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Vatican Museum Guided Tour

3.3 (64 reviews)

Vatican Museum Guided Tour Photos

Recommended Reviews - Vatican Museum Guided Tour

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Bladimir M.

10/10 recommend using the guided tours!! You get to skip the line if you do, which can save you several hours!! Went on a weekday afternoon, and the like to enter was super long! It was really nice to skip. I also enjoyed the tour throughout and learning about the history!! They have tours in different languages, and they provide headphones so that you can listen to the guide speak in a loud and busy crowd.

Vatican Garden
Juan Pablo S.

The Vatican Museum is amazing. A must visit for art livers. They have all sorts of relics and famous paintings by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Raffaello, Perugino, and many more. If you visit Rome you must go. Make sure to make a reservation one month prior.

Sophie N.

Vatican Museum is huge, but that doesn't mean that you're going to love it the first time you visit it. My suggestion is to go there once in your lifetime :-) The good news is that on the last Sunday of every month , there is free entry to the Vatican Museums between 09.00 and 12.30.

My screenshot of one of the Vatican Museum Tours posted with review 02/12/21.
Marianne W.

Vatican Museums Virtual Guided Tour I've been to the Vatican for the day. There's no way you can see everything. I heard on the news about the virtual tours. I recently took a virtual tour of some the Vatican Museums. The first time I visited in person was in 1968! During Covid you take what you can get. Virtual to me is not as thrilling. It was on NBC News I heard on the news about the Virtual Tour of the Vatican Museum. I really recommend you take this tour. What moved me is the beauty of everything. I could see the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in all it's glory. This is one of my favorite works by Michelangelo. This virtual tour is almost as good as being there in person visually. I wasn't completely fulfilled. The website for the virtual tours can be found online. Please note the website name is in Italian. When I went to the site I found at least 26 Vatican Museums I could visit virtually. I'm doing a few at a time. I'm so happy I can travel there while I remain in the safety of my home. The website is very well done and organized so I had no problem going from museum to museum. I am concerned about my device saying the website is not secure. I find that happens frequently when I use websites outside of the Americas. I'm visiting many places I visited in person before the pandemic. The fun for me was always taking photos. I guess I have to take screenshots and post them. After all most of the Yelp Events are virtual. Try searching for virtual tours of your favorite museums, film studios and more. Our NYC Museums have lots of virtual events.

Cat N.

Don't know why there's mummies and Egyptian statues inside Vatican museum. Is the church so rich they just own a bunch of art that has nothing to do with Catholicism? I'm Catholic if you're wondering how I know they don't belong The museum is boring and no sculptures were interesting. The guides are long and boring, it was unnecessary to be four hours. Nothing they said you can't look up on Wikipedia and read for ten mins. I walked around by myself but stuck close to the tour group

Nicole E.

If you made it to the St. Peter's square and the Vatican, you should take a at least a couple of hours to take a guided tour in the museum. It will be hard to gather the history and detail of all of the statues, frescoes and art inside the museum otherwise. It is fun to take break and just consume all that surrounds you. There are so many historical and many religious artifacts and many random finds as well. It's interesting to see all of it.

Claireace M.

The Vatican Museum was truly a memorable experience. I did not expect to see Egyptian statues here from many centuries ago. I highly recommend you book a guided tour here. So they can show you and discuss most of the highlights in each room. I enjoyed learning about Michaelangelo's story behind his artworks. The biggest highlight here is Michelangelo's artwork at the Sistine Chapel. This is a mind-blowing masterpiece. You cannot take pictures and videos inside the Sistine Chapel. I am Roman Catholic, and I did buy a few Vatican rosaries for my mother and I. I bought my mother a cream Vatican rosary in a beautiful rosary box.

St Peter's Baslica
Michael K.

