Vatican Half-Day Tour
Vatican Half-Day Tour
The Key Facts
Semi-Private Tour
Monday to Saturday at 1.30pm
Small Group Tour
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 1.30pm
Group Sizes:
Semi-Private Tour: 2-6 people
Small Group Tour: 4-12 people
Duration:
3.5 Hours
- Visit the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica with an expert guide.
- Come face to face with the masterpieces of Michelangelo, Raphael and more of the greatest artists of the Renaissance.
- See all the major attractions of the Vatican in a comprehensive tour.
- Skip-the-lines access to the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica.
- See additional galleries not included in most Vatican Museums tours, including the Raphael Rooms.
- Experience the wonder of standing in the Sistine Chapel beneath Michelangelo’s ceiling and facing his “Last Supper” fresco.
- Gaze in awe at the splendours of St Peter’s Basilica, the most important church in Catholicism.
- Be moved by Michelangelo’s “Pietà” in St Peter’s Basilica.
- Lose none of your valuable time with skip the line tickets to all sites visited
Semi-Private Tour
- Adult: €150
- Child (aged 5-17 on the day of the tour): €99
- Infant (aged 0-4 on the day of the tour): Free
Small Group Tour
- Adult: €120
- Child (aged 5-17 on the day of the tour): €95
- Infant (aged 0-4 on the day of the tour): Free
YOUR FULL TOUR
Description
Overview
Some tour companies in Rome offer cheap, large group tours with low-quality guides who pack too much information into a short space of time, leaving travellers feeling rushed and stressed. At Rome Group Tours, we do things differently. We believe that tours should be intimate, relaxing and informative, without breaking the bank.
When you join us for a tour of the Vatican City, you can rest assured that you’re getting the very best in local art and history knowledge. The last thing you want is to travel all the way to Rome, only to miss an important masterpiece!
Your guide will talk you through the masterpieces of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque art as well as the important sculptures of ancient Rome. Helping you to make sense of the sheer volume of paintings, mosaics, statues and artefacts in these expansive rooms, your tour guide will explain each item’s place in the rich tapestry of Vatican City history.
Not only are they beautiful to look at, each masterpiece has its own story to tell – your Vatican tour guide will tell you the story behind the paintings, the meanings behind them and why they are so renowned across the globe.
The Sistine Chapel is a vision of beauty and history. One of the many highlights of your Vatican tour will be its gorgeous architecture and mind-blowing decorations. Your tour guide will tell you all about the paintings of Michelangelo (yes, he spent 8 years of his life painting here!) and his predecessors, who covered every inch of these walls and ceilings.
You’ll hear about the history of the period, including the difficulties encountered between the patron, Pope Julius II, and Michelangelo. It is this attention to detail that makes Rome Group Tours stand out from the pack.
Vatican Museums
In the Vatican Museum, your guide will take you on a highlights tour of the most interesting artifacts, sculptures and artwork that have great stories and scandals behind them.
During the Vatican Museums portion of the tour, you’ll get to visit the picturesque Vatican garden, Cortile della Pigna. Your local guide will take you to the most interesting galleries within the museums – the Rotunda, Gallery of Tapestries and Gallery of Maps.
Each of these rooms contain ornate ceilings with the walls decorated with ancient statues, frescoes and tapestries. Your guide will point out a few tricks used by the artists,which will enhance your appreciation of their works of art, as well as their sense of humor.
Sistine Chapel
Of course, the greatest gem of the Vatican collection is not a painting on any wall, but an entire ceiling and wall completely frescoed by the greatest genius of the Renaissance period – Michelangelo Buonarotti.
From the Creation of Adam to the Last Judgement, Michelangelo dedicated some of his greatest years to the Sistine Chapel, working day and night – even sleeping in the chapel – to satisfy the popes of Rome.
He also expressed his frustration with his employers with jokes hidden in his work, which only he would understand – today these have been uncovered and understood and your guide will explain these to you so you too can share in Michelangelo’s private jokes.
Raphael Rooms
Next on your Vatican City tour are The Raphael Rooms. These four rooms were part of the Papal palace, painted by Michelangelo’s contemporary and greatest rival, Raphael Sanzio.
Art lovers cannot afford to miss this short detour from the museums to stand in front of entire walls frescoed by the hands of this Renaissance genius! You can almost feel the rivalry and competition seeping from the walls themselves. The School of Athens is a masterpiece not to be missed!
St Peter’s Basilica
Last, but certainly not least in your Vatican City tour is a visit to St Peter’s Basilica. No Vatican City tour would be complete without visiting the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world. Michelangelo’s great dome is something that you have to see in real life.
Pictures cannot do it justice or portray the sheer magnitude of it. Your local, expert tour guide will explain to you the fascinating history of its conception, location on the Vatican Hill, design, architecture and symbolism.
The Basilica features several chapels and contains numerous statues and mosaic works of importance. Your guide will point out the most important, and leave you with time to look around by yourself. The Pietà, one of Michelangelo’s most well-known religious sculptures, is among the highlights of this part of your visit.
There is something mesmerising about the intricate nature of the ancient buildings in Rome and none so much as St Peter’s Basilica, the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world. Standing beneath Michelangelo’s great dome, you cannot help but feel somewhat humbled by the expansive surroundings. Get up close and personal with this great wonder in our guided tour of the Vatican St Peter’s Basilica.
Built over St. Peter’s tomb, the Basilica took more than 120 years to complete and is one of the most important sites in Christianity. During your St Peter’s Basilica tour our local, expert tour guide will explain to you the fascinating history of its conception, location on the Vatican Hill, design, architecture and symbolism.
