VIP Small-Group Vatican Early Morning Guided Tour
Overview
Available languages
2 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Meet your guide at least 15 minutes prior to your departure time at Piazza della Città Leonina 2, in front of the Pizzeria.
Join us on this exceptional journey in a semi-private group and enter the astoundingly beautiful Vatican City, home to some of the most famous collections of art and architecture in the world.
Be led by your professional guide, who will bring to life the fantastic art, history, and architecture housed within the walls of this beautiful city's 7 km of galleries, chapels, and rooms.
On your tour, you will not worry about the tickets and join us on an emotional experience through the incredible collections of the Vatican Museums, and then move on to the Sistine Chapel and see the Michelangelo-painted ceiling described in detail by your professional tour guide in a small, semi-private experience.
After this, you can go to St. Peter's Basilica to explore it at your own leisure.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Meet your guide at least 15 minutes prior to your departure time at Piazza della Città Leonina 2, in front of the Pizzeria.
If you arrive late for the meeting time, it will not be possible to join the group or reschedule, unless you pay for the activity again. As per "No Show" rules you will not be entitled to a refund.
A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. 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.
Cancellations, changes or issues due to weather, security and events held by the monument are beyond our control and are directly decided by their administration team. These issues will be reviewed by us and dealt with on an individual basis but are the responsibility of the monument.
All visitors must pass through the monument/attraction security check please allow at least 10 minutes to clear security.
Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
All clients will be asked to show a photo ID, you must bring a photo ID to be allowed into the monument.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Pets are not allowed inside the venue
On Wednesday, due to the weekly Papal Audience, and on religious ceremony there is a possibility that St Peter's Basilica will be unavailable during which the access to St Peter's Basilica is closed.
We can’t be held responsible in case of sudden closure of the Saint Peter’s Basilica or any other room inside the Vatican Museums without notice, as this is a decision of the Vatican Administration itself and we have no control over it.
Due to the Jubilee, some monuments may be under restoration. Please pay attention to any messages we may send regarding potential changes.
The Vatican Museums reserve the right to close any section, including the Sistine Chapel, due to unforeseen circumstances. On such occasions, no refund is guaranteed to customers.
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
What‘s Included
Professional Art Historian Certified Guide
All Fees and Taxes
Headsets to hear your guide clearly
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Food and Drinks
What To Expect
Meeting place for the morning tour is: Piazza della Città Leonina
Vatican Museums
The 110 acres that comprise the Vatican City are home to some of the most famous tourist destinations in the world. The global centre of the Catholic religion attracts millions of fervent religious supporters and interested visitors each year. As you pass the famed Pontifical Swiss Guard, the Pope’s security force since 1505, you’ll enter perhaps the most recognizable plaza in the Western world: St. Peter’s Square.
Options
English Tour
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Spanish Tour
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Reviews
10 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Beautiful Tour
Tracy A,
Oct 17, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Barbara did a great job pointing out things. She kept us on time so that we were able to see alot of things. She was fun and entertaining!
Awesome country within a country
Donald N,
Oct 8, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Awesome and enjoyable experience at the Vatican with our guide Gigi. He answered all our questions and was very informative. We thought with our tour that our guide would come with us into St. Peter to explain a little bit about the Bacilica? We did enjoy the Bacilica with our group on our own.
Not VIP or Early morning.
tom n,
Sep 18, 2024
- Review from Viator
2.00Not as advertised!! Nothing VIP or early morning about it. Museum doesn't open until 8am, but we're asked to arrive at 645am. To wait around until 730 to start the walk. Still had to wait in line to get into Museum. The tour guide was vey informative and personable. She did well keeping the group together. But be warned, you'll be one of dozens of other groups touring the same time. You won't get any relief from the crowds or extra time to look at the art. Overpriced in my view given the ticket is only 20 euro for the Museum.
Great Place and Tour, Poor Tour Guide...