I love museums, and like to wander around by myself, look at everything, and focus on items of interest for as long as I want to. The Vatican museum tour was the opposite of that. You will wait on line for hours to get in, or you can purchase "skip the line" tickets for a suppposedly fast-tracked admission, or, presumably the best option, a guided tour. The piazza was packed with hordes of tourists, so we opted for the guided tour. But, even with the official guide leading the way, it still took over an hour and a half to get into the building. The entire tour was like the NYC subway at rush hour. It was hot and stuffy, and packed shoulder-to-shoulder, being led by the nose along with a throng of people, with no chance to even stop to look at anything. The guide drones on in your ear in broken English. You have to follow her little scarf-on-a-stick, or you'll get dropped by the group. The only things I even remember were the impressive 400-foot long map room, and the overrated Sistine Chapel, where the priest got on the PA system to tell the thousand people inside to STHU and put away their phones because they were in a church. The tour ended at St. Peter's Basilica, where, thankfully, we were allowed to explore the world's largest church on our own, which was breathtaking, and worth all the prior torture. There are many collections of ancient and Renaissance art throughout Rome that are as good as the Vatican's collection. A visit to St. Peter's Basilica is a must, but if crowds are not your thing, skip the Vatican museum and go the Musei Capitolini instead.

Thomas E M.

Yes, I'm disappointed. The Pope didn't come out to say hello. Later, while at the hotel, I found out that he was talking to the astronauts on the Space Station (or at least I think so, the newscast I was watching was in Italian) and so I guess they're more important than me. In a nutshell, I can't imagine coming to Rome and not finding a way into the Vatican. I loved it, despite the huge crowds. Our guide told me that they sometimes have 35,000 to 40,000 people a day go through the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. St. Peter's was fine, as it is huge and can handle a crowd, but the Sistine Chapel is much smaller and the crowd was much more confined. I'd liken it to being packed into the economy class of a luxury airline...it's tight, but you know it could be much much worse. Would I go back? I would definitely find a way to get back into St. Peter's, but, unless I was with 10-12, or maybe 100, of my closest friends, I'd skip the Sistine Chapel....simply too crowded, but I am very happy that I've done it once. Did anything happen that I didn't expect? Yes, there was the tour of the gardens, and great descriptions of the art and the hallways that lead to the various places inside Vatican City. There is so much art inside the Vatican that it can be, and was, overwhelming. St. Peter's warrants its own paragraph. The place is goliath in size and stature, and no detail has been overlooked. The font near the top is designed to be visible, and readable, from the bottom of the basilica, the floor space was open and comfortable to walk about in, and there are a few former Popes interred at the facility, one is even on display. It sort of creeped me out a bit, but there he was. There was another section of space reserved for confessions, roped off to the crowds during our visit. It featured the old style confessionals that you go in and shut the door to be heard by the priest, and they looked like little booths that you could put on a fork lift and relocate as needed. Should the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel be on your list? Yes, if you're in Rome, you need to find a way to include this stop, and don't mind the crowds. You could choose a slower month, as we were there in late October, and it was beautiful weather, highs in the 70's everyday. Winter might allow you to go during a slower time. All the best....

Mark M.

We purchased the Museum/St Peter's tour directly from the Vatican website weeks ahead of our arrival. I was very disappointed in our official Vatican tour guide--her English was not that great, and the one-eared earpiece was not that clear. They need to make sure they hire guides that have better English speaking skills. Also, the guide spent far too much time on the outside panels as the tour started. The tour was 3 hours in length. It would have been better if they spent more time in St. Peter's, it seemed very rushed once we go there.

Michael R.

Waste of time total rip off. Wish I saved my hard earned money. Could barley understand his English nice guy but it's a scam

Carolina B.

