Skip The Line Vatican Gardens and Vatican Museums Tour
Rome, Italy
5 hours (Approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Overview
For a more in-depth Vatican experience than most people enjoy, tour the less-visited Vatican Gardens in addition to the art treasures of the Vatican Museums. You’ll start at the tranquil, uncrowded gardens of Vatican City to admire sights like Our Lady of Lourdes grotto. Then walk over to the Vatican Museums for a tour of its Renaissance masterpieces in rooms like the Gallery of Maps and, of course, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. This small-group tour is limited to 16 people to provide a more personalized experience.
- Tour the Vatican Gardens and Vatican Museums on a walking tour
- Explore the Vatican Gardens' serene sights like Our Lady of Lourdes grotto
- Hear stories of the gardens’ history from an expert guide
- Visit the Gallery of Tapestries, Gallery of Maps and Sistine Chapel
- Gaze at Renaissance masterpieces like Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment
- Walk around St Peter’s Basilica and learn about La Pietà, a famous Michelangelo sculpture
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
What's Included
Professional guide
Headsets to hear the guide clearly
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Food and drinks
Departure & Return
What To Expect
After meeting your knowledgeable guide in Vatican City, enter the Vatican Gardens for a walking tour of this serene green space, which popes have used as a peaceful spot for prayer since the Middle Ages.
Stroll around some of its 57 acres (23 hectares) of paths, fountains, grottoes and flowers while you learn about the history of the gardens, which started as a fruit orchard in the 13th century and evolved into the lavish respite it is today by subsequent popes. During your walk, you’ll stop to check out features like Our Lady of Lourdes grotto, a favorite prayer spot of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.
Then head over to the Vatican Museums for a tour of its world-renowned art collection. See the spiral Bramante Staircase, which has adorned many a Vatican photograph, and visit rooms such as the Gallery of Tapestries and the Gallery of Maps, where you can admire a fresco of 16th-century Italy. Learn about famed Renaissance artists like Raphael and Michelangelo, whose iconic ceiling frescoes The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment you’ll see in the Sistine Chapel, the pope’s private worship space.
Finally, visit St Peter’s Basilica, whose Michelangelo-designed dome towers over the city. Take a look at the artist’s La Pietà sculpture and visit a memorial to Pope John Paul before your tour ends in St Peter’s Square.
Stroll around some of its 57 acres (23 hectares) of paths, fountains, grottoes and flowers while you learn about the history of the gardens, which started as a fruit orchard in the 13th century and evolved into the lavish respite it is today by subsequent popes. During your walk, you’ll stop to check out features like Our Lady of Lourdes grotto, a favorite prayer spot of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.
Then head over to the Vatican Museums for a tour of its world-renowned art collection. See the spiral Bramante Staircase, which has adorned many a Vatican photograph, and visit rooms such as the Gallery of Tapestries and the Gallery of Maps, where you can admire a fresco of 16th-century Italy. Learn about famed Renaissance artists like Raphael and Michelangelo, whose iconic ceiling frescoes The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment you’ll see in the Sistine Chapel, the pope’s private worship space.
Finally, visit St Peter’s Basilica, whose Michelangelo-designed dome towers over the city. Take a look at the artist’s La Pietà sculpture and visit a memorial to Pope John Paul before your tour ends in St Peter’s Square.
Itinerary
The Vatican Gardens date back to the Middle Ages, when orchards and vineyards extended north of the Papal Apostolic Palace.
At the beginning of the 16th century, Donato Bramante divided into three new courtyards: the Cortile del Belvedere, the Library and the Cortile della Pigna following the Renaissance landscape design style. In the Renaissance style a rectangular labyrinth was also created, made with shrubs and small evergreen trees, framed by pines and cedars of Lebanon. Today's Vatican Gardens have numerous fountains, sculptures and artificial caves, generally dedicated to the Virgin Mary and other saints.
Duration: 45 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
The Vatican Museums are located in Viale Vaticano in Rome, within the Vatican City State. Founded by Pope Julius II in the 16th century [1], they occupy a large part of the vast Belvedere courtyard and are one of the largest art collections in the world, as they exhibit the enormous collection of works of art accumulated over the centuries by Papi: the Sistine Chapel and the papal apartments frescoed by Michelangelo and Raphael are part of the works that visitors can admire in their journey.
Duration: 1 hour
Admission Ticket Included
The Sistine Chapel is one of the most important treasures of the Vatican, of Rome and of the whole world. It is renowned both for its frescoes and for the fact that the Popes are elected here.
The construction of the building took place between 1473 and 1481. What most attracts attention in the Sistine Chapel is not, however, its architecture, but the frescoes that completely decorate its walls and ceiling. Renowned artists such as Botticelli, Perugino and Michelangelo contributed to the wide decoration of the Chapel.
Duration: 45 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
The grandeur of the seventeenth-century façade of Carlo Maderno makes the idea of the gigantic dimensions of St. Peter's Basilica, still today one of the largest churches in the world. The dome designed by Michelangelo surprises in its size and harmony, characteristics that are appreciated in the challenging but rewarding climb that allows you to admire both the inside and the outside. Among the many masterpieces, not to be missed is the Pietà by Michelangelo, the work that has been surprising for centuries in terms of technique and emotion.
Duration: 1 hour
Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- 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
- Pre-booking this tour enables you to skip the long lines, which can take up to two hours, to enter the Vatican Museums. All visitors must pass through metal detectors at the security check point; expect to wait 20-30 minutes to clear security
- This tour involves a fair amount of walking, comfortable shoes are recommended
- Backpacks, tripods and big umbrellas must be left inside a cloakroom on entering the Vatican Museums. To reduce any disruption for your group, we recommend that backpacks are not taken on this tour
- It is forbidden to pick the flowers or plants inside the gardens
- In case of unexpected closing of the gardens by Vatican security, the tour will just visit the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience. Learn more about cancellations.
Customers have also been looking at these Rome Tours
Horse Carriage Rides
Historical & Heritage Tours
Wine Tasting & Winery Tours
Shopping Passes & Offers
