Tours › Vatican
Vatican Museums, Raphael Rooms & Sistine Chapel Guided Tour
From €45 per person
- Duration
- 2.5 hours
- Group size
- Up to 20 people
- Entry
- Skip the line
- Guide
- GBITESDEFR
The Museums and the Chapel, with the Raphael Rooms on the way
This is the Vatican in a half day. You meet your guide at our office on Via Germanico and go in on a reserved slot, in a group of no more than twenty, and walk the route through the Pio-Clementine courtyards, the Gallery of Tapestries and the Gallery of Maps. The difference between this tour and the longer one is what happens after the galleries: here the time goes to the Raphael Rooms, the four rooms Julius II had painted as his private apartments while Michelangelo was at work on the ceiling next door.
The tour finishes in the Sistine Chapel, where there is no talking and no photography, which is why your guide explains the ceiling and the Last Judgment in the gallery before you go in. It ends at the Museums exit, around two and a half hours after you start, and your afternoon is your own. St Peter's Basilica is not included: if you want it, either book the longer tour, which reaches it through the internal passage, or walk round to the square afterwards, where the queue is usually shortest in the late afternoon.
At a glance
- Duration
- About 2.5 hours
- Group size
- Up to 20 people
- Languages
- English, Italian, Spanish, German, French
- Entry
- Skip the line at the Vatican Museums
- Meeting point
- Our office, Via Germanico 8 - be there 25 minutes before the start time
- Where it ends
- At the Museums exit, with the afternoon still yours
- Cancellation
- Free up to 24 hours before the start time
- Best for
- Visitors who want the Raphael Rooms and the Chapel without giving up the whole day
Highlights
- Skip the ticket line at the Vatican Museums with a licensed guide
- The Raphael Rooms, painted for Julius II while Michelangelo worked next door
- The Gallery of Maps, the Gallery of Tapestries and the Pio-Clementine sculptures
- Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, explained before you go in, where silence is required
- Two and a half hours, so the rest of the day is still yours
What’s included
- Guided tour with a licensed guide in the language you book
- Skip-the-line admission to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel
- The Raphael Rooms, part of the route every day
- Radio headsets for the whole visit
- WiFi, restrooms, refreshments and phone charging at our office before you set off
Not included
- St Peter's Basilica: this tour ends at the Museums exit
- The climb to the dome of St Peter's
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- Gratuities
Itinerary
Meeting pointOur office, Via Germanico 8
Start indoors, a few minutes from the Museums entrance. You are checked in, handed your radio headset and introduced to your guide, and there are restrooms, WiFi, refreshments and phone charging before you set off. Come 25 minutes before the start time: the Museums hold reserved slots to the minute, and a group that leaves late does not get let in late. Bring a valid ID or passport for everyone in the party.
1Vatican MuseumsCourtyards, sculpture and the papal collections
You go in on a reserved entry and start where the popes started collecting: the Pio-Clementine courtyards, with the Laocoon and the Apollo Belvedere, the sculptures that taught Renaissance artists what antiquity looked like. Your guide explains how a private papal collection became one of the largest museums on earth, and sets up the two names the rest of the morning belongs to, Raphael and Michelangelo, while you are still somewhere you can hear and be heard.
2Gallery of MapsForty frescoed views of sixteenth-century Italy
The long gallery with the gilded ceiling is the one everybody photographs, and it is worth knowing what it actually is: forty topographical maps of the Italian regions, painted in the 1580s from surveys by a Dominican mathematician, so accurate that you can still find towns on them. It is also the stretch where your guide finishes the explanation of what is waiting in the Chapel.
3Raphael RoomsThe pope's private apartments, painted 1508 to 1524
Julius II refused to live in the rooms his predecessor had used and handed four of them to a twenty-five-year-old from Urbino. The result includes the School of Athens, where Plato and Aristotle argue at the centre of a crowd of philosophers who wear the faces of Raphael's contemporaries, Michelangelo among them. Your guide shows you how to read it, and why these rooms and the ceiling a hundred metres away were painted at the same time, by two men who did not like each other.
4Sistine ChapelMichelangelo's ceiling and the Last Judgment
Inside the Chapel there is no commentary, no photography and silence is requested, which is why everything you need was said outside. You stand under the ceiling Michelangelo painted between 1508 and 1512 and in front of the Last Judgment he came back to paint twenty-five years later, and you look rather than listen. It is where the tour ends, and for most people it is the part of the day they remember.
