Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Saint Peter's Semi-Private Tour

Overview

Available languages

English

Mobile ticket

Enjoy the best of the Vatican on a pleasant tour with a small group of max 8 people. Skip-the-line tickets for the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica are included. This tour is family-friendly and kids under 6 can attend for free. Also, children under 18 have special discounts!

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Public transportation options are available nearby

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

St. Peter’s Basilica is an active church and can be closed unexpectedly for liturgical ceremonies or unforeseen circumstances. If closed, the time inside the Vatican Museums will be extended;

Some halls and galleries of the Vatican Museums may close unexpectedly due to restoration work or unforeseen circumstances. In such cases, the itinerary will be adjusted accordingly;

Guests must be on time at the meeting point. In case of delays of more than 10 minutes you won't be able to access the Vatican Museums and join your group. No refund is due;

A dress code is required to enter the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements;

Exact full names of all travelers must be provided at the time of booking, as Vatican Museums entry tickets are nominal and checked against ID at the entrance. Any discrepancies with the names on your IDs will result in denied access, and you will not be able to join the tour;

Each traveler must present a valid passport or ID document that matches the name provided at the time of booking for successful entry to the Vatican Museums;

Due to the Jubilee, some monuments may be under restoration. Please pay attention to any messages we may send regarding potential changes;

A minimum of 4 participants is required to run the tour. If the minimum is not met, you will be offered an alternative date or a full refund;

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges

Professional guide

Small-group tour (up to 6-8 people)

Guaranteed to skip the long lines

Gratuities

What To Expect

Vatican Museums

Highlights: Momo's Double Helix Staircase - Pio Clementino Museum - Octagonal Courtyard and "The Laocoon group" - Gallery of the Candelabra - Gallery of the Tapestries - Gallery of the Maps

2 hours • Admission Included

Cortile della Pigna

Highlights: "Sphere within a Sphere" sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro

20 minutes • Admission Included

Options

Vatican Tour - Max 8 People

Reviews

4.67

168 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

143

Very good
Voyager48695529742,
Nov 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The guides knowledge was excellent. He picked out key points. And important tbings to see. The small group worked well. Would recommend.
Walking tour, but super fun
Bonnie R,
Oct 25, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
It’s a lot of walking. If the tour is 3 you will probably wall 4-5. The Vatican has stairs. Don’t eat around St Peter’s square or the Vatican go one or two blocks off for better food and prices.
Fantastic
Doreen T,
Sep 10, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Fantastic . Are guide was great. New a lot about every part of the of the excursion. Answered lots of questions. Made time for pictures . I would highly recommend this tour. Pricey but well worth
Great tour! Our tour...
Corina E,
Aug 6, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Great tour! Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and moved us through the crowds very well. Definitely recommend
Vatican Museum and Saint Peter's Tour
P2873YYjulieb,
Jul 31, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The tour was amazing and filled with so much history. Our guide was so personable and very knowledgeable. It was awesome to skip the long lines and go in directly with our guide. I would definitely book with You Local Rome again!!!
Excellent historical tour
237brandiek,
Jul 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This was the second time we used You Local Rome while on our trip. The transfer service booked by You Local Rome took us from our apartment rental (near the Spanish Steps) to Vatican City and our driver was on time and courteous and dropped us off directly in front of our guide, Alessio. He guided us through ticket entry and security and then immersed us in the history of the museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. He was professional and was excited to answer any and all questions we had. I would highly recommend using You Local Rome and any and all tours in Rome. Would absolutely use them again and recommend to anyone I know traveling to Rome
Bad tour company. Excellent tour guide Rich
Dan C,
Jul 4, 2025
- Review from Viator
1.00
This 1 star review is for the tour company. Our tour guide, Rich, is fantastic! We booked 8:30am semi-private tour two months in advance, hoping to avoid the afternoon heat and to have ample time to visit. A couple of weeks before our trip, the tour company postponed our tour to 2pm, promising we will have enough time to visit. Then on the day before the tour, they pushed the tour to 3pm, again promising there will be enough time. As Rich was walking us to St Peter’s Basilica after Vatican museum, we found out it had passed 5pm so by the Vatican’s rules, Rich was no longer allowed to give us a tour in the basilica. The only reason that we chose a semi-private tour was so that we could have more personal guide for the visit. Rich is incredibly knowledgeable and we really enjoyed his explanation while going through the enormous collection of the museum. Unfortunately, due to the company’s bad planning and last minute change, we missed the opportunity to visit St Peter’s basilica with Rich. Rich is an excellent tour guide and he tried his best to utilize the limited amount of time to share his passion with us. But the tour company really sucks.
Awesome tour of Vaticant and St Peter Basillica
barry w,
Jul 3, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
The guide was truly an expert on the subject matter. He was also very pleasant and humorous! Great tour!!
Bad Experience with You Local Rome Vatican Tour
Holly K,
Jun 20, 2025
- Review from Viator
1.00
We were a family of 6. Everyone in my family had a terrible experience. Our guide’s english was hard to understand and he did not know the history very well. This our second tour through the Vatican. Our guide last time was very enjoyable and gave us fun insights. Our guide this tour stated very generic information. I.e. “The statue came from Rome and the ceiling is decorated.” After asking a few questions, he would read the sign next to it because he did not know. He told us to wait in the Sistine Chapel for 25mins, while it was extremely crowded. We ended our tour early and requested to walk through Saint Peter’s Basilica on our own. I do not recommend You Local Rome. It was a disappointing experience for my family.
Tour cut short by Pope's death but nearby food market was good
IsolteleQuite,
Apr 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I enjoyed the tour but could not complete half of it as Pope Francis had died and we were unable to complete our semi private tour of St Peter's and the Basilica. Our guide know many things but in some ways I sort of felt like I wanted to spend more time looking at the museum exhibits and was rushed through. My recommendation to others would be to plan on buying an advance ticket for a separate date and returning at your own pace. I've heard that buying breakfast at the Vatican's restaurant can help you skip the entry line. Also, within a -0 minute walk is a food market where you can walk through stalls of cheese, meat, vegetables, fruit, and fish. For little cost you can assemble your own meal or stop at a stall and buy a slice of pizza. Cash might be best here but when I bought honey I could use credit card.