Rome: Early Bird Vatican Museums Small Group Tour (Max 6 People)

Valerie was really wonderful and very understanding when we had to leave early. She was very knowledgeable, thorough and very patient! Thank you for a wonderful experience!

Valentina was a wonderful guide on this 3 hour tour! She highlighted interesting facts and stories along the way and she was very personable, kind and knowledgeable! The tour was interactive and flew by despite being 3 hours! I would not hesitate in taking this tour! It was a highlight and we learned so much about the Vatican. We were never bored or felt like we were being talked at. You’d be lucky to have Valentina! Thank you! And if you take the tour at 7:30, you have the rest of the day to explore Rome! My husband and I returned from a 7 day trip through Rome, Florence and the Chianti region of Florence! The reviews I am writing are based on our experiences and in writing these reviews I’m hoping to help others plan themselves a lovely trip.

Would highly recommend the early bird and skip the line - worth the extra money to avoid long queues

Valerie Lanuzza was a fantastic guide. Her English was very good. One in our group was in a wheelchair and she managed our visit perfectly. She was knowledgeable about the museum and gave us a great explanation of the Sistine chapel prior to going there wonderful tour

Vatican is a must see! Rachele was wonderful and we hope to go back again someday because there is so much to appreciate.

Lina was an excellent tour guide, just the right amount of information. We were lucky enough to be the only couple as the others did not turn up. So it really was a private tour. The early time slot was perfect for beating the crowds and having some parts of the gallery to ourselves and seats in the Sistine Chapel.

Fantastic tour with Mikayla as our guide. She was so knowledgeable and passionate in her role - we loved every minute of it. Thank you.

Our guide Patrizia was amazing. She gave us so much information and answered all of our questions. She made the tour so much more organized than if we had tried it on our own.

Our guide Michela was wonderful. This tour is extremely overwhelming. There is just so much to see and so many people. Michela did a good job of hitting the highlights. It would be impossible to see this place in one trip. She knew all the short cuts and ways to get around the crowds as best as she could.

Irene was our guide for small group Vatican tour. She was extremely knowledgeable, friendly. Answered all our many questions. Would highly recommend the small group tour but specifically Irene. Magnificent!!

Nice small tour. Guide was great and knowledgeable. Glad we went early as the crowds were long when we left.

Very nice tour. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the Vatican City. I would highly recommend this tour.

Ala was a very knowledgeable and considerate tour guide. We had to leave early so she worked well with us to see the most important sites. It was a very enjoyable experience.

The Vatican is a huge place, so don’t think you can cover it in only a few hours. However, this tour was a great taste of what the Vatican and St Peter's Basilica have to see. Our tour guide stayed on top of the often occurring closures and gave us a choice to race to the Basilica before it could possibly close at 11 or stay at the Vatican. We opted to race to the Basilica. Once there our guide heard the signal that the Pope would be arriving and ushered us to a spot where (in a sea of people) we were able to see the Pope enter the Basilica! What a treat! Highly recommend this tour! Plus, only 6 people max in our group meant we were better able to move quickly. Bigger groups were seen waiting on stragglers which I’m sure was frustrating for others. The Vatican is huge with 100s of people milling about - one could easily get lost or separated from others in their group, so smaller is so much better!

Great tour with Carlos. Very knowledgeable of the Vatican and the area and chose the best parts of the Vatican to visit. Walked to St Peter’s Basillica and he told us what to look for and how to get back in once the doors opened after the Pope’s visit was completed. Highly recommend

Always love visiting the Vatican! Our guide was great, full of knowledge, and great personality! Highly recommend the tour!

Our guide was very knowledgeable and informative. It was so nice to skip the line since my husband and I cannot stand for hours at a time. We felt that we saw everything we came to see and more!

