Early Morning Vatican, Sistine, St. Peter's Semi or Private Tour

Overview

Available languages

English

3 hours 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

Get early morning access into the Vatican Museums to admire countless works, and beautiful courtyards! Together with a truly small group of only 6 participants max, or in your very own private group, you will be able to avoid the big crowds and quietly enjoy these wonderful masterpieces. The Vatican Museums is on everyone’s Rome itinerary so you can imagine it gets quite full, quite quickly. This tour guarantees the personalized and intimate feel that is only possible with our truly small group size, or in your very own private group. We believe that having an intimate experience makes ALL the difference! With your expert local guide, make your way through the vastness of the Museums, with the greatest highlights of the Papal art collection, the Raphael Rooms, the Gallery of Tapestries, the Pinecone Courtyard, and of course the exceptional Sistine Chapel. Finish with the incredible Saint Peter's Basilica.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Important Notice Jubilee Year 2025: As part of the 2025 Jubilee celebrations, from December 24th, 2024 to January 6th, 2026, St. Peter’s Basilica may experience unexpected partial or complete closures. In the rare event that the Basilica cannot be visited, rest assured that your tour experience will remain exceptional. Your guide will seamlessly adapt the itinerary to include alternative highlights, ensuring the full duration and quality of your tour. Please note that, in accordance with our Terms & Conditions agreed upon at the time of booking, partial or full refunds cannot be issued due to Basilica closures.

Places of worship have strict dress code requirements for entry. All participants are required to have shoulders and knees covered (no tank tops or short dresses) to enter.

Vatican management maintains the right to delay the opening of the Sistine Chapel for religious reasons, in this case the guide will modify the itinerary and extend your visit of the museums to ensure you make the most of your time before access to the Sistine Chapel is permitted.

Photography is not allowed in the Sistine Chapel and all other artwork can only be photographed without flash.

Please be aware that the Sistine Chapel is a Holy Place and talking during while inside the chapel is strictly forbidden. Therefore, your guide will provide a comprehensive overview of the Sistine Chapel before entering and will be able to answer more questions once you have left the space.

St. Peter’s Basilica is an active church and can be closed unexpectedly for liturgical ceremonies. If closed, your guide will provide a revised itinerary including more of the Vatican Museums. No compensation is granted in these circumstances.

Backpacks are not permitted in the Museum.

Guests with wheelchair accessibility needs will find difficulty with this small group tour. To ensure a barrier-free tour with alternative routes, please book the private version of this tour.

Everyone in your group, regardless of age, needs a government issued ID to enter the Vatican Museums.

IMPORTANT: Please advise our team if you believe that a disability qualifies you for complimentary access to the Vatican

Access to the Raphael Rooms is contingent upon crowd conditions, timing constraints, and guard-regulated routes. Including them may not always be feasible. In these cases, your tour guide will exercise discretion to adjust the itinerary, ensuring a comprehensive experience.

From January 12 through March 31, the Vatican Museums will be carrying out special conservation work on Michelangelo’s Last Judgment inside the Sistine Chapel. During this time, a scaffolding structure will cover the entire Last Judgment wall. The Sistine Chapel will remain open and fully accessible, but this specific artwork will not be visible during the restoration period. Thank you for your understanding as this masterpiece receives important care.

Not recommended for travelers with mobility issues

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

Vatican Museums

With the luxury of our truly small group size of 6 people max, or in the personalized intimacy of your very own private group, you will be guaranteed to get the very most out of your Vatican experience. This way you can easily navigate through the countless masterpieces with an expert guide, ask all the questions you wish, and have the guarantee of a personalized experience. We trust this makes ALL the difference! Walk through the heavily decorated Gallery of the Candelabras and enjoy the trompe l’oeil in the Gallery of the Tapestries. After you learn about the impressive Gallery of the Maps, continue to the exquisite Raphael Rooms. With your professional expert tour guide, you will be sure to see all the highlights as well as hidden gems! You will not only learn the fantastic history of the powerful Popes but will also delight in the bits of gossip and other little-known stories about life in Vatican City.

2 hours • Admission Included

Stanze di Raffaello

The Papal art collection at its best in the Raphael Rooms

15 minutes • Admission Included

What‘s Included

Skip the long ticket lines

Private Option of this tour is Available!

Tour in a Safe and Semi Private Group of 6 people

Learn from a Professional Local Expert Guide

Enjoy Early Morning Entrance to the Vatican Museums for a quieter experience

Food and drinks

Gratuities (optional)

Options

Vatican Key Master Upgrade

End your exclusive VIP tour with a delightful breakfast in the Pinecone Courtyard.
Duration: 2 hours: Join the Vatican’s Key Master to unlock the empty galleries and the Sistine Chapel in total privacy. St. Peter's NOT included

Private Tour

Private Guide: Book this option for your own private group and enjoy a complete Vatican tour with a Private Guide for you only.