Good to know
- Meet at our office, Via Germanico 8, 25 minutes before the start time
- Dress code is enforced in the Sistine Chapel: shoulders and knees covered, for everyone
- Bring a valid ID or passport for every participant
- Photography is not allowed in the Sistine Chapel, and silence is requested
- St Peter's Basilica is not included; you can visit it on your own afterwards, and the queue in the square is usually shortest late in the afternoon
- Weapons, sharp objects, glass bottles, aerosols, luggage and pets do not pass Vatican security
- There is a free cloakroom at the Museums for bags that are too large to carry
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time; after that the booking cannot be refunded
- Arrive late and the group will already be inside: the Museums hold reserved slots to the minute
- The route is not suitable for wheelchair users; pushchairs are fine
Who this tour is for
This tour is for
- Visitors who want the Raphael Rooms, which the longer tour reaches only on Wednesday mornings
- Anyone who has already seen St Peter's Basilica, or intends to visit it on their own
- Travellers with half a day: two and a half hours and the afternoon is free
- Anyone who wants the Vatican explained in Italian, Spanish, German or French rather than English
Look elsewhere if
- First-time visitors who want St Peter's Basilica included, which is the longer tour and uses the internal passage
- Visitors hoping to climb the dome, which is not included in any of our Vatican tours
- Wheelchair users: the route is not suitable, although pushchairs are fine
- Travellers who want to move at their own pace, who are better served by the skip-the-line ticket
Not sure which Vatican option to pick?
Frequently asked questions
Are the Raphael Rooms included?
Yes, every day. They are the reason to choose this tour over the longer one: on the tour that includes St Peter's Basilica, the Raphael Rooms are reached only on Wednesday mornings, when the Basilica is closed for the Papal Audience.
Is St Peter's Basilica included?
No. This tour ends at the Museums exit. You can walk round to the square and visit the Basilica on your own, which is free, but you will queue for security: the wait is usually shortest in the late afternoon. If you would rather skip that queue entirely, book the longer tour, which goes through to the Basilica by the internal passage.
What is the difference between this tour and the one with the Basilica?
Half an hour of length, the price, and what you see after the galleries. This one spends that time in the Raphael Rooms and finishes in the Sistine Chapel. The longer one goes from the Chapel straight into St Peter's Basilica through the internal passage, and does not normally cover the Raphael Rooms.
What is the dress code?
Shoulders and knees covered, for everyone, adults and children. It is enforced at the entrance to the Sistine Chapel, and a scarf over bare shoulders is accepted. People are turned away for this every day, and a refused entry is not refunded.
Can I take photographs in the Sistine Chapel?
No. Photography and filming are forbidden inside the Chapel, and the custodians enforce it. You can photograph freely in the rest of the Museums, including the Raphael Rooms and the Gallery of Maps.
How long does the tour last?
About two and a half hours, ending at the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican Museums hold seven kilometres of galleries, so no tour sees everything; this one follows the route to the Chapel, stops properly in the Raphael Rooms, and explains what is on the way.
Is the climb to the dome included?
No, and it is not part of any of our Vatican tours. The dome has its own ticket and its own queue, and the climb is 551 steps, or 320 if you take the lift to the terrace first.
Which languages is the tour available in?
English, Italian, Spanish, German and French. Your guide speaks the language you book, so choose it before paying: a booking cannot be moved to another language afterwards.
Do I need to book the Vatican Museums in advance?
In practice, yes. The Museums sell timed entry and the morning slots go days ahead in spring and summer. Arriving without a reservation usually means the long queue along the wall, and in high season it can mean not getting in at all that day.
Do children need a ticket?
Everyone in your party must be included in the booking, children and infants alike, because the Museums count heads against the reserved slot. Reduced and free rates apply by age, and the booking form shows which one applies to each person.
What can I not bring through Vatican security?
Weapons, sharp objects, glass bottles, aerosols, large umbrellas, luggage and pets. Large bags have to go in the cloakroom, which is free, but that is another few minutes, so travelling light is worth it.
What happens if I arrive late?
The group leaves at the start time and the Museums entry slot cannot be moved, so a late arrival means the tour is lost and the booking cannot be refunded. Be at our office 25 minutes before the start, and if you are running late call us straight away.
Can I cancel my booking?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before the start time and you are refunded in full. Inside the last 24 hours the booking is non-refundable, because the Museums slots have already been issued in your names.
Is the site accessible for wheelchair users?
We do not recommend this tour for wheelchair users: the route through the Museums is long, with stairs and narrow passages, and the group keeps a steady pace. Pushchairs are fine. Write to us and we will tell you honestly what is workable.