Get more from your visit with a great guide and good timing

Give the Papal Palaces the attention they deserve on our Highlights of the Vatican Museums Tour. This is the shortest of all of our Vatican tours, focusing less on the details and more on the bigger picture: art, power and politics in the Vatican City.

Our expert guides will bring the Vatican’s dramatic past to life. From the Raphael Rooms, to the statue galleries and the unmissable Sistine Chapel, you'll see the best the Museums have to offer whilst hearing the stories and context behind the art. Although we can't avoid the crowds altogether, we have timed our Vatican Museums tour to coincide with one of the last entry times, so you’ll get to experience the Vatican at its least congested. This is particularly helpful during the summer months, when tens of thousands of travelers visit every day.

Skip-the-line access to the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica

In order to make the most of every moment, we give you privileged entrance at the Vatican Museums. This allows you to skip the notoriously long general access line, which, during high season, often stretches for hours. We’ve also carefully chosen the finishing point of the tour so you can either spend more time inside the Sistine Chapel or follow your guide through the no-line passageway and directly into St. Peter's Basilica. This shortcut not only saves you a 20-minute walk out of the Museums to the Basilica, but potentially hours of waiting in line.

After a short introduction from our guide, you can visit the Basilica on your own to explore Michelangelo's 'Pietà' among other stunning works of art and architecture.

Small groups of 20 or fewer keep it casual and engaging

This tour will never have more than 20 people on it, making it smaller and more intimate than many other tours on the market, giving you fantastic access to your expert guide. All of our guides are knowledgeable, passionate storytellers who are specially trained to give you a real sense of the drama and power that has played out in these very halls.

This small group Vatican Museum Tour ensures that you get the best from your Vatican visit, seeing beyond world-famous masterpieces to appreciate the bigger picture.