No Wait: Extended Vatican Museums Tour with Bramante Staircase, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica

4 Hours 30 Minutes

Mobile Ticket

Hotel Pickup Offered

English

Language Offered

Overview

Skip the long lines and enjoy no-wait access to the Vatican Museums on this 4.5-hour tour. Visit the Vatican Paintings gallery, St Peter's Basilica, and the spiral Bramante Staircase. Also, see Raphael's Rooms, with frescoes painted by renowned Renaissance artist Raphael and the Gallery of Tapestries. Visit the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo's famous "Creation of Adam" painting, plus the rarely visited Etruscan Museum.

Enjoy privileged access to the Vatican Museums via a dedicated Vatican Partner entrance
Marvel at the only Da Vinci piece left in Rome at the serene Vatican Paintings Gallery
Explore the Bramante Staircase, an architectural masterpiece usually off-limits to the public
Discover the best of the Holy See including the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms
Enter St. Peter's Basilica through an exclusive entrance, avoiding long lines
An audio headset is included, so you can hear your guide clearly the whole time

Inclusions & Exclusions

Departure & Return

What To Expect

Meet and greet the tour guide outside the Vatican Museums, a collection of galleries of classical and Renaissance art masterpieces, including the Sistine Chapel frescoes. Walk inside through the official Vatican Partner entrance, which provides even faster access 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. A headset is included to hear the guide clearly.Stop at the Vatican Paintings 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. Next, A Vatican Guard escorts you to one of the biggest thrills of the tour, a visit to the Bramante Staircase. Once used by the popes and Vatican staff, but it is now rarely visited. Take the opportunity to get a photo of this beautiful spiral staircase. Then exit directly into the Gregorian Etruscan Museum to see the many bronze figurines and Etruscan tombs.Then, 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 PietÃƒÂ , 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.

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Pre-booking this ticket enables you to skip the long lines (which can take up to two hours!) to enter the Vatican Museums. Please note, all visitors must pass through metal detectors at the security check point. Please expect to wait 20-30 minutes to clear security.
Tours departing Wednesday: There is a possibility that St Peter's Basilica and St Peter's Square will be unavailable due to the weekly Papal Audience during which access to St Peter's Basilica is closed. As an alternative, you will be offered an extended itinerary within the Vatican Museums, that still includes the Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Rooms. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. If you would prefer that St Peter's Basilica and Square are included, please DO NOT select Wednesday as your travel date
We are unable to accommodate other entrance times. Entrance is strictly limited so you must arrive early. Anyone who arrives late cannot be accommodated
This tour involves a fair amount of walking, comfortable shoes are recommended
On rare occasions, St Peter's Basilica closes without notice. If this happens, you'll spend a full 4.5 hours touring the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. We will list any affected dates as they become available. The tour guides aim to notify guests if St Peter's Basilica is unexpectedly closed upon commencement of the tour. It is beyond our control, so no refunds or discounts will be issued
Do you cater to wheelchair users? Do you or the Vatican provide wheelchairs? This tour is NOT wheelchair accessible. For your information, Vatican Museums provide wheelchairs free of charge in the main lobby. You can easily pick one up after entrance, before starting your own independent visit. If you are looking for a guided tour with wheelchair access, we recommend booking our private tours so a guide can lead you through the alternate routes
We are unable to accommodate pushchairs or strollers on our tours
When our tour is over will we be able to visit St. Peter's Basilica or the grottos or dome? Absolutely. Our tours end at the front of St Peter's Basilica, which is a very convenient location to leave for lunch, visit the Vatican bookstore, visit the Vatican post office, enter St Peter's Basilica, continue to the grottos below St Peter's, or climb to the dome. Your guide will happily point you in the right direction!
Backpacks, tripods and big umbrellas must be left inside a cloakroom on entering the Vatican Museums. To reduce any disruption for your group, we recommend that these items are not taken on this tour
A special dress code is required to enter the Vatican. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. This dress code is strictly enforced and you will be refused entry if you fail to comply with dress code requirements

No Wait: Extended Vatican Museums Tour with Bramante Staircase, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica

Inclusions & Exclusions

Departure & Return

What To Expect

Additional Info

Cancellation Policy

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