We had the private tour with one guide for me and my husband, but they also do group tours as well. The good: Vatican traffic is atrocious, so if you're late, they'll wait for you up to an hour and a half! The group tours start on time, no matter what. You get to skip the horrendous line, which is probably a 2-hour wait on average in peak season (Easter until October). You can ask any questions. You learn a lot about the You can skip boring stuff and stay longer on interesting things. And you'll never get lost. The bad: You'll most likely be sitting outside in the sun for a 30-45 minute art history lesson. Good luck getting a (decent) seat/chair. Skipping that line only gets you so far--the crowd inside is long, slow, and confined. And it only gets worse as you make your way to the Sistine Chapel. Overall, it was an absolute "must" due to the information overload, so there was no time wasted. We learned quite a lot about the Vatican City state, and of Michelangelo's life in general. Word to the wise: if you absolutely have to take a picture inside the Sistine Chapel, make it discrete! Otherwise, be prepared to be thrown out after a public ass-chewing!

Scott F.

Great place to go if you are in Rome and enjoy art museums. Now if you wanted to learn the history of the sculptures and paintings at the Vatican I do not recommend the tour. I didn't hear a thing the tour guide said throughout the one hour tour. Also he stopped a lot to explain things. My dad was able to hear most of what he said. I guess you have to be right next to the tour guide to hear what he has to say which in my opinion is really lame since I wanted to get pictures of other things at the Vatican. I did other tours in Italy that were amazing but this tour guide wasn't too enthusiastic and since I didn't hear a word he said the whole time I think paying to get in to explore on your own would've probably been a better option. If you wanted to learn about the history I would suggest buying a book about it rather than go on this tour.

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The Vatican is spectacular there is no world to explain it and all the excitement to see and be there, it a must to do if you are in Rome..

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Review Highlights - Vatican Museum Guided Tour

Our guide told me that they sometimes have 35,000 to 40,000 people a day go through the Sistine Chapel and St.

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Real Rome Tours

Real Rome Tours

4.5(50 reviews)
0.2 kmPrati

My wife, mother-in-law and I used this company. We were running about 3 minutes late, even though…read morethe messaging we received was very clear to be early. My mother-in-law is elderly and getting around with her took more time than expected. Still, we arrived at the staging area and the staff was still very pleasant and accommodating. You can tell they were getting us to hurry because they know the area would be overrun with other tour groups. They really wanted us to have the best time and experience there. And they sat us in a very good spot for the Wednesday audience with the Pope. I would definitely recommend this company.

Great tours! We did the Colosseum and Vatican tour. The Colosseum tour was with Ferdinando and his…read moreknowledge and passion for what he was showing us was obvious. He is definitely highly recommended. He is an archaeologist as well so he had a lot of fascinating things to share with us. We actually ran into him on three separate occasions in Rome by chance and he was great to talk to each time. The Colosseum tour we took also included the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill (both even more fascinating than the Colosseum in my opinion). The Vatican tour was with Claudia and she was equally as knowledgeable and fun! She obviously knew the folks she needed to to get around in this massive complex without having to wait for anything. The "no-line" entry most tours get has lines here. She had the hookup to get us even past those lines. The tour starts through the Vatican Museum and it was very crowded at the time we were there. She fought to make room for us to get in front of the masses to get a close look at all the things she wanted us to see. It was great to see her genuinely care about our experience. Just about every other tour group we saw in this places had at least 30 people in them. Both tours we took with Real Rome Tours had less than 10. We all had an equal opportunity to experience these beautiful sights with great knowledgable folks who even stuck around to answer any questions we had. They also give great recommendations on restaurants and other places you need to see while in Rome. Gerard was also a pleasure dealing with while booking our tours. He is well organized and gave us a great alternative when we wanted to do the Colosseum Underground tour that wasn't available. It worked out perfectly for us. I couldn't recommend Real Rome Tours any more.

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Real Rome Tours
Real Rome Tours - Quirinal palace.

Quirinal palace.

Real Rome Tours - Roman forum.

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Roman forum.

