Skip the Line: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica Half-Day Walking Tour

Rome, Italy

Get much more out of your visit to St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican by taking a guided walking tour. St Peter's and the Vatican Museums can be overwhelming, especially if this is your first visit, so allow your experienced guide to lead the way and share the history, architecture, and politics of the Vatican. As an added bonus, you'll skip the long ticket lines when you visit the Vatican Museums (entrance fees payable direct on the day of travel).

On your morning, afternoon or evening guided walking tour of Christian Rome's most inspirational sites, you'll explore the world's smallest country, its largest church and an impressive collection of fine art. A highlight of the tour is the famous Sistine Chapel and its collection of frescoes begun in 1508 by Michelangelo. You'll see the master's best known fresco, the Last Judgement, covering one entire wall of the chapel.

However, the Vatican is not all gold, pomp and stateliness - it has a history full of dark tales of deceit and even lust! A world of discovery awaits you as your expert guide brings the Vatican and its stories alive.

Note that entrance fees to the Vatican Museums are NOT included. A supplement of approx. 21 euros (adult) is payable in cash directly. Entrance will be free of charge on World Tourism Day (September 27). You'll pay 6 euros (payable directly) for the advance booking fee to skip the line and use the headsets on September 27.

USD $40.86

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Brian Earley E	April 2012
A very informative and well organised tour. Guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. we would recommend the tour

Review by: Deborah U	April 2012
Tour was excellent. Perfect combination of information and humor. Time went quickly but covered all pertinent areas without feeling rushed. Guide was wonderful

Review by: Lissette J	April 2012
Very efficient and saved a lot of time.

Review by: tasos	April 2012
ΑΝ ΕΞΑΙΡΕΣΕΙΣ ΟΤΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΣΕΛΙΔΑ ΔΕΝ ΔΙΕΥΚΡΙΝΕΖΕΤΑΙ ΟΤΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΤΙΜΗ ΔΕΝ ΠΕΡΙΛΑΜΒΑΝΕΤΑΙ Η ΕΙΣΟΔΟΣ ΣΤΟ ΒΑΤΙΚΑΝΟ (21 ΕΥΡΩ ΚΑΤ'ΑΤΟΜΟ) ΚΑΤΑ ΤΑ ΑΛΛΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΜΙΑ ΙΚΑΝΟΠΟΙΗΤΙΚΗ ΞΕΝΑΓΗΣΗ, ΤΟ ΚΛΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΤΑΞΙΔΙΟΥ, ΜΕ ΠΟΛΥ ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΗ ΞΕΝΑΓΟ ΠΟΥ ΜΙΛΟΥΣΕ ΒΑΤΑ ΑΓΓΛΙΚΑ ΚΑΙ ΗΤΑΝ ΠΟΛΥ ΠΡΟΘΥΜΗ ΝΑ ΛΥΣΕΙ ΑΠΟΡΙΕΣ.

Review by: Teilia C	April 2012
Not overly impressed with this tour - as much as i love history -this one was pretty boring, very rushed, and the vatican was way too busy...would have rathered do this in my own time......the only upside to this tour was skipping a few ofthe long lines!!!

Review by: Annette W	April 2012
Amazing guide. Very knowledgable and interesting. Would recommend

Review by: Diane	April 2012
Excellent tour with great tour guide! Couldn't ask for anything more.

Review by: fred	April 2012
The guide was acknowledge, friendly, and show us she enjoyed being there with us. Good tour!

Review by: Andrew R	April 2012
Trip was informative

Review by: Cheryl M	April 2012
Tour guide very sweet and informative, loved Sistene Chapel and St Peter's. Hike to meeting place near entrance of Vatican Museaums from St Peter's Square, allow for time to get there. Helpful to be able to skip the lines and have a personal escort.

Review by: Benedicte C	April 2012
Absolutely superb, and well organised and good company. The only detail which could be improved was the waiting time to drop off the big bags to the concierge. I definitely recommend!

