VIP Private Vatican Key Master Experience | Opening the Sistine Chapel

Open the doors to the Vatican alongside the keeper of the keys on this exclusive VIP Key Master private tour. This once in a lifetime experience will allow you to accompany the key master as he unlocks the doors of the Vatican’s halls, galleries, and the Sistine Chapel itself—all completely alone.

Hours 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.

• Walk with the Vatican’s Key Master and flip on the lights to the Vatican’s galleries
• Open the doors to the Vatican Museums and explore alone before the general public
• Turn the key to the ancient wooden door of the Sistine Chapel and witness the church
• Experience the magnificently vibrant Raphael Rooms in peace and solitude
• 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 an official Vatican guide and accompanied by the Vatican’s official Keeper of the Keys you will open the doors of the Vatican Museums and truly be the first to enter one of the world’s most visited collections of sacred art. 

You’ll have the chance to literally open the doors to the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican galleries—turning the key yourself—and stand completely alone amongst Michelangelo’s masterpiece—one of the greatest wonders of the world, normally filled with thousands of 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. 

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. Pass through 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, a collection of 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 and Rafael’s School of Athens fresco as they were intended: alone.

Next, you will turn the key to the ancient wooden door of the Sistine chapel to enter an empty, silent oasis: 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.    

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!

• Accompaniment by the Vatican's Key Master
• Unlocking the Sistine Chapel
• First access to the Vatican Museums
• Private Tour with an official Vatican guide
• First look at the Sistine Chapel & Raphael Rooms
• Pio Clementine Courtyard
• Galleries of the Candelabra, Tapestries & Maps
• Pinecone Courtyard for VIP breakfast

• Due to the exceptional circumstances of this tour your group size will have a max of 10 people

• 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.

•  Everyone in your group, regardless of age, needs a government issued ID to enter the Vatican Museums.

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.