What a Life Tours - Vatican City, What a Life Tours

What a Life Tours

4.7(40 reviews)
0.2 kmPrati

We booked an early morning Vatican tour with What a Life Tours for our trip to Rome last month, and…read moreit was an A+ way to explore the world's smallest country. We could've visited on our own, as many obviously do, but it was great to have a skilled guide to put all that marble and history in context. We'd already paid to come to Rome and set aside a morning to see Vatican City. The added value we got out of the tour far outweighed the incremental expense. I found the tour on Get Your Guide, where it was highly rated with thousands of reviews, and I liked that it was a small group situation, with a maximum of ten participants. We received strict instructions to arrive before 7:45 at the What a Life office, within walking distance of the Vatican. We checked in and got assigned to our tour group, with an amazing guide named Giulia. She set us up with audio devices that let us hear her through our earphones even when she was just whispering--a cool bit of tech I'd never encountered before, but saw again twice more before leaving Italy. We arrived in time to enter the Vatican Museums right at 8:00, the start of visiting hours. Our tickets allowed us to skip the line, which was nice in mid-November, but no doubt doubly nice during peak season. Giulia was fantastic, so smart and informative and funny. She knew how to corral us, and I got the sense that she could work very easily under much worse conditions. She let us know how lucky we were to see the Vatican on such a quiet morning. There were plenty of people, but the crowd was apparently nothing compared to the crush of summer or early fall. The Vatican is so grand it was almost overwhelming, and it was extremely helpful to have a guide to keep us oriented. She gave us so much insight into what we were seeing, pointing out the highlights and offering a running commentary with a dry wit that was all Giulia. In the Gallery of Maps in the Vatican Museums, she showed my husband where he could find the village his family came from, painted on a 16th-century Fresco. She also prepared us well for the Sistine Chapel, where visitors are not allowed to talk, using down moments to tell us about the chapel and its artwork, with the aid of a well labeled print-out. The tour was three hours long and encompassed the museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. We could've spent several more hours in the museums alone, but we saw a lot, moving at a pretty brisk pace. The tour was very well calibrated. I can't think of a single thing I would have changed. I thought about booking our Colosseum tour through What a Life (would've saved me a review) but saw that the one they offered had very few ratings, compared to the thousands they had for the Vatican. I'm curious what their other tours are like, and have more confidence in the company overall after going on this one. If you're visiting the Vatican, in any case, What a Life Tours is a top notch provider. We saw and learned so much in those three hours, and had a truly wonderful time.

We did the early entry (7:45 am) tour with Jeannette. She was amazing. Her knowledge was expansive…read moreand being an art historian made it even more amazing. She not only covered the immense history of the Vatican, but her knowledge of the artists and their works was very helpful. I would not hesitate to recommend her and thus company. It was limited to a group of ten made it so easy to stay together and not lose anyone.

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What a Life Tours - Papal throne at St. Peter's basilica.

Papal throne at St. Peter's basilica.

What a Life Tours - Vatican City, What a Life Tours

Vatican City, What a Life Tours

What a Life Tours - Vatican City, What a Life Tours

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Vatican City, What a Life Tours

Giardini dei Vaticano - well manicured trees

Giardini dei Vaticano

4.9(7 reviews)
0.5 kmCittà del Vaticano, Vaticano

What more can I say than that the Vatican Gardens are impressive and among the finest we've visited…read moreanywhere.

The Vatican gardens are another amazing wonder of the VC. They showcase various sculptures,…read morefountains, gifts given to popes and other amazing nooks and crannies with various flora and fauna surrounding it all. We got to view it because we had a tour of the museums that included the gardens. I believe you can only view it by controlled guided tour! Our tour guide took us through describing all the different sculptures and their significance to the Vatican. Many were gifts from heads of state. Others were placed with significance form popes from previous times. There are so many places for the people who live in the Vatican to come and find peace or relax and reflect! There is even a helipad in the back corner so the Pope can hop in and head off to his summer villa. On our tour it was even mentioned that some Popes enjoyed hunting back in the day of different animals that roamed the garden. Awesome...ancient Pope's hunted! Maybe Phil Robinson (aka Duck Dynasty) could come hunt in the garden with uncle Psi and the current Pope! You can get some different perspectives of the different buildings of the vatican from a different vantage point and really appreciate and see a different natural outdoor beauty of the Vatican!