Eyes of Rome Tour Evaluation Our Guide for the Early Morning Private Luxury Tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chaple and St Peter’s Basilica was Rosalba (Rosie). The overall experience was fantastic. To start, we had limited time for this tour/visit. We were to be at the Cruise terminal by 2:00 that same day, which meant we needed an early morning tour. I was concerned about getting to the Vatican and getting back to the hotel in time for us to get transported to the cruise terminal. This tour was ideal as it included a pickup at our hotel, the full tour, then a drop off back at our hotel. I did cost more than I was planning to spend but was worth every penny. I would do it all over again. They had this incredibly well coordinated and put all my concerns about missing our cruise to rest. They didn’t miss a beat. Transportation was excellent. Our tour guide was in the van when we were picked up at the hotel. Rosalba was a great guide. She was so friendly and knowledgeable. We had a few ideas what we wanted to see at the Vatican and she adjusted her tour to meet our needs. Even though we knew we had to get through quickly we never felt rushed. She was able to explain in great detail the most important aspects of each of these sites. The private tour was ideal for our group of 6. We were able to ask so many questions and Rosalba was always happy to make sure we understood what we were viewing. She was able to thoughtfully explain all of the paintings in the Sistine Chaple before we went in so when we entered the room (no one can talk while there) we were able to take it all in. What a great experience. She was also very able to easily wind us through the mass of tourists in St Peters Basilica and give us an incredible experience at that site. I would highly Recommend Eyes of Rome and Rosalba. I give this tour and our guide a 10 out of 10. Andy

It was everything and more than we even expected! Our guide was terrific and the access to all we wanted to see and learn was perfect!

For us, the private tour was the way to go and we had no regrets. We went during the busy summer months and there were thousands of tourists there. It was nice to have a small group. Early morning was the smart move too because we beat the worst of the crowd with a skip the line ticket.

Our tour guide was Dorian’s and she was amazing. She guided us through the very busy Vatican City with ease and was so knowledgeable and friendly. It was an amazing trip and we learnt so much. Highly recommend. Whatever your religious everything is stunning and the depth of treasures and history is amazing.

The tour overall was good, but they canceled the St Peters basilica portion and refused to provide any sort of credit. That was the part I was looking forward to most. Luckily we were still able to go on our own, and it was the best of the 3. Overall the tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. It was nice to be in a small group and get in with the early crowd.

Our tour was excellent. The guide Ala was very knowledgeable and was able to answer any questions we had. She was very attentive to my 11yr old son, she was so patient with him and answered all his questions as well. We did the skip the line option to see the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St.Peter Basilica. Plus everything in between. Ala was able to move us right along the lines and everything went pretty quickly. The only downside I’d say was that it was very hot. However it is June and no one can help that. Going early is definitely the way to go, by the time we left it was sooooo busy I couldn’t have imagined waiting in all the lines in the heat. Something I did notice that had nothing to do with the actual tour was they didn’t strictly in force the dress code and in the Sistine Chapel it was noisy and people where taking photos even though they weren’t supposed too.

Great guide but even on the 7:30 am tour it was incredibly crowded . An experience not to to be missed but way too many people allowed in at one time

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and kind. She explained all the beautiful art with skill and finesse.

We were greeted by the lovely Francesca, our tour guide for our morning Vatican tour, with a big smile on her face. It is unbelievable just how enthousiastic, knowledgable, friendly and passionate she is. She definitely made the tour memorable for us, as it was not just a recital of dry information - she poured her heart and soul into it. The crowd was absolutely manageable at this earlier hour, and having only a small group of people for the tour worked also very well - personal enough, but nevertheless still affordable in price. I would highly recommend booking with Eyes of Rome in case you´d like to visit the Vatican Museums, it was one of the highlights of our stay in Rome thanks to Francesca.

Worth it - Exactly as described in advertisement - Definitely only bother doing an early morning session as it was still busy even then - Our guide (Michaela) was very knowledgable, friendly and kept our small group of 5 moving at a comfortable pace. She also allowed us free time (10 minutes) to soak in and wander inside Sistine Chapel - Tour was a little on the expensive side (but wouldnt recommend doing without a guide)

Loved the small group experience so we could ask questions and take our time! Our guide Alessia took great care of us and personalized the trip to us. She was the best!!!

Alessia was absolutely fantastic. She knew all of the best places to go first once we got in so as to avoid the crowds and she had a vast wealth of knowledge of the Vatican and many of its artifacts. I highly recommend booking this tour if you’re interested in learning more about the Vatican and its history!

Dorian a was an EXCELLENT guide! I appreciated that she is an archeologist and knows so much about everything we could ask. This was a great tour to take being a first timer to Rome. The early bird tour was wonderful as we missed a lot of the crowds and bypassed the long lines. We got in as soon as the Vatican opened. I loved all the galleries we got to walk through! I personally thought the Sistine chapel was an unholy experience because it was so crowded and noisy. It was hard to really appreciate it. I was glad our guide explained it before we got there so we would know what to expect. The steps leaving the chapel and going down to St. Peter's were really visually pleasing and my favorite part. The whole tour was really just incredible and I can hardly believe I got to see so much in just half a day.

Rafaela was just wonderful. She gave a concise history of every section and it was interesting and informative.

Lovely tour lovely guide. Well worth doing and good value for money. Guide was very knowledgeable and helpful throughout

Having a tour guide with such historical knowledge brought everything back to life! Lucca was engaging and so easy to understand. The small number of people in our group made it easy to get around.

Francesca was so knowledgeable and friendly. She really made the tour so enjoyable. She moved at a perfect pace and touched upon so many things we would have missed if we had tried to do this on our own. I highly recommend this tour!

Enjoyed skipping the lines as well as great information provided by our guide. Price was a bit too high for this tour.

Elisa was a wonder guide and talked through the period well. Early morning still had a lot of people so get there early. Having an art historian really helped understand the period and era.

The Vatican Museum, St Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are not to be missed. Our guide, Benjamin, was very knowledgeable, friendly and patient.

The tour was fantastic and well worth the money. Only two couples, including us, were on the tour, with Ella as our tour guide. She was highly knowledgeable of the Vatican and Roman history. She would pause during the tour to provide excellent context about what we were about to see. We bypassed many lengthy lines to enter the most sacred areas, such as the Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. I would strongly recommend this tour and entering the Vatican early. When our tour was done, a line of probably 1,000 people were waiting to enter the Basilica. Given how hot and humid it was, I could not imagine waiting in that line. The only downside had nothing to do with the tour but the weather. It was 98F with 60% humidity and no indoor A/C (only sporadic fans). It was almost unbearable, with about 60% of the tour indoors. Book this tour, but go during the cooler weather.

Francesca was an amazing tour guide. She shared her knowledge in a way that was easy to suggest and kept our two teenagers captivated. Her love of art was clearly demonstrated in her explanations. It is a fascinating tour. A great investment of time and money. The small group was a definite advantage.

This was worth every penny! We had an amazing tour guide who was extremely informative. She kept the pace of the tour moving at the perfect rate. I would recommend this tour to anyone.

Mitra was an excellent tour guide. On time and very professional. She walked us through each process of the tour and was very knowledgeable . One suggestion I would make is to clarify that the 730am early morning viewing still consists of more than a thousand persons being on the tour at the same time. From the photos portrayed we thought the Vatican would have less persons.

Lots of great information and history. 6 people in the whole group, so everyone got the attention they paid for. Good pace. Enjoyed it

Glad we did this early with “skip the line” access! Our tour guide Anna Maria was fantastic - very knowledgeable and engaging!

Great experience. Only waited about 5 to 7 minutes to get in. Valentina was knowledgeable and very nice. Would definitely recommend this tour!

Loved the small intimate Vatican City tour experience. We had a very knowledgeable guide and enjoyed hearing the stories attached to the architecture and popular places within the Vatican and its church, museums and gardens.

Sylvia was a great tour guide with alot of knowledge. She was super respectful and kind and gave us plenty of time in each area for photos, answering any questions we may have! The 6 people is a perfect amount of people it didnt get overwhelming at all.

This Vatican Tour was one of the highlights of our trip to Italy! Let's just say, the guide makes the tour. Doriana was an amazing guide. She is knowledgeable, articulate, and a joy to be around. Thank you for making our trip to the Vatican memorable.

Our guide had such an intrinsic ability to help you see, feel, and appreciate the historic wonders. While taking each step, she seamlessly provided such a vivid understanding and appreciation for the art history. She made it so we were fully immersed in each and every detail as we weaved through the breathtaking sites. I would 110% recommend this experience, and Emanuela is fantastico!! The experience was bellissimo!

Guide Alessio was fantastic! She kept the pace going, she kept the information interesting. She had a plan so that there was a through-line of information starting from before we entered the Vatican until we finished the tour. We got a real sense of not only the art, but the impact and innovations of Michelangelo and other artists working for the Vatican at the time. Highly recommend this tour.