December 7, 2024 OMGosh! ooh My gosh! This was an out of body experience... to think of all the people that have walked this chapel in the last 550 years is mind boggling Beyond beautiful art... it was God's place read more

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Such a beautiful and spiritual experience. The line was ridiculous, paying for a skip-the-line tour through Viator was priceless. The architecture of the building was so unique, I could not believe the structural details. The life-sized art work inside was created using mostly ancient marble, brass and stone. The carvings of the statues were pristine. There were beautiful pictorial carpets hung on the wall where different scenes were woven into the tapestry. The paintings on the ceiling were like brushstrokes from heaven. I have never seen anything more beautiful. The time attention and detail that went into creating each piece is truly astounding. My experience was breathtaking and some of the scenes moved me to tears. read more

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Amazing tour! I highly recommend the tour if you want to go inside and truly experience the history. But- be prepared to stand in a very long line. The line wrapped all around and outside the building. The line was in the sun. FYI to just prepare for that, especially if it's hot on the day you go. read more

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tours - The line going all the way to the back - Tours Near Me - Vatican City, RM

They went above and beyond my expectations. I needed to change the time of my tour, but had not purchased this flexibility. When I called they said they would take my number and call if there was a cancelation but they did not offer hope. The next morning we got a call from them and were abel to accommodate. But time was really tight. While in the taxi driving across Rome they called and let me know we might not make it in time for the timed entry they asked to speak with the driver to get a closer drop off location. But then when we got there, they called me again to make sure I made it and connected to the tour guide who had the tickets. NEVER have I experienced such wonderful and caring customer service. The tour guide herself, Sylvia, was excellent and knowledgeable able to answer questions that dove deeper into hidden meaning in the art. Great experience. Skip the line is very much worth the cost. read more

The saying of When In Rome, do as the Romans do, applies to, when you are in Vatican City, have breakfast with the pope, and spend the day in the city and in the museums. Travelers tip: when you book your visit to Vatican City to see the Vatican/Sistine chapel, book the Vatican breakfast. Yes, it's expensive. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Let me repeat, book it with the breakfast you won't be sorry. We arrived at the crack of dawn, and there was already a line waiting to get in for the breakfast/Vatican tour. Like every place in and around the entire country, it's walking and more walking. If you're not prepared, wear comfortable shoes. Shoes make all the difference. Once inside, we were ushered from place to place, until we got to the actual check-in counter, and produced our reservation slips and passports. We were then ushered into another group, and handed headphones of sorts and waited for a tour guide. A great tour guide, especially with this end of the tour, is essential. Unfortunately, you don't get to pick your tour guide, you're just put into a group. More about the tour guide later. If you are religious, this place will totally speak to you. If you are not religious, this place will totally speak to you. If you are completely against religion, this place will speak to you. It's almost like it's the ninth wonder of the world. Walking through history Should tug at your heart strings, make you think, make you wonder, and truly make you feel. The benefit of the breakfast tour, is that no one else is walking through the various connected buildings, so you pretty much have the ability to take in the amazing collection of art and history without the huge crowds. I will say, it is still a tour, and as someone in a tour, be courteous of those around you. It was incredibly frustrating that other people would stand in front of some thing that the rest of us either wanted to see, or take pictures of, and there was no care or consideration for others. This is definitely an experience that almost becomes indescribable. The history that is encapsulated within the Vatican walls, the historical value, the sentimental value, the monetary value is pretty, staggering. With the Vatican has its own country, it is absolutely protected with armed forces in and around the entire country. Understandably, with the pope living there, it makes sense, but what they are really protecting are the assets. Oh, to look at artwork that is centuries old, like I said, it's walking through history. These are pieces and places that I have read about since I was a kid, and to actually see these things up close and personal is pretty overwhelming. One of the few places that we were not permitted to take pictures in, was the area that the picture of the last supper. It's grander than I expected, it's larger than I expected, and it is far more detailed than I ever expected. Our day started out with the guided tour, and we made our way through all the different rooms and displays, and by the time that we were done several hours later, it was time to go have breakfast. If you opt for the breakfast tour, I highly encourage you to grab a little nosh prior to your tour. You absolutely will be starving by the end of the tour. Breakfast is served outside under a somewhat enclosed café. Based on pricing, it seems to be a much better deal as a package than to purchase things from the menu individually. The servers aren't very friendly, but the portions are generous. What I really enjoyed, was the fact that we could sit and enjoy our breakfast, and we were not ushered out or asked to be done by a time certain. It's one of the things I love about Italy. Everyone recognizes the art of just being. There usually is an opportunity to see the Pope at least once during the week, but I would not plan your tour around that opportunity, because much of it depends on his current health. Plus, it just increases the crowds which really grew our by hour. By the time we were done and leaving, the lines to get in, the people that work, already in the lower half of the building, I was just staggering. A beautiful country filled with beautiful things, and beautiful moments are absolutely created here. read more

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The entire booking went smoothly from booking to tour completion. The staff in Rome was very friendly and helpful. Very happy

