Exclusive Private Tour:expert guiding on the art and history of All the Vatican
From $299.70
Price varies by group size
Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance. Learn more
Safety measures
3 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English and 6 more
Overview
Skip the lengthy lines and enjoy VIP access to the Vatican Museum’s many works of art on this private, guided tour. Hear the stories that bring the art to life. Visit the Vatican Pinacoteca art gallery; the Chiaramonti Museum, and a collection of Roman busts and statues. Also, see Raphael’s Rooms, four interconnected rooms with frescoes painted by Renaissance artist Raphael and the Gallery of Tapestries. Visit the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo’s famous “Creation of Adam” painting, plus St. Peter’s Basilica and more.
- Prioritized Skip the Line entry to the Vatican Museums (price includes entry fees)
- English-speaking guide specializing in art history
- Enjoy privileged, personalized attention from your guide on this special private art tour
- Customize the tour to suit your own interests
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
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Meet and greet the tour guide outside the main entrance of the Vatican Museums, a collection of galleries of classical and Renaissance art masterpieces, including the Sistine Chapel frescoes. Walk inside through a special reserved door without any waiting. This access is even faster than the priority lines.
Once inside, there are more than nine miles of art, so follow along with the guide who will point out the highlights and explain the story behind each work of art.
Stop at the Vatican Pinacoteca art gallery, featuring some of the most influential paintings in the world like Caravaggio’s Deposition from the Cross, Da Vinci’s unfinished St. Jermone and Raphael’s Transfiguration.
See the hundreds of Roman busts and statues inside the Chiaramonti Museum, then roam the Octagonal Courtyard to see Apollo Belvedere, a celebrated marble sculpture and the Laocoon, one of the most famous ancient sculptures in the world. Then exit directly into the Gregorian Etruscan Museum to see the many bronze figurines and Etruscan tombs.
Finally, visit Raphael’s Rooms, four interconnected rooms with frescoes painted by Renaissance artist Raphael; the six-sectioned Gallery of Candelabra, with Roman copies of Hellenistic originals and some great second century candelabra, from Otricoli; the Gallery of Tapestries, featuring the drawings from many of Raphael’s pupils; and Gallery of Maps, on the west side of the Belvedere Courtyard featuring a series of painted topographical maps of Italy.
Go to the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam and the Last Judgement and St. Peter’s Basilica to see Pietà, one of Michelangelo’s earlier sculptures depicting the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion.
The tour ends just outside St. Peter’s Basilica.
Once inside, there are more than nine miles of art, so follow along with the guide who will point out the highlights and explain the story behind each work of art.
Stop at the Vatican Pinacoteca art gallery, featuring some of the most influential paintings in the world like Caravaggio’s Deposition from the Cross, Da Vinci’s unfinished St. Jermone and Raphael’s Transfiguration.
See the hundreds of Roman busts and statues inside the Chiaramonti Museum, then roam the Octagonal Courtyard to see Apollo Belvedere, a celebrated marble sculpture and the Laocoon, one of the most famous ancient sculptures in the world. Then exit directly into the Gregorian Etruscan Museum to see the many bronze figurines and Etruscan tombs.
Finally, visit Raphael’s Rooms, four interconnected rooms with frescoes painted by Renaissance artist Raphael; the six-sectioned Gallery of Candelabra, with Roman copies of Hellenistic originals and some great second century candelabra, from Otricoli; the Gallery of Tapestries, featuring the drawings from many of Raphael’s pupils; and Gallery of Maps, on the west side of the Belvedere Courtyard featuring a series of painted topographical maps of Italy.
Go to the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam and the Last Judgement and St. Peter’s Basilica to see Pietà, one of Michelangelo’s earlier sculptures depicting the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion.
The tour ends just outside St. Peter’s Basilica.
Itinerary
Your fascinating private walking tour starts at the Vatican Museums, where you will take a journey of discovery to the Gallery of Maps, Raphael's Rooms and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. Best of all, when you book your Vatican Museums Art History Walking Tour with your own private art historian, you can skip the line when you reach the Vatican Museums. There's no need to waste time waiting in lines when you're on vacation!
Duration: 2 hours
Admission Ticket Included
Next, you’ll visit St Peter’s Basilica to admire the famous artworks by Michelangelo and Bernini, where your private walking tour concludes. Please note that St Peter’s Basilica closes at 7 pm so the Vatican evening tours would not include this.
This in-depth private tour of the Vatican Museums and St Peter's Basilica is hosted by an English-speaking guide specializing in art history.
Duration: 1 hour
Admission Ticket Included
Traveler Tips
- "She couldn't of been nicer, It is a long tour and if you have problems with your legs or back- get a wheel chair you are standing for about 4+ hours." See review
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Exclusive Private Tour:expert guiding on the art and history of All the Vatican
3 hours
Free Cancellation
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$299.70
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