Vatican Guided Tour: Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter’s Basilica

On this Vatican guided tour, a licensed guide takes you through the Vatican Museums, into the Sistine Chapel and on to St. Peter’s Basilica, with skip-the-line entry to all three. Everyone gets an official Vatican headset, so you can hear the guide in busy rooms, and an illustrated factsheet about the Sistine Chapel.

Before your visit, read our guide to what you see on a Vatican Museums tour for opening hours, dress code and tips.

Vatican tour itinerary

Vatican Museums

You start in the Vatican Museums, where the popes’ collections include the Laocoön and the Apollo Belvedere. The route continues through the Gallery of Maps, whose painted walls show the regions of Italy as 16th-century mapmakers drew them.

Sistine Chapel

Your guide explains Michelangelo’s ceiling, with the Creation of Adam, and the Last Judgment on the altar wall. Guides may not speak inside the chapel, so the explanation happens before you go in and you can look in silence.

St. Peter’s Basilica

The tour ends in St. Peter’s Basilica, with Bernini’s bronze canopy over the papal altar and Michelangelo’s Pietà. Afterwards you can stay in the basilica or walk out onto St. Peter’s Square and its colonnade.

Questions before you book

How long is the Vatican guided tour?

About 2 hours.

Is a guided tour worth it?

The Vatican Museums are very large and have few labels. A guide follows the main route, explains what you are looking at and gets you into the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s without separate tickets. If you prefer to explore alone, our Vatican Museums skip-the-line tickets cost less.

How many people are in a group?

Up to 40. Everyone has a headset, so you can follow the guide from anywhere in the group.

What should I wear?

Shoulders and knees must be covered in the Sistine Chapel and in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Is hotel pickup included?

No. You meet us at the meeting point shown on this page, where free water, toilets, Wi-Fi and phone charging are available.