About this experience
This 3-hours tour of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel is guaranteed to keep your family entertained. You’ll benefit from pre-booked tickets, ensuring you won’t waste time in lengthy entrance queues. The tour is designed with families and children in mind, and you’ll learn more about the extraordinary collections held in the Vatican Museums, including Raphael's Rooms and the Gallery of Maps. You’ll enter Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel to admire his majestic work . This interactive tour will keep your children engaged throughout.
Your family will love participating in quizzes, answering trivia, and joining in scavenger hunts, and many more entertaining activities during the tour, keeping children fully engaged throughout. Your local guide for children and families will fully customize your tour and make it unique to you
At a glance
- Duration: 3 hr
- Private experience
Plan your experience
Set aside 3 hr for the experience itself, with additional time to reach your meeting or pickup point.
Before you go
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What is included
- Local guide
- Professional art historian guide
- Guaranteed to skip the long lines
Not included
- Private transportation
- Gratuities
Itinerary and highlights
You will meet your guide near the Vatican City before you skip the long entrance queues at the Vatican Museums and commence the tour. If necessary, you can deposit any luggage or belongings in the Vatican cloakroom.
For the duration of this tour, children will participate in games and win prizes while learning more about the Vatican artwork. You will see ancient Greek and Roman sculptures as well as the sarcophagi of Empress Helena and Constantina, the mother and daughter of Constantine the Great.
You will then head through the Gallery of the Candelabra, Gallery of the Tapestries, Sobieski Hall, and the stunning Raphael Rooms.
The tour will then enter the Sistine Chapel, the venue for papal elections and the most visited attraction in Italy! You will see Michelangelo's renowned fresco - 'The Last Judgment', and listen to stories from the Bible, including the creation of Adam.
It is then time for a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica where you will explore the numerous side chapels with their hidden crypts. You will see Michelangelo’s Pietà and your guide will explain why this is the only work that he signed. You will gain an appreciation of the mastery that went into the creation of Bernini’s altarpiece and learn how Michelangelo triumphed over his contemporaries for the honour to paint St. Peter’s magnificent dome.
There is still more to see though below ground level. You guide will lead you below ground to the papal crypt where, over the centuries, many of the Popes have been interred. This special place is a site of pilgrimage for many Catholics.
Your tour will end in Saint Peter's Square next to the taxi and bus station.
Meeting and pickup information
- At the stairs outside the Vatican museums, under the big white monumental door . Your guide will have a sign with your name.
Languages and tickets
- English — Guide
- Italian — Guide
- Mobile Only
Tour operator
- Sistine Chapel Tours
Meeting points and locations
Accessibility and practical details
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- READ CAREFULLY: Because of the growing popularity of the current pope Francis and his intense activity in organising mass events in the Vatican some areas might get closed last minute without previous notice. This has already happened this year and can happen again during you Vatican tour. In case of such events our tour guide will provide you with a valuable alternative focusing the tour inside the Vatican museums.
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
- PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Jubilee the Basilica might not be accessible as part of the tour. Unfortunately, we know that very last minute. In any case, you can go there after the tour, queuing.
Cancellation policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
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