Skip-the-Line Group Tour of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica
Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
A holiday in Rome without visiting the Vatican is like a day at the beach without swimming in the sea. See the best of the Vatican museums and gain direct entrance with skip-the-line access to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, while our excellent guides entertain you with stories that go with each masterpiece.
This budget-friendly tour is the best value for money for travelers that are interested in 1) seeing the museum’s highlights 2) meeting a new friend or two through your group and 3) skipping the lines (trust us, with over 6 million tourist spilling into the museum every year, you'll want it!)
Disclaimer: you will be entering the Vatican museum during one of the busiest times of the day. While the tour provides skip-the-line access, the crowds in the museum vary from day to day and some delay with security can be expected (it would be misleading for other tour operators to not tell you this!)
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
Unforeseen events= The Vatican is its own country and therefore the Pope can decide also last minute to close St. Peter’s Basilica for ad hoc events. It is a very rare event during the year but it is possibile and we will do our best to inform you. If it is too late to inform you, our guide will extend the tour in the Vatican. Not to worry that the incredibile collection of Vatican Museums and the masterpiece of Michelagelo in the Sistine Chapel will still be included.
Most of our tours include the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. However, there are two specific options with different inclusions. You will find below:
Museums & SISTINE CHAPEL Tour – Includes the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel but does NOT include St. Peter’s Basilica.
ST.PETER'S BASILICA TOUR – Includes St. Peter’s Basilica but does NOT include the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.
What To Expect
Borgo
Meet your tour guide at our office, located in the oldest neighbourhoods of the Vatican, Borgo Pio. Following a self introduction by your guide, you will walk through the charming shops of the Borgo, as he/she shares some local tips for eating and site seeing in Rome, including off the beaten track sites that you must visit during your holiday! Some background will also be provided on the history of the Sistine Chapel (we do it here as the chapel forbids noise and travellers are expected to observe silence once entering).
Via Della Conciliazione
Admire the flags and surrounding embassies as you walk through this street, which serve as the primary access point to St. Peter's Square, and by extension, to the Vatican City itself.
What‘s Included
Admission tickets to the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and/or St. Peter's Basilica
Entry/Admission-Vatican Museums (NOT included if you book the option: ONLY ST.PETER'S BASILICA TOUR)
An expert tour guide with over 10 years of experience. Excellent story teller.
Entry/Admission- Sistine Chapel (NOT included if you book the option: ONLY ST.PETER'S BASILICA TOUR)
Guaranteed skip-the-line access
Entry/Admission - St. Peter's Basilica (check below to see which option does not include it)
If you book the “Museums & SISTINE CHAPEL Tour” option it does NOT include St. Peter’s Basilica.
If you book “ONLY ST.PETER'S BASILICA TOUR” option it does NOT include the Museums & Sistine Chapel.
Gratuities (Tips)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Options
VATICAN KEY MASTER EARLY TOUR
Super Early Morning: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica First in the Sistine Chapel: The Vatican Key Master will accompany you with the tour guide inside the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Duration: 3 hours
Skip-the-Line Group Tour of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica
English Tour & Tickets
Vatican Museums+SISTINE CHAPEL
INCLUDES Tickets & Tour: VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL NOT included:: ST.PETER'S BASILICA Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
VATICAN AFTER HOURS
Description: Start at St. Peter’s Basilica, then visit the Vatican Museums after closing, ending alone with our group inside the SISTINE Exclusive Access Tour: SISTINE CHAPEL Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes
Vatican English Tour & Tickets
English Tour and Tickets SKIP-THE-LINE Tickets & Tour Duration: 3 hours Includes: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica Meeting Point: Via Plauto 17A, 00193 Roma, Italy
Sistine Chapel NOT included
Included : Vatican Museums and St.Peter’s Basilica NOT included: SISTINE CHAPEL
Exclusive PRIVATE Vatican Tour
Skip-the-Line Tickets Included: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica Exclusive Private Guide: Enjoy a dedicated licensed Vatican guide exclusively for your party. Duration: 3 hours
Vatican Tour & Tickets - 8 AM
MUSEUM+SISTINE CHAPEL+BASILICA
INCLUDES Tickets & Tour: VATICAN MUSEUMS, SISTINE CHAPEL & ST. PETER'S BASILICA Duration: 3 hours English Tour
ONLY ST.PETER'S BASILICA TOUR
NOT included: Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel INCLUDES Tickets & Tour:: ST.PETER'S BASILICA Duration: 1 hour Meeting Point: Via Plauto 17A, 00193 Roma, Italy
Reviews
14,064 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica Tour
Phyllis D,May 27, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00It's very crowded, so having a tour guide is extremely important because you skip all the ticket lines. Our tour guide, Christian Simone Meucci was excellent. Very knowledgeable and personable. Although I marvel at the beauty, I'm not a history buff and Christian made it fun to learn about everything we were seeing and experiencing.
Skip the line??
Carmen G,May 27, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00Skip the line!!! We didn’t skip the like we still had a 2 hour wait!! In the blazing sun!! Tour guide was excellent and funny!!
Great guide
44lassek,May 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The price is high. But Carl is probably the best guide I have ever had on any tour. He made it worth it.
Experience is not what I expected
swangtravel,May 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00The guide was nice as a person, but unfortunately she was not good at her job. Her English was not strong enough for an English-speaking tour, and I had difficulty understanding what she was trying to explain for most of the tour. I paid more than $200 and honestly learned almost nothing. Most of the time, we were just walking from place to place, and she did not point out or explain the most important highlights in the museums. It was a very disappointing experience.
Andrea was a great guide!
andrea c,May 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Andrea was a wonderful tour guide. We learned so much and had a great time. Thank you!
Skip the museum part or do separate
smhbirdsong1,May 27, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00It started out where we couldn't here the tour guide because she didn't have a headset and she talked all the way to the museum but couldn't hear anything. The museum part was way too long. Left us no time to really look at the St. Peter's Basilica.
St Peter’s Tour excellent
Zoe D,May 27, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great organised tour of St Peter’s, the tour guide was great, friendly and very knowledgeable. Great sense of humour to keep us entertained throughout. Would highly recommend. Prepare for queues, take umbrellas and lots of water as it is so hot when waiting. No shade.
The tour was excellent...
q8s2q729hg,May 27, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00The tour was excellent from start to finish and exceeded our expectations. Our guide was both knowledgeable and entertaining, making the entire experience enjoyable and engaging. He shared a lot of interesting historical information while keeping the group engaged with his storytelling. The tour was well organised, moved at a comfortable pace, and covered all the key highlights without ever feeling rushed. It was clear that our guide was passionate about the area and genuinely enjoyed sharing their knowledge. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and we would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting.
Amazing!
Atreanora,May 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We throughly enjoyed and learned so much about the Vatican History and Art, our knowledgeable guide Mario was excellent, everything was explained well and even in a group of 18 he got to know everyone well and went at our pace. On a hot day of 30 degrees he ensured we paced ourselves and always found shade where we could listen to really take in the information. 10/10. Without skipping the line, a four hour wait was required, security lines only took minutes. Highly recommended.
Mario was fabulous
Dee D,May 26, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Mario was hands down amazing. Very informative, professional, kind, funny, passionate. Highly recommend this tour.
From €34.00
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Operated by Vatican Tour