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Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) Tours
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Early Access Vatican Tour

star-4.5
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Vatican City, Vatican City
(7)
Early Access Vatican Tour
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From $85.26

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Free Cancellation
up to 24 hours in advance
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icon3 hours  (Approx.)
Mobile ticket
iconOffered in: English
Keeping you safe during COVID-19
What you can expect during your visit
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
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Safety precautions are provided by the tour operator and are not checked by Viator for accuracy
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(888) 651-9785

Overview

Get an early start to your sightseeing at the Vatican Museums with admission before opening hours. Follow an expert guide through the complex before the general public and avoid the crowds during your tour. Marvel at Michelangelo's world-renowned works at the Sistine Chapel and enjoy privileged, skip-the-line access to the awe-inspiring St. Peter's Basilica.
  • Early morning tour of the Vatican Museums before opening hours
  • See an overwhelming number of mind-blowing works of art
  • Listen to a professional guide describe Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel
  • Gain skip-the-line entry to St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world
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Headsets to hear the guide clearly
Guaranteed to skip the long lines
Professional guide for 3 hours
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Tips for the Guide

Departure Point

Vatican Museums, 00120, Vatican City

Departure Time

7:30 AM

Return Details

Saint Peter's Square, Piazza San Pietro, Città del Vaticano, Vatican City
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • 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
  • St Peter's Basilica is a church and as such the Vatican can decide to close it for religious functions without any notice. We are not responsible for unexpected closure of the Basilica. When the Basilica of St. Peter is closed for religious functions, you will spend longer time in the Vatican galleries with your guide.
  • For booking with kids, kindly bring with you a copy of the ID or passport otherwise the kid tickets cannot be provided and the new ticket should be paid directly on site.
  • This group is up to 22 travelers or less.
  • Please note: if you arrive late you mights loose the entrance
  • A current valid passport or ID document is required on the day of the tour for children under 18 years old as a proof of their age.
  • Near public transportation
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Please note that, for disabled visitors with certified invalidity of more than 74%, the Vatican Museums offers free entry that is extended to a companion for visitors who are not self-sufficient. To benefit from this, make sure you mention it at the time of booking so that our staff may handle your request.
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
  • OPERATED BY VIVICOS INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL SRL

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Learn more about cancellations.

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Q:
What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Early Access Vatican Tour?
A:
The policies on face masks and attendee health are:

  • Face masks required for travelers in public areas
  • Face masks required for guides in public areas
See all safety measures taken by Early Access Vatican Tour.
Q:
What is the policy on sanitization during Early Access Vatican Tour?
A:
The policy on sanitization is:

  • Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
See all safety measures taken by Early Access Vatican Tour.
Q:
What is the social distancing policy during Early Access Vatican Tour?
A:
The policy on social distancing is:

  • Social distancing enforced throughout experience
See all safety measures taken by Early Access Vatican Tour.
Q:
What is the maximum group size during Early Access Vatican Tour?
A:
This activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers.

