Private Vatican Experience with Sistine Chapel & Raphael's Rooms

Meeting point

Where

Plan to arrive at least 20 minutes in advance of selected departure time. Meet our representative on the steps at Via Tunisi, at the corner with Via Sebastiano Veniero. Many companies meet in this general location, look for the representative holding a sign with the EcoArt logo. · Open in Google Maps

Departure

08:30, daily except Sun; scheduled year-round (operator schedule, seats confirmed at checkout)

Return

This tour ends at the entrance of the Vatican Museums where, if you prefer, you are free to continue your visit on your own.

Pickup

No hotel pickup: everyone meets at the start point

Operator

EcoArt Travel; booking and payment are completed on Viator

1. 1
   Vatican Museums

   Together with a private guide, guests will discover the highlights of the extensive collection at the Vatican Museums. This private Vatican Tour also includes the fastest possible skip the line access. Explore the Pinecone Courtyard and Belvedere Courtyard, along with the Hall of the Muses, Round Room, and Gallery of the Candelabra. Admire intricate tapestries from some of Raphael's pupils in the Gallery of Tapestries, and historical maps by the Vatican cartographers in the Gallery of the Maps. Do you have a special request or particular interest? Please let me know so I can tailor your experience. We’ll go at your pace and linger as long as you like at the masterpieces. That’s the benefit of having a private guide just for you and your group!

   10 min · Admission included
2. 2
   Cortile della Pigna

   One of many open-air courtyards located in the Vatican Museums, this is one of the first you will visit. Named for the giant bronze pinecone sculpture that dominates the space.

   15 min · Admission included
3. Sphere within a Sphere

   Located in the Pinecone Courtyard, Arnaldo Pomodoro's "Sphere within a Sphere" is one of the museum's more famous pieces of modern art on display. Different iterations of this sculpture are on display throughout the world. Give it a spin!

   Pass by, no stop
4. 4
   Museo Pio Clementino

   They call them the "Vatican Museums" because they are comprised of many smaller museums, or "wings". The Pio Clementino Museum is the first you will come across on your private tour, and the most important - encompassing the largest number of highlights. Here you will find the Round Room with its giant bronze sculpture of Heracles. You will also find the Room of the Animals, with it's impressive collection of lifelike sculptures of everything for turtles and horses to lions and bears. In the Octagonal Courtyard you will encounter the Laocoön, the very first statue of this collection as well as the the Apollo Belvedere. In the Room of the Muses you will find the famous, twisting, Belvedere Torso. Admire the 3D painted ceilings of the Candelabra Gallery.

   45 min · Admission included
5. 5
   Galleria Delle Carte Geografiche

   Head with your guide to the Gallery of the Maps and get a perspective of the world how it was five centuries ago. These exquisitely detailed, hand-painted giant maps are a favorite of the Vatican Museums. See if you can find the Italian cities you have visited, or spot the nod to Christopher Columbus' journey to the Americas.

   20 min · Admission included
6. 6
   Stanze di Raffaello

   Famous painter Raffaello frescoed this series of rooms in the Vatican Museums. Discover them together with your private guide.

   15 min · Admission included
7. 7
   Sistine Chapel

   Your private visit of the Vatican Museums culminates at Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. No speaking is allowed in the Chapel, so you will enjoy free time on your own to take this masterpiece in.

   30 min · Admission included
8. Vatican Museums

   The tour concludes at the entrance of the Vatican Museums.

   Pass by, no stop
9. Vatican City

   Visit to Vatican Museums - Vatican City

   Pass by, no stop

About this tour, from the operator