Friday Night Vatican Museums Tour Including Sistine Chapel

During the months of May until October, the Vatican stays open on Friday nights for an extra-special viewing of its renowned museums and the Sistine Chapel, and you definitely don't want to miss out. On this tour with an expert guide, you'll see the best of the Vatican by night, including its incredible Renaissance art, the Gallery of Maps, Raphael's Rooms and, of course, the Sistine Chapel. This evening access is only possible for pre-booked groups, so book now to visit the Vatican without the daytime crowds!

Viator VIP: Sistine Chapel Private Viewing and Small-Group Tour of the Vatican's Secret Rooms

See the Vatican as VIPs do - with this once-in-a-lifetime private Sistine Chapel viewing and tour of the Vatican Museum's secret rooms. This exclusive gives you unprecedented VIP access to the magnificent rooms that are usually off-limits to the public, allowing you to see a side of the Vatican that most never will. Be awed by secret rooms like the Niccoline Chapel and the Room of Gold, and see sights like Raphael's Rooms.

Due to a new Vatican partnership, this tour provides VIP access through a reserved door, allowing you to skip all the lines - even the priority lines. End your tour with an after-hours private viewing of the Sistine Chapel, empty except for your group (average 15 people) and guide. Michelangelo's fresco in the Sistine Chapel - including The Creation of Adam - is considered the most influential fresco in the history of Western art. See it with no crowds, linger over every detail, and earn one-of-a-kind bragging rights for the rest of your life!

Skip-the-line Vatican tours are so popular, even the priority lines are long! But this tour includes exclusive access through a reserved entranceway, ensuring that you will not wait in any long lines. Spend three hours here on a small-group tour, accompanied by a Vatican guard to unlock doors to secret rooms. You'll discover the Vatican as only VIPs like presidents and royal families usually do.

Due to the nature of this special-access tour, the itinerary changes each time. Access to the secret rooms varies and is based on availability, but most tours include the impressive Bramante Staircase (Scala del Bramante), which is actually a ramp on the corner of the Pope's Palace. You'll also most likely visit the Room of Gold (Sala degli Ori), an opulent, rarely seen room that holds a dazzling collection of papal gold jewelry and precious Etruscan jewels.

The Niccoline Chapel (Cappella Niccolina) is another secret room most likely seen during your tour. Every bit as beautiful as the Sistine Chapel, this secret room is adorned with gold brought back from Christopher Columbus' travels, and frescoes by Fra Angelico, a Renaissance painter whose mesmerizing artwork pre-dates Michelangelo's.

In addition to the closed rooms, see many of the Vatican Museums' classic attractions. As your expert guide entertains you with tales of Vatican art, power and treachery, admire Apollo Belvedere and other renowned monuments. Visit Raphael's Rooms, the public part of the papal apartments in the Palace of the Vatican, and stroll through the Pinecone Courtyard.

Your tour ends on a high note with private access to the Sistine Chapel for your small group. After the doors close to the public, you'll have 30 minutes inside this incredible (and empty!) chapel. Speaking is typically forbidden, but during this private experience, your guide will explain Michelangelo's stunning ceiling fresco, which depicts scenes from Genesis, and his wall fresco, The Last Judgment.

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Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

Visit the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica on this must-do Vatican walking tour, in a group of no more than 20 people! With some 12,000 rooms spanning nearly 4,000 years of history, the Vatican's magnificent museum complex can be overwhelming, so let an expert guide introduce you to its defining highlights on this 3-hour tour.

Visit Raphael's Rooms, Gallery of the Maps and more, and then step inside the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo's fresco 'The Creation of Adam.' Finish with a St Peter's Basilica tour and hear the secrets of the holiest place in Christendom. Choose from four different start times or upgrade to a small-group tour (12 people maximum). Skip the long lines for St. Peter's Basilica with special access directly from the Sistine Chapel.

Due to a new Vatican partnership, this tour provides VIP access through a reserved door, allowing you to skip all the lines - even the priority lines.

Skip-the-line Vatican tours are so popular, even the priority lines are long! But this tour includes exclusive access through a reserved entranceway, ensuring that you will not wait in any long lines. Head straight inside with your guide and enter the world's most extensive private collections of art.

Hear the stories and secrets of the intriguing Vatican while following your guide through incredible rooms like the Gallery of Tapestries and the Gallery of Maps, a seemingly never-ending corridor adorned with intricately detailed Italian maps. Pass through the Gallery of Candelabras, seeing ancient sculptures and opulent candelabras from Imperial villas, and wander through Bramante's Pinecone Courtyard to pose for pictures in front of the bronze Pigna statue.

Amble through Raphael's Rooms, marveling at the interconnecting galleries that showcase the artistic genius of Raphael, and then enter the awe-inspiring Sistine Chapel - the crowning glory of any visit to the Vatican. Gaze up at Michelangelo's famous The Creation of Adam ceiling fresco, see The Last Judgement on the chapel's back wall and absorb the sacred ambiance of the pope's private chapel.

Your tour finishes with a fully guided visit to St Peter's Basilica, the home of the Catholic Church, where more artistic masterpieces await. See La Pieta, a stunning Michelangelo sculpture created by the artist when he was just 24, and admire Bernini's Baldachino - the ornate bronze canopy that sits above St Peter's high altar. Bid your guide farewell and take a stroll through St Peter's Square if you wish.

