Start your day at the Vatican with a lavish buffet breakfast in the Pinecone Courtyard! After entering the Vatican Museums before the general public, sit down for an outdoor breakfast, featuring treats like pancakes and pastries, and then take a small-group tour around the museum itself. See highlights such as Raphael’s Rooms and the Sistine Chapel, before heading inside St Peter’s Basilica though a reserved entranceway (to beat any crowds).

Numbers are limited to 12 people on this small-group Vatican tour, ensuring you’ll see the incredible artwork with personalized attention from your guide.

Highlights

• Early-morning Vatican Museums tour with breakfast in Bramante’s Pinecone Courtyard
• Enter the world-famous Vatican before the general public set foot inside
• Enjoy an Italian-American breakfast buffet at the heart of the Vatican Museum complex
• See top Vatican sites like Raphael’s Rooms, Gallery of Maps and the Gallery of Tapestries with a guide
• Visit the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement and then enter St Peter’s Basilica through a fast-track entranceway
• Small-group tour with a maximum of 20 people ensures a more personalized experience

What You Can Expect

Rise bright and early and head into the Vatican Museums before the general public set foot inside. Your expert guide will lead you through a section of the museum complex to Pinecone Courtyard, where a sumptuous buffet breakfast will be ready and waiting for you.

Sit down outside and dine on an Italian-American breakfast of pastries, meats, cheeses, eggs, and even pancakes – flipped in front of you by a pancake chef! Savor the food with a coffee or fresh orange juice and soak up the peaceful ambiance of the Vatican free from the crowds!

After enjoying your relaxing start to your day, your guide will lead you back inside the Vatican Museum complex for your tour. At this point, members of the public are still not allowed inside, so there will only be a few other pre-booked tour groups exploring the museum alongside your small group of 20 – giving you plenty of space to enjoy the artwork.

The Vatican Museum complex is staggeringly huge, so your guide will show off its best bits on your 2.5-hour tour. Explore the Gallery of Maps to see intricately detailed maps, and gaze at visual illusions aplenty in the Gallery of Tapestries. Marvel at Renaissance frescoes in the interconnecting chambers that comprise Raphael’s Rooms, and then get ready for the glory of the Sistine Chapel.

As the pope’s private place of worship, the Sistine Chapel echoes with a sacred ambiance, made even more special by the incredible artwork that adorns the walls and ceiling. Hear the history and theories of Michelangelo’s famous frescoes from outside, and then head inside to gaze at The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgement on your own.

Your Vatican tour finishes with a skip-the-line visit to St Peter’s Basilica – the home of the Catholic Church – where more artistic treats await. Head inside via a reserved entranceway, and admire Michelangelo’s La Pieta sculpture, as well as Bernini’s Baldachino canopy, while hearing their history. You can then stay inside St Peter’s Basilica if you wish, after your tour ends.

Details

Inclusions

• Professional guide
• Skip-the-line entrance to the Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica
• Buffet breakfast
• Small-group walking tour
• Headsets to hear the guide clearly

Exclusions

• Gratuities (optional)
• Hotel pickup and drop-off

Additional info

• Confirmation will be received within 48 hours, unless booked within 1 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
• A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
• Pre-booking this tour enables you to skip the long lines, which can take up to two hours, to enter the Vatican Museums. Please note, all visitors must pass through metal detectors at the security check point; expect to wait 20-30 minutes to clear security
• This tour involves a fair amount of walking, comfortable shoes are recommended
• On rare occasions, St Peter’s Basilica closes without notice. If this happens, you will spend a full 3 hours touring the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. We will list affected dates as they become available. When possible, your tour guide will notify you if St Peter’s Basilica is unexpectedly closed at the start of the tour. It is beyond our control, so no refunds or discounts will be issued
• If there is bad weather on the day of your tour, your breakfast will be served inside the restaurant, in the Pinecone Courtyard
• St Peter’s Basilica, the grottos and the dome: After the tour, you may visit these attractions on your own. Your tour will end at the front of St Peter’s Basilica, which is a very convenient location to leave for lunch, visit the Vatican bookstore, visit the Vatican post office, enter St Peter’s Basilica, continue to the grottos below St Peter’s or climb to the dome. Your tour guide will be happy to point you in the right direction!
• Tours departing Wednesday: There is a possibility that St Peter’s Basilica and St Peter’s Square will be unavailable due to the weekly Papal Audience during which access to St Peter’s Basilica is closed. As an alternative you will be offered an extended itinerary within the Vatican Museums, which still includes the Sistine Chapel and Raphael’s Rooms. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. If you would prefer that St Peter’s Basilica and Square are included, please DO NOT select Wednesday as your travel date
• Not wheelchair accessible
• Backpacks, tripods and big umbrellas must be left inside a cloakroom on entering Vatican Museum. To reduce any disruption for your group, we recommend that backpacks are not taken on this tour

Schedule

Departure point

Vatican City, near the Vatican Museums

Departure time

6:50am (meet strictly at 6:35am)

Duration

3 hours 45 minutes (approx.)

Return details

Concludes inside St Peter’s Basilica