There is so much to take in so the guide did a great job of just telling us the important pieces. It was also just after the sad passing of the Pope so we were lucky to have this tour before the sights closed and at a special time which the guide did a great job of explaining. I would recommend for anyone who wants a not so in depth tour as so much to fit in when visiting Rome and can only take so much in so found this perfect! Thank you!
Sam Dona
May 18, 2025
Denis Laitres
May 15, 2025
Fantastic!
Dana Stehno
May 14, 2025
This was an incredible tour of the Vatican museums with far less crowds. Our guide, Fabrizio, kept the mood fun while providing a wealth of information about the collection of artwork and Vatican history.
Conner Yost
May 11, 2025
Marilyn Minrath
May 10, 2025
Very personable, attentive and knowledgeable
Lou Paulson
May 09, 2025
great guide
Stefano
anne tooley
May 07, 2025
Stefano was awesome. His knowledge of the Vatican is amazing. So fun to learn so much on a tour!