Private Skip the Line Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and St Peter's Basilica Tour
Enjoy a tailored VIP Vatican experience with a dedicated private guide
4.98
( 248 reviews )
3 h
Enter the Vatican Museums as soon as the doors open for the day, beating the rush and exploring in a more peaceful setting. With a passionate, dedicated guide, set your own pace and uncover the stories behind masterpieces like Raphael’s School of Athens and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Then, step inside St. Peter’s Basilica to admire La Pietà and the stunning dome. With skip-the-line access and an expert storyteller by your side, experience the Vatican like few others do.
You'll meet your dedicated local guide near the Vatican Museums entrance. Your guide is a true Vatican expert with tons of facts and stories to share, and you'll see the main highlights alongside some of Vatican's lesser-known gems.
With your friendly private guide, you can ask as many questions as you like and the tour will move at a pace that suits your group. Plus, if there's anywhere you'd like to spend more time or particular artworks you want to see, your guide will try to make th...
Select participants and date
Free cancellation up to 60 days in advance!
Skip-the-line early access Vatican private tour
Pio-Clementino Museum and Gallery of Masks
Gallery of the Candelabra, Gallery of the Tapestries, and the Gallery of the Maps
Raphael Rooms and School of Athens
Early entry to the Sistine Chapel
Explore inside St. Peter's Basilica (except Wednesdays)
A private, English-speaking Vatican guide
Meet your guide at Caffe Vaticano
Exact location can be found on your voucher
Vatican Museums
See the finest collections in the Vatican Museums, with an art history expert to guide you.
Gallery of the Candelabra
Originally an open "loggia", this gallery was walled and closed some 200 years ago. The statues and candelabras on display here date as far back as the 3rd century B.C.
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.
Gallery of Maps
On display here are maps that were painted over 400 years ago, yet still remain remarkably accurate even to this day.
For Reference Only. Itineraries are subject to change
Between Hotel Alimandi and Caffé Vaticano, at the top of the big staircase (Viale Vaticano, 100). A representative will be there holding a sign with our company name on it.
In addition to wearing or bringing clothing that covers your knees and shoulders, it's recommended to wear comfortable shoes. You're also welcome to bring a water bottle as it can get hot inside the Vatican during the summer months.
4.98
248 Ratings
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Well-paced and informative
Jennifer Barnett
June 11, 2025
Great tour with a guide who was not only kind and personable, but also very much knew her stuff. Her enthusiasm was contagious!
Jennifer Klopfer
June 11, 2025
Eleanora was a fantastic guide! She tailored the tour to our interests, was very easy to understand her English, and a delightful person with great insights.
Shane Menking
June 11, 2025
Caleb Paniamogan
June 10, 2025
joseph cardito
June 08, 2025
Vatican private tour
Anthony Davis
June 07, 2025
Andrea was awesome! Very knowledgeable! Highly recommend.
Highly recommend!
Michele Flagg
June 04, 2025
Our private tour with Ele was excellent. She is very knowledgeable and highly passionate about the contents of the Vatican museums. It was a very satisfying tour because if we had questions about something she was able to answer them in a way that made the information easy to understand for people who are not archaeologists. Her personality is very warm and she has a great sense of humor. We were so glad that she was our guide!
Dominic Martelli
June 01, 2025
Amazing tour with Manuela
Bryan Gelster
June 01, 2025
This was a great tour with TONS of information. Our tour guide, Manuela was great and we shared some laughs and learned a TON! Thank you so much, Manuela!
Lia was fantastic!
Sydney Miller
June 01, 2025
Lia was a truly fantastic tour guide. She enthusiastically shared her wealth of knowledge about the history of the Vatican and so much of what is contained within its four walls. She also made sure to continuously check-in with our 11-month old son to ensure he was still content. She was kind, knowledgeable, and clearly had a passion for the history of the Vatican. My only - rather big - disappointment was that St. Peter’s was closed due to a Mass. Although the team assured us we could go back on another day, we did not have another day with which to do so. If we had had the knowledge sooner that the Basilica would be closed, we would have tried to rearrange travel plans. Lia is truly the reason I gave 5 stars for this tour, despite not being able to visit St. Peter’s. Even still, I would highly recommend this tour to anyone I know.
Amazing Tour
Matthew Kelly
May 31, 2025
Giulio was a tour guide and he was fantastic. He’s been doing these tours almost 30 years. He was incredibly thorough and gave us all kinds of facts about the Vatican I never knew. He knew when to talk and when not to. I highly recommend this tour and if you can get Giulio do it!
Jordan Liggitt
May 30, 2025
Manoj Prasad
May 28, 2025
Awesome tour!
Colleen Joslin
May 27, 2025
Highly recommend this private tour as a special way to see the Vatican! We went on a very busy Saturday and our tour guide, Eleanora, was a skilled companion who knew every inch of the Vatican museums. She instructed us where best to stand to see the most meaningful collections and sights and was so knowledgeable. The experience would not have been the same on our own or in a large group tour. She really brought it all for life to us. It was well worth the cost to maximize this once in a lifetime opportunity!
Amazing tour today with Manuela
Gaylia Campbell
May 26, 2025
Manuela was absolutely amazing! Great information and pace. She was also wonderful at accommodating my 83 year old mother in law who has some mobility issues. I would book again anytime.
Heather Fordu
May 25, 2025
Vatican experience
Catherine Boling
May 24, 2025
I'm giving this tour a five-star rating because the guide was excellent. Sadly, I have to say that this was our least favorite tour in Rome simply because of the crowds. Even with a private tour, we were elbow-to-elbow with 10,000 new friends as we tried to look at ceilings. If I had it to do over, I think I would simply have gone to St Peter's Basilica (which is so large that it doesn't feel as crowded) and skipped the rest.
Great Private Tour Experience
Priscilla Gately
May 23, 2025
We booked a private tour of the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. We were met by Manuela. Manuela is a warm, knowledgeable and personable guide. Her extensive knowledge of the Vatican’s history is beyond compare. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her for a private tour.
Great experience
JOHN ROE
May 23, 2025
Would go again and recommend to others. Covered lots of ground and experienced the significant highlights. Host was well prepared and responsive to our needs and interests. Good job!
Vatican Tour
Dawn Crimmins
May 23, 2025
Oksana was the best! Very knowledgeable and knows her history. Passionate about her tours, keeps you away from the crowds. Would highly recommend!
Vatican
Linda Anderson
May 23, 2025
Our tour guide Melissa was so knowledgeable and informative. We enjoyed every minute of it.
Donna Krutzman
May 22, 2025
Kate was excellent so knowledgeable and she was excellent with our three grandchildren! Highly recommend!
Seethalekshmy Krishnan
May 22, 2025
Paul Armstrong
May 19, 2025
Wonderful !
Hans Haedelt
May 18, 2025
The best most informative tour! Loved every minute !