Avoid the massive crowds that can make exploring the Vatican difficult and prebook this Sistine Chapel First Entry Experience with Vatican Museums Admission Ticket. This experience takes you inside the Vatican, right to the Sistine Chapel, before the crowds can even find their way there. Within a small group of up to 16 people, see Michelangelo’s famous ceiling fresco with a guide before exploring the other works and exhibits in the museums at your own pace before the crowds arrive.

Gain special, first-entry access to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum
See Michelangelo's masterpieces before the general public can
Explore the Vatican Museums at your own pace for as long as you'd like
A small group provides an intimate experience you won't get from other tours

Why Travellers Choose This Tour

Be among the first people of the day inside the Sistine Chapel with this ticket.

What's Included

First Entrance into the Vatican Museums
First Entry Experience to the Sistine Chapel
Tickets to the Vatican Museums and all reservation fees
All Day Access to the Vatican Museums
Small group of 16 people or less
Expert, English-speaking guide

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Food and drinks, unless specified

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Via Tunisi, 4
Via Tunisi, 4, 00192 Roma RM, Italy
At the bottom of the steps across the street from the Entrance of the Vatican Museums. The steps are located right next to Caffè Vaticano on the corner of Viale Vaticano and Via Tunisi. The closest Metro stop is Line A (Ottaviano – Musei Vaticani).

Start time

08:00 am

End point

Sistine Chapel
00120, Vatican City

What To Expect

Your early morning Vatican experience starts as you meet your host outside the Vatican Museums. Be one of the first to go in and head directly to the Sistine Chapel, the pope’s private place of worship, which is normally the last thing seen on a tour of the Museums' complex. However, with this ticket, enter the chapel as one of the first visitors of the day, allowing you to enjoy it without the crowds.

Gaze in awe at Michelangelo’s iconic ceiling fresco, 'The Creation of Adam,' as well as 'The Last Judgment,' his blue fresco that adorns the back wall of the chapel. Talking is not allowed inside; learn about these Renaissance masterpieces before you enter from your guide. After seeing the chapel, you're able to explore the Vatican Museums at your own pace.

Your tour concludes back in St. Peter's Square, where you're able to take in the architectural splendor of the Vatican.

Vatican City (Pass By)

Vatican Museums

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Cortile della Pigna (Pass By)

Sistine Chapel

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Basilica

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
St Peter's Basilica, the grottos and the dome: After the tour, you may visit these attractions on your own. Your tour will end at the front of St Peter's Basilica, which is a very convenient location to leave for lunch, visit the Vatican bookstore, visit the Vatican post office, enter St Peter's Basilica, continue to the grottos below St Peter's or climb to the dome. Your tour guide will be happy to point you in the right direction!
Not wheelchair accessible

Near public transportation
Most travellers can participate
Please note: Due to the current circumstances and regulations, the Vatican currently opens at 8:30am instead of 8:00am. However, by arriving at the line 30 minutes before the doors open, you will be one of the first visitors to enter the Sistine Chapel and enjoy the Museums in peace before the crowds arrive.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travellers

Cancellation Policy

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

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

There are other tour groups, but no where near as the mass crowds as usual.this tour is highly recommended for all.

Don't worry, you will still have the opportunity to explore the museums after you visit the Chapel.

Show up early, grab some cappuccino before the tour, and get ready for the experience of a lifetime!

Reviews

4.5

957 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 957 reviews

Early Sistine Chapel “skip the line” tour

anitavoltz, May 2023

Appreciated all the historical information from Salvadore - he was amazing… but after the history lesson he left us to continue us on our own into the Sistine Chapel.. and to further explore this amazing place. I would highly recommend increasing the price a bit and including a basic Museum and Basilica map - we were never able to find the Raffaello rooms after exiting the chapel - a loss for us on this trip.

Fantastic Tour that doesn’t take the entire day!

Laura_G, May 2023

Great tour of the Vatican that hits all of the highlights! This is a shorter tour than many others that are offered and doesn’t cover all of the galleries or provide immediate access to St Peters, but it was perfect for us as we were on a time crunch and still wanted to see the Sistine Chapel! Our guide was wonderful and shared great information!

Tour guide no showed

Katherine_S, May 2023

Our 8am tour guide no showed. They had no backup so we had to go on an unguided tour. It was a huge bummer. Viator also cancelled my Colosseum tour the day before. I’m pretty sure Viator is a racket and I don’t recommend booking with them.

Good to go early and with a guide

Tanya_E, May 2023

Glad we did this early. We learned a lot and took some nice photos before the huge crowds. We would have gotten so lost without a guide. Plus we got to skip the line which was already forming early.

Perfect- not too long in the group, lots of solo time

Shannon_A, May 2023

Just what we were looking for! Oscar was great! He has a very easy going friendly welcoming vibe. We learned a lot of tons we wouldn’t have known otherwise. Not too long in any one place which is what we wanted; details here and there but given an overall experience and knowledge of what to return to on our own time for the rest of the day.

Not as described

Elizabeth_W, May 2023

We’ve been to the Vatican in previous years and just wanted to visit the Sistine Chapel once more before we had to catch a train. We chose this tour because we understood it would BEGIN in the Sistine Chapel and then allow us to visit the museum. Instead, it was the same as every other tour and ENDED in the Chapel. We were not permitted to just go to the Chapel. The guide was very good but his hands were tied. We made our train with literally one minute to spare. Very disappointed.

