Private Highlights Vatican Guided Tour

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Private
3 hrs
Vatican
Refundable booking

LivTours Private Highlights Vatican Guided Tour allows you to take the opportunity to thoroughly explore the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica*, at your own pace with your own private LivTours guide. Exploring the highlight of one of the world’s largest and most important art collections with a knowledgeable guide and priority access makes for an unforgettable experience.  The luxury of a private tour is that you have direct access to your guide, allowing you to ask questions and receive individual and exclusive attention. Your private guide will be happy to tailor your Vatican visit to suit your preferences.

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  • Enjoy priority entrance to the Vatican Museum on this exclusive private tour
  • Revel in the luxury of a customized tour with a private expert guide by your side
  • Explore the art collection, including Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the Sistine Chapel
  • Admire famous works of art by Michelangelo, Raphael & other Renaissance greats
  • Marvel at the 96 foot tall bronze canopy over the main altar in St Peter’s Basilica
  • Upgrade your tour to get access to a Vatican Secret Room exclusive to LivTours
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Exclusive private Tours and Experiences. Also offered in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Swedish and Russian

Our prices always include tickets and reservations fees (no waiting in lines!)

Our tour guides and staff are selected experts and speak perfect English

Easy to book and prepay your tours with our secure payment system

Eco-sustainable tourism, designed to respect and support local culture, art and traditions

Your LivTours Private Highlights Vatican Guided Tour starts by entering through the Vatican’s VIP entrance and skipping the often long lines and start your tour without any delay. This exclusive experience allows you to take in all of the Papal Palace highlights, including the vast collection of Greek & Roman statues, among them the stunning Laocoon and the inspiring Apollo Belvedere. With your private guide, you will learn the fascinating stories of the statues which occupy this charming courtyard.

Your private LivTours tour guide will weave together the fascinating history adding in the little-known stories about the Popes and the artists who walked these lavish hallways. Soak up the intriguing gossip that only a private tour guide can provide. After a thorough visit of the museums, your tour continues to the Sistine Chapel. This stunning room is home to one of the most important examples of Michelangelo’s artistic greatness. Take your time to admire the top to bottom details of this absolutely breathtaking room.

The last stop on your private Vatican tour is the stunning St. Peter’s Basilica*.  You will enjoy skipping another long line as your guide shares with you the masterpieces of the largest and most ornate church in the world. This magnificent tour promises to teach, entertain, and give you new insights into the wonderful art and history in Vatican City.

 

UPGRADE YOUR TOUR & UNLOCK A VATICAN SECRET ROOM
LivTours is a proud Vatican Museums Collaborator, which allows us access to hidden rooms of the Vatican which very few visitors get to see.

Guests of the Early Morning Vatican Tour can upgrade to add on a visit to the Bramante Staircase. The Bramante Staircase is one of the most iconic sites of the Vatican Museums, so get your cameras ready! Your private guide will lead you to this Renaissance staircase designed by Donato Bramante for Pope Julius II. Its double-helix formation gives it a stunning visual effect. This is an exclusive secret room, closed off to the general public

