(DISCLAIMER: THIS TOUR IS NOT OPERATING THIS SEASON)
When the sun is rising above Saint Peter’s Dome at the golden hour of early morning, this is probably the best time to visit the Vatican and enjoy its art-filled galleries at their least crowded.
Tour Highlights
Hidden Gems
- Ancient Sculptures including Laocoon
- The Tapestry Gallery
- The Hall of Maps
Tour Includes
- Early Entrance to the Vatican Museums
- Breakfast in the Pinecone Courtyard
- Expert, fluent English-speaking guide
- Skip the line access to Saint Peter’s Basilica
Important Notes
- For reservations made less than 72 hours in advance, your tour will end in the Vatican Museums as we cannot guarantee skip the line tickets into St Peter's Basilica
Create Your Custom Journey
Our dedicated team is here to help you design the perfect trip. We’re happy to assist every step of the way.
We’ve Got You Covered!
Can’t make your trip? Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, minus any ticket costs.
Itinerary
What To Expect On Your Tour
Enjoy breakfast in the stunning surroundings of the Pope’s courtyard
Waking up early can be tough, but sometimes a little effort is abundantly repaid: this is the case with our Breakfast at the Vatican Tour. With our special reservation, we start earlier than most early tours and we get this once in a lifetime chance to taste an inviting breakfast in the middle of one of the world’s most beautiful and famous sites: the Vatican Museums.
Comfortably sitting at a table reserved just for you and your small intimate group, you will enjoy a memorable breakfast, surrounded by the beauty of the Pinecone Courtyard.
Designed by architect Pirro Ligorio around 1562, the courtyard is decorated with ancient statues such as the gigantic marble head of emperor Augustus, original egyptian lions or an impressive bronze Pinecone, from the 2nd century AD, which gives the name to the courtyard.
Explore the Vatican's Amazing Collections
After your meal, you will be ready to start your journey through centuries of art in the collections of the Vatican Museums. Did you know that the Vatican Museums are the 5th largest Museum in the world? In nearly 5 kilometers of beautiful galleries, you will discover this unique collection put together by the popes in more than 500 years. In the Pio Clementino Museum, you will marvel at the beauty of famous statues such as the Apollo Belvedere and the Laocoon, with its tragic story, so vividly portrayed in precious white marble, with such realism that it seems almost alive.
Walk through the Gallery of the Geographical Maps to discover the history of Italy before unification, while admiring the magnificent maps of the regions, beautifully painted on the walls. In the Gallery of the Tapestries, you will learn about the incredible talent of the artists who realized the giant tapestries inspired from the life of Jesus 500 years ago, enriched with precious silver and gold threads.
Discover the Sistine Chapel and the world’s most famous ceiling
Made famous by Michelangelo’s unparalleled paintings, the Sistine Chapel is, for most visitors, the most longed for destination. For millions of people coming from all over the world, visiting this unique chapel is a dream come true: that’s why we believe that it is worthy to visit early in the morning, before the large groups come in.
Before you enter the chapel, your expert guide will describe for you the paintings you will see: you will learn about Michelangelo’s long life, his versatile talent and his complicated relationship with the art of painting, which he always considered “a dirty job”. You will be surprised by the intriguing story of how Michelangelo was hired against his will, without any experience in the field, for this ambitious project. Thanks to the in depth commentary of your guide, you will be spellbound by Michelangelo’s personal interpretation of the story of Noah, Adam and Eve and the Creation. You won’t be able to help but smile when you find out that, in his depiction of the Last Judgement, Michelangelo painted the damned souls in hell with the features of his enemies.
Thou art Peter: a journey through the world's most spectacular church
Thanks to our reservation, we get access to a special passage that allows us to skip the long lines and enter Saint Peter’s Basilica straight away after the Sistine Chapel. Enjoy your guided tour of the world’s most famous Basilica. With its 20.000 square meters of Art, golden mosaics and precious colourful marble, the Basilica is like a museum itself. During the tour, you will marvel in front of the Pietà, created by Michelangelo at the age of 21: this was the statue that revealed this young boy’s incredible talent to the world. As you explore the Basilica, you will admire the magnificent funeral monuments of the popes that made history and the huge bronze canopy, work of Bernini, the master of Italian baroque. You will also learn about the Apostle Peter, whose grave is believed to be under the main altar, right under the center of the gigantic dome.
Treat yourself to this once in a lifetime experience and join us to see the Vatican in all its glory!
Create Your Custom Journey
Our dedicated team is here to help you design the perfect trip. We’re happy to assist every step of the way.
What Our Guests Are Saying
Guests Reviews
A bit pricey but tatiana couldn’t have been better, informative, humorous and efficient. We learnt so many fascinating things and in spite of the crowds the time flew by
Guide was very helpful and had great history lessons about the various art and workings of the vatican.
Maria letitia was so knowledgeable, friendly & likeable. She really looked after us and called us “her family” which was lovely and made us feel safe. Thankyou maria!
Erica was great. She was very knowledgeable and spoke english very well. We appreciated her jokes too.
We loved this tour. It was a bit long for our little ones. But for adults i think it’s perfect. There is so much to see we could have spent days there. So this felt short in a way but 5 hours was great. Our littles did well but were very tired at the end, but that’s to be expected. Our tour leader and was so sweet and incredibly knowledgeable she made it a lot of fun for our littles too! Definitely recommend!
Other Tours You May Like
From Our Travel Guide
