Rome: Vatican Museum Evening Small Group Tour
Rome, Italy
Rome: Vatican Museum Evening Small Group Tour
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Rome, Italy
- 2 hours 40 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
Overview
Enjoy a rare, intimate visit to the Vatican Museums on this special small-group, after-hours guided tour. Visit the world-famous galleries by night in a group capped at only 12 people, after the museum has closed to the general public. Skip the packed daytime crowds as you roam through Renaissance-era masterworks, from the Raphael Rooms to the Sistine Chapel.
- An exclusive evening tour of the Vatican Museums
- Come face-to-face with iconic artworks, without the usual rush
- Listen to detailed commentary, with headsets available for more than six people
- Enjoy a personalized, small-group experience, minus the crowds
What's Included
Meeting and Pickup
Itinerary
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 144 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Mohammad_A, Nov 2024
An experience of a lifetime. First, an evening tour during the off season meant that the Vatican was at a fraction of the normal crowds. It resulted in such an intimate atmosphere where we had the luxury of strolling and taking in the history around us. Jeanette was our guide and she was so funny, sarcastic in the best way, engaging, and knowledgeable. She brought the history to life. She even offered to us a choice of going a bit faster and getting to St Peters Bascilica when it wasn’t included in our ticket. That part was unguided, but being the last ones in the door mean that it was nearly empty as well. It was utterly magnificent.
Adele_H, Nov 2024
I’m glad I opted for this guided tour over a self guided audio tour of the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel. There would be no comparison to having an amazing guide like Daniela. She was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic and was able to provide the right amount of information in an easy to understand way. It certainly helped me appreciate the works of art I was viewing. No waiting in line we went straight in and the small group of 9 made it easy to hear our guide without the need of headphones. Taking the evening tour, we were lucky to be there without the crowds. I would recommend this tour.
Paula_L, Oct 2024
Great time of day to see the museums. Our guide was very knowledgable. The Sistine Chapel was the highlight. Wonderful experiance, highly recommend .
Linda_N, Oct 2024
Sistine Chapel. Would have been 5 star if we had seen on Viator website that the Vatican Semi-private tour was not recommended for those with any mobility issues ( walking long distance before sitting down to rest, steps were my friends issues). Saw that warning on a reminder text the day before. Had not seen it previously when booking. Contacted What a Tour, the company providing the semi private tour immediately after receiving the text, and they were able to find a private tour guide We modified to a private tour at an additional cost. . Rafaela, our guide was excellent, found places for my friend to sit a while, slower pace, used lift in some spots, and even helped us get a taxi afterwards. Saw most of what is on the semi private tour. While it cost a bit more, it was worth it to us because we would have needed to skip the Vatican otherwise. After flying to Rome from the USA, to miss that would have been a huge disappointment.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Dear Linda,
Thank you for sharing your experience! We are happy to hear you enjoyed your tour with Raffaella, she really is an excellent guide.
Please note that it is written under the accessibility section on the site and also under the important information on your booking confirmation/ticket you automatically received from Viator that the small group tour cannot accommodate wheelchairs or walkers and is not suitable in case of mobility issues.
Safe travels!
Val_M, Oct 2024
Our sweet little guide began the tour by explaining we were at the Vatican to bask in art, not politics or religion, a big distinction. She shared her vast knowledge earnestly and with humour, and hustled us in to see the exquisite “School of Athens” right before closing. Evening tours are the only way to go!
Anonymous, Oct 2024
This tour was great. The guide, Barbara was very informative. Our best experience in Rome! This year we noticed especially that Rome was too crowded, general services & food were far below previous visits. The service people were rude and Rome in general was not at all friendly. unfortunate for the friends we brought as it was their first time, and therefore bad first impression. Will not be going back.
Zbigniew_D, Sep 2024
The ability to watch the highlights without the overwhelming crowds, to watch Sistine Chapel in great serenity and finally coming back to watch School of Athens
susan_k, Jun 2024
We had a fabulous experience with our guide (I can't remember her name, but she said if a bad review her name is Maria, I can't call her this because she was great!) She was informative, personable, and knowledgeable. Skip the line worked excellent and we almost had the Vatican to ourselves as entry time was 4:30 pm - There was a lot to cover but we never felt rushed.
Amy_M, Jun 2024
Knowledgeable, enthusiastic guide. I did the night tour, I would recommend the day tour. The night is still very crowded and you don’t get to see the basilica.
Christine_W, Jun 2024
Our tour guide was so passionate about the knowledge that it was infectious. He was a great speaker too. The tour gave me so much context to what I was looking at which gave made the museum so much more interesting for a person who is not very well versed in Roman history.
Kelly_W, Jun 2024
This was a great time to go and see things with less people in the Vatican. Still many people there just not as manat as earlier in the day. Our guide was the best! He truly had a passion for the Vatican and loves sharing his insights and knowledge. Well worth the price for this tour and I very much appreciated not having to follow someone behind a flag or something other tour guides hold for you to follow.
Anthony_B, Jun 2024
Excellent tour with a very knowledgeable and friendly tour guide! The audio system was great, no issues hearing our tour guide. The tour was timed out perfectly finishing up at the Sistine Chapel. Highly recommended.
LORENA_C, May 2024
It was a great tour. We saw all the most important masterpieces, even some rooms which I never saw in previous tours. The Sistine Chapel always unbelievable and astonishing. The guide, Gabriel, was very clear and explained everything in details. He tried to show us all the most he could, considering the time. A very good guide! I will for sure suggest this tour to my friends. Thanks
Jennifer_H, May 2024
Had a great guide (from Dublin, Ireland) for the English Tour option. Way less crowded than during the day, and our guide also led the way and highlighted some major works. Would recommend!
