Skip the Line Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Basilica & Papal Tomb Tour

Name: Skip the Line Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Basilica & Papal Tomb Tour
Brand: Maya Tours
SKU: 7356P1
Price: 82.52 USD
Rating: 4.5 (3623 reviews)

Recommended by 91% of travelersBadge of ExcellenceRome, Italy

From $82.52

per person

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

3 hours (approx.)
Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover the sacred and artistic treasures of the Vatican on an immersive tour led by an art historian guide. Skip the long lines with priority access, and see some of the most important masterpieces in the Vatican Museum’s immense collection. Stand in awe beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, and learn the stories behind the art through an audio headset so you don’t miss a word of your guide’s commentary.

Art history tour of the splendid Vatican Museums
See highlights of the sprawling collection with a knowledgeable guide
Learn about the artists and their patrons through live audio headset commentary
Walk beneath the sacred ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
Beat the crowds with skip-the-line access

What's Included

Skip The Line Priority Access Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Tickets
Small Group Tour Experience with Expert Official Licensed Vatican Guide
Skip The Line St.Peter's Basilica Entry (when possible)
Introduction to the highlights of St.Peter's Basilica with a guide
Free to explore in the Basilica and Papal tombs after the tour has finished

Location Pick Up & Drop Off
Scavi / Necropolis
On Wednesday mornings St. Peter's Basilica may be closed to the public due to the Papal Audience
St Peter’s Basilica is subject to last-minute closures for religious ceremonies, with no warning

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Via Germanico, 16, 00192 Roma RM, Italy
Once you book, we organize everything. Just show up and check-in at the Maya Tours office (VIA GERMANICO, 16) at the correct time (Please arrive 10 minutes before your booked departure time) and your guide will escort you inside the Museums & provide you with your ticket.

End point

St. Peter's Basilica
Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City
St.Peter's Basilica

What To Expect

Meet your art historian guide less than a 5-minute walk from the Vatican Museums and head over together. Go straight to the front of the line thanks to skip-the-line access, and make your way inside. Put on an audio headset that will make it easy to hear your guide's extensive commentary and begin your tour through the ornate halls of the Holy See’s Vatican.

Take your time to check out the art while listening to your guide before continuing into the star attraction: the Sistine Chapel. Step inside and look up to see Michelangelo’s masterpiece frescoes adorning the ceilings, while listening to your guide’s perspective on the history and significance of this world-famous place of worship.

Maya Tours (Pass By)

Vatican Museums

2 hours 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Sistine Chapel

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

St. Peter's Basilica

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St. Peter's Square (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
The tour reservations have strict timing. To join the tour, you are required to be at the meeting point at least 15 minutes prior to your tour departure time.
If you arrive late for the meeting time, it will not be possible to join the group or reschedule. As per "No Show" rules you will not be entitled to a refund.
Due to the Jubilee, some monuments or areas may be under restoration and subject to last minute closures. Please pay attention to any messages we may send regarding potential changes.

The Basilica is subject to last-minute closures for religious ceremonies, with little to no warning and in this case, the tour will conclude in the Sistine Chapel. We are unable to provide refunds as the Basilica is free to enter and not included in the tour price
If you purchase a reduced ticket and you are not under 16 years old or a student under 26 years old with a valid student photo ID, the Vatican will deny your entry and you will not be able to visit the Vatican or join the tour.
Knees and shoulders must be covered for both men and women to enter the Sistine Chapel.
Please be aware that large bags/backpacks/suitcases are not permitted in the monument/ attraction.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not suitable for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair. Please be aware that large oversized bags/backpacks/suitcases are not permitted in the monument/ attraction.
It is not possible to contact guides when they are inside the Vatican museums, it is the clients responsibility to stay with the guided tour group, if you lose your guide inside the Vatican, there is nothing we can do in this case.
Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not suitable for those with walking difficulties or using a wheelchair.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.6

3,623 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 3,623 reviews

Fantastic experience

Stuart_G, Jan 2025

Our tour guide was absolutely fantastic. I can remember her name but she was an American lady who has lived in Rome for the last 19 - 20 yrs. She was a mind of information and gave us the best tour .