Response from Host, May 2023

Hi Elizabeth_W, Thank you for sharing your feedback about your Sistine Chapel First Entry Experience with Vatican Museums. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the change in the tour route. We understand your expectation of beginning the tour in the Sistine Chapel, and we regret that the increased crowds have impacted our ability to maintain the usual tour sequence. While we strive to provide the best possible experience, sometimes adjustments are necessary due to operational constraints. We appreciate your understanding that our guide's hands were tied in this situation. We value your feedback, and we will take it into consideration as we continue to refine our tour itineraries and communicate accurate information to our customers. We are glad to hear that you found our guide to be very good, and we apologize once again for any disappointment regarding the tour sequence. We hope that despite the change, you were still able to enjoy your visit to the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. If there's anything else we can assist you with, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. Thank you for choosing our tour, and we appreciate your understanding. Kind regards, Edgar J. Communications Manager City Wonders

Disappointed

Elena_K, May 2023

The only value: being able to get inside the Vatican. The tour guide was mediocre. Didn’t get to Sistine Chapel for another hour and a half, after a boring and mostly useless tour.

Response from Host, May 2023

Hi Elena_K, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We appreciate your feedback and we apologize that the Sistine Chapel First Entry Experience with Vatican Museums did not meet your expectations. We are glad that you were able to enter the Vatican and see its beautiful artwork, but we are sorry to hear that you found the tour guide to be mediocre and the tour itself to be boring and mostly useless. We understand that your time is valuable, and we regret that we were unable to provide a tour that was engaging and informative. We take all feedback seriously, and we will be sure to pass on your comments to our team to help us improve our services and provide a better experience for our guests in the future. Thank you again for sharing your feedback with us. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back on one of our tours and provide a more enjoyable experience. Best regards, Edgar J. Communications Manager City Wonders

Worth it!

linolatrell, Apr 2023

Great tour and Mirco was a great tour guide. Well worth it just getting passed the lines way faster than the ticket line. Took us to the Sistine chapel as soon as it opens and pointed out a few things along the way through the museum. Set us free to go back through the museum and see saint peters square / basilica afterwards, and since we were there so early, it wasn’t nearly as crowded as usual. Gets pretty crazy in the afternoon.

Pretty good

Courtney_H, Apr 2023

Very informative. Good guide. A lot of waiting and lines and talking to start. But the information was helpful. I guess I thought the “early admission before crowds” was more specific. It just meant we went in at opening time.

Awesome Sistine Chapel Tour

Mark_B, Apr 2023

Our guide, Rosy is extremely informative and knowledgeable of the chapel. Tour moved along at a good pace. Even with the early tour, the route was packed with other tours. Still able to get great views and great photos. Thank you Rosy!

Not as anticipated

Justine_E, Apr 2023

Wasn’t quite what we were expecting. Based on the description, we thought we’d be heading directly to the Sistine Chapel with no stops. That’s not the case. We didn’t get there until ~9:20am, and the tour started at 8am. We’ve been before, and booked this tour as a way to get to the Sistine Chapel asap. I found the stops along the way to be a frustration, as I wasn’t looking for the information & we just wanted to get to the Chapel. All that said, the number of ppl in the chapel was probably about 30% of what it was the last time we went. Last time we felt like herded cows as we went thru. This time we were able to stop and enjoy the art for a bit. Overall I do appreciate the experience in the chapel. The route there just wasn’t what we had anticipated.

Great length for kids!

Courtney_B, Apr 2023

This was a great tour to get a quick overview of the vast Vatican Museums and get into the Sistine Chapel before the crowds - we actually got seating in the chapel and were able to sit and admire the artwork as long as we wanted!! I had visited the chapel previously on my own and this was certainly not my experience the first time. I did this tour with my 8-year-old daughter and it was just the right length for her to learn something, but not be overwhelmed with information and walking.

Quick and Comprehensive

Kaan_K, Mar 2023

This is the quickest way to see the Sistine Chapel and then choose your own adventure in the Vatican museums for the rest of the day. The price is well worth it when you see the amount of people waiting in line for general admission. Salvatore was an excellent guide.

Sistine Chapel

Andrew_O, Mar 2023

Our guide Oscar was knowledgeable, took time to answer questions, and was professional and friendly.

Amazing tour!

Ghulam_M, Mar 2023

To go without a guide with this experience would have been the biggest mistake! Our guide gave us so much insight and history that the appreciation for everything was beyond what we had ever expected or planned for!

Early access Sistine chapel

Linda_L, Mar 2023

Seeing the Sistine Chapel with only a few people there . The whole trip was very informative and the guide was excellent

Good, short tour

Brian_K, Mar 2023

Good tour, short, focused on highlights. Right amount of time for someone with limited attention span :)

Art and more art!

Charles_B, Mar 2023

The artwork! To be able to be upfront to art that is no where else in the world. YaYa gave a good outline of the works that would have been missed without a guide.

Sistine Chapel should always be first!

loopla, Mar 2023

This is the only tour I would ever recommend for the Vatican. All roads lead to the Sistine Chapel, which means it can get CROWDED and overwhelming by 10:00. Beginning the day with the Sistine Chapel is the only way to go; afterward you have the freedom to tour the museums on your own or exiting to St. Peter’s (if you can find it - we struggled but that’s more to do with lack of coffee than anything else). Oscar was a great guide who kept us entertained and informed as we made our way to the Chapel.

Great tour!

Kim_T, Mar 2023

The 90 minute tour was a perfect way to get a taste with an expert and then go on our own. If you're short on time as we were, or just want to have this kick off your learning experience, I highly recommend.

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