Review by: Michael s	April 2012
On the whole enjoyed the tour - the guide spoke really good English and was knowledgable. The only issue was we had to pay an extra charge for admittance which wasn't clear at the time of booking. Wasn't happy with attitude of guy at the office. Another couple had the same issue

Review by: Samantha v	April 2012
We loved this tour, the Vatican is amazing! Our tour guide was great and very knowledgeable on all aspects of the tour, as well as easy to understand. I felt that the tour allowed for a perfect amount of time spent at each place. I only wish that we didn’t spend as much time outside at the museum reviewing the Sistine Chapel on the poster boards. I understand that there’s no way to speak to everything while in the Sistine Chapel, but maybe everyone could have their own pamphlet noting the highlights in each area of the tour. This would also make for a great keepsake.

Review by: Ping C	April 2012
Certainly if you don't know a lot of Roman history or you don't have the patience waiting in the long line to get in the Vatican, then you should take the tour. The guide we had was quite knowledgable. One issue I had was it was difficult to follow everything the guide pointed out because there were many people in the museum and Sistine Chapel, you were not always close to the guide. You missed quite bit on the information.

Review by: John H	April 2012
This was a well organised tour and our guide was wonderful. She included everyone and made us all feel very welcome. She had superb knowledge and put it across confidently with enthusiasm and charm, she was wonderful. Thank you very much for a wonderful afternoon.

Review by: Nina B	April 2012
Definitely recommends this walking tour for everyone traveling to Rome! It was very informative and a great experience. Thanks Priscilla!

Review by: Lisa	April 2012
excellent tour a shame that the guide's microphone didn't work half way through and she didn't have a back up plan!! definately worth booking just to miss the queues and getting to know the historical background

Review by: Lauren	April 2012
Wonderful guide (Scarlett) who was full of knowledge and a delight to spend a half day with. We learned a ton and skipping ahead of the lines was a HUGE plus. I highly recommend this excursion!

Review by: G.J.H. K	April 2012
Prima gids met stortvloed aan informatie, voldoende eigen "vrije tijd"._br/_ Enige nadeel was het beperkte taalaanbod.

Review by: About time	April 2012
So much to see and so little time!! Guide prioritised well, while not rushing us unduly. Lots of information given and negotiated the 'crush' well on our behalf. Far more pleasant than attempting on own, plus learnt a lot about what was being seen. Very worthwhile

Review by: Peter J H	April 2012
Excellent. Very knowledgeable guide with a sense of humour. Wonderful to skip the queue as it stretched a very long way at 9am. A real 'must do' for any visitor.

Review by: Aaron B	April 2012
Very knowledgeable guide, easy entry, would recommend

Review by: jchristine35	April 2012
Our tour guide for our Vatican tour was excellent! My two teenagers thoroughly enjoyed the tour as well. I would highly recommend this guided tour.

Review by: Yan Qing T	April 2012
This is a wonderful tour. Our guide spoke perfect English and was very knowledgeable about the history and the sites we were touring.

Review by: Graeme S	April 2012
Absolutely wonderful. The guide was first class and, of course, the sites were brilliant. I happily recommend this trip. The queue for each place was massive but, with Viator you bypass them and get straight in. Book it...now.

Review by: Jacqueline B	April 2012
Very pleased that we booked a guided tour as the queues were very long. Guide was very good and gave us the information we needed. Would maybe have liked to have had more time at certain places but overall was definitely worth doing.

Review by: tkorol	April 2012
Great tour, our tour guide was wonderful, and definitely worth it to skip the HUGE line up to get into the Vatican. Wish we would have spent more time in the museums looking at some art, we spent 20 mins at a map of photos of art in the Vatican instead of looking at the real thing. But all in all, very good tour.

Review by: Jim D	April 2012
The tour guide was very knowledgeable and informative, well worth the outlay, capturing the history. The only downfall was initially the meeting point address (retail outlet) was not labelled clearly.

Review by: myislandhome	April 2012
Easy directions to find office for the start of tour. Enjoyable tour and great to go in the back doors and miss the crowds.

Review by: Angela R	April 2012
We had Agnus as our tour guide and thought she did a superb job. We would definitely recommend the skip the line tour - not just because you skip the line, but we found the information provided about the history of the Vatican and St Peters very interesting, and it made our visit that much more memorable - far better than just walking through and looking on our own.

Review by: Nancy V	April 2012
Worth skipping the line and getting info as to what we were seeing, guide spent too much time on odd things of little interest.

Review by: ann	April 2012
Would have been crazy to go on one's own. Great guide!

