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Exclusive Private Tour:expert guiding on the art and history of All the Vatican

Rome, Italy

From USD 351.69

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travellers

Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
Rome Tours
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Audio Guides
Kid-Friendly
Likely To Sell Out
Unique Experiences
  • 3 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Skip the lengthy lines and enjoy VIP access to the Vatican Museum’s many works of art on this private, guided tour. Hear the stories that bring the art to life. Visit the Vatican Pinacoteca art gallery; the Chiaramonti Museum, and a collection of Roman busts and statues. Also, see Raphael’s Rooms, four interconnected rooms with frescoes painted by Renaissance artist Raphael and the Gallery of Tapestries. Visit the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo’s famous “Creation of Adam” painting, plus St. Peter’s Basilica and more.
  • Prioritized Skip the Line entry to the Vatican Museums (price includes entry fees)
  • English-speaking guide specializing in art history
  • Enjoy privileged, personalized attention from your guide on this special private art tour
  • Customize the tour to suit your own interests

Why Travellers Choose This Tour

Access the Vatican through a reserved entrance that bypasses the priority lines.

What's Included

  • Professional art historian guide
  • All tickets
  • Private tour
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Food and drinks, unless specified

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • V.Le Vaticano/Musei Vaticani
    00192 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy

    Departure Point: Tour departs from Vatican Museums main entrance. Address:   Directions: Tour departs from Vatican Museums main entrance located on Viale Vaticano. Your guide will be waiting for you with a VIATOR/ARTSTUR sign.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Meet and greet the tour guide outside the main entrance of the Vatican Museums, a collection of galleries of classical and Renaissance art masterpieces, including the Sistine Chapel frescoes. Walk inside through a special reserved door without any waiting. This access is even faster than the priority lines.

Once inside, there are more than nine miles of art, so follow along with the guide who will point out the highlights and explain the story behind each work of art.

Stop at the Vatican Pinacoteca art gallery, featuring some of the most influential paintings in the world like Caravaggio’s Deposition from the Cross, Da Vinci’s unfinished St. Jermone and Raphael’s Transfiguration.

See the hundreds of Roman busts and statues inside the Chiaramonti Museum, then roam the Octagonal Courtyard to see Apollo Belvedere, a celebrated marble sculpture and the Laocoon, one of the most famous ancient sculptures in the world. Then exit directly into the Gregorian Etruscan Museum to see the many bronze figurines and Etruscan tombs.

Finally, visit Raphael’s Rooms, four interconnected rooms with frescoes painted by Renaissance artist Raphael; the six-sectioned Gallery of Candelabra, with Roman copies of Hellenistic originals and some great second century candelabra, from Otricoli; the Gallery of Tapestries, featuring the drawings from many of Raphael’s pupils; and Gallery of Maps, on the west side of the Belvedere Courtyard featuring a series of painted topographical maps of Italy.

Go to the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam and the Last Judgement and St. Peter’s Basilica to see Pietà, one of Michelangelo’s earlier sculptures depicting the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion.

The tour ends just outside St. Peter’s Basilica.

Vatican Museums

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Basilica

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • Evening Tours: St Peter's Basilica is closed during the evenings. As an alternative you will be offered an extended itinerary within the Vatican Museums, which still includes the Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Rooms. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. If you would prefer that St Peter's Basilica and Square are included, please select the Morning or Afternoon Tours as your travel date
  • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Operated by ARTSTUR Ltd

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.

Traveller Tips

She couldn't of been nicer, It is a long tour and if you have problems with your legs or back- get a wheel chair you are standing for about 4+ hours.

