Vatican Highlights Tour with Skip-the-line Fast Access Sistine Chapel and St Peter

Vatican Highlights Tour with Skip-the-line Fast Access Sistine Chapel and St Peter

This amazing half-day tour gives you the chance to view the very best of the Vatican City in the company of an expert guide. With reserved tickets, you can avoid waiting in long queues and begin your tour. You’ll see a vast collection of Ancient Roman and Greek statues, Raphael’s Rooms, the Galleries of Tapestries and Maps, the Sistine Chapel, Saint Peter’s Basilica and Square and more!

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Vatican Museums, Viale Vaticano, 00120 Vatican City Italy

The first stop on the tour will be the collection of ancient Roman and Greek artworks collected from excavations across Rome. The Vatican once had the rights to all archaeological finds, when the Popes ruled Central Italy. Your guide will show you the most significant of these, including the Belvedere Apollo, the Torso, the busts of Claudius and Hadrian and the sarcophagi of Helen and Constance, the mother and daughter of Emperor Constantine.

Next you’ll see the Room of Animals and the Gallery of Candelabra where you can walk over rare Roman mosaics and view the magnificent statues of Diana of Ephesus, the Muses and a multitude of Greek philosophers.

Following this, you’ll see the Gallery of Tapestries, the Sobieski Hall and Raphael’s Rooms. The latter were once the private apartments of Pope Julius II; decorated by Raphael and his assistants. These rooms house two of the painter’s most famous works: the Parnassus and The School of Athens.


Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Sistine Chapel, Viale Vaticano, 00165 Vatican City Italy

The best-know attraction of the Vatican City is the Sistine Chapel, Italy’s most popular attraction. You’ll hear about Michelangelo’s frescoes - The Last Judgment, the Creation of Adam and the Genesis - as well as information on the Stories of Moses and Jesus painted by Botticelli, Perugino and other Renaissance masters. The Sistine Chapel is still in use, most notably for each papal election –Conclave. Your guide will share with you anecdotes and little-known secrets about this sacred place.


Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: St. Peter's Basilica, Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Vatican City Italy

After the Sistine Chapel, you will visit the world’s most important Catholic Church - Saint Peter’s Basilica - where you can see another of Michelangelo’s masterpieces, La Pietà, and learn about the architecture and the rituals of the Basilica, as well as view the tombs of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.

Finally, the tour will end in Saint Peter’s Square, where you’ll see Bernini’s famous statues and the chimney which notifies the world of a newly elected Pope. After a few final anecdotes your guide will say goodbye and you will be able to further explore this vast square at your own pace. A fantastic end to a tour of the Vatican!


Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes