Early Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Small Group Tour

We booked with Through Eternity Tours as recommended by Rick Steves travel guide. It was more expensive than other options but SO WORTH IT! Small group experience- 4 of us total. Our guide Veronica was outstanding!! She helped navigate right where to enter and go. Some areas were closed due to events but she pivoted and walked us through other areas of the museum. I would 100% recommend this tour and Veronica! We learned so much that I couldn’t have known otherwise! She even stopped at some iconic photos stops and helped us take pictures! So wonderful! Thank you Eternity Tours and Veronica!

Ursus, our guide, gave us excellent experience. A wonderful tour guide, knowledgeable ans a lovely demeanour - very enjoyable to listen to. We learnt a lot and would most definitely recommend this tour. Grazie

our tour guide, Irene, was incredible. Not only did she weave us in and out of a crazy, ridiculously crowded Vatican, she had so many interesting stories to tell. If she hadn’t been an amazing and informative guide, I would have hated every minute of the tour.

Excellent guide named Guía Grandi. So knowledgeable and very pleasant. She answered questions with so much clarity. We highly recommend this guide!

Our guide was wonderful, extremely knowledgeable and got us through safely with all the best parts explained! Would highly recommend

Brandon was an amazing guide for the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. He clearly knows and loves the topic. We got so much more information than we expected and he made it clear and relevant. Would highly recommend this as your way into the Vatican.

Let me start off by saying Daniela was a wonderful guide. Although I cannot say I had a bad day at all, we did not even enter the Vatican until closer to 0830, as part of a crawling line. We did not reach La Cappella Sistina until 1000, which was bursting with people and was quite loud - in absolutely no way did such a remarkable space feel holy. We did not stop in the contemporary art galleries at all, which was a shame, and we blasted through the Raphael rooms in no time at all. There was very little time to savor the art to be very honest. No fault of Daniela's, who did a great job summarizing a lot. I just think I needed to approach the Vatican differently (next time!). The Gallery of Maps was a real highlight. Obviously a treat to even be inside this space, it just did not meet expectations regarding it being an "early" tour - and perhaps not worth the €150.

From the time we arrived until we said our goodbyes to our tour guide this tour was exceptional. Our guide was incredibly informative and he took special time to explain everything. He was fun and just made the whole experience so special. We were very blessed to have him as our guide.

It was my birthday, 100 degrees and another family’s absence became our gain when our tour went from semi-private to private! And our guide, Massimo, made our experience spectacular at every turn possible! He was a peer so it felt familiar and enjoyable; his knowledge was incredible and expressed perfectly since we were with teens. His insights to such a special place made me tune in to every word he spoke. In addition to facts and details, he had great stories and anecdotes, and shared with me a similar superstitious vibe or something one just feels that can only come from having an Italian mother as I do too. Thank you, Massimo, for turning an already awe-inspiring moment into an unforgettable epic day for my family, and for me. Bacis from California!!

Our guide for this tour (22 June) was knowledgeable, friendly and could deliver in an understandable manner without overwhelming us with facts. She moved us through a crowded museum effortlessly and paid attention to the needs of our small group. In addition, I explained that my wife had suffered a fall in Rome and was not mobile. Her suggestion to contact a local wheelchair supplier worked out brilliantly. Couldn't be happier.

Extremely informative tour, awesome pacing and super funny and knowledgeable guide who was a local and really made the early morning insanity feel tolerable :) so glad we did this tour !

Our guide was an amazing wealth of knowledge and led us to all the most important stops. I really loved the time spent with a picture of the Sistine Chapel going over it before actually seeing the real thing - it made the time much more valuable!

So much to see at the Vatican! Unfortunately, with a guided tour you don't have the time to stop and see things and you cannot go back into the museums after the tour ends. We certainly saw the highlights though. Our guide was very enthusiastic but she could be very hard to understand and seemed to have a limited vocabulary in English.

We had Tatiania and she was extremely knowledgeable! It was a very comprehensive tour and ultimately very satisfying.

The tour was an excellent experience. Ursa, our tour guide, was knowledgeable and very personable. It was obvious he is an expert with all things Vatican. The early morning tour beat the crowds and we had plenty of opportunity to enjoy the Sistine Chapel and the Museums. Entrance to the Basilica was a simple walk with no need to go through security. I would highly recommend this tour.

Amazing tour. Guide was helpful, efficient and informative. He welcomed questions and was quite good at explanations.

If you’re like me and tend to overthink everything, here is your sign to stop, breathe, book THIS tour, and move on to the next thing. Great Vatican Museum tour- well priced, ran seamlessly, and our group was only 10 people!! Felt very personalized and private and not like a herd of cattle. Communication from the company was excellent, meeting point was easy to find, everything was prepared and well organized. Also, Francesca was THE BEST tour guide!! Highly, highly recommend her! She was clearly very knowledgeable and passionate about art, history, etc. and I loved the passion and energy she brought into the tour. She shared so many interesting stories and pointed out features of the art in a way that was engaging and mixed in some humor- the time passed very quickly. She was also super friendly and personable and made an effort to learn names and connect with everyone. She utilized ear pieces connected to a lapel mic she wore, so she could talk at a normal volume and walk naturally through the museums and interact with us all and we could still hear her. It worked great. I also appreciated how she shared her faith since that is so clearly connected to everything at the Vatican. As I was contemplating if/who to book a tour with, I was worried about a “canned”, sterile feeling tour. That was 100% not the case. Francesca made everything come alive. I was so impressed! A++

We booked to Viator and got a private family group tour with local provider Through Eternity. Our tour guide Roberta was outstanding. She made our tour a success with her love of the Vatican and her knowledge of the tour sites. This is my 4th time visiting the Vatican including the museums and Sistine chapel and this was by far the best experience.

Wonderful trip through the Vatican museums and the Sistine chapel. We did not see, however, some of the paintings. Also loved the basilica.

The tour was fantastic! The Vatican museum collections alone would require at least a day, there are so many top level artworks! But it was our guide Irene who made the whole tour so much enjoyable! Knowledgeable, witty, absolutely charming, she always pointed out what to look for (there was so much around!), where are the best spots for a good photo, and made the whole experience nice and easy, despite the tremendous amount of information!

5/5 - an excellent experience, well worth the money. Would thoroughly recommend this tour company and, this particular tour.

Eugenia D’Andrea was EXCELLENT! She was very knowledgeable, and answered a multitude of questions. She was warm, personable and friendly. We couldn’t have chosen a better guide! I highly recommend both Eugenia and Through Eternity!

Ricardo was an absolutely excellent guide. He has a true wealth of knowledge and a deep passion for the subject. Recommend.

Roberta was an exceptionally knowledgeable guide, and also very pleasant and helpful. She was considerate of my sore legs and my husband‘s poor hearing. We had a wonderful time and could have listened to her for another four hours.

Donatella our guide was very informative and we have learned so much abut the Vatican and the SIstine Chapel. she was very Patient and knowledgeable with any questions we had about the church.

The tour was great and our guide Maria was wonderful and you could tell she had a passion for telling the stories of the Vatican

Awesome tour with Erika as our guide. She was very informative and made sure we had a great experience. Would highly recommend this tour and tour company

Enrich was an excellent guide. Her pacing and instructions were clear. Great visit and we learned a lot of history. She was very knowledgeable.

This early morning semi-private tour of the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica was excellent. From start to finish, the tour was incredibly well run, informative and interesting. Our tour guide (Celia, Cynthia?) was absolutely amazing. She was wonderfully entertaining and kept our group of 12 moving so well throughout the tour, sharing with us her knowledge and passion for everything Vatican. The 3.5 hours flew by. Would highly recommend this tour - especially the 7.35 am start as things get crowded very quickly!

Cinzia was a fantastic guide! She helped us navigate the vast Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica with ease. Her insights were the perfect balance of detail and storytelling, bringing the artists, Popes, and Vatican operations to life. This was my favourite tour of the entire trip!

Our tour guide was absolutely great! She was so informative and sweet, really went with the flow of the group! I would absolutely tour with her again!

I booked this tour last minute and I am SO glad! Not only is the Vatican experience breathtaking, but our guide Thomas was fantastic! He was both humorous and knowledgeable and kept us engaged the whole time. St Peter’s basilica and the Sistine chapel are more breathtaking than I imagined. Definitely worth it!

VERY long day. Very early meeting time, and waited at least 1/2 hour to start heading to Vatican. If you just want to see Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica, this isn’t the tour for you. We went through every part of the museum, and our guide kept us outside, for what felt like hours, to explain the paintings on the Sistine ceiling. We had about 10-15 minutes in Sistine, and longer in Basilica. We could have stayed after tour also, if we wanted.

Amazing experience with an extremely kind and knowledgeable tour guide. I definitely recommend this tour.

As a family we were so excited to visit the Vatican. Our guide was rude, non-engaging and very hard to understand. She ruined the experience for the whole family and we just wanted to leave the tour. This was a pricey tour as well. Would not recommend. A tour guide can make or break your experience.

Tour was well organized and guide was patient. Too bad we were unable to view the Sistene chapel due to impending Conclave. They assured us we would get a refund for that part of the tour. Highly recommended.

Frankly, the tour was a bit of a let down. I had taken a similar tour 12 years back and it couldn't have been more exciting. I had booked the tour with similar expectations but unfortunately they fell short. First, I had booked the tour for Tuesday and it had included St. Peter's Basilica in the tour. I was informed that the Vatican would be closed on that day so my tour was moved to Wednesday. When we went there I found out that the tours were running on Tuesday and plenty of people took the same tour. Next, the tour guide was well informed and had a lot of knowledge but made the tour very dry. His english wasn't very good and he was struggling to find the right words. It was a very heavy italian accent and my husband and kids had trouble understanding some of the words. I had mentioned I would like to have a kid friendly guide, but the tour turned more like a lecture on everything and kids were bored. The guide kept stopping to talk about things like a boat and even St. Peter's Basilica so we had less time in more interesting rooms like Raphael and tapestry rooms. By the time we reached Sistine Chapel it was so full even though we took the early tour. We had informed of our preferences in the beginning of the tour like Raphael rooms, kids being interested in mythology etc. and also that we had a colosseum tour to get to by 12:00 PM (I had this booked for Wednesday since my original tour was for Tuesday). I will say though that Lorenzo answered some of the irrelevant questions my youngest asked with a lot of patience. Wish he had made it more interactive and explained Sistine chapel with stories rather than the technical details. I did enjoy it but that was because I had prior knowledge of the mythology and stories and had taken the tour earlier.

We loved our guide, Paolo Lenzi. He kept us moving in the “tourist factory” and provided wonderful context for a variety of rooms and pieces in the Vatican. I was not prepared for how crowded this site is… definitely order tickets in advance. I can’t imagine going at my own pace with just an audio guide. Well worth it!

Our guide was wonderful. She knew so much about Rome and the Vatican. The tour was a bit rushed but there were so many people visiting that day. She gave us great information. I would do this tour again when in Rome.

Eugenia was the most wonderful guide. She made sure we could all hear her and basically told us exactly what to expect once we got into the Sistine Chapel. We learned so much from her about the history of the Vatican and all of the pieces of art inside. She was so knowledgeable and made it all interesting for us.

Ricardo was a good communicator. I never felt as though he was lecturing, more like a knowledgeable friend was sharing their expertise. The earbuds were very helpful in the crowded areas. They made it easy to follow his commentary on what we were seeing. There were 9 people in our group. Well worth the cost not to be in a large group.

Maria was fantastic! She is very knowledgeable, professional and made the tour a great experience. Because of Maria, I would book Throughout Eternity tours again.

Eugenia was awesome! Knowledgable, kind, perfect amount of time spent on highlights of the popular items in Vatican city, St. Peter's Basilica & square & Sistine chapel. My husband and I really enjoyed our time and we ready for lunch after.

Juya, was amazing she was very knowledgeable and knew many interesting historical facts. This tour is a must. I would not visit Vatican City without a guide. The early morning tour helps to avoid the largest crowds

We where not able to hear all the details because our guide some times did not speak directly in the microphone. She also talk to fast and normaly we do understand all english but it was sometime very difficult to understand what the guide was saying. We think it will be better if there where no headphones and the guide instead talk directly to the group.

Guide was terrific but the ending was horrible. Not being able to access the shortcut into St Peter’s was the reason. I have difficulty walking long distances and specifically chose this trip to shorten the walking. There were certainly others in our small group who were upset by the change. I know that is out of your control but you could offer a refund to those of us who felt shortchanged.

The tour we bought was called “Early Morning Vatican Tour with Sistine Chapel & St.Peter's Basilica”. Ricardo was a fantastic and knowledgeable guide. Felt like we rushed through the Vatican Museums, but that was only because there is so much to absorb. Never short of information, Ricardo made the tour really enjoyable. Until…. We were advised the day before the tour, that the connection between the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s had been closed. Instead we were taken round the outside to St Peter’s entrance. Here we were left on our own to get into St Peter’s, which took over an hour. For the price we paid for the tour we would have expected access to the pre-reserved entrance. Standing waiting in the sun for so long turned an otherwise excellent tour into a disappointment at the end.

Brandon knew the minute details of the Vatican. An in depth tour like this was truly rare. He brought the experience to life through his education

Access ahead of the queues to this amazing museum and religious site. Our guide was well informed and obviously enjoyed picking out and explaining the highlights.