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Early Morning Vatican Tour in Rome, Rome

T
Tina A.
Jul 29, 2023
Our guide was very knowledgeable. It was a great tour however if I were to do it all over again I would try to find a... Read more
Melinda
Melinda F.
Jul 12, 2023
Donata did a fantastic job with our tour through the Vatican. She was fun and engaging while sharing with us the cultural and artistic history of... Read more
J
Judy W.
May 11, 2023
The tour itself was great, but we were not aware that the Vatican could close the church at any time, which happened during our visit. However,... Read more
Allison
Allison H.
Apr 25, 2023
We had an amazing small group tour of the Vatican, learning about its history and art.
Hikaru
Hikaru P.
Mar 19, 2023
With so many visitors and so many things to see, it was a very full three-hour tour. We gained much knowledge about Vatican and the artwork... Read more
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Overview

Discover the museums of the Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel with an early-morning tour of the city's incredible art and history. By visiting the Vatican Museums early, you'll give yourself a one-hour head start on the rest of the crowds! A guide will lead you through the Pio Clementio Museum, Gallery of the Candelabra, Gallery of Tapestries, and Gallery of the Geographical Maps. Learn about the art that has fascinated countless generations and influenced the origins of western civilizations.

Continue through the museums to the Raphael Rooms, where you can admire the frescoes before entering the incredible Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. The Sistine Chapel contains one of the greatest and most famous frescoes in history. Michelangelo’s masterpiece tells several stories, and your guide will help you experience the allure of Renaissance art by divulging secret details and untold facts throughout the tour. 

Your guide will leave you with some free time inside St. Peter’s Basilica to walk around and view the Papal Tombs or climb to the top of the dome for amazing views. Don’t miss Michelangelo’s dramatic statue of the Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica, a depiction of the Virgin Mary holding her dying child in her arms. Conclude your Vatican tour by walking around Bernini’s celebrated Piazza San Pietro.

You can extend your tour with a fresco and mosaic-making class! Learn the beautiful craft of mosaics and create a work of art to take home with you. Let the professionals of fresco making teach you about the mastery and the masters of the Renaissance.

Read more about unique experiences in Rome.

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Traveler reviews

14 total ratings, 12 with reviews
4.9 out of 5
Feature ratings
Quality of Experience
4.8
Guides, Drivers and Staff
5.0
Transport
5.0
T
Tina A.
Kansas City, MO | Reviewed on Jul 29, 2023

Our guide was very knowledgeable. It was a great tour however if I were to do it all over again I would try to find a shorter tour. 3 hours in the Vatican area is a lot. The amount of people being hoarded through is crazy. After a few hours its just a lot. Read more

Our guide was very knowledgeable. It was a great tour however if I were to do it all over again I would try to find a shorter tour. 3 hours in the Vatican area is a lot. The amount of people being hoarded through is crazy. After a few hours its just a lot.

Tips for future travelers

Maybe ask if you can tailor it down to a shorter experience. I would have paid more for a personal tour guide to walk me through and highlight the areas I needed to experience.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Comfy, on time
Melinda
Melinda F.
Herriman, UT | Reviewed on Jul 12, 2023

Donata did a fantastic job with our tour through the Vatican. She was fun and engaging while sharing with us the cultural and artistic history of the museum. We were able to go through a restricted portion of the museum, and it was wonderful to see some of the sculptures and mosaics without the crowds. Donata did a great job preparing us with things to look for and notice within the Sistine Chapel. Otherwise it can be an overwhelming experience! Read more

Donata did a fantastic job with our tour through the Vatican. She was fun and engaging while sharing with us the cultural and artistic history of the museum. We were able to go through a restricted portion of the museum, and it was wonderful to see some of the sculptures and mosaics without the crowds. Donata did a great job preparing us with things to look for and notice within the Sistine Chapel. Otherwise it can be an overwhelming experience!

Tips for future travelers

Check the Vatican's schedule before booking your tour. On Wednesdays the Pope makes his address from St. Peter's Basilica, so it is closed to tourists during that time. It would typically open about the time our tour was ending, which would have been perfect, but we didn't account for the fact that we were there the day before the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, so the Basilica was closed longer in preparation for that. We ended up killing some time eating lunch before going back through the museum and into the Basilica.

Quality of Experience
The museum was very crowded and most of it isn't air conditioned. Definitely not anything the tour has control over, but it did decrease the quality of the experience.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Donata was fantastic!
Transport
J
Judy W.
Leominster, MA | Reviewed on May 11, 2023

The tour itself was great, but we were not aware that the Vatican could close the church at any time, which happened during our visit. However, we did get to see the Pope, which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Read more

The tour itself was great, but we were not aware that the Vatican could close the church at any time, which happened during our visit. However, we did get to see the Pope, which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Allison
Allison H.
Richmond, VA | Reviewed on Apr 25, 2023

We had an amazing small group tour of the Vatican, learning about its history and art. Read more

We had an amazing small group tour of the Vatican, learning about its history and art.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Stephanie
Stephanie H.
Wauwatosa, WI | Reviewed on Apr 19, 2023

Thank goodness this tour was a skip the line tour. You should try to do the tour that is in the morning before it opens. Our tour guide, Barbara, was very good, but the whole experience would have been even better in the morning. It just didn't work out for our timeline. Do the morning tour if you can get it! Read more

Thank goodness this tour was a skip the line tour. You should try to do the tour that is in the morning before it opens. Our tour guide, Barbara, was very good, but the whole experience would have been even better in the morning. It just didn't work out for our timeline. Do the morning tour if you can get it!

