Raphael Rooms

Architecture Tours

Visit the Vatican Museums and marvel at the breath-taking collection of renowned Roman sculptures and some of the most seminal works of Renaissance art without having to wait an eternity to do so, thanks to the Skip-the-Line Tickets. From there, take in the magnificence of the Sistine Chapel, known as the Cappella Magna and see Michelangelo’s masterpiece, The Last Judgement. A local and professional Host will welcome you and assist you through the entrance while giving you the most important tips for maximum enjoyment. 

Have the Vatican to yourself on this exclusive early morning tour that whisks you through closed doors for a buffet breakfast in the peaceful Pinecone Courtyard, before anyone else enters the museums. While the general public waits in line outside, feast on an Italian-American breakfast buffet of cooked-to-order eggs, meats, cheeses, muffins, croissants, fresh fruits, cereals, and even pancakes, flipped by the Vatican's pancake chef. Dining in the beautiful Pinecone Courtyard, alongside one of the Vatican Museums' most beautiful works of modern art, experience a level of tranquility rarely seen by Vatican visitors. Then follow your guide to explore the Vatican Museums. Still closed to the general public, the Museums are quieter now than throughout the rest of the day. With only 10 people per group, have time and space to really appreciate the art. See rooms such as the Hall of Maps, Gallery of the Tapestries, Gallery of the Candelabra and incredible Raphael Rooms. Your guide will bring works of art to life, pointing out things you would have missed on your own. Continue to the legendary Sistine Chapel. Then, skip the ticket lines to enter St. Peter’s Basilica. See the altar and marvel at Michelangelo’s La Pietà sculpture.

Start your day at the Vatican early and skip the notoriously long ticket lines by following a special route through the museums that gets you to the Sistine Chapel just as it opens for the day. Enter before most of the crowd and spend a peaceful half-hour soaking up Michelangelo’s masterpiece along with stunning frescoes by other important Renaissance artists. Continue on to the Pinecone Courtyard for large buffet breakfast including hot and cold dishes, fruit juice, tea, and coffee. Once you’ve eaten your fill, head back into the museums for a tour of the most famous artifacts, including the Belvedere Torso, the Apollo Belvedere, the Laocoön Group, and the Raphael Rooms, widely considered to be among the most beautifully-frescoed interiors in the world. Visit the Gallery of the Candelabra with ancient Greek and Roman artworks. Learn about Raphael Sanzio at the Gallery of Tapestries, one of the most spectacular rooms of the museums.

This tour offers the opportunity to visit the Vatican Museums at your own pace with entry before regular opening time. Skip the ticket line and first discover highlights of the Vatican Galleries, with its collection of precious artworks. Your guide will then take you to see the spectacular Sistine Chapel, where you will be able to admire Michelangelo’s work free from the crowds you find during the regular opening hours. Then, get privileged access to the Cabinet of the Masks, which is usually a restricted area of the Vatican. Enjoy a unique experience with your professional and knowledgeable guide and discover one of the Vatican's most precious treasures.

Beat the rush and get exclusive VIP access through the museum doors before they open to the public with this early-access Vatican VIP Tour. A privilege extended by the Vatican Museums to only the most prestigious, longstanding, and reputable tour companies in the city, your group will be granted access before the other 35,000 daily guests to this, the largest and most mysterious museum in the world! You will have time to visit certain parts of the museum that you otherwise wouldn’t have had, including the Pope’s collection of vehicles in the Carriage Pavilion, the Greek Cross Hall, and the idyllic Pine Cone Courtyard garden.

Beat the crowds and enter the Sistine Chapel before it opens to the public. Enjoy the incredible frescoes in peace. After marveling at the beautiful Raphael Room, spend quality time with Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Chapel before your guide leads you on a tour of the Vatican Museums. Stop along the way to see all the most important works. Since you started early, stay one step ahead of the crowds in most galleries as you enjoy fantastic art like the Apollo Belvedere, Laocoon and Sons, and more. Next up is the Pinacoteca Gallery. Housing works by Caravaggio, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Raphel, the modern wing of the Vatican Museums contain a remarkable array of precious masterpieces. Led by your expert guide, visit this area without the crowds and spend time truly immersed in the atmosphere. End your Vatican tour at a special spot overlooking the dome of St Peter's Basilica. Learn about the history and architecture of this incredible church and get tips on what to look out for during an independent visit. From there the choice is yours. Grab lunch inside the Vatican Museums and continue your exploration of these incredible palaces, or follow the dome to St Peter's Basilica.

Choose this early entrance and get the best of your Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel visit. Your experience will be enhanced by highly educated, professional art historians. Be among the first visitors of the Vatican Museums and get the best of your early start. You will be accompanied on your tour by a knowledgeable guide who will lead you through the numerous rooms of the Vatican Museums and answer your questions. Then spend some time inside the Sistine Chapel, admiring the Last Judgement and Michelangelo's famous ceiling. Your guide will explain its significance and you will come to truly appreciate this masterpiece.  

Pre-book your entry tickets to St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums and enjoy skip-the-line entry privileges. Explore the wonders of St. Peter's Basilica alone at your own pace, then join a guided tour at the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel. Your morning begins with a skip-the-line tour of St. Peter's Basilica, including a trip in the dome elevator, from where you can climb further to take in the true majesty of the site from up close. Explore the naves, apse, and chapels of the Renaissance church on your own, and marvel at staggering art and architecture by Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Next, you'll skip the line at the Vatican Museums, providing you with more time to explore one of the world’s greatest art collections. A guide will accompany you through the museums, telling stories that bring the statues, frescoes, and maps to life. Boasting many galleries, it can be hard to know where to start, but your guide will take you on a carefully planned route perfected over the years. Discover the bigger picture of power and politics in Vatican City and how it interacts with art. Go to the rooms of former popes in the Raphael Rooms, and wander down the extraordinary Gallery of Maps to see how ancient cartographers mapped the world through history. End in the Sistine Chapel just before closing time. Gaze in awe at Michelangelo’s miraculous frescoes, including his depiction of the “Last Judgment” on the ceiling.

Visit the Sistine Chapel with a skip-the-line entrance. Learn about the secrets behind the artwork and buildings from your professional tour guide. With no unnecessary waiting around, skip the lines and save time on your vacation with fast-track tickets to ensure you get inside as soon as possible to the Vatican Museums, the second most visited in Europe after the Louvre in Paris. With over 4 miles and a whopping 20,000 works of art, the Vatican Museums make for an immersive experience.   The Sistine Chapel is equally impressive with a sanctuary boasting works by master painters such as Perugino, Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio, Rosselli, Botticelli, Signorelli, della Gatta and, of course, Michelangelo.

Enjoy a private tour of the Vatican. Thanks to a new partnership in 2022, you can now be among the first to enter into the Museums, with access reserved for only a handful of other tour operators. Take advantage of exclusive access and viewing of the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel 30 minutes before other tours and 1 hour before the general public. Explore the highlights of the papal palace, from the Greek statues of the Lacoon to the Tapestries and the exquisite Raphael Rooms. Tailor your visit to include the aspects of the collections you want to see, whether in the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, or St. Peter’s Basilica. Your personal guide will not only enlighten you with the Vatican’s fascinating history, but share bits of papal gossip and little-known stories about the popes and artists represented.