See all safety measures taken by Early Access Vatican Tour.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5
star-4.5
64 Reviews
5 stars
47
4 stars
10
3 stars
4
2 stars
2
1 star
1
Reviews by Viator travelers
Showing 1-10 of 64 reviews
star-4
Informative.
Carla0020
, Jan 2020
Informative and covered all of the most important museums / rooms. Easy meeting point. Guide was informative and explained important highlights with sufficient detail. Told your starts at 7:30 but had to wait outside till 8. Was freezing cold.
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icon Response from Host , Jan 2020
Dead Carla0020, Thank you for taking the time to leave such kind words! We work hard to satisfy our customer's needs and we're happy we were able to hit the mark with you! We hope to see you soon again :)
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star-5
Great guide
Explore276822
, Dec 2019
Our tour of the Vatican was great thanks to our guide Diego. He was kind, knowledgeable, and entertaining. I wouldn’t hesitate to book a tour with this company or this guide again.
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icon Response from Host , Jan 2020
Dear Explorer, Thank you for such a wonderful review! We work very hard to meet our customer's expectations and we are happy that we hit the mark with you! Diego will be very pleased to read your kind words. Thank you for choosing our services and we hope to see you soon!
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star-5
Great way to see.
Tour60421511864
, Nov 2019
Highly recommended the early tour. So many people but if your with tour they let them in first. Having a tour guide help a lot
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icon Response from Host , Nov 2019
Thank you for booking our Early Access Vatican Tour!
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star-5
Vatican tour
fbroadhurst79
, Nov 2019
We had a brilliant day , the tour was very informative our tour guide was lovely , we were a group of 9 and we all enjoyed this tour
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icon Response from Host , Nov 2019
Thank you for this brilliant review! The Early Access Vatican Tour is a great experience to be shared in group, I am happy to know you fully enjoyed it.
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star-5
Perfect
Carl_UK_Preston
, Nov 2019
Really enjoyed this tour. The host Giulio was energetic, enthusiastic and came away with so many facts - I felt like I could tour others! Thanks so much.
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icon Response from Host , Nov 2019
Thank you, Carl, for choosing to book our Early Access Vatican Tour!
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star-5
When In Rome...see the Vatican
Chris W
, Oct 2019
Amazing place--bucket list sights...must see. Tour tickets state 7:30am; we met tour guide at 7:15am and stood in line until 8am before going through security check. Guide spent a lot of time talking about Roman/Vatican history...which was great, but we thought we'd be in at 7:30. Be prepared to wait. The tour itself seems VERY LONG...3 hours on your feet. The guide was a charming and highly educated lady. She spoke in deep detail about everything we saw. Although she is a true professional I personally believe the tour should be 45 minutes shorter (and I'm a history buff). It is surprising how many people are inside at this hour of the morning. It is not until you exit into St. Peter's Square and see the LONG, LONG lines that you realize this tour option was the best choice.
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icon Response from Host , Oct 2019
Thank you, Chris, for this in-depth review of your Early Access Vatican Tour experience. Choosing this type of tour does indeed save your hours of time and allows you to tour in a more intimate, privileged setting. Thank you for choosing to book with us!
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star-5
Great Value
Brendan S
, Oct 2019
Our tour guide was wonderful. She crafted a very meaningful and natural narrative as we walked from place to place. The Vatican can easily be overwhelming, so this tour is a perfect introduction to whet the taste buds for future trips. Plus, you see the iconic Vatican stops on this tour. For the casual museum goer, this tour is perfect.
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icon Response from Host , Oct 2019
It's lovely to read your guide created a meaningful, engaging narrative. Thank you for kindly taking the time ro review our services.
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star-5
Early Vatican tour
michaelf662
, Oct 2019
By far the best time to visit the Vatican museums and Sistine chapel is before the crowds are let in. You don't get exclusive entry since there are other groups with early entry, but a lot less groups than throughout the day. Since you meet at 7:30 am, you get into the queue quite handy for the 8:00 am opening. Julio (hope the spelling is correct) our guide, was amazing!! He was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the museums, his Italian history and the Sistine chapel. This was great for a person like me with very little historical knowledge! I came away enlightened and amazed at the sights I saw in the 2 hour tour. St Peters was a different story, very very busy, but again out host made light of the crowds and we had a great 1 hour tour. The tour was very well organised and the guide was terrific! Also, don;t be fooled October is still very busy in Rome!!!
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icon Response from Host , Oct 2019
Thank you, Michael, for beautifully expressing your experience of out tour. Giulio is indeed a fantastic guide and we are very happy you got to tour with him during your Vatican visit.
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star-5
Michael angelo rocks!
tony f
, Sep 2019
I didn't want to give this 4 stars , but it was closer to 5 in my mind. The guide Julius , not sure of his spelling, gave his all and had a driving passion for this tour. My headset kept craping.out and it was the second one that I tried. When we saw the lines at the end that we avoided , we were grateful for taking this tour. It was also a bit strenuous for us over 75 folks. A lot of steps And uphill walks. It should have been pointed out to us. Not sorry, we needed to see this, last time in Rome we missed it.
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icon Response from Host , Oct 2019
Tony, thank you for choosing our tours. We are sorry to learn you had issues with your Vatican assigned ear piece. Skipping the lines is indeed an ideal experience as it allows you to save hours of time.
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star-4
Great tour!
Elise J
, Sep 2019
This tour was wonderful, our guide was extremely knowledgable, which made all the difference to know the significance of the many and varied things we looked at. The entrance to the Vatican doesn't open until 8am, so meeting at 7.30am is so the guide can give information about the Sistine Chapel... because whilst in the Sistine Chapel, there is no talking. I would recommend this tour!
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icon Response from Host , Sep 2019
Thank you, Elise! No talking is allowed within the Sistine Chapel because it is Holy Ground but while waiting in line for the security check the guide will always fill you in on everything and provide you with a visual guide image that you can analyze while inside the chapel. I am very happy your enjoyed your Early Access Vatican Tour!
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