Tour guide was great. Was supposed to include St Peter's Square and Basilica. Jubilee prevented access to St Peter's. I understand, just rebate that portion of tour. I paid about $350 for 2. Give me a credit for $75 - 100 and I'm good. Nope, can't do it. As it turns out, they were aware in advance but chose not to give us the option to rebook. That is the sole reason I rated only average. You should consider booking when you get there as you will have many options. Viator business practices suspect! read more

When we were here 15 years ago on Monday we would told they were no tours. .We booked this a tour months in advance and it didn't disappoint. The Vatican museums were impressive the amount of silver, sculpture, tapestries was just overwhelming. We spent 10 minutes in the Sistine chapel and I wasn't expecting Michaelangelos biblical paintings to be so bright and vivid, exceptional & memorable. read more

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The staff were patient with everyone especially since we were a group of about 15 or so. Tour guide was able to guide us through the Vatican and Sistine Chapel with no barriers but the heat! She was able to answer all questions asked. Tour guide was very knowledgeable and provide a ton of information freely...this is a tour I highly recommend don't wait make it early everything fills up fast... read more

The tour was very well ran and so informative making it sometimes easy to overlook the excessive crowds. There is so much to see that you need more than one day to even get close to seeing things and even then you might not see a fraction of what's there.There are many great photo opportunities however the Sistine Chapel is off limits to photograph.My one price of advice to you is if your hungry Do Not waste your time and money getting anything from the cafeteria or snack shops there the food is sub par at best. read more

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At 71 years of age on my bucket list was to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. While on a Norwegian cruise to Italy we booked a shore excursion to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel many months in advance. My wife and I had a confirmation for the 11:00am tickets to be able to arrive back to the boat before it left. When we arrived in Rome to pick the tickets up we learned for some unknown reason there was no tickets. They offered me 3:30 pm tickets but we would arrive back to the boat too late. The ticket agency through Viator cancelled the tour and I was to get all my money refunded. Then I was offered 1:30 tickets. We did take the tickets but due to time limits required to return to the boat on time our tour was shortened and we're not able to enter the St Peter Basilica. Additionally, the older minivan the driver was provided by his company the AC didn't work on a day where the temperature above 80 degrees make the long ride from the boat to Rome and back was a long trip that was very warm. I asked for a partial refund but was denied by Viator. Viator told me that nothing I complained actually happened. I will NEVER USE VIATOR AGAIN. read more

We enjoyed this tour, it was through and informative. But book it online. We booked ours online and were able to show up 30 min before the tour. I felt bad for the people waiting 3-5 hours just to get into the Vatican. We were able to see all of the museums and the Sistine chapel. If you can go in the morning, I would highly recommend that. But do NOT just show up. You will waste your entire day. read more

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This tour was a nice way to see the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel. I'm not usually a fan of guided tours, but the Vatican museums are a bit overwhelming and can be quite crowded. These tours allow you to skip the lines and crowds and hit the highlights. Also, some areas they only allow guided tours through. So in the end, you save time and rest assured that you didn't miss anything major. The Vatican museums are so expansive you could easily wander around for 6 hrs+ if you don't have a plan. Please note if you plan to also see St. Peter's Basilica the same say that is an entirely different tour/area and will take at least 2-3 hrs on its own, so plan accordingly. Also wear comfortable shoes (not dress shoes) or you will sorely regret it! read more

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I'm amazed, inspired even. I've heard of the Vatican my entire life growing up in a religious household and never really had it on my list of places to go until recently. And Tripadvisor (and traveled friends) recommend highly and rightfully so. I don't think words or pictures can do justice the magnitude of craftsmanship and brilliance involved in the construction of the Vatican museum and the intricate art throughout. I opted for the "Faster than Skip the Line" guided tour, booked about a week or two before arriving through Tripadvisor which works with Viator and is actually City Wonders on ground. It wasn't as confusing as it sounds and we found our tour and guide effortlessly with the directions provided. Best decision as we walked past the hundreds of people waiting on line and were inside in less than 5 min. We had a funny, sharp and excellent guide, Ahmed who gave us a wealth of history on the Vatican and it's art. My favorite bit was learning more about Michelangelo--his professional background as a sculptor which translated into his work as a painter through detailing muscle in his figures, apparently unprecedented for his time. And the young, handsome Raphael who later mimicked Michelangelo's muscled style in his later works. That aside, 3 hours still didn't feel like quite enough to absorb all around. From the marble tiles, mosaic floors, soft marble figures, tapestry, and ceiling work. It's incredible what humans are capable of (pre technology) solely relying on mental faculties and what over a century of work has produced. read more

DO NOT BUY TICKETS FROM VIATOR!!! They are extremely disorganized and unhelpful. Asked for help finding the office and the employee asked "how much will you tip me if I show you?" He was dead serious even said " and I don't want coins" .Ran us around and missed the tour. Tried to dispute this case and they would not issue a refund. Horrible company to work with. read more

if I could give a zero I would. We bought tickets for 8 people. We had an extremely difficult time finding them. They are very disorganized, no guides were visible. We must have walked around the Vatican 3 times trying to find them. I tried calling them to ask where we could find them, no answer. We missed the tour and would not give a refund...they said it was my fault. Please don't use them. We lost over $600. read more