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Giardini dei Vaticano
Giardini dei Vaticano - Fontana dell'Aquilone (Fountain of the Eagle)

Fontana dell'Aquilone (Fountain of the Eagle)

Giardini dei Vaticano

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The Roman Food Tour - Food Tour Rome - One of the shops

The Roman Food Tour - Food Tour Rome

4.9(23 reviews)
0.7 kmPrati, Balduina/Montemario, Balduina Montemario

I waited four years to do the Taste of Trionfale and it did not let me down. We tried such a wide…read morebreadth of food it was outstanding and everything was such high quality. The tour was expensive but worth every penny. I especially felt the group size was really appropriate.

As foodies, we had to do a food tour to try and eat as much as we could. This one was done in the…read morePrati neighborhood right outside of the Vatican City by The Roman Food Tour company First stop was for some Roman street food at Trapizzino. Imagine a pizza rolled into a cone and then filled with flavorful toppings. I had the Double Cream which consisted of a blend of Cream and Buffalo Mozzarella in addition to Cantabrico Anchovies. Salty, creamy, and a hint of sweetness from the cream. An explosive flavor combo. Next we stopped at the one and only Bonci Pizzarium. If you watched chef table to see Ann Kim, you might have seen this place. Phenomenal pizza by the slice with creative toppings like purple potatoes or squash with sausage. Next we had some traditional Italian pasta at Osteria Da Fortunata. Some red wine paired with Amatriciana. Well spiced and fresh noodles went down way too easy. We finished with charcuterie and tiramisu at La Nicchia Cafe. Many types of cheeses, bruschetta, balsamic, meats, and olive oils. Rounded out by the best tiramisu I've ever had. ____________

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The Roman Food Tour - Food Tour Rome - Cute tiramisu

Cute tiramisu

The Roman Food Tour - Food Tour Rome
The Roman Food Tour - Food Tour Rome - Pasta at the market

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Pasta at the market

Sistine Chapel Tours - Snapped this with my Meta Glasses

Sistine Chapel Tours

3.4(12 reviews)
0.9 kmCittà del Vaticano, Prati

I am soooo thankful I got to see this and experience this in my lifetime…read moreBeing inside the chapel is AMAZING Looking at actual art from THE MICHAEL ANGELO himself is breathtaking, The creation of Adam, The last Judgement ect. Knowing that actual Papal Conclaves takes place here gives you the feeling of excitement and awe So much history, so much to see and take in. I enjoyed every moment of it They ask you not to take any pictures but my Meta Glasses came through for me. The Sistine Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the Cappella Magna ('Great Chapel'), it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and 1481.

Unless you are okay with waiting for 3 HOURS to see the Sistine chapel. They FORCE you to stay on…read morethe path of added rooms and unclear directions. There is no direct path to the Sistine chapel. My group asked multiple times if we could skip the unnecessary rooms and we were told no and basically pushed back into the large crowds. There is zero wiggle room in the path you take, personally l would like to leave once I am done. That is not an option, you cannot leave the building until they decide you are finished. A lot of the main rooms have beautiful paintings but many of the side rooms are filled with tiny pots and random things nobody wants to see. I was very excited to see Michelangelo's paintings but I was not told I would FORCED like a prisoner to stand in lines and rooms for 3-4 hours before seeing it. Definitely not worth it. So many other parts of Rome are far better uses of time. Post

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Sistine Chapel Tours - Meta glasses came through with this secret photo of the Sistine chapel

Meta glasses came through with this secret photo of the Sistine chapel

Sistine Chapel Tours
Sistine Chapel Tours - View point

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View point

Vatican Museum Guided Tour - tours - Updated May 2026

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