Skip the Line to Vatican Treasures Sistine Chapel and Optional Upgrade with Lunch

Skip the Line to Vatican Treasures Sistine Chapel and Optional Upgrade with Lunch

Enjoy a morning or afternoon of Vatican splendor on a 2-hours skip-the-line tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica. Explore the Gallery of Maps, Gallery of the Tapestries and Giuseppe Momo’s spiral staircase, and admire iconic Michelangelo frescoes inside the Sistine Chapel. Want to see the Christian sights of Rome, too? Upgrade to a full-day tour to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Roman catacombs and more. A traditional lunch can also be included.

Morning or Afternoon Tour:

Choose from a morning or afternoon tour, and then board your air-conditioned coach near Rome Termini Station or at your centrally located hotel. Travel the short journey to Vatican City in comfort, passing alongside sites like Piazza del Popolo and the ancient Aurelian Walls.

Hop off your coach and skip past the long entrance lines with your priority-access ticket to enter the Vatican Museums. The complex is home to one of the world’s largest collections of art, featuring an extensive array of treasures amassed by the Vatican popes. Follow your guide down Giuseppe Momo’s bronze spiral staircase – an iconic Vatican attraction – and then visit two of the museum’s star attractions: Gallery of the Tapestries and Gallery of Maps.

Admire the Flemish tapestries that adorn the walls of the first room, and learn how they were based on paintings by students of the Renaissance supremo Raphael. Gaze in wonder at the detailed topographical maps inside the Galley of Maps, and then leave the museum area to walk into the Sistine Chapel. Talking is not permitted inside the sacred site, so walk around at leisure and marvel at its two Michelangelo frescoes – The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgement.

Finish your tour with a walk around St Peter’s Basilica, the home of the Catholic Church. Admire more artistic treasures like Michelangelo’s La Pieta sculpture and Bernini’s Baldachino, and hear little-known stories about the church’s history. Head back to your coach and make use of a drop-off at your hotel or one of several central locations in town.

Full-Day Tour or Full-Day Tour with Lunch:

Upgrade to the Full-Day Tour to combine the Morning Tour with a Christian Rome walking tour in the afternoon. If you opt to include lunch, your guide will drop you off at a traditional restaurant in the center for a delicious 2-course meal with a drink.

Meet your guide at the pre-arranged time, and set off to see the Christian landmarks of Rome. Walk around Esquiline Hill, the largest of the ancient Seven Hills of Rome, and head inside the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore – a lovely 5th-century church on the summit. After exploring inside, stroll to the Holy Stairs (Scala Santa) and stop for photos by Lateran Palace, an old papal residence.

Visit the Basilica of San Giovanni with your guide, and then continue walking along the Ancient Appian Way, a historical road that dates back to around 300 BC. The lane is home to several pretty churches and catacombs (underground cemeteries), and your guide will point out several of the best. See the Chapel of Domine Quo Vadis, and then visit one of the three famous catacombs: San Callisto, Domitilla or San Sebastiano. After exploring underground, visit the old spa ruins at the Baths of Caracalla, and then finish your tour with a hotel drop-off or a drop-off in town.