Reviews

4.5
68 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travellers.
Showing 1-10 of 68 reviews
No Show Guide 10/10 Don't recommend
Matthew_B, July 2022
Tour guide never showed up. Even Viator wasn't able to get a hold of them. Met another group through Viator that had the same thing happen. I'm getting a refund for my $700+.
Highly recommended personalized Vatican tour
Angela_H, Nov 2021
We toured the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel with our 18-year-old son; my husband and I had been there before, but my son had not. So our guide, Giovanni, had the challenge of choosing which items to present (a real risk there is to exhaust one's attention on the first few halls of the enormous collection, and become too overwhelmed to take in the rest of it), at the same time keeping the tour interesting for two who had already visited, and one- a teenager- who had not. He did a wonderful job highlighting items, explaining why they were important, and doing it in a fun and engaging way (how can you immediately tell if a sculpture is Greek, or Roman?). His English is excellent and he interacted comfortably with our son. I'm sure he would also have been an excellent guide for a longer and more detailed tour, or one which focused on a particular part of the museums collection, as he seemed very knowledgeable whenever we had a question about anything. Unfortunately the line to get into St. Peter's basilica was extremely long, so we didn't get to see that, but that wasn't Giovanni's fault (and he did suggest scheduling a tour in the morning and visiting the basilica first, when the line was likely to be shorter).
Private Vatican Tour
Linda M, Aug 2019
We had a private tour with our family of 6 which included a professor in a wheel chair and two teenage boys. The tour with Amy was excellent!! She was highly informed, friendly, patient and kind. We are not catholic but truly felt it was a balanced historical tour and worth every penny and minute we spent. We highly recommend a private tour with Amy
Response from Host, Sept 2019
Dear Friend, Sadly I am not allowed to mention your name but our friendship is totally awe of it. I related to Amy your beautiful description of the VaticanTour you enjoyed with all your family and she was delighted about it and thanks you very much. I hope to see yo one day in London where I will personally accompany you to one of out tours here or through emails for our tours to Paris or Rome again. Lots of very best wishes, Rosa Maria
Don’t do it!!!
Seaside07362587960, June 2019
Very disappointing experience. The Vatican is herding people through like cattle. How do we get a refund???
Response from Host, June 2019
In the height of the Season the Vatican becomes very crowded. The only way to avoid this is to do either an early morning breakfast Tour or a Friday evening late Tour . The afternoon tours are much less crowded than the morning. While you can and you should complain to the Vatican for this situation and the way they herd people through their Museums, you cnnot give fault to Trip Advisor or its providers for not giving a good visit.Your Guide, Anna Bruno, gave excellent explanations of the Vatican and you and your friends were pleased about it, there is nothing else we can do but choose our guides with care. The very poor rating refers to the guide and the service rendered. That perhaps could not be faltered.
Vatican _ St. Peter's
Lowell_J, Nov 2018
We (80 and 75) were withe our grandchildren (25-27) and had a private because I needed a wheel chair. Our guide was VERY knowleabe and with an outstanding personality. She couldn't of been nicer......It is a long tour and if you have problems with your legs or back- get a wheel chair you are standing for about 4+ hours.
Travel with an infant
Steve_M, Oct 2018
We had the good fortune to have Maria Ludovica as our tour guide at the Vatican. When we originally planned this trip my daughter was not pregnant. But lo and behold, a 2 month old infant came with us. If you have been to Disney you know what Fast Pass is...well, the combination of a newborn and a trained professional like Mary Ludo made the crowded Vatican a wonderful experience.Maria Ludo had such great knowledge and her preview chat inside the walls set the tone for a terrific immersion in fine art and inspiration. Her visual aids were also an asset as we progressed from one site to the other. Her genuine enthusiasm and care are so appreciated by this family.I strongly urge anyone to have a tour like this one. It was a true highlight of our trip.Once again, many thanks to Maria Ludo for making our experience so positive.
Rosanna our tour guide was...
Stephen R, Nov 2017
Rosanna our tour guide was passionate, informative and amazingly gifted at bringing all the Vatican treasures and art works to life, we spent over 3 hours in her company and enjoyed her knowledge and wisdom of this awe inspiring place, it truly is a jaw dropping moment when you enter the sistine chapel and onwards to St Peters Basilica, if you want a truly 5 star, personal experience then this is for you, we were fortunate in that the Vatican and St Peters were not that crowded so were lucky enough to have the chance to truly absorb the beauty of this place and through Rosanna's talks really get a feel for the artworks and treasures on display.
Our tour guide, Isabella,Botti was...
JoniMarie_J, Oct 2016
