Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Basilica Semi-Private Tour

Explore the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica on a guided tour with an expert licensed guide. Two ways to experience the visit are available: a semi-private tour in a small group, or a private tour reserved exclusively for your own group.

Every option includes skip-the-line access, avoiding the general admission queue outside the Vatican walls. At the meeting point on Via Sebastiano Veniero, our welcome staff check you in and guide you through the ticket and security procedures required of all visitors; security checks can take up to 30 minutes depending on the day.

Once inside, your guide leads you through the Museo Pio-Clementino, where the marble Laocoön and His Sons and the Apollo Belvedere are on display, before continuing through the Cortile del Belvedere, the Gallery of Candelabra, the Gallery of Tapestries, and the Gallery of Maps, its walls lined with sixteenth-century depictions of the Italian regions. In the Raphael Rooms, you see the frescoes Raphael painted for Pope Julius II's private apartments.

The Sistine Chapel follows, where Michelangelo's ceiling and his Last Judgment cover the walls above - usually what guests remember most about the visit.

From there, your guide leads you into St. Peter's Basilica, included with every option, where you see the Pietà and the Baldacchino before the tour ends.

If you have chosen the semi-private option, you join a small group of up to 10 guests, led by the same English-speaking guide throughout, for a more personal and relaxed pace than a standard group tour.

If you have chosen the private option, the tour is reserved exclusively for your own group, with the guide's full attention and the flexibility to move through the visit at your own pace.

Choose the option that suits the kind of experience you would like to have.

Tour Options

Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Basilica – Semi-Private Tour 3-hour guided tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica in a small group of up to 10 guests, with an English-speaking guide.

Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Basilica – Private Tour (Upgrade) Same itinerary as a private tour reserved exclusively for your group, with an English-speaking guide and complete flexibility throughout.

Not suitable for

• People with mobility impairments

Not allowed

• Luggage or large bags
• Shorts
• Sleeveless shirts

Know before you go

• All visitors must pass through airport-style security
• Guests using wheelchairs cannot join the semi-private group tour. They're welcome on the private tour, where, due to accessibility, St. Peter's Basilica is not included for them; instead, the guide provides an extended visit within the Vatican Museums
• Knees and shoulders must be covered
• On occasion, St. Peter's Basilica may close without prior notice; the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel portion of the tour still goes ahead, and no partial refund can be issued for the Basilica
• This tour includes extended walking and stairs, with limited or no elevator access