Vatican Gardens, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Guided Tour

238 Reviews
from €61.00 EUR
Duration: 3.5 – 8 Hours
 Organized by: Litiberi SRLS
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Avoid the lines to the Vatican and delight in a 5-hour tour of the Museums, Sistine Chapel, Gardens, and St. Peter’s Basilica.

Begin your tour near the Vatican Museums, where you’ll enjoy fast-track entry to one of Europe’s most renowned art collections. Explore the Gallery of the Candelabra, Gallery of Maps, and Gallery of Tapestries, each offering its own unique and mesmerizing artistic delights.

Explore the Pio Clementino Museum and Papal Apartments

Admire the impressive collection of classical sculptures at the Pio Clementino Museum, and wander through the halls of the ornate and elaborate Papal Apartments, including the Raphael Rooms and Borgia Apartments. These opulent spaces showcase the grandeur of the Vatican and provide a glimpse into the lives of its most influential figures.

Marvel at Michelangelo’s Masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel

Step into the world of Michelangelo as you uncover the secrets of the Sistine Chapel. Marvel at the famous frescoes adorning the chapel’s ceiling and walls , including the iconic Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment. Immerse yourself in the breathtaking beauty of these masterpieces and gain a deeper appreciation for the genius of Michelangelo.

Delve into the Serenity of the Vatican Gardens

After exploring the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, continue your journey to the Vatican Gardens. With an audio guide in hand, you’ll uncover the secrets of this enchanting oasis within Vatican City. Learn about the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Apostolic Palace, and the Governor’s Palace as you stroll through the lush, meticulously maintained grounds.

Vatican Gardens, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Guided Tour

Vatican Gardens, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Guided Tour

Admire St. Peter’s Basilica from a unique vantage point and become enveloped in the tranquility of this hidden gem. The Vatican Gardens offer a peaceful retreat from the bustling city and showcase captivating garden architecture, blending elements of the Baroque and Renaissance eras.

Highlights
  • Skip the long lines to the monuments and sites of the Vatican City,
  • Discover the top highlights of Vatican City,
  • Admire the Sistine Chapel and appreciate Michelangelo’s renowned ceiling,
  • Go inside St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the world’s greatest and most important churches,
  • See masterpieces by Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Caravaggio and more in the Vatican Museums.
What's Included
  • Guided tour of the Vatican City,
  • Reserved entrance to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel,
  • Guided Tour of the Vatican Gardens,
  • Audio guide gadgets to much better hear your guide.
What's not Included
  • Hotel pick-up and drop off.
Cancellation Policy

Free cancellation up to 1 day before tour starts.

Useful Info

On returning to Rome after their exile in Avignon, the popes abandoned their Lateran Palace and took up residence near St Peter’s.

Work began in the fifteenth century, under the pontificate of Nicholas V (1447-1455); it was continued by Sixtus IV (1471-1484), who gave his name to the Sistine Chapel, and especially by Julius II during the Renaissance.

It is to this great papal builder that we owe the two most resplendent treasures of the Vatican: the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, and the decoration of the Stanze and Loggia, by Raphael. The pontiffs ceaselessly improved their palaces right up to the end of the nineteenth century; taking their cue from Julius II, they acquired a huge quantity of objets d’art for the Vatican, in what has become a unique collection. Vatican City, the world’s smallest state (roughly 44 hectares or 109 acres) is now home to some ten museums or galleries covering every aspect of human knowledge and achievement.

There are paintings by the Italian Primitives and the best Renaissance artists, but also masterpieces of ancient sculpture, Egyptian and Etruscan art, gold and silver work, tapestry, and Greek pottery, together with ancient maps, and even collections of carriages and candelabra. But all the rest of the Vatican’s inexhaustible wealth is eclipsed by two undisputed masterpieces: the Stanze of Raphael and, even more famous, the Sistine Chapel. On the walls along both sides, the most talented Renaissance artists – Botticelli, Perugino, Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio, and Luca Signorelli – prepared the way for Michelangelo, whose immortal fresco of the Last Judgement put the finishing touches to the chapel twenty years after he had painted the vault. After such a parade of magnificence, a visit to the Vatican gardens comes as something of a relief.

There is more to these gardens, though, than a respite from the crowds. They are quite simply full of poetry and very moving: it is a little-known fact of history that the Vatican gardens were constructed on the site of Nero’s and Caligula’s circus, where countless Christians were massacred.

Strolling amongst the flowerbeds and the clipped shrubbery, the visitor will chance upon a cemetery whose soil was brought back from Jerusalem, and a chapel where Charlemagne stood watch the night before his coronation. But all this is nothing compared to the view of St Peter’s dome; it leaps up at every instant and from every angle, round the corner from every grotto or fountain.

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