JOSE R,
Aug 21, 2024
- Review from Viator
3.00I've had this tour before with a different tour guide and that is the reason a highly recommend it. However, for this time around the experience was very different and unpleasing, which for my girlfriend who was first time visiting was very offputting. Our Tour guide this time around was solely focused on the art aspect and many times rude to both tour members as other visitors, not part of our tour group. On many occassions made people move or interrupted their experience to move her way to the front of an exhibition and forcing tour group members to participate on scene type recreation of scenarios, making everyone on tour uncomfortable. Also, the tour was scheduled to begin at 7:45am, however the tour guide left the meeting point at 7am for which several tour members were left behind which was rather unfair as for all intendes purposes we were early and they were not late.
Poorly paced tour w/ too much talking and too little viewing.
Richard F,
Jul 1, 2024
- Review from Viator
3.00I really wish I could rate this tour higher, but the lady we had spent more time talking about what we should look for rather than actually viewing it. We started our tour around 7:30am and spent an hour discussing what we should look for inside the cathedral once we got inside (which was actually going to be at the very end of the tour) and didn't get in line for the museums until 8:30am. Then, once getting through security, we spent a half hour from 9:00am to 9:30am discussing the wonders of the Sistine Chapel, still outside the museums. Once we got inside the museums, we had to rush breathlessly through the museums to finally make it to the Sistine Chapel at 10:35am...5 minutes after our tour was supposed to be over. Since 8 out of our small group purposefully selected the early tour before having to leave for the airport, including ourselves, we had less than 10 minutes inside the Sistine Chapel and absolutely no time to go inside St. Peter's, which was one of the reasons for buying this tour. We were supposed to be able to go inside a side entrance of the basilica and see what we had discussed 3 hours earlier, but that wasn't going to happen. Unless you have 4 hours to spare, do not take this 3-hour tour. I would have rated this tour only 2 stars, but the tour guide was extremely informative and had a lot of interesting information so added an extra star for her storytelling. I would have loved to have her in a classroom setting for 3 hours BEFORE the tour, but unfortunately, her pacing was extremely poor and we lost out on the opportunity to spend much time in the museums, the Sistine Chapel, and never got into St. Peter's. Very disappointed, actually, as we probably won't be back in Rome as a family again and would have loved to see St. Peter's at least once in our lifetime. One other word of caution to anyone who thinks they are going to avoid the mass of crowds by going on one of these early tours. The crowds may be at 90% rather than 110% during the middle of the day, but still expect to have to wind your way through a horde of humanity.
Very large group with entry after opening with everyone else.
Robin H,
Jun 25, 2024
- Review from Viator
2.00The tour’s selling points were that you entered the Vatican prior to opening, this was false. We didn’t get to the Batican until after 8 am then waited in a short line to get in. Also, it states small group, no more than 12 people but we were in a group of 20. Very deceiving advertising.
This tour don’t go inside the museum an hour earlier
Sue P,
May 10, 2024
- Review from Viator
2.00Our guide Barbara was so enthusiastic about Sistine chapel and Michelangelo I learned so much from her. She was great. But the problem was the company which they described this tour as early morning tour before the crowds that starts at 7 am. Vatican Museum open at 8 am so I thought our tour guide will take us inside the museum right after 7 am before 8 am crowd comes in, but that was not the case. The tour guide explained about St. Peter’s basilica and the pope at the St Peter square for 45 minutes then started walking toward the Vatican Museum and our ticket was for 8 am entry to the museum, not early morning tour that avoids crowds. Their description on Viator website is so misleading to say the least. I was so upset. There is a tour that goes inside the museum an hour earlier than opening hour, so if you want that tour, you should look for it somewhere else.
Guide is essential to maximum enjoyment
Robert T,
Apr 8, 2022
- Review from Viator
5.00Very informative and well worth the cost. Having a guide to navigate through the maze of pre-entry requirements, and providing valuable insights during the tour is most beneficial. The Vatican is always full of wandering tourists. Our guide was especially helpful in pointing out features not ordinarily identified.
Wonderful time in the Vatican country
littleYungie,
Feb 12, 2020
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Andy, our guide was great - full of interesting information & ran a very interactive tour for our small group of 6 people. He was very knowledgeable about the history and art works and gave us time to take in all the amazing sights. Thanks Andy! It was also great to visit without crowds.
From €89.00
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