Rome: Complete Early Morning Vatican Tour | Small Group
Overview
Available languages
3 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Meet at our comfortable offices less than a block from the museum entrance. Join our small group Vatican tour in the early morning with a top-notch tour guide and get the earliest entrance available to the museums, Sistine Chapel & Raphael Rooms. In a small group, you will be able to discover with no rush the extraordinary abundance of history and art.
Your guide will tour you through these corridors and halls, pointing out the exhibits on display. Once through, the Sistine Chapel awaits you.
The finale of our early entry Vatican tours culminates in St. Peter’s Basilica. Majestic and inspired, it is the perfect place to come full circle on the morning’s itinerary. Feast your eyes on Michelangelo’s Pietà and admire the stunning interior of the dome he designed, as well as Bernini’s massive bronze baldachin sitting over the Pope’s private alter directly above St. Peter’s tomb and other little-known details that can only be spotted when inside!
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
MEETING POINT IS VIA SANTAMAURA 14b, What a Life Tours
The ticket is valid only for the date and time reserved. We are unable to accommodate late arrivals due to a time entrance of the Vatican Museums tour voucher. Missed tours or tickets due to late arrivals are non-refundable. Please allow extra time to reach the meeting point as Rome's streets can be confusing. Meeting time is 15 minutes before the start time of the tour.
A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. ALL participants MUST cover their knees and shoulders. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
While the Vatican Museums are equipped with elevators for wheelchair access, they are not conveniently located on the group tour route and only give access to specific sections of the Museums. As a result, we cannot accommodate wheelchairs/walkers on this tour.
Please remember to bring with you a valid ID document for all participants.
We cannot accommodate service animals.
Please notice that we are not responsible for the number of visitors the Vatican Museums allow inside.
Large umbrellas are not permitted, please leave these at your accommodation.
No pictures, videos, or even speaking is allowed in the Sistine Chapel.
We recommend that you bring your own headphones as the ones provided by the Vatican have a single earpiece only, and you may prefer to use both earbuds to hear the guide better.
St. Peter's Basilica is an active parish and therefore subject to last-minute closures due to mass or other religious events. In these cases, we will offer an extended tour of the Vatican Museums (including areas normally not part of the tour). Please note that closures of St. Peter's Basilica can happen anytime without further notice. No refunds are recognized for unexpected closures.
Between January 12 and March 31, 2026, the Vatican Museums will carry out an extraordinary maintenance project on Michelangelo's "Last Judgement" fresco in the Sistine Chapel. During that time, the entire wall featuring the fresco will be covered by scaffolding, leaving the artwork temporarily out of view. The Sistine Chapel will remain open to visitors.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
The activity starts directly at our office located conveniently very close to the Museums' entrance.
Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums feature many works of art that belonged to the different Popes and are full of artistic beauty. Here is a glimpse of some of the most beautiful things to see in the Vatican Museums. Rooms and Galleries of the Vatican Museums, as the Greek Cross Room, the Gallery of Maps, the Gallery of Tapestries, Raphael Rooms and much more! From a relatively small collection of statues brought in by Julius II, it grew into a gigantic museum to a point that nobody even knows how many items are kept in the vaults and galleries of the Vatican.
What‘s Included
Meet your guide at our comfortable offices near the Museums' entrance
Skip-the-line access to St. Peter’s Basilica
Headsets to hear the guide
Entry to the Sistine Chapel
Small group
Expert English-speaking tour guide
3.5-hour guided tour
Early entrance guaranteed
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Options
Sistine Chapel & Pinacoteca
Duration: 3 hours: Admire the amazing Vatican Pinacoteca in this Wednesday's Special itinerary.
Museums & Sistine Chapel: Please note this tour does not include St. Peter's Basilica but will go to the marvelous Pinacoteca instead.
Before the Crowds Early Entry: EXCLUSIONS:
-St.Peter's Basilica
Complete Early Morning Tour
Reviews
2,249 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Passive aggressive anti-Christian tour guide
Golfboywonder,,Feb 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00It was obvious our tour guide was not a fan of the Catholic church. Mentioning her distaste for "patriarchy" and pointing out historical graffiti by "Luther" (possibly the Protestant reformist leader) on a mantle while ignoring Raphael's historical Trinity painting on an opposite wall was a sad example of the bias. Also, the past horrors of the church are well documented but not worthy of a lecture. Historically, the church has been a beacon of hope and charity for many around the world. The Catholic church is not perfect and even St. Peter failed at times, however, maybe the passive aggressive lecturing was not worth the cost of this tour. Next time, I'll just get the Vatican issued audio guide and deal with the long lines. Elaine, may GOD bless your soul and remember that some of your patrons include knowledgeable/devout Christians.
Awesome!!!
Wander27181826509,,Feb 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great…fun and informative with lovely guide. Great great great! …………..,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Great tour
426ancaj,,Feb 2, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great Tour with Elaine. Thank you for all the information and jokes, we had a wonderful time. Tour is well organised and not rushed.
Must pick Elaine for english tour of the Vatican
M7785IBgabrielm,,Feb 2, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Elaine is very funny and her quirky facts about the Vatican history made the tour a lot more enjoyable than previous one.
Great tour!
94chantelb,,Feb 1, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fantastic tour with Elaine! Very knowledgeable, friendly, and entertaining. The tour was well organized and full of interesting stories. Highly recommend!
Fantastic tour of the Vatican and St. Peter's
954alistairf,,Jan 31, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Elaine was an amazing guide, very knowledgeable and well humoured. One of the best tour guides I have had!
Elaine was a highly...
EllenColton,,Jan 29, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Elaine was a highly organized and knowledgeable guide. The Vatican is a difficult venue to navigate and she was well_prepared. I would highly recommend this tour with Elaine.
Can’t get better than this!
christopherng729,,Jan 29, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Elaine is phenomenal!!! What a wealth of knowledge about all the “secrecy of things” 😉😉 The tour was in a great pace the we can thoroughly walk through, understand, and enjoy the history of the Roman Empire. Honestly, can’t ask for a better guide than Elaine on this tour, if you want the full scope of the Vatican, make sure you are in her tour!!
Elaine the Goat
Connor M,,Jan 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Elaine was our tour guide and can’t say enough of how amazing she was. She not only was a regular and knew all the guards, but she was so informative! You can tell she loves her job. She shows you things hidden in the art and sculptures that you could not see or know if she didn’t do her own research. A truly wonderful tour and skipping the lines were great!
We got to visit the Sistine chapel and St. Peter’s
Explorer724333,,Jan 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Elaine was absolutely amazing she is so knowledgeable and gives you secret insight along the tour! She is also hilarious, we thoroughly enjoyed being shown around by her!
From €109.00
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