Review by: Daryl K	April 2012
We enjoyed our stay at Blues BB, we picked it mainly because it was right near the train station and within walking distance to the tourist sights and metro. Nice friendly family owners, but breakfast was very minimal and we had to sit at a table in the corridor outside other guests rooms so had to be very quiet, and the bed and pillow were very hard but that seems to be what you get all around Europe. Rome is amazing but crowded, we prebooked a walking tour for half day to avoid the long queues, but be aware you still get charged 22 Euro, cash only, to get into the Vatican Museum.

Review by: Michael N	April 2012
Really impressive and able to take it all in at easy pace, great guide for our tour

Review by: brian m	April 2012
This was a really good tour . Initially I thought it was very expensive and some doubts regarding value for money . However , having spend over 3 hours in the company of Jeanette , it was very enjoyable and worth every penny . Happy to recommend this tour and in particular our tour guide jeanette .

Review by: Maria C	April 2012
Well worth a visit and skipping the queue is essential. A few people were caught out by the 20 euro payment for the museums, so make sure you read the small print on the documentation. (has to be paid in cash) Some feedback on the microphone receivers, however, overall well worth the cost.

Review by: Kalena P	April 2012
What a great tour! Not only was Jeanette very knowledgeable, she was also very entertaining! She made the tour interesting for all three of my children, especially my son! My 9 year old son learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed our tour! I would highly recommend her to families with younger children!

Review by: Keith M M	April 2012
Incredible tour the young lady from Florida was smart, knowledgeable, and funny and entertaining. Knows a lot and how to hold a crowds attention and she was very attentive.

Review by: Bea	April 2012
Knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides, but couldn't always hear in large group.

Review by: Maria del Pilar Velez	March 2012
Good tour.

Review by: David M	March 2012
Excellent tour guide, loved the tour. Wish we had more time in the museum or gone back. Never mind we will do that when we return

Review by: Michael T	March 2012
Excellent tour guide knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

Review by: Susan T	March 2012
Excellent value for money. Our guide led us through the different venues highlighting historic artifacts; explaining the history of the buildings, artwork, statues and other items of beauty. She was extremely knowledgeable and delivered a very articulate tour. The pace was perfect allowing everyone time to absorb the information and reflect on item(s) being reviewed. Without our guide we would have spent a great deal of wasted time trying to understand what the Sistine Chapel scenes depicted and would certainly have run out of time- possibly not getting to St Peter's Basilica which was outstanding. I would highly rate our guide and recommend that any visitor to Rome who wants to visit the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica within half a day, should definitely book a tour guide through Viator. Many thanks.

Review by: Fiona D	March 2012
Excellent!! Well worth the money. Tour guide (Priscilla) was first class!

Review by: Beth R	March 2012
It turned out to be a small group only 5 people, which was great. I felt that it was just long enough, our guide took time to answer questions and yet kept us on time.

Review by: Subhashis N	March 2012
The tour was a nice way to see the Vatican. The guide was informative and lively. Most of the vatican was covered. I would highly recomend you to take this tour if you want to save time standing in the long queue.

Review by: Subhashis N	March 2012
A nice way to see the Vatican. The guide was very informative and most of the vatican was shown. The entry fee to vatican was extra which was not given prior to booking so this is something that can be improved. Overall the tour was great and I highly recomend this tour.

Review by: luchen39	March 2012
Spent 40 min staring at a poster of sistine chapel listening to tour guide ramble on. Majority of folks in tour outwardly expressed frustration that guide spent too much time talking - she simply ignored the group request to get moving to see art, telling all of us that we were wrong to want to spent time seeing things without the appropriate introductions. I estimate that 70% of tour was standing listening to rambling, with the limited time we had we missed out on too much to make this tour worth while; better off waiting in line....

Review by: David A, Canada	July 2010
The tour was superb. It really is a great way to cover the highlights of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's all in one afternoon. It also gets you past the extreme line-ups. Our tour guide, Agnes, was really fabulous. She is that very rare combination of extremely knowledgeable and very entertaining. So five stars for the tour, six stars for Agnes.

Review by: Linda K, United States of America	July 2010
The Skip the Line tour delivered exactly what it promised -- a comprehensive half-day tour of the major sites at the Vatican and no waiting. The meeting point was easy to find, our tourguide was knowledgeable, funny, and passionate about the subject matter. I'd highly recommend it!