Guides, Drivers and Staff
So knowledgeable!
Hikaru
Hikaru P.
Hastings, MN | Reviewed on Mar 19, 2023

With so many visitors and so many things to see, it was a very full three-hour tour. We gained much knowledge about Vatican and the artwork that adorns their buildings. Read more

With so many visitors and so many things to see, it was a very full three-hour tour. We gained much knowledge about Vatican and the artwork that adorns their buildings.

Tips for future travelers

Climbing the dome of St. Peter's Basilica is an experience on its own. The view from the top is very worthwhile.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Giovanna with LivTours was extremely knowledgeable!
S
Shane B.
Broomfield, CO | Reviewed on Nov 07, 2022

What a way to start the day - a black car waiting for us at the hotel curb at 7:30 for our 8 AM early entrance Vatican tour. All of the pre-arranged transfers really made a huge difference! At the Vatican Sarah was another wonderful guide. She gave us a wonderful tour of both the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, and while there is no way of covering all of the art and history of these two places in three hours, she chose well which pieces to focus on and gave us both historical and... Read more

What a way to start the day - a black car waiting for us at the hotel curb at 7:30 for our 8 AM early entrance Vatican tour. All of the pre-arranged transfers really made a huge difference! At the Vatican Sarah was another wonderful guide. She gave us a wonderful tour of both the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, and while there is no way of covering all of the art and history of these two places in three hours, she chose well which pieces to focus on and gave us both historical and religious perspective.

L
Lauri F.
Pittsburgh, PA | Reviewed on Oct 04, 2022

Really knowledgeable tour guide that made this more interesting than I expected it to be. But you can’t go to Rome and not see the Vatican. She made me glad I went. Read more

Really knowledgeable tour guide that made this more interesting than I expected it to be. But you can’t go to Rome and not see the Vatican. She made me glad I went.

Tips for future travelers

One in our group had to borrow a covering - for St. Peter’s you do have to cover knees and shoulders.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Nicole
Nicole L.
Canada | Reviewed on Sep 20, 2022

Maria was amazing! This tour was amazing. Read more

Maria was amazing! This tour was amazing.

Tips for future travelers

Lots of walking. Wear your most comfortable shoes. Plan for the weather.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
G
Goktug G.
Turkey | Reviewed on Sep 12, 2022

Nice tour Read more

Nice tour

Quality of Experience
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Transport

Itineraries with Early Morning Vatican Tour in Rome

Start your trip in Rome where you can explore sights like the Spanish Steps
Map of Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre & Venice - 8 Days
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Travelers will cover a lot of ground with this train trip through Italy. Over eight days, you'll see Rome's legendary sights—like the Colosseum and Sistine Chapel—on your own and with a private guide. Then board a train to Florence for an introduction to Renaissance art and culture and a day trip to the Cinque Terre on the Mediterranean coast. Finish in Venice with two days to explore its network of canals and delicious food options, especially at the Rialto Market. 

Explore Venice's charming network of canals and islands
Map of Rome, Florence, Verona & Venice - 12 Days
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This 12-day tour through Italy combines four world-class cultural destinations. Your trip starts in Rome's historic core, where you'll get close to ancient landmarks and see the Sistine Chapel. Then train to Florence to experience its elegant gardens, Renaissance museums, and Tuscan cuisine. End your trip in UNESCO-listed Verona, visiting wineries and the famous balcony of Shakespeare's love story, followed by quality time in the floating city of Venice.

Spend one night in Orvieto, a stunning hill town outside of Rome
Map of Rome, Orvieto & Florence - 6 Days
Rome, Orvieto & Florence - 6 Days

This six-day train adventure through Italy combines world-class cities and stunning countryside. Start in Rome, visiting the Vatican and Colosseum before heading to the lesser-known Umbria region for a stopover in Orvieto. Finish in elegant Florence, where you'll see Renaissance masterpieces and enjoy predinner aperitivos overlooking the Arno River.

Start your Italian adventure with a self-guided tour of Palatine Hill and the Colosseum
Map of Rome, Perugia & Florence - 8 Days
Rome, Perugia & Florence - 8 Days

Spend eight days soaking up central Italy's art, culture, and history as you zip between Rome, Perugia, and Florence by train. Start in the Eternal City to walk in the footsteps of the Roman Empire at the Colosseum before ducking into the museums and galleries of the Vatican. Head north into Umbria for wine tasting and two nights in the hilltop city of Perugia, then continue to Florence for a walking tour through its Renaissance splendor and a "skip the line" ticket to see Michelangelo's "David" up close.