Rome: Complete Early Morning Vatican Tour | Small Group
Meet at our comfortable offices less than a block from the museum entrance. Join our small group Vatican tour in the early morning with a top-notch tour guide and get the earliest entrance available to the museums, Sistine Chapel & Raphael Rooms. In a small group, you will be able to discover with no rush the extraordinary abundance of history and art.
Your guide will tour you through these corridors and halls, pointing out the exhibits on display. Once through, the Sistine Chapel awaits you.
The finale of our early entry Vatican tours culminates in St. Peter’s Basilica. Majestic and inspired, it is the perfect place to come full circle on the morning’s itinerary. Feast your eyes on Michelangelo’s Pietà and admire the stunning interior of the dome he designed, as well as Bernini’s massive bronze baldachin sitting over the Pope’s private alter directly above St. Peter’s tomb and other little-known details that can only be spotted when inside!
Options
Complete Early Morning Tour
What's included in Rome: Complete Early Morning Vatican Tour | Small Group
(Subject to Option Inclusions)Itinerary
The activity starts directly at our office located conveniently very close to the Museums' entrance.
Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums feature many works of art that belonged to the different Popes and are full of artistic beauty. Here is a glimpse of some of the most beautiful things to see in the Vatican Museums. Rooms and Galleries of the Vatican Museums, as the Greek Cross Room, the Gallery of Maps, the Gallery of Tapestries, Raphael Rooms and much more! From a relatively small collection of statues brought in by Julius II, it grew into a gigantic museum to a point that nobody even knows how many items are kept in the vaults and galleries of the Vatican.
The Gallery of Maps is a stupendous hallway where geography and history are perfectly intertwined. Created at the end of the 16th century, the entire room is dedicated to customized maps, which display the whole of Italy. On one side of the 393-foot long gallery are two representations of the country: one from the Imperial Roman Era and the other from the 1500s. Each map shows political happenings, religious roles, and major battles. The ceiling is no less remarkable, with frescoed scenes displaying episodes and miraculous events of apostles, saints, and martyrs, which are linked to the geographical maps below.
Inclusions
- Meet your guide at our comfortable offices near the Museums' entrance
- Skip-the-line access to St. Peter’s Basilica
- Headsets to hear the guide
- Entry to the Sistine Chapel
- Small group
- Expert English-speaking tour guide
- 3.5-hour guided tour
- Early entrance guaranteed
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- MEETING POINT IS VIA SANTAMAURA 14B, What A Life Tours
- Under 18s aged 0-6 must book as "Child", under 18s aged 7-17 must book as "Youth". This is the age they will be on the day of the tour with us. Failure to book correctly will mean we cannot get your child inside the museums.
- The ticket is valid only for the date and time reserved. We are unable to accommodate late arrivals due to a time entrance of the Vatican Museums tour voucher. Missed tours or tickets due to late arrivals are non-refundable. Please allow extra time to reach the meeting point as Rome's streets can be confusing. Meeting time is 15 minutes before the start time of the tour.
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. ALL participants MUST cover their knees and shoulders. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
- While the Vatican Museums are equipped with elevators for wheelchair access, they are not conveniently located on the group tour route and only give access to specific sections of the Museums. As a result, we cannot accommodate wheelchairs/walkers on this tour.
- Please remember to bring with you a valid ID document for all participants.
- We cannot accommodate service animals.
- Please notice that we are not responsible for the number of visitors the Vatican Museums allow inside.
- Large umbrellas are not permitted, please leave these at your accommodation.
- No pictures, videos, or even speaking is allowed in the Sistine Chapel.
- We recommend that you bring your own headphones as the ones provided by the Vatican have a single earpiece only, and you may prefer to use both earbuds to hear the guide better.
- St. Peter's Basilica is an active parish and therefore subject to last-minute closures due to mass or other religious events. In these cases, we will offer an extended tour of the Vatican Museums (including areas normally not part of the tour). Please note that 2025 is the Jubilee year, closures of St. Peter's Basilica can happen anytime without further notice. No refunds are recognized for unexpected closures.
- Powerbanks are not permitted inside the museums, please leave these at your accommodations.
Meet
Pickup and Dropoff
You will make your own way to the meeting points
Meeting Points
- *** MEETING POINT *** at our office at Via Santamaura 14B, What a Life Tours. The closest Metro stop is Ottaviano which is a 6-minute walk away. You must allow extra time to reach the meeting point, CHECK-IN is 15 minutes before the tour departure time. WE CANNOT WAIT FOR LATE ARRIVALS.
End Points
- THIS IS THE END POINT St. Peter's Basilica (except on Wednesdays and any other occasions when the Basilica is closed - in those cases, the tour ends with the Sistine Chapel).
Redeem
Ticket Redemption
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT TOUR INFORMATION: • St. Peter's Basilica is an active parish and therefore subject to last-minute closures due to mass or other religious events. In these cases, we will offer an extended tour of the Vatican Museums (including areas normally not part of the tour). 2025 is Holy Year so closures of St. Peter's Basilica can happen any time without prior notice. No refunds are provided for unexpected closures. • Under 18s aged 0-6 must book as "Child"; under 18s aged 7-17 must book as "Youth". This must be the age they will be on the day of the tour with us. Failure to book correctly will mean we cannot get your child inside the museums. • Your tour voucher is valid only for the day and time reserved. We’re unable to accommodate late arrivals due to a strictly timed entrance ticket to the Vatican Museums. Missed tours or tickets due to late arrivals are non-refundable. Meeting time is 15