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St. Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro) Tours
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From $360.04
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Private Early Bird Vatican and St Peter's Basilica Tour: Hotel Pick-up Drop-off
Recommended for your Rome trip
Free Cancellation
up to 24 hours in advance
3 hours (Approx.)
Hotel pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English and 4 more
Keeping you safe during COVID-19
What you can expect during your visit
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
Temperature checks for travelers upon arrival
Overview
Visit the Vatican without the crowds on a private early-bird tour and enter the Vatican Museums before the complex opens to the general public. Enjoy an exclusive exploration of world-renowned art by Renaissance masters, visit the Sistine Chapel, and enter St. Peter’s Basilica directly from the museums, without waiting in the main line. Upgrade for a prime version with even earlier priority access, including the Raphael Rooms.
- See the Vatican Museums with a private guide before they open to the public
- Gain skip-the-line access to St. Peter’s Basilica
- Visit the Sistine Chapel and see works by Raphael, Da Vinci, and Michelangelo
- Upgrade for even earlier fast-track entry including admission to the Raphael Rooms
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As one of the most-visited museums in the world, the Vatican Museums are understandably crowded, so avoid the masses on a private morning tour before the general public arrives. After pickup at your hotel, explore the Vatican Museums with your private guide, who tells you about the history of the artwork and can customize the tour to your interests.
If you wish, upgrade from standard early-morning admission to a “prime tour” option and be treated like a VIP. Arrive earlier to enjoy priority entry without any lines or crowds, and gain access to the Raphael Rooms to admire Raphael's most famous frescoes.
With either tour option, hear about the legends and mysteries behind some of the pieces on display, and learn about the Renaissance masters who created the artwork. You can decide if you want to see the iconic Sistine Chapel first or last—either way, it’s the highlight of any visit with its famous frescoes by Michelangelo. Other treasures inside the museum complex include sculptures, carvings and paintings; your guide makes sure you see the most important masterpieces and interesting rooms and galleries.
Visit the Belvedere Courtyard, Gallery of Tapestries, and Gallery of Maps, and then gain fast-track entry into St. Peter’s Basilica to see more artwork, like Bernini’s baldacchino altar. Your tour ends here or back at your accommodation.
If you wish, upgrade from standard early-morning admission to a “prime tour” option and be treated like a VIP. Arrive earlier to enjoy priority entry without any lines or crowds, and gain access to the Raphael Rooms to admire Raphael's most famous frescoes.
With either tour option, hear about the legends and mysteries behind some of the pieces on display, and learn about the Renaissance masters who created the artwork. You can decide if you want to see the iconic Sistine Chapel first or last—either way, it’s the highlight of any visit with its famous frescoes by Michelangelo. Other treasures inside the museum complex include sculptures, carvings and paintings; your guide makes sure you see the most important masterpieces and interesting rooms and galleries.
Visit the Belvedere Courtyard, Gallery of Tapestries, and Gallery of Maps, and then gain fast-track entry into St. Peter’s Basilica to see more artwork, like Bernini’s baldacchino altar. Your tour ends here or back at your accommodation.
Itinerary
With our Prime Tour, we get you inside the Museums before the regular Early Morning crowds, bypassing those already waiting in line for the Vatican doors to open - You'll really feel like the Popes Special Guest as you stroll right past everyone who has a Standard Early Morning Vatican Tour.
Watch the Vatican Museum Galleries slowly come to life before their day starts.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
Enjoy the breathtaking Saint Peter's Basilica, shrine of Christianity and Art. You will marvel at the Priceless Pietà, by Michelangelo, and stop by the venerable tomb of Saint John Paul II & Pope Karol Wojtyla.
The Pietà (1498–1499) is a work of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City.
Duration: 45 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
The Pietà is a work of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. It is the first of a number of works of the same theme by the artist. The statue was commissioned for the French Cardinal Jean de Bilhères, who was a representative in Rome. The sculpture, in Carrara marble, was made for the cardinal's funeral monument, but was moved to its current location, the first chapel on the right as one enters the basilica, in the 18th century. It is the only piece Michelangelo ever signed.
The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere (pontiff from 1471 to 1484) who had the old Cappella Magna restored between 1477 and 1480. It is known throughout the world both for being the place where the conclave and other official ceremonies of the Pope are held (in the past also some papal coronations), and for being decorated with one of the most famous and celebrated works of art of artistic civilization the frescoes by Michelangelo.
Duration: 30 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
Traveler Photos
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Traveler Tips
- "Visitors should be advised to allow a few hours after the tour ends to see in more detail St. Peter's church." See review
- "Definitely worth the early bird timing as the Vatican can get packed as the day goes on." See review
- "It makes so much sense to get to The Vatican early even if it opens at 8am because the crowd build up is unbelievable, We were first in line at 715am." See review
Reviews
Questions?
Product code: 20163P17
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