Booking fee
The booking fee includes the costs of booking your tickets such as charges for payment processing. It also covers the provision of our customer care center for processing your order, and all charges imposed by our suppliers.
* This tour requires at least one of the following per booking: Adult, Senior
Get early morning access into the Vatican Museums to admire countless works, and beautiful courtyards! Together with a truly small group of only 6 participants max, or in your very own private group, you will be able to avoid the big crowds and quietly enjoy these wonderful masterpieces. The Vatican Museums is on everyone’s Rome itinerary so you can imagine it gets quite full, quite quickly. This tour guarantees the personalized and intimate feel that is only possible with our truly small group size, or in your very own private group. We believe that having an intimate experience makes ALL the difference! With your expert local guide, make your way through the vastness of the Museums, with the greatest highlights of the Papal art collection, the Raphael Rooms, the Gallery of Tapestries, the Pinecone Courtyard, and of course the exceptional Sistine Chapel. Finish with the incredible Saint Peter's Basilica.
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Skip the long ticket lines
Private Option of this tour is Available!
Tour in a Safe and Semi Private Group of 6 people
Learn from a Professional Local Expert Guide
Enjoy Early Morning Entrance to the Vatican Museums for a quieter experience
Food and drinks
Gratuities (optional)
Departure Point
Viale Vaticano, 100, 00192 Roma RM, Italy
In front of Cafè Vaticano, right across the street from the Vatican Museum's Entrance. Your guide will be holding a LivTours sign
Vatican Museums, Vatican City, Italy With the luxury of our truly small group size of 6 people max, or in the personalized intimacy of your very own private group, you will be guaranteed to get the very most out of your Vatican experience. This way you can easily navigate through the countless masterpieces with an expert guide, ask all the questions you wish, and have the guarantee of a personalized experience. We trust this makes ALL the difference!
Walk through the heavily decorated Gallery of the Candelabras and enjoy the trompe l’oeil in the Gallery of the Tapestries. After you learn about the impressive Gallery of the Maps, continue to the exquisite Raphael Rooms. With your professional expert tour guide, you will be sure to see all the highlights as well as hidden gems! You will not only learn the fantastic history of the powerful Popes but will also delight in the bits of gossip and other little-known stories about life in Vatican City. 120 minutes
Stanze di Raffaello, Vatican City, Italy The Papal art collection at its best in the Raphael Rooms 15 minutes
Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Italy Enjoy a thorough explanation of the incredible masterpiece that is the Sistine Chapel and learn all about it from your professional expert guide before you actually enter the chapel. As it is a holy place, it is strictly forbidden to speak inside. That is why we guarantee you will learn all about it before you enter. Then, once inside, you will have time to take it all in and admire the breathtaking beauty of this world famous site in contemplative silence.
30 minutes
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Italy Your comprehensive Vatican tour concludes with VIP entrance directly into St. Peter’s Basilica without standing in the long lines. Walking through the Basilica, you will learn all about the secrets of the magnificent and ornate decorations, sculptures, altars and chapels. Visit Michelangelo’s Pieta and walk down the main nave to admire the dome he designed that sits on top of the largest Catholic church in the world. 45 minutes
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Occasionally the Basilica may be closed due to last minute private events outside of the tour operators control and often without notice. In these uncommon circumstances the tour will operate as usual and the time spent inside the basilica will be made up elsewhere on the tour. No refunds will be granted in the event the Basilica is closed
Starting in 2024, the Vatican Museums will discontinue early access for ALL tour providers, instead opening to the public at 8AM. This tour will then be offered as a first entrance experience, which we recommend for a less crowded, more personalized, and fully guided experience.
Vatican management maintains the right to delay the opening of the Sistine Chapel for religious reasons, in this case the guide will modify the itinerary and extend your visit of the museums to ensure you make the most of your time before access to the Sistine Chapel is permitted.
Please note St Peter's Basilica is closed on most Wednesday's. If you book during a day in which the Basilica is closed, your tour of the Vatican Museums will be extended to compensate the closure
Not recommended for travelers with mobility issues
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
Chris_S
26 Apr 2023
Marzy was superb, informative, well-paced in our tour. Excellent visual aids. Insured a good spot for important viewings.
barbiy2023
25 Apr 2023
Massimo was the BEST! He was very informative and interesting. We had absolutely no wait in any lines and he knew everyone inside Vatican City. We enjoyed his humor and wit. We also enjoyed his great perspective and respect of the Vatican grounds. Ask for Massimo, you won’t be disappointed!
Alex B
25 Apr 2023
3 of us booked onto the early morning semi private Vatican Tour, we were also with another couple so 5 of us in total. Well worth booking the early tour, at 7.15am huge crowds had already started to gather with the main entrance not opening to 9am. Serafina was our tour guide, she made it so interesting & it was well paced, the time went very quickly. She was very good at pointing out toilet stops & seats for those who needed a quick rest. She had a great way of finding a quiet corner! Well worth the money & early start. Tips- have breakfast, bring a drink & small snack, wear comfy shoes, get a good sleep the night before! Would highly recommend Serafina, I learnt alot! Great communication via email from LIV tours, seems a well run & professional company, we booked direct.
We always double-check the availability with our local partners for each booking. Even though this is usually a swift process, it can take up to 24 hours. Once this process is completed you will receive your voucher or ticket by email. If our local partner is not able to confirm your booking we will offer you the best possible alternative. If the new date and/or time doesn’t fit your itinerary, we will reimburse the full amount paid.
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