Essential Sistine Chapel Tour, Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica in Semi-Private

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Full description Get the most out of the Vatican with skip-the-lines access

This specially optimised itinerary is designed to allow you to get the best out of your visit to the Vatican Museums in a limited time-frame, taking in the remarkable Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms and St. Peter’s basilica amongst other highlights in the company of one of our expert guides. As with all our Vatican tours, you’ll enjoy skip the lines access to the all the sites, meaning you’ll spend your precious time in the company of Michelangelo and Raphael rather than kicking your heels in the queues outside!

Appreciate the beauty of the Sistine Chapel

The highlight of our tour will of course be our visit to the Sistine Chapel, where you’ll get the chance to gaze up at Michelangelo’s ceiling as your guide explains the secrets behind Michelangelo’s masterful paintings. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel contains hundreds of figures, including Adam and Eve, Noah, Jonah, saints, prophets, sibyls, and the decorative nude figures known as “ignudi”. The sheer size of the fresco can make it overwhelming to look at, and it’s difficult to know where to begin. That’s why the expertise of our guides is so indispensible – they’ll reveal the meaning of Michelangelo’s masterwork, and explain the full significance of the massive scenes taken from the Old Testament Book of Genesis.

Years later Michelangelo returned to the Sistine Chapel to decorate the altar wall with the fresco of the Last Judgement – a powerful apocalyptic vision of the End of Days. As you study the painting alongside your guide on our Sistine Chapel tour, you’ll discover why it was initially so controversial, and gain a deeper appreciation of Michelangelo’s unique genius.

Discover the genius of Raphael in the Raphael Rooms

Close to the Sistine Chapel is the suite of private papal apartments known as the Raphael Rooms. These exquisitely decorated rooms contain some of the finest examples of Raphael’s work, including the “School of Athens” - a group portrait of antiquity's most famous philosophers, many of them in the guises of Raphael’s contemporaries.
On your visit to the Raphael Rooms, your guide will explain why a young painter from Urbino was chosen for such a prestigious commission, earning the admiration and envy of his peers.

Explore the Vatican's amazing sculpture collections

Your visit to the Vatican Museums is a great opportunity to discover its remarkable collections of ancient sculpture, including the legendary Laocoon and Apollo Belvedere. These classical artworks had a profound impact on the artists of the Renaissance, and their muscular anatomies and psychological intensity strongly influenced the work of Michelangelo and Raphael. Accompanied by an expert art historian, you’ll learn all about these ancient masterpieces and gain a greater appreciation of Greek and Roman art.
On our tour you’ll also get to walk through the famous Gallery of Maps, admire the Pinecone Courtyard and visit the Belvedere Courtyard. Although it’s impossible to see the entire extent of the Vatican’s enormous collection in a few hours, our Essential Vatican Museums group tour allows you to get the most out of your visit, taking you to see a series of unmissable highlights.

After exiting the Sistine Chapel, we'll enter St Peter’s Basilica directly, without having to wait in line. Built on the site of St Peter’s tomb, St Peter’s Basilica is the very heart of the Christian faith. The basilica has been enriched over the centuries by the hands of countless artists and architects - as you admire masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s spectacular baldachin, you’ll quickly realise that you don’t need to be a believer to find visiting the basilica an awe-inspiring experience. Additional information A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. Knees and shoulders must be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirementsLarge bags, backpacks, tripods and large umbrellas cannot be brought into the museums. Large items will have to be left at the museum coat check and retrieved after your visit to St. Peter’s Basilica. We encourage you to leave such items at your hotelYour guide will have a sign or flag at the meeting pointPlease ensure you arrive 10 mins early and at the right meeting point, we cannot wait for late arrivals. Missed tours are not refundableAs this is a walking tour with steps, staircases and uneven surfaces, comfortable walking shoes and a bottle of water are strongly recommended. Please advise if any travellers have mobility concerns so that we can best accommodate youWheelchairs, motorised scooters and big/bulky strollers are not permitted on our group toursThe ages of any children joining the tour are requiredThere is no coat check or space on-site to leave your belongings, therefore we encourage you to leave such items at your hotel. In addition, glass bottles, alcoholic beverages or spray canisters (such as sunscreen) are not permitted into these sites so please leave such items at your hotel or they will be confiscated by security on entranceThe Basilica of St. Peter's may be subject to unscheduled closings and late openings for religious ceremonies. Because these are often last-minute for security reasons, we do not have time to notify our guests. We will provide you with a complete experience by exploring the Vatican Museums in more detail, therefore we will not provide any refundsMaximum groups of 10 people Inclusions Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Skip-The-Line TicketsEntrance to Catedral San PedroExpert, fluent English-speaking guideHeadsets (for groups of 6 or more)All fees and taxes Exclusions Hotel pick-up and drop-offTickets, meals and drinks except if expressly specified in the tour inclusionsOther unspecified service Cancellation policy Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the service.
Cancellation with less time or no-show, no refund will be made.

Meeting Point At the flower stand on the corner of Via Giulio Cesare and Via Leone IV. The address to the building in front is Viale Giulio Cesare, 237

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Essential Sistine Chapel Tour, Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica in Semi-Private

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