Shared Tour max 6 people

Semi-Private Tour

Reviews

4.90

3,789 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

3581

117

Thoughtful tour and very attentive to our group!
805kentn,,Feb 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a lovely tour with Giovanna and enjoyed her wealth of knowledge and perspective.
Our guide Peter was outstanding-learned so much!
BigIslandIsBeautiful,,Feb 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
My husband and I were so fortunate to be matched with Peter for our early morning Vatican tour. Peter is extremely knowledgable and has a pleasant personality. I highly recommend you request him for your private tour.
Wonderful tour
V6452EPkarene,,Feb 16, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a wonderful tour with Massimo! He was knowledgeable, engaging and had a wonderful wit. The tour flew by and we learned and saw so much!! The semi private tour allowed us all to be heard. It was also amazing to be able to bypass the lines. Highly recommend!
Great tour from an excellent guide
jennaw981,,Feb 15, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Patrick was a fantastic tour guide. We learned so much from him on our Vatican/Sistine Chapel/St. Peter's tour. He was friendly and knowledgeable, and pointed out so many things we wouldn't have noticed or known about if we'd walked through on our own. Count yourself very lucky if you get Patrick as your tour guide!
Vatican early in the morning pays dividends
Diane S,,Feb 14, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A really excellent tour with a small group. Knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guide Barbara really engaged us with the history and beauty of the Vatican. Definitely recommended for anyone visiting Rome.
Excellent Tour
ssphl22,,Feb 11, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Excellent tour with the super knowledgeable Fabrizio! I saw everything and learned so much. Huge plus: it was not crowded at all (January + early morning). I highly recommend.
Our guide was...
Renata B,,Feb 10, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00
Our guide was extremely attentive and friendly, demonstrating huge knowledge about the history of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, its collection and its main works. We had an excellent experience, pleasant and very informative!
A really excellent tour...
Diane S,,Feb 1, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00
A really excellent tour with a small group. Knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guide Barbara really engaged us with the history and beauty of the Vatican. Definitely recommended for anyone visiting Rome.
A great tour of the Vatican museum and St. Peters!
anbus2026,,Jan 31, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This was an amazing tour, thanks to our tour guide, Giovanni. T. He was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. We were a small group of 5 adults and Giovanni gave us plenty of time to see things with clear explanations. The short cut to the basilica was great and again, Giovanni's knowledge and experience shone through. We were very happy with Liv tours and with Giovanni for organizing everything perfectly and giving us a great experience!
Silence, Sunrise and the Sistine Chapel
Lauren1971,,Jan 30, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A truly magical early morning tour of the Vatican, gardens, and Sistine Chapel. Our guide Barbara was absolutely exquisite and made it all the more special by showing us the key areas and items; I've done a couple of these tours previously (not early morning ones) where the guides have been good but they have gone down every single corridor or room and spoken about every object (even the garden ornaments, which, nice as they are, have no real historical significance). The early morning was absolutely worth every penny. There were four of us on the tour, so it felt very personalized and private. We met 30 minutes before the start and Barbara used that time to talk about the Sistine Chapel - perfect, since you should not speak once inside, so it was so valuable getting some of the history and the background from her while we were waiting. Getting through security at that time was great as it was before the hordes of crowds that visit daily. The schedule and order of what Barbara would show us was already set as she's so knowledgeable and truly professional but if there was anything that we asked to see, she showed us AND gave us the background on it. It was impressive seeing the Momo Spiral Staircase with no one on it! I called it the Bramante Staircase (designed to have horses ascend and descend) - but the original Bramante is not available for the public to view although I believe private tours may cover it. Barbara covered all the key things that we should see on our tour and answered every question we put to her. There is a real skill in being a good guide - and the years of study required - and we really hit the jackpot with her! The Gallery of Maps was breathtaking and deserted at that time in the morning, truly a must see. The marble, floors, artwork, sculptures, tapestries - it's hard to imagine the skill in producing such beautiful works of art. There's nothing to describe the Sistine Chapel other than it really needs to be seen as words are too inadequate. Barbara had cards detailing the individual scenes which were brilliant to have. At that time on the tour, there were no more than 80 people in the Chapel, and it really felt deserted because we had the space to walk around, stand and stop to look up and really see what we were seeing (My last Vatican tour in the Sistine Chapel was scarring, due to the sheer volume of people and crush, so this was special). We had around 20-25 minutes in the Sistine, before we met up with Barabara and headed into St Peter's.....fabulous. We started in the Vatican Grottoes because it was so empty, and we were able to freely walk around without feeling claustrophobic. Once again, we were taken to the key areas, the important objects, the original sculptures. One of my personal highlights had to be Michelangelo's Pietà - he was only 24 years old when he created it and it is simply beautiful; he managed to capture the grief and pain in Mary's face, it's so moving to see. We left Barbara in the Basilica, but not before suggestions from her for other things to do or see within - an hourly mass at one of the small altars, climbing the dome etc.... We said our goodbyes and took advantage of the lack of crowds and bought tickets for St Peter's dome - we were the only two people in the lift! We got off at the roof terrace and had a bird’s eye view into the Basilica - you only realise how high you are when you see how incredibly small everyone is below you. We then walked the last 320 steps to the very top. I don't have a good head for heights, but the stairwell is contained so you're not looking up or down, although I would say that it starts to slope near the top and is very narrow, so be prepared for that. It was worth the climb - the views across Rome and unparalleled, especially on a clear day which we were lucky to have. We went back to the roof terrace for a bit more exploring; a great photo op is to stand behind one of the huge sculptures that line the facade of the Basilica and get a shot of the statue at the forefront and the city in the background. Wonderful. We headed back down (only had a 2-minute wait for the lift), passing the Swiss Guards on the way out and down into St Peter's Square. Our morning started at 7am (doors opened at 8am) and even with our solo exploring after leaving Barbara, it was now 11:45. This is the fourth Vatican tour I've done and absolutely the best we've ever experienced: a combination of the early morning start, no crowds, and a feeling of serene quiet, but it was our guide that made it as special as it was. If you're lucky enough to have Barabara, could yourself lucky, she's fabulous.