Great

Ruslan_N, Jan 2025

Perfect explanations by our guide Deborah. All if us enjoyed the tour abd would recommend it to our friends

YES!!! Worth the money

Karsen_C, Jan 2025

Amazing and definitely worth the money! Despite chaos and crowds, tour was wonderful and well-organized. Guide was very informative and helpful. I got so many photos and great memories. Book in the morning and plan to walk a lot!

Beautiful Vatican Eperience

Aditi_G, Jan 2025

Our guide Tia was simply awesome, she was very knowledgeable, articulate and very patient with the group asking questions, taking time to take pics etc. She had a great sense of humor, was friendly and the tour didn’t feel rushed. The skip the line option is definitely worth it, you also get access to St Peter’s Basilica without waiting in line. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, Tia is a great tour guide!

Good experience and good to skip the line

Joanna_S, Jan 2025

Overall a good experience It was easy to find the meeting point and our tour guide Umberto was really nice and knowledgable. The only thing I would say was that it was extremely busy and quite overwhelming pace so maybe a half way through it would be good to take a 15 min break for everyone to sit down for a moment to grab a drink/ coffee.

Maggie gave us an...

Randy_K, Jan 2025

Maggie gave us an excellent tour of the Vatican! Great information and interaction with our group! Great experience and we would certainly book this tour again!

Maggie is a wonderful...

Cynthia_M, Jan 2025

Maggie is a wonderful tour guide! This was my third time to St Peter’s and I still learned so many new things! And Maggie has a delightful personality making it an overall great experience.

Thank you Christina!

P_N, Dec 2024

This tour exceeded our expectations! Our guide Christina was extremely knowledgeable, helpful and kind. Skipping the lines was a wonderful addition and it helped us use our limited time in the area wisely. I highly recommend Maya Tours!

Great tour

Elgin_S, Dec 2024

Amazing tour and an excellent tour guide. She engaged everyone in the tour and made everyone feel comfortable. She was very knowledgeable as well. Amazing experience

Great experience

Alicia_C, Dec 2024

Our tour guide Maggie, was super helpful and went through it at a decent pace because there were children.

Amazing tour by Deborah

Jocelyn_P, Dec 2024

Deborah was amazing! I learned so much of the art of the Vatican and also how it shaped the church into what it is today. She spoke with such passion and was so much fun, I would definitely recommend again. Grazie Deborah!

Vatican tour

Laura_S, Dec 2024

Excellent guide. Very knowledgeable. Only down side was that we could not see St. Peter's Basilica or the Papal tombs because they were closed to the public that day. New Cardinals were being elected. Still pretty awesome

Great guide!

William_B, Dec 2024

The guide was fabulous and very thorough- small group size was nice. Enjoyed the pace and learned a great deal about the Vatican

Great tour with Koen!

Sharon_L, Dec 2024

Koen was an excellent tour guide! He is so knowledgeable and easy to understand. Highly recommend this tour to be able to see it all!

Wonderful, educational tour for first visits

Balwant_P, Dec 2024

Our guide Devora was wonderful. Knowledgeable and very organized. She even organized other groups, lol. She has a special connection to Vatican City. Take a pair of binoculars so that you can look at the ceiling of the Sistine chapel more closely. - it in difficult to see the amazing artwork from the ground. Remember, you are not allowed to take pictures in the chapel.

Definitely recommend!

Channa_K, Dec 2024

I had missed my flight to Rome and wasn’t going to make the tour. They moved me to the afternoon even though the tour was occurring in less than 24 hours. It was also a fabulous tour! We loved the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly.

Tour was cut short

Anna_C, Dec 2024

Everything was great except they closed the Vatican at 1330 and our tour was cut short. The Pope was coming out to speak that evening.

Vatican Tour 2024

jerry_l, Dec 2024

Christina was the best tour guide we had this trip. Not only was she knowledgeable on all the things she was talking about, she was also entertaining and kept us engaged. Her stories were both fun and inspiring, and her explanation of the Pieta statue was perfection. If you ever need a tour of the area, go to Maya Tours and ask for Christina, you won’t regret it!

Great Tour

Ryan_W, Dec 2024

Very knowledgeable tour guide, Belgium man really enjoyed his energy. Gave us detailed in-depth information on many of the artists & history. Highly recommend this

Great guide

Tom_S, Dec 2024

Loved our guide informative, engaging, Debra was excellent and made the tour come alive. Thank you !!

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