Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Skip The Line Guided Tour

Rome, Italy

2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Offered in: English

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Skip the Line Tour: Vatican Museum + Sistine Chapel with Guide

from $75

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Overview

Step inside Vatican City for a group tour of its vast museum complex and the Sistine Chapel. A visit to the Vatican is a highlight of any trip to Rome, but the long lines can take away from an otherwise enriching experience. Skip all the waiting around with fast-track entry and join your tour guide for an express exploration of the beautiful art and architecture on display.

Bypass the tourists crowds with skip-the-line tickets
See Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and discover the story behind it
Hear your guide's commentary through the chatter of crowds with headsets
Cover the highlights in just a couple of hours

What's Included

Professional and Licensed Tour Guide
Admission tickets included
Radio Headsets
First track Entrance to Vatican Musueum and Sistine Chapel

Access to St Peter's Basilica

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Via Germanico, 28, 00192 Roma RM, Italy
From Viale Ottaviano (metro A station Ottaviano) two blocks then on the right for another block.

End point

Sistine Chapel
00120, Vatican City
The tour finish inside the Sistine Chapel

Ticket Redemption Point

Via Germanico, 28, 00192 Roma RM, Italy

Itinerary

Vatican Museums

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Sistine Chapel

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

3.4

based on 48 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Beware of booking on Viator

Gayle_C, Nov 2024

Viator and the Tour operator let us book tickets on All Saints’ Day through the Viator system, which meant the museums were closed. Thankfully the tour operator called and rearranged for the Saturday, but this meant we missed the Colloseum tour that I’d already pre-booked for that time. Viator customer service we extremely unhelpful. We lost the money on that tour because it was in the cancellation period. I can only give booking with Viator a poor review for this reason. Our priority was to see the Sistine chapel, which was a lifetime aim of my husband, so I had to make a choice in the short time we had in Rome. I would never book through Viator again. This was a VERY busy Saturday so it was worth it to skip the huge queues. The Vatican and its museums are something to behold and our tour guide was very knowledgeable. The tour operator themselves were helpful, very practiced and got us all in very efficiently. It was a shame to not spend a little longer in the Sistine, it was more than we had expected and it is what we went for.

Never use Viator don’t live up to their promises

Lawrence_M, Oct 2024

The end. ; couldn’t understand the tour guide . He was knowledgeable; We paid for a tour of the basilica and our guide left us there on our own . We didnt get what we paid for or promise We asked Viator for a refund but to no avail Viator does not live up to their product. The tour was overpriced. The group size should be smaller

Disappointing

Denise_T, Oct 2024

The best part of the tour was that we could skip the big queues and get right in. Unfortunately we found it very hard to hear and understand the guide. The sound kept on cutting on and off and the tour guide spoke very quickly and was hard to understand. We were disappointed as we felt we did not learn anything throughout the tour and would have preferred to walk round ourselves.

Disappointed

Veronica_A, Sep 2024

Lasi minute booking. My friend also did a.last minutes booking. She booked through Viator as.well, same cost, she had over an hour of extra guide time. Not sure why the time with a guide was short for me. We paid a premium because it was a last minute booking. I just got about half of the time with a guide then my friend. We paid about the same price. Disappointed

Sever Viator screw-up

James_G, Aug 2024

You cancelled our excursion with less than 4 hours advance notice, and in a way that we didn't learn of until we showed up expecting to meet the tour guide. The explanation was that ths tour was scheduled due to a systems error for a date the Vatican wasn't open due to a scheduled August holiday. We could not reschedule, given preexisting travel commitments.

Don’t go on this tour

Humberto_A, Jun 2024

Our tour was cancelled because it was a holiday which Viator should have known a month before when we purchased the tickets. The Rome tour operator switched us last minute to an inferior tour of less duration and no visit to the basilica. A tour they sell for 80 euros we paid 165 for . There was no skip the line or expedited entrance , just utter chaos . I would avoid this Viator tour for Guided tour for Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica , at all cost !!! Also avoid Go Ticket and Tour the tour operator for Viator. Despite complaints and a promise to resolve issue nothing has been done . They just kick the can down the road .

Definitely worth while to...

Dana_T, May 2024

Definitely worth while to skip the line! Those lines were extremely busy and long! Per our experience definitely try using restroom prior to your visit!

Terrible

Kerry_G, Nov 2023

The tour didn't happen. No guide met us after we travelled and waited to go to the vatican only to find out it was closed. I want a full refund 😕 not happy we got booked on a day it was closed. We missed out on an opertunity to see this. Not happy at all.

