This tour option will provide early entrance and a small intimate group of people to share this experience with. You will enter directly to the hall of the Vatican Museum where your adventure will begin.
Tour Overview
Before the guided tour begins, you will receive your headsets and meet your private guide, who will accompany you inside the Vatican Museums to discover some of the most extraordinary artistic treasures of the Vatican.
The itinerary includes the Pio Clementino Museum, the Upper Galleries, including the Gallery of the Candelabra, the Gallery of Tapestries, and the Gallery of Maps, followed by the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel.
Throughout the experience, your guide will share engaging explanations and fascinating stories about the artworks, the history of the Vatican Museums, and the unique role of Vatican City as an independent state.
At the end of the guided visit, you will have the opportunity to enter St. Peter’s Basilica and continue exploring its masterpieces at your own pace.
Please note: On Wednesday mornings, St. Peter's Basilica access is not included due to the Pope's public audience.
Due to occasional religious events, St. Peter’s Basilica may remain closed without prior notice.
Tour itinerary
Meeting point
Ristorante "Da Paolo" Viale Vaticano, 104
Pio Clementino Museum
This section of the Vatican Museums was founded by Pope Clement XIV and later amplified by his successor Pius VI. The collection includes acquisitions of countless statues from other collectors, rich Italian families and antiques stores, and it was aimed to preserve and to display the Greek-Roman works.
Gallery of Candelabra
The Gallery of Candelabra is one of the three Galleries leading toward the Sistine Chapel. An impressive collection of sculptures from all over the Roman Empire will leave you breathless. Decorated ceilings and marble floors create a magic atmosphere surrounded by ancient statues.
Gallery of Tapestries
The artworks that you will be able to admire here were originally created for the Sistine Chapel. The original pictures were created by Raffaello with the intention to decorate the private chapel of the Pope. The tapestries were created by the hands of the best artisans of those times, the Flemish tapestry masters in Bruxelles.
Gallery of Maps
The hall of the Gallery of Maps includes one of the biggest collections of painted maps in The World. Created at the end of the 16th century the maps represent all the Italian regions with some peculiarities related to those times.
Raphael Rooms
The four Raphael Rooms formerly were used as Pope Julius’ II apartment. They Pope was known as an art lover to Raphael, who wasn’t very well known among the artists of those times and who was only 25 years old. Among other important works that Raphael leaves in this section, there are the School of Athens and the Fire in Borgo.
Sistine Chapel
Within the worldwide known Sistine Chapel with the two masterpieces by Michelangelo: the Creation and the Last Judgement. You will discover the extraordinary technique Michelangelo used to paint the magnificent vault and how and why he had decided, thirty years later, to paint the Last Judgement.
St Peter's Basilica
St. Peter’s Basilica stands as one of the largest and most significant churches globally. Once you step inside, you’re greeted by breathtaking Renaissance artwork, featuring masterpieces like Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s magnificent Baldachin.