Private Skip the Line Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and St Peter's Basilica Tour
Enjoy a tailored VIP Vatican experience with a dedicated private guide
4.97
(234)
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.
4.97
234 Ratings
5
4
3
2
1
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 !
Kathy Basinger
May 17, 2025
Malathi Anantharam
May 16, 2025
Joanne K Ansolis
May 15, 2025
Kathleen Anne Halloran
May 14, 2025
Diane Rothwell
May 10, 2025
Joyce ZUMWALT
May 09, 2025
We loved Marco, he was wonderful. Right pace and very informative. Which he could have added going to the square in 3 hrs when we did not get to see the Sistine Chapel.
Loved it
Mya Surrency
May 08, 2025
Such a wonderful experience with a deep knowledge of the history and art.
Gregory Peterson
May 07, 2025
Private Skip the Line Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and St Peter's Basilica Tour
Francis Green
May 04, 2025
We had booked the tour for Tuesday 22nd April 2025 and following the death of the Pope on Monday, we did not know if the tour would go ahead or if it did what it would include. We contacted The Roman Guy help desk and they confirmed that it would go ahead but that they were not sure what restrictions may be in place. We met our guide Lynette at the appointed time and she told us that she was not sure which part of the tour may be affected. She was clearly very knowledgeable and guided through the Vatican Museums imparting a lot of knowledge and history. She also kept us informed of any potential changes to the itinerary. She clearly has a good relationship with the Museum staff and showed us more than we expected. We were fortunate to be able to visit the Museums as well as the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica. This all following the sad death of the Pope on the previous day. We would highly recommend this guide and tour to others.
Great tour, missed the Basilica due to the death of the Pope
Julianne Hluska
May 03, 2025
Unfortunately, our group was unable to go into St. Peter's Basilica as Pope Francis was being laid out. It just gives me another excuse to return to Italy! Our tour guide Marina was great! With a group of 4, it was easy to move around even with the large crowd, while we learned a lot about the artwork within the Vatican Museums. It was also great to be able to skip some of the line and bypass a lot of the last minute ticket holders. I would recommend getting a private skip the line tour as it makes it special to the group. We were able to discuss and see what we were interested in and not be bored with whatever the tour guide wanted to show us. Marina had a great attitude, was funny, kind, and took great photos.
Maria Helena!
Paige Shreeve
May 02, 2025
Our guide Maria Helena was excellent! We enjoyed being with her and she was extremely knowledgeable. She was very passionate about the Etruscans especially - but the whole tour was wonde. We highly recommend this tour with Maria Helena.
Immersive experience in the Vatican Museum
Alan Schefer
April 28, 2025
We had a wonderful time on our tour of the Vatican Museum with our tour guide Alesia. She was a wealth of knowledge, experience, and expertise in the treasures of this fascinating museum. Unfortunately we could not tour the Sistine Chapel secondary to the proceedings surrounding the death of Pope Francis. Even though we missed this jewel, Alesia was able to make our tour worth our while.
Peter Knob
April 28, 2025