Worst Tour I ever had

Dheeraj_R, Oct 2023

Tour was the worst I ever had experienced. The agent ended the tour after Vatican Muesum and Sistine Chapel. No tour was done for st Peter Basilica. When I approached tour guide he was not helping and asked to contact Viator for refund, which later he denied when Viator support contacted him. Total scam. I'll definitely not use the service nor recommend it to any one.

Guide was terrible....

James_B, Sep 2023

Guide was terrible. English speaking guide spoke in broken English. It felt like we We're running through the museum. Tour was supposed to start at 2:30 we didn't get into the museum till 3:15. Overall a terrible experience.

Terrible

Joanne_P, Aug 2023

The worse tour I have experienced after doing quite a few excellent tours through Europe in the past 10 weeks. Times were confusing and inaccurate. Tour left 90 minutes after stated time. Organisation was shambolic with no one being able to provide accurate information. Avoid. There are so many other excellent operators available.

Small group tour

cynthia_H, Aug 2023

The tour guide we had spent too much time talking outside in the heat, and inside as much. Couldn’t hear a lot with the headphones . Just a brief overview would have sufficed She did the best she could I guess with the crowd However, it was still a wonderful place to see. Overwhelming

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you so much for Sharing your experience with us. It’s really very important for us to improve our service. We will be look after this tour guide. Thank’s Again. Hopefully See you again.

Great Tour & Guide, but Very Crowded

JIMMY_B, Aug 2023

This tour was very well done. The instructions for link up were clear, the tour guide was knowledgeable, and the tour was extensive. The only critique I have which is out of the hands of the company is the museum tour and Sistine Chapel were more crowded than Disneyland. Definitely do this tour, but go in the off-season when you can take more time to appreciate the museum and aren’t packed in like Amalfi Sardines. Worth it though!

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you so much for Sharing your experience with us. It’s really very important for us to improve our service. Thank’s Again. Regards.

Vatican Tour

Jody_B, Jul 2023

It was difficult to understand the tour guide. Otherwise, the staff of the company were amazing and were very helpful in ensuring we get to our next tour at the Coliseum on time.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you so much for Sharing your experience with us. It’s really very important for us to improve our service. Thank’s Again. Regards.

Poorly run tour and not as advertised

Keith_L, Jul 2023

This was a guided tour of only the Vatican museum. When it came time to see the Sistine Chapel the guide said he wasn’t allowed in and told us to go on our own. Then the Chapel exit signs were confusing and we ended back in the museum. Once in the museum we could not get to St. Peter’s without waiting in line AGAIN. It was also too close to closing so we never got to see it. Save you’re money. This guided tour was poor at best.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you so much for Sharing your experience with us. It’s really very important for us to improve our service. Thank’s Again. Regards.

Too crowded and HOT

Mary_K, Jul 2023

The tour was way too long in this heat. The guide would not stop talking the whole time we were in the Sistine Chapel to just give us an opportunity to admire and take in the experience of being there. We tagged out of the tour at that point. We were exhausted from the heat and overcrowding in the museum.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you so much for Sharing your experience with us. It’s really very important for us to improve our service. Thank’s Again. Regards.

Absolutely terrible!!!

Junko_k, May 2023

These people are absolutely terrible. They knew the entire time that the Vatican museums were closed on May 1. They sold us tickets and sent confirmations the day before, but I also sent an email one day before that the museums were closed and we could either rebook (which we cannot, because we are on a trip to Europe that was planned a year ago!) or request a refund. I am very disappointed by the entire experience, how can they just expect people to change their schedules on a trip that was booked months and months in advance? I do not recommend this company for anything and if I do not receive a refund promptly, I will call my credit card company and dispute the charges and I do not recommend them at all. On top of that they have not responded to any communications or emails or texts or chats through the Viator app or anything! Completely useless Very dissatisfied

Vatican museum during eastern

Anders_M, Apr 2023

Visiting Vatican museum during eastern. Unfortunately Peters basilica was closed during eastern. Roberto made a very interesting and informative visit. The museum is so big that a visit without guide is meaningless. Great.

Nefasto

Eduardo_P, Jul 2023

Miles de personas apiñadas e insolentemente tratadas por el personal de seguridad. No es culpa del proveedor, sino de la irresponsabilidad del Vaticano que no regula la cantidad de visitantes