9 hours (Approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English and 2 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
Face masks provided for travelers
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Temperature checks for travelers upon arrival
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
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(888) 651-9785
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Overview
Spend a morning or an afternoon at the Vatican with this 2-hour skip-the-line tour of the Vatican Museums (including the Sistine Chapel) and St. Peter's Basilica. Get an up close and personal look at Michelangelo's masterpiece, his murals in the Sistine Chapel that changed the history of painting forever. See Raphael's cherubs. Gawk at the Gallery of Maps. Explore St. Peter's Basilica. And if you want more, upgrade to a full-day tour and visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Catacombs and more. Lunch can also be included.
- Vatican and Sistine Chapel tour with transport from Rome to Vatican City
- Skip the lines at the Vatican Museums with a fast-track entrance ticket
- See top Vatican attractions: Gallery of the Tapestries and Gallery of Maps
- Visit the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica and admire Michelangelo masterpieces like La Pieta
- Upgrade to a full-day tour with an optional lunch, and see the sites of Christian Rome in the afternoon
- Visit Basilica of San Giovanni, the Roman catacombs and Baths of Caracalla (full-day tour only)
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
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Choose between a morning or afternoon tour, climb aboard an air-conditioned coach near Rome's Termini station. Travel through the streets of the Eternal City, take in the views and hear fascinating commentary from your local guide. Pass through the Piazza del Popolo, cross the Tiber River, and spot the imposing Castel Sant' Angelo.
Alight from your coach and skip the line at the Vatican Museums, home to some of the world's most renowned and recognizable artworks. Follow your guide down Guiseppe Momo's bronze spiral staircase to learn about the Flemish tapestries that grace the walls and about how they were based on paintings by students of Raphael, the Renaissance-era painter whose wall frescos of angels and cherubs are also in the museum. Then, head to the Sistine Chapel and admire Michelangelo's famed fresco.
Next, follow on to St. Peter's Basilica to see another Michelangelo masterpiece: his amazing sculpture of La Pieta and discover the history of the church from your guide and hear little-known stories about the building and its construction.
Alternatively, upgrade to a full-day tour which combines the morning with a walking tour of Christian Rome in the afternoon.
Meet the guide and get ready for an engaging tour of Rome, seeing the most legendary Christian landmarks in this city. Stroll around Esquiline Hill, one of the city's famed seven hills, and home to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a massive church. Then head over to San Giovanni in Laterano, or St. John Lateran, a basilica that is the official church of the pope. Next door take a moment to see the Holy Steps, supposedly the staircase that was part of Pontius Pilate's palace in Jerusalem, which Christ would have walked on for his trial. Today pilgrims ascend the 28 steps on their knees, saying a prayer for each step.
At the top of the steps in the Sancta Sanctorum, or Holy of Holies, a room that was once a depository for some of the holiest relics in Christendom. Objects included the heads of Sts. Peter and Paul, a chunk of wood from the table where the Last Supper was eaten, and the Holy Foreskin, the prepuce of Jesus, which was stolen in 1527 by a marauding German soldier in the Sack of Rome. (It ended up in the medieval hill town of Calcata, just north of the city.)
Later head to the Appian Way, an ancient Roman road to visit some important early Christian churches, including the Chapel of Domine Quo Vadis, which boasts a cemented imprint of the ghost of Christ. Also visit some of the catacombs, burial grounds of the early Christian community. After exploring underground, visit the old spa ruins at the Baths of Caracalla, and then finish your tour with a hotel drop-off or a drop-off in town.
Alight from your coach and skip the line at the Vatican Museums, home to some of the world's most renowned and recognizable artworks. Follow your guide down Guiseppe Momo's bronze spiral staircase to learn about the Flemish tapestries that grace the walls and about how they were based on paintings by students of Raphael, the Renaissance-era painter whose wall frescos of angels and cherubs are also in the museum. Then, head to the Sistine Chapel and admire Michelangelo's famed fresco.
Next, follow on to St. Peter's Basilica to see another Michelangelo masterpiece: his amazing sculpture of La Pieta and discover the history of the church from your guide and hear little-known stories about the building and its construction.
Alternatively, upgrade to a full-day tour which combines the morning with a walking tour of Christian Rome in the afternoon.
Meet the guide and get ready for an engaging tour of Rome, seeing the most legendary Christian landmarks in this city. Stroll around Esquiline Hill, one of the city's famed seven hills, and home to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a massive church. Then head over to San Giovanni in Laterano, or St. John Lateran, a basilica that is the official church of the pope. Next door take a moment to see the Holy Steps, supposedly the staircase that was part of Pontius Pilate's palace in Jerusalem, which Christ would have walked on for his trial. Today pilgrims ascend the 28 steps on their knees, saying a prayer for each step.
At the top of the steps in the Sancta Sanctorum, or Holy of Holies, a room that was once a depository for some of the holiest relics in Christendom. Objects included the heads of Sts. Peter and Paul, a chunk of wood from the table where the Last Supper was eaten, and the Holy Foreskin, the prepuce of Jesus, which was stolen in 1527 by a marauding German soldier in the Sack of Rome. (It ended up in the medieval hill town of Calcata, just north of the city.)
Later head to the Appian Way, an ancient Roman road to visit some important early Christian churches, including the Chapel of Domine Quo Vadis, which boasts a cemented imprint of the ghost of Christ. Also visit some of the catacombs, burial grounds of the early Christian community. After exploring underground, visit the old spa ruins at the Baths of Caracalla, and then finish your tour with a hotel drop-off or a drop-off in town.
Itinerary
This Basilica Of Saint John In Lateran , is the first of the four major papal Basilicas and the oldest and most important basilica in the West, located in the Celio hill, the Basilica is the material representation of the Holy See, which has the residence here.
Duration: 20 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
The Patriarchal Basilica of St. Mary Major reigns as an authentic jewel in the crown of Roman Churches. Its beautiful treasures are of inestimable value, situated on the summit of the Esquiline Hill.
the Virgin Mary herself inspired the choice of the site for the construction of the church, in her honor, appering in a dream to both the Patrician John and Pope Liberius.
Duration: 25 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
Traveler Photos
Traveler Tips
- "The Vatican was crowded due to the holiday May 1st weekend, not the tour's fault, but try to go during the week when it is less crowded if you can." See review
- "This is the busiest time one can attempt this tour." See review
Reviews
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Product code: 2390GRET3
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