8:10am Small-Group Tour:
Upgrade to the 8:10am tour, and not only will you skip the long lines to enter the Vatican Museums, but you'll gain access as soon as the doors open -- before the general public step foot inside. Groups never exceed 12 people, ensuring you'll see the Vatican highlights up-close with personalized attention from your guide.

7:30pm Tour:
Book the evening tour and explore the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel after the main closing times - an opportunity available for a strictly limited season. Access is only possible for people pre-booking an evening tour, so book now to secure your spot! The season runs every Friday from May 6 until July 26, and then from September 6 until October 25. Numbers are limited to 20 people. Tour does not include a visit to St Peter's Basilica.

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Vatican VIP Experience: Exclusive Breakfast at the Vatican with Early Access to Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel

Start your day at the Vatican with a lavish buffet breakfast in the Pinecone Courtyard! After entering the Vatican Museums before the general public, sit down for an outdoor breakfast, featuring treats like pancakes and pastries, and then take a small-group tour around the museum itself. See highlights such as Raphael’s Rooms and the Sistine Chapel, before heading inside St Peter’s Basilica though a reserved entranceway (to beat any crowds).

Numbers are limited to 10 people on this small-group Vatican tour, ensuring you’ll see the incredible artwork with personalized attention from your guide.
Rise bright and early and head into the Vatican Museums before the general public set foot inside. Your expert guide will lead you through a section of the museum complex to Pinecone Courtyard, where a sumptuous buffet breakfast will be ready and waiting for you.

Sit down outside and dine on an Italian-American breakfast of pastries, meats, cheeses, eggs, and even pancakes - flipped in front of you by a pancake chef! Savor the food with a coffee or fresh orange juice and soak up the peaceful ambiance of the Vatican free from the crowds!

After enjoying your relaxing start to your day, your guide will lead you back inside the Vatican Museum complex for your tour. At this point, members of the public are still not allowed inside, so there will only be a few other pre-booked tour groups exploring the museum alongside your small group of 10 - giving you plenty of space to enjoy the artwork.

The Vatican Museum complex is staggeringly huge, so your guide will show off its best bits on your 2.5-hour tour. Explore the Gallery of Maps to see intricately detailed maps, and gaze at visual illusions aplenty in the Gallery of Tapestries. Marvel at Renaissance frescoes in the interconnecting chambers that comprise Raphael’s Rooms, and then get ready for the glory of the Sistine Chapel.

As the pope’s private place of worship, the Sistine Chapel echoes with a sacred ambiance, made even more special by the incredible artwork that adorns the walls and ceiling. Hear the history and theories of Michelangelo’s famous frescoes from outside, and then head inside to gaze at The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgement on your own.

Your Vatican tour finishes with a skip-the-line visit to St Peter’s Basilica - the home of the Catholic Church - where more artistic treats await. Head inside via a reserved entranceway, and admire Michelangelo’s La Pieta sculpture, as well as Bernini’s Baldachino canopy, while hearing their history. You can then stay inside St Peter’s Basilica if you wish, after your tour ends.

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Skip the Line Private Tour: Vatican Museums Walking Tour

Receive the Papal treatment with your very own private tour of the Vatican! You'll receive personalized attention from your guide, and by booking ahead you won't waste any time waiting in line!

Accompanied by your expert guide, you will enjoy an intimate, personalized tour of the Vatican Museums, which were originally meant for the sole enjoyment of the Pope. This lavish, intricate labyrinth is made up of 2000 rooms that stretch over almost nine miles. In fact, it is said that if you spent 60 seconds looking at every item, it would take you 12 years to see everything! With your own private guide to lead the way, you'll discover the beauty and secrets hidden within the masterpieces lining these rooms.

A highlight of the private tour of the Vatican Museums is experiencing Michelangelo's famous Creation of Adam fresco as you explore the Sistine Chapel and wander through Raphael's Rooms. After taking in the Vatican Museums, you will encounter another of Michelangelo's masterpieces, La Pieta, in St Peter's Basilica. For a fascinating finish to your private walking tour, stop to admire magnificent St Peter's Square, as your guide points out Bernini's ingenious use of optical illusion.

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Skip the Line: Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Tour

Take a morning or afternoon tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel - and jump the queue by booking ahead. You'll enjoy a mini coach tour of Rome en route to the Vatican and see Michelangelo's famous Sistine Chapel frescoes, without wasting time waiting in line.

To start your morning tour of the Vatican Museums, you'll take a coach tour across Rome. Your city tour includes a live commentary and offers a brief introduction to Rome as you travel by bus to Vatican City. Highlights en route include Piazza della Repubblica, following the ancient Aurelian Walls, the famous Villa Borghese gardens and the northern gate of Rome leading into Piazza del Popolo.

Upon arrival, your guide will lead you into the museums. You'll see the beautiful spiral stairway and continue through the Gallery of Tapestries and Gallery of Geographical Maps, before arriving at the famous Sistine Chapel with its magnificent fresco of the Last Judgment by Michelangelo.

After your tour, you also have the option to indulge in an Italian lunch (drinks not included) before taking a guided tour of Christian Rome in the afternoon. Highlights include the Basilicas of Santa Maria Maggiore and Saint John in Lateran, and traveling along the ancient Appian Way to see Rome's Catacombs.



Get a sneak peak of the Skip the Line:  Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Tour with this Viator video.

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