Michael_R, May 2024
Extremely knowledgeable guide! Wonderful experience! We were so happy we took the guided tour and would highly recommend!
Dina_R, Apr 2024
The guide was very animated and engaging! She gave us the salient points in an area that is overloaded with information. The only part that was a negative was her speed walking in the beginning, without warning. My husband is disabled and struggled to keep up with her pace. A “heads up” about how quickly we needed to walk would have been helpful.
Eda_S, Oct 2023
We had a great time and learned so much!
Our guide was friendly, positive, humorous and very knowledgeable.
We learned so much from her.
Sarah_R, Oct 2023
Amazing tour. Mario is excellent. Full of knowledge and really fun and lovely as a guide. Would definitely recommend as a way to make the most of the Vatican.
Ines_D, Oct 2023
The tour guide just skipped through part with apollo belvedere and I didn't even get to see it. Also we wasted half an hour on listening to him talk about timeline of sistine chapel outside without moving
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Dear Ines,
Thank you for your feedback.
Apollo Belvedere was indeed skipped but only because it is under renovation so it was simply not possible to see it.
Regarding your tour guide explaining everything about the Sistine Chapel outside - this is something that all guides must do because nobody is allowed to speak inside the Sistine Chapel. Without any explanation, most people would not know what they are going to be looking at, which details to pay attention to, and so on.
Perhaps your guide forgot to tell you why you had to stop outside to learn about the story of the Sistine Chapel so thank you for letting us know.
Kind regards and safe travels!
Maria_B, Oct 2023
I’ve been to the Vatican museums twice before but in the day. This was a whole other experience. The sculptures and paintings being lit up differently and more dramatically was fantastic. It was still crowded but nowhere near the levels during the day in the heat! Also nice to be with whole groups moving at a quick speed. Loved it.
Victoria_T, Oct 2023
We arrived at the ticket pick up location and 3 people were there to greet us!
Mario was our tour guide and he was fun and very knowledgeable about the Vatican.
He was clear on all aspects of the tour. He made it so easy to enter the museum and added many fascinating facts about many art works and their history. He was top notch and so was the tour!
Kathryn_G, Oct 2023
Your was very long but Sistine chapel made it worth it. Didn’t feel “VIP” as it was still very packed but probably much less so than during the day.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
The late summer evening entrances are a super option, you chose well! The high season is very busy, especially at weekends so entering late is lovely, particularly since the dusky light through the windows highlight the rooms and corridors in a completely different way, quite magical! Glad you enjoyed the Sistine Chapel, there is none quite like it! Pips
Julia_K, Oct 2023
Enjoyed the tour, English tour guide very informative! Visiting the Vatican City at night time was a different experience that everyone should experience once.
Elizabeth_B, Oct 2023
The tour itself was marvelous, but exponentially enhanced by the incredible tour guide experience with Mario. Not only was he knowledgeable, but he shared the knowledge in a very personal and engaging manner. Charming and funny, Mario made the experience for me!
Elizabeth
Laura_G, Oct 2023
Th subject of the tour itself was amazing, but our tour guide Mario really made it spectacular. His knowledge and passion for the subject kept the group engaged and entertained. I learned so many new things about the Vatican, the papacy, and the beautiful paintings. I can’t recommend the tour and Mario specifically enough.
lori_h, Oct 2023
We had a great tour with Mario to a couple of the Vatican museums and the Sistine Chapel. Mario was incredibly knowledgeable about everything we saw (which was A LOT!!), and he was quite gregarious and fun to listen to. it was very cool to visit in the evening as the outdoors were beautifully lit and it was much cooler than during the day.
that said (and this is NOT a criticism of the tour or Mario)... there are still lots and lots of people doing tours during the after hours tour. from what Mario told us, it's way less crowded than just going during the day... but it is still quite crowded. again... this is not a bad thing. but it's different from what i envisioned, so worth mentioning. the tour was absolutely worth it, and we are very happy with our experience, especially because we enjoyed spending time with Mario. just wanted to add some context to help people know what to expect.
Barbara_L, Oct 2023
The crowds were atrocious. The advertising indicates “without the crowds” in several places We were shoved, cut in front of and stepped on. Our group was limited to 12 but multiply by 500. The tour was not after closing as there were hundreds of people buying entry tickets
Response from Host, Jan 2025
It would be a dream come true if the number of tickets sold per day were better controlled by the museums and it seems you were with us on a particularly busy day during high season. Restricting our groups to no more than 12 per guide, does however allow us to better navigate the narrow corridors and small rooms, but we can't control bad behaviour of other groups around us unfortunately so we are sorry you were being bumped around! We do hope you enjoyed however how the dusky light through the windows give the museums a magical ambience to that of a day visit! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us, Pips
Karen_M, Oct 2023
Marcello was a great guide, and his knowledge was amazing, but he was pitching to an audience who were looking for an over view. He needs to apply to be a teacher in a university. The tour overall was very enjoyable but please don’t think there will be fewer people because it’s in the evening, it was packed
Carol_A, Sep 2023
Excellent experience, easy and a great overview of the Vatican. Our guide was knowledgeable and we saw all the highlights!
Samantha_T, Sep 2023
Mario was a great tour guide! He was enthusiastic, interactive and made it fun. The museum was crowded even though it was an evening tour but Mario navigated the crowds nicely.
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