Read all details and fine print. There are time constraints. If you have a problem, you are stuck. We paid a lot of money for a tour of the Vatican and Colosseum, but Bailey did one. Lot of money wasted if we had just waited and bought at the site. Plus, tour was not guided. read more

You can't help but be blown away by the beauty of this place but be prepared for the crowds! We visited on a week day out of season & it was still incredibly busy. We opted not to take a guided tour as we were pressed for time and we didn't regret this decision but in peak times they can help you jump the queues. Once inside the museum I felt like cattle being herded through the many galleries on the way to the chapel. In the long galleries there weren't really any opportunities to stop and look at the art because the crowd was continually pushing you forward, along the route there are smaller rooms off of the main traffic where you could stop for a while. It was pretty obvious that everyone was really there to see the Sistine Chapel and weren't that interested in the other galleries but you had to walk through them all to get there. Once inside the chapel there are Vatican police all over the place telling people off for talking and no photos are permitted at all. It is incredibly beautiful and definitely something I'm glad I've seen but I could have done without the torturous journey to get there! read more

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Our tour began at the bottom of the steps outside the Vatican museum. Our tour guide Sara was amazing. We got into the museum and hurried to the Sistine Chapel. Her only job, and she told us was to get to the chapel before the crowds. We were so early we had to wait in the internal courtyard for them to open and that gave Sara time to describe for us the various parts of the chapel and how the design and the paintings were accomplished. We would have loved her for an in-depth tour but alas her job was to get us in. We were the first group in and had the chapel to ourselves for about 20 minutes. I kept asking our guide questions and she cheerfully provided answers. All in we must have been in the chapel for about 45 minutes. The we exited the chapel and started on the museum followed by St Peters and the climb to the dome and St. Peters square. We began our day before 7am and we were done by 4pm. We would not, could not have seen it all in any less time. This was the experience of a lifetime and thanks to Sara and her cheerfully speedy ways we had the place to ourselves. read more

It's true, I wept. I've been the Sistine Chapel twice and it's as good as it gets. If not the interesting twists of Catholic deception that gets you first, it's the monumental statues that will. This second visit, I arrived shortly after my travels through Michelangelo's old haunt Firenze, Italy. Now that I have a better grasp who was Michelangelo, I can begin see the political dance he once played in the Renaissance. Many artisans helped found this great monument. We took the late night audio tour that happens only on Friday night. That was an exceptional idea since the days are hot and the nights are somewhat cool in Rome. A cool, gentle breeze enters the warm corridors as we walk through biblical history. The walk through the museum is full of people...only less of an inhospitable crowd. I was trampled again by senior citizens with new found toys such as walkers and selfie-sticks as if this were their last journey here on earth. I once carried a subscription to Art In America magazine that reviewed the background in cleaning the paintings and statues throughout the Vatican. Remembering the myths about oil paintings only surfaced less than 10 years ago when much of the painting was smudge from oil lit candelabras. Now, brightly painted chapels exhibit a display of vibrancy, some joyous and not so joyous murals. Not only for the art lover like me, but it's lovely to see and exciting for everyone to experience. For us, we were on a tight timeline so the audio tour was perfect. The larger tours sounded nice, but you get varieties of chatter within the halls so it's not easy to to listen to. I like the audio so I can cut out the unnecessary bullsh* and move on through the crowds. Upon our final destination to the Sistine, we were just about done with all of it. No energy left. I pointed my camera to the ceiling to take one last picture and the attendant on staff shouted "NO PHOTO, NO PHOTO" which translates from Italian to phrase "please purchase your pictures at the gift shop in the adjacent room." I certainly did not. read more

Our group took the tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel during our recent trip to Italy. There are so many paintings, sculptures, murals, and tapestries that it was astonishing. It was MOBBED - think Grand Central Station at rush hour. It's really wonderful that so many people want to see all these fabulous works of art. Unfortunately because of the sheer number of people taking the tour all at once, there's no real way to pause and study a painting or sculpture; you're pressed forward by the sheer mass of people behind you. Once you're in the Sistine Chapel (it's at the end of the tour), they do allow a pause of about 20 minutes to gaze at the justly famous and incredible paintings by Michaelangelo and Raphael (NO PHOTOS ALLOWED). An extremely knowledgeable local guide named Francesca narrated our tour; she had some very droll comments about some of the Renaissance popes. We were all given "whisperers" - they helped us to hear Francesca somewhat among all the other tour groups and guides, but the sound was scratchy and sometimes cut out entirely - the technology could definitely use improvement. Despite the problems, this tour was definitely worth taking, and if I were to return to Rome, I'd go again. read more

Very easy to book. Accommodation were good. Be aware this is a group tour so can be very crowded but who really cares when you're in Rome.