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  • Skip-the-line to the Vatican Museums
  • Pinecone Courtyard
  • Octagonal Courtyard
  • Muses Room
  • Round Room
  • Greek Cross Room
  • Gallery of Tapestries
  • Gallery of Candelabra
  • Gallery of Maps
  • Raphael Rooms*
  • Sistine Chapel
  • Borgia Apartments
  • Saint Peter's Basilica*
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  • *Access to the Raphael Rooms is contingent upon crowd conditions, timing constraints, and guard-regulated routes. Including them may not always be feasible. In these cases, your tour guide will exercise discretion to adjust the itinerary, ensuring a high-quality experience
  • *St. Peter’s Basilica is an active church and can be closed unexpectedly for liturgical ceremonies. If closed, your guide will provide a revised itinerary including more of the Vatican Museums. No compensation is granted in these circumstances.
  • *St. Peter’s Basilica is an active church and can be closed unexpectedly for liturgical ceremonies. If closed, the time inside the Vatican Museums will be extended. On Wednesday mornings the Holy Father is having his weekly audience in Saint Peter’s Square and due to security, Saint Peter’s Basilica is closed. If you book an early morning tour on a Wednesday, we can therefore not guarantee access to the Basilica.
  • 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 in some or all areas of this tour.
  • Please be aware that the Sistine Chapel is a Holy Place and talking during your visit inside is strictly forbidden, therefore your guide will give you an explanation of the Sistine Chapel beforehand during your tour, in order to give you a comprehensive explanation before entering the 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.
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LivTours’ group size of max 6 participants is and always has been based on sustainable travel, and we are proud to be at the forefront of change and innovation in the industry.  LivTours is committed to providing travelers with truly sustainable tours with the lowest possible environmental impact, all while supporting the local industries and people of each unique destination. To learn more about how you can actively support sustainable tourism  and how LivTours is contributing, click here.

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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.

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

Add VIP Visit to a Secret Room
In the Cabinet of the Masks, a Vatican secret room which is open only to partners of the Museum, see exclusive ancient Roman statues of Aphrodite & Nymph, inspired by Ancient Greek masterworks and a series of intricate mosaics lifted from Emperor Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli. In the Bramante Staircase, see the first spiral staircase ever made, tucked away in the most striking secret room of the Vatican, open only to partners of the Museums. Originally a side entrance to the Belvedere Palace, it was the main entry for artists and workers. In fact, Michelangelo used this winding ramp hundreds of times as he came and went from his work in the Sistine Chapel. In the Niccoline Chapel, witness the spectacular frescos of Fra Angelico, whose work in this private chapel once used by Pope Nicholas V is a true a masterpiece of 15th century painting and considered to be the highpoint of so-called "Christian Humanism." You may not book any other combination than the ones displayed here. If you would like to visit all the secret rooms, please see our Deluxe Private Vatican Tour with Secret Rooms. PLEASE NOTE: You must book your tour at one of the start times indicated below which corresponds to the add-on you are requesting. If the start time listed below is not available on our website, please choose the closest time available and request the specific time from below in the "notes" at checkout and we will modify your booking. Bramante staircase - 9:00 AM or 1:00 PM Niccoline Chapel - 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, or 3:00 PM Cabinet of the Masks - 1:00 PM Bramante Staircase & Niccoline Chapel - 12:00 PM or 2:00 PM
starting from 400 €
One Way Pick-Up Transfer Service
With the one way pick up service, your driver will pick you up directly from your accommodation and drive you to the meeting point where you will be greeted by your tour guide. Guarantee stress-free. One way only.
starting from 85 €
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  • Private Vatican tour in German

    We did a private Vatican tour with Patrizia and we enjoyed it very much. Patrizia is such a lovely person and we felt she was so knowledgeable about everything she told us and all the questions we had. She guided as well through the masses of tourist and always tried to find a good spot for us to enjoy the arts and architecture. Defo recommend Patrizia to any one but also especially to German speakers. She speaks it very well

    - Gerrit
  • Awesome tour!

    Ettore was so awesome!! Our whole group loved him. The Vatican was busy and he navigated us through it all in a way that felt totally manageable, enjoyable, and somehow despite how packed it was made it feel like we were not in a horde of people.

    - Nicole
  • Once in a lifetime experience

    We had the most wonderful experience this morning, thanks to LivItaly's Vatican highlights tour and our superb guide, Max. We got so much more out of the museum and the Sistine Chapel, never feeling bored, tired or overwhelmed, and we have lots of great memories and photos to bring home. We definitely recommend this company and this tour.

    - Giorgia
  • Great tour, great experience

    We did a private tour of the Vatican with Rich yesterday...it was absolutely incredible! He is so knowledgeable, I can’t even begin to tell you everything he told us! I wish the tour could have been 5 more hours! We loved every minute and will never forget this experience!

    - Jeannie M.
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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.

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