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Rome: Complete Early Morning Vatican Tour | Small Group

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Overview

Available languages

English

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

1

The activity starts directly at our office located conveniently very close to the Museums' entrance.

Admission Not Applicable
2

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.

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Included

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

Complete Early Morning Tour

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

Reviews

4.93

2,252 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

2146
68
23
11
4
  • Excellent tour with an engaging guide and no crowds

    clairesullivan557,,Feb 10, 2026

    - Review from Viator

    5.00

    Our guide was charming and knowledgeable. It is a long tour, but we saw everything. I had two teenagers with me and I was unsure how they would like such a long tour at such an early hour, but they were completely engaged the entire time. The guide had so many funny stories and interesting details that the time flew by. 10/10 recommend.

  • Wonderful Morning at the Vatican

    Connector19276879552,,Feb 9, 2026

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Elaine is a delight, the tour was so informative and fun. It was really a treat to spend the morning with someone so knowledgeable and passionate about art and history. She explained things so clearly and she provided context so the stories and histories were easy to understand. Thank you Elaine!

    Connector19276879552's photo 1
  • Great guide and extensive tour

    Jason C,,Feb 9, 2026

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Elaine was a wonderful tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and added plenty of humor to keep the tour fun! Definitely recommend this tour and specifically Elaine.

    Jason C's photo 1
  • Vatican tour

    Global53605546683,,Feb 7, 2026

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    The tour was great. Elaine the tour guide was very good. Very insightful, funny and witty. She even taught us some secretes which was very much appreciated. Did not need to wait in lines much. Would highly recommend.

  • Vatican tour

    U5964IMmelissae,,Feb 7, 2026

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Elaine was a wonderful guide. Well curated and extremely interesting content. Very flexible, tailored to the requests of the group. Funny, witty.

  • Excellent your super entertaining

    harriettm478,,Feb 7, 2026

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Excellent tour guide with Elaine… made it fun and really interesting! Learnt a lot and could feel her passion for the city

  • Charming Vatican experience

    Sidona B,,Feb 7, 2026

    - Review from Viator

    5.00

    This was a wonderful Vatican experience! The crowds were manageable, which made it easy to really appreciate everything, and our tour guide was fantastic—informative, passionate, and fun. I’m so glad we did this tour.

  • A wonderfully curated trip

    sidonab,,Feb 7, 2026

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Elaine was an amazing guide with interesting stories and facts along the journey. It was an interesting experience with few tourists around.

    sidonab's photo 1
  • Elaine our guide was...

    Ariel P,,Feb 6, 2026

    - Review from Viator

    5.00

    Elaine our guide was awesome! Best tour we have taken yet on our trip. Would highly recommend this company.

  • Great tour and guide!

    D2506QCarielp,,Feb 6, 2026

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    This tour was awesome! Elaine was our guide and she was funny, kept it interesting and has so much knowledge to share. Would definitely recommend!

From €109.00

4.93
(2,252 reviews)
Check availability

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