Alone in the Sistine Chapel & Vatican Museums | Exclusive Private Tour

Journey through the Vatican Museums alone on this truly exclusive VIP tour. Before the doors open to the public, you will walk through the Vatican’s hallowed labyrinth of empty halls, deserted courtyards, and frescoed galleries.

Admire the most famous sacred art in the world in peace and total solitude. Marvel at the Apollo Belvedere, the iconic Raphael Rooms, and the majesty of the Sistine Chapel. Bask in the sheer magnificence of Michelangelo’s masterpieces.

About 25,000 people enter the Sistine Chapel every day. To stand inside it alone is a precious and uniquely rare opportunity. Lastly, enjoy a delicious breakfast in the Vatican Museum’s stately Pinecone courtyard.

Note: this tour has extremely limited availability. Specifically, we are offering this tour on the following days: July 10, 18, 23, and 30; September 3, 16, and 30; October 24 and 29; December 30. Please book early to ensure you are able to join us.

• Explore the Vatican Museums hours before the general public, alone
• Enjoy an expert tour of the Museum including the Apollo and Laocoön marbles
• Experience the magnificently vibrant Raphael Rooms in peace and solitude
• Stand inside the empty Sistine Chapel to bask under Michelangelo’s frescoes
• Indulge in a delicious VIP breakfast in the Pinecone Courtyard

As dawn breaks over the Eternal City, you will embark on an extraordinary journey. Welcomed by your private guide, you’ll cross the threshold of the Vatican Museums in the hushed moments before the world awakens. 

Over an hour before the doors open to the general public, you will enter the Apostolic Palaces for a private guided experience of one of the world’s most visited collections of sacred art. You’ll have the chance to stand alone in the Sistine Chapel, one of the greatest wonders of the world, normally filled with over a thousand visitors. 

This is a unique and unparalleled privilege, reserved solely for you and your traveling companion(s). In booking this tour, you have reserved the Vatican entirely for yourselves. 

You will experience the renowned splendor of the Vatican’s treasures like never before, weaving through its frescoed galleries, gilded halls, and majestic chambers, in total privacy and seclusion. This is not merely an exclusive VIP tour; it is an intimate encounter with history and art, with the two greatest artists of Renaissance Rome, Raphael and Michelangelo, their patron the Warrior Pope Julius II, and the most inspiring antiquities of the ancient world. 

The Vatican Museums, also known as the Apostolic Palaces, were historically the private domain of the popes, elected from the ranks of the Italian and European aristocracy. Their role was temporal, political, and spiritual. Until the Reformation, the pope outranked all the kings and queens of Europe as God’s representative on earth. The Vatican Museums were therefore designed to be both a sumptuous private residence and an exalted royal palace.

Step back in time as you wander through the tranquil Clementine Courtyard to see ancient treasures like the Apollo, the Laocoon, and the Belvedere Torso. See Emperor Nero’s colossal marble bathtub and the astonishing Diana of Ephesus statue in the Gallery of the Candelabra. Admire the exquisite Gallery of the Tapestries – hand-stitched by Flemish nuns according to Raphael school designs. Be dazzled by the resplendent gold-leaf Gallery of the Maps, accurate 16th-century frescoed maps of Italy.

Successive popes contributed to this vast art collection. But it was Pope Julius II, known as the Warrior Pope, who commissioned the two greatest artists of the age, Raphael and Michelangelo. Raphael was to paint the pope’s private apartments, and Michelangelo the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Thrown into direct competition with each other, they arguably produced their best and most famous work in the four years between 1508 and 1512. 

Normally overcrowded with jostling tour groups, you will be able to experience the pope’s private apartments as they were intended: alone. Admire the School of Athens as you learn of the life and legend of Raphael, the painter of sweetness and light, the charming and beloved maestro of color and perspective who died tragically young on his 37th birthday.

Next, you will enter an empty, silent Sistine Chapel: the greatest example of human creativity and endeavor accomplished by one man, anywhere in the world. Normally swarming with a thousand tourists, enjoy a sacred visit filled with epiphany, awe, and wonder, alone.  

Experience the magic, majesty, and magnificence of Michelangelo’s sweeping frescoes depicting the whole gamut of human experience and Christian belief, from the Creation of Man to the Last Judgment. It took a back-breaking four years to paint The Ceiling whilst in his thirties, and six years to paint The Last Judgment in his sixties: a decade of hard work resulting in a vast, rich, and complex masterpiece.    

Afterward, your guide will escort you out of the Sistine Chapel, along more  frescoed halls, to the elegant, open-air Pinecone Courtyard. Here, you will have a table reservation to enjoy a delicious breakfast buffet and some well earned espresso!

• Extra early VIP access to the Vatican Museums
• Private tour with an expert guide
• First look at the Sistine Chapel & Raphael Rooms
• Pio Clementine Courtyard
• Galleries of the Candelabra, Tapestries & Maps
• Pinecone Courtyard for VIP breakfast

• Places of worship have strict dress code requirements for entry. All participants are required to have shoulders and knees covered (no tank tops or short dresses) to enter
• There is no photography allowed inside the Sistine Chapel.
  
• Backpacks are not permitted in the Museum.
• Offered in: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. Please specify under “Additional notes” if you wish to book the tour in a language other than English.
•  Everyone in your group, regardless of age, needs a government issued ID to enter the Vatican Museums.
• Guests with mobility concerns should contact us at booking@livtours.com as soon as possible, as the itinerary may need to be adjusted to accommodate specific needs.

When you book a LivTours Private Tour or Experience, you are guaranteed a dedicated, expert guide that allows you the flexibility to start your tour at a time which is convenient for you, making planning easy. Our private tours ensure that you will get a tailored experience to meet all your needs so we go at your pace, perfect for families with younger children, elderly, or individuals with accessibility needs. Please be advised that all private tours begin at a base price starting at two people*. Prices are inclusive of entry tickets where applicable. *Some Ferrari private experiences are inclusive of one person only.

Make your experience even more unique by upgrading your LivTours experience. Please note: add-ons are non refundable.

By selecting Choose Dates Later / Buy as Gift at booking, any tour can be purchased without fixed dates. This is the perfect option if you want to purchase your tour as a gift for a loved one, or if you are in the pre-planning phase of your vacation. After booking, you will receive a Travel Voucher Code and full instructions on how to schedule your tours when ready. Once your travel plans are confirmed, you can easily use the Travel Voucher Code on the LivTours website to formally schedule your tours. You can find out more here.