Fast Access Vatican Raphael Rooms Sistine Chapel & St Peter Basilica guided Tour

Join this visit to see the highlights of the Vatican: Raphael’s Rooms;  the Gallery of Maps; the Gallery of Tapestries; collections of Ancient Roman and Greek statues and of course the famous Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo frescos.

This is a wonderful, comprehensive half-day tour with a top-rated and very knowledgeable guide.

Your tour starts at the entrance to the Vatican Museums where you meet your guide and with skip-the-line entry bypass the waiting crowds, leave your belongings in the Vatican cloakrooms, make use of the free and very clean toilet facilities and follow your guide on a journey of discovery!
The first ports of call on the tour are the rooms where you can see Ancient Greek and Roman art. When the Popes ruled Central Italy these artworks were collected from various excavation sites in the city of Rome and brought to the Vatican. Your guide will point out the most notable of these masterpieces including the Belvedere Apollo, the Torso, busts of Claudius and Hadrian and the sarcophagi of Helen and Constance, the mother and daughter of the Emperor Constantine. The tour continues with visits to the Room of Animals and the Gallery of Candelabra.A short walk takes you to the Gallery of Tapestries, the Sobieski Rooms and the Rooms of Raphael.

We then reach the famous Sistine Chapel, the most visited site in the whole of Italy and known throughout the world as the place where new Popes are elected. Talking is prohibited in the Chapel so your guide will explain about the wonders you will see once inside and also tell you some interesting facts and anecdotes about this magical place. See Michelangelo’s frescoed ceiling depicting the Last Judgment, the Creation of Adam and the Genesis and the Stories of Moses and Jesus painted on the Chapel walls by Botticelli, Perugino and other famous Renaissance artists.

is traditionally an entrance portal located within the Papal major basilicas in Rome. The doors are normally sealed by mortar and cement from the inside so that they cannot be opened. They are ceremoniously opened during Jubilee years designated by the Pope, for pilgrims who enter through those doors may piously gain the plenary indulgences attached with the Jubilee year celebrations.

You will also learn something of the architecture of this magnificent edifice and the symbols and rituals that make this church so special. Your guide will bid you a farewell in Saint Peter’s Square but not before telling you some of the secrets and curious facts about Bernini’s famous square. You will also see the balcony where the crowds await the white smoke signifying the election of a new Pope. What a marvelous end to this wonderful Vatican tour!

Then it is into Saint Peter’s Basilica, the most important Roman Catholic Church in the world. Here you will see another of Michelangelo’s masterpieces, the Pieta. You will go to the crypt and see the tombs of past Popes, including those of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II.

is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture.

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• 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

• Private tour
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  private tour

• Local guide
• Professional art historian guide
• Guaranteed to skip the long lines
• Local taxes

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Please be advised..

• This Tour is Provided by Tours of the Vatican with Francesco & his team.
• Tour Timezone & Starts at Europe/Rome.
• Mobile or paper ticket accepted.
• All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
• This Tour is Rated 5 Stars based on 33 valid reviews on VIATOR.
• Minimum 1 Travelers is required to book.
• Maximum 10 Travelers is accepted for booking.