Our tour guide, Isabella,Botti was wonderful. She spent 3 hours with us, skillfully negotiating through the crowds, discussing the history and art of the Vatican. We were able to stop and ask questions whenever we needed more information and she made the large, imposing collections accessible. After comparing notes with friends who have taken Vactican tours, I am convinced that this is the only way to see and appreciate the museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St, Peter's. Brava Isabella!
This was a highlight of our trip...
Donald S, Aug 2016
This was a highlight of our trip. Our guide, Anna, was very knowledgeable having studied at the Vaticcan and received a doctorate in art history. Having our own personal guide was outstanding. My wife is an artist and could ask many questions. We tell everyone how great it was.
We had an amazing tour!!! Were...
allison_z, June 2016
We had an amazing tour!!! Were lucky to have one of the best tour guides!!! Thank You.
Excellent tour, an extremely...
Cristina S, Mar 2016
Excellent tour, an extremely knowledgeable and pleasant guide Alicia, we enjoyed it a lot. Highly recommended.
Again we used the tour with an art...
Lynn N, Nov 2015
Again we used the tour with an art historian.I cannot express enough how much this benefited our group. Our guide was so knowledgeable and easy to understand.I know I would not have gotten as much out of this tour without the art historian. The. Vatican is very crowded,do not go on the free museum day.
Maria, was superb with explanations...
Merrill B, Oct 2015
Maria, was superb with explanations and photos provided before the tour that enhanced our learning and experience. She was patient and answered our questions we expertise. Truly wonderful.
We appreciated our expert guide. She...
John F, Oct 2015
We appreciated our expert guide. She helped us navigate our way through wonderful art and the incredible crowds.
This was so wonderful tour , it...
Andrea M, Sept 2015
This was so wonderful tour , it started a little early which gave us more time . And our tour guide was full of information , she spoke great English . I would rate this tour a 5 .
To have an art historian accompany...
Ruby C, Aug 2015
To have an art historian accompany us on this tour was truly amazing. Blanche was very knowledgeable and knew all the very interesting points in the Vaticam.
Skipping any line to see anything is...
Kate, Aug 2015
Skipping any line to see anything is a great idea. Having your own private guide to bring you to what you want to see is the only way to see The Vatican. Our guide Maria was fabulous. She met us on time, procured our tickets and off we went, no time wasted. She took the time to ask us what we were interested in seeing. We advised her we were having a private tour the next day of the Secret Rooms and Sistine Chapel and she was delighted, now knowing what she could show us so as not to waste time doubling up. Maria was lovely, intelligent, an Art Historian, and no question asked went unanswered. She knew where to stand to view the art and attractions, and told wonderful side stories and tales of past popes, sculptors and artists. We ended up with enough time to walk to St. Peters, and again, she excelled. She seemed to know the security personnel and was able to bring one to the best exact location to take pictures. stars and worth every dime!
About two weeks before the tour...
wt3fluglotse, Aug 2015
About two weeks before the tour while we were on a cruise in the Adriatic we were informed via email that the guide for our tour was not able to conduct the tour. We were left with trying to visit the Museums by ourselves. We were very disappointed with this result.
Blanch is fabulous--we highly...
Pradeep S, July 2015
Blanch is fabulous--we highly recommend this private tour with the local company/Viator. We were in Rome with my 70 year old mom who has had knee surgeries and my 6 year old kid who refuses to walk over two miles daily. I was really worried about the Vatican tour. Our Louvre experience was poor when were in Paris. My mom had a wheel chair there but my husband kept lifting it over 100s of steps so she decided that she would do the Vatican without the wheelchair. I was nervous but fortunately it was a private tour and Blanch seemed very accommodating. She initially changed the time of the tour from morning to evening but it turned out to be more pleasant as there was not AC in the museum. Fortunately, to our surprise the elevators were functionally and my mom did not have to climb more than one little staircase. She walked slowly but Blanch was very patient and my 6 year old kid quickly bonded with her, holding her finger through the tour. The tour itself was fantastic and the Sistine Chapel was practically empty. We all stayed there for over 40 minutes and we found a place to sit down on the side benches--enjoying the beautiful ceiling and walls. Later Blanch waited for us and found a taxi that would take us back to our hotel--at that time of the day --taxi was not easy to find.
Our private tour of the Vatican...
Marcia M, Mar 2015
Our private tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's was well worth every penny that our family group of six spent! We were lucky to have Maria Ludovica as our guide! She was so knowledgeable as she has a doctorate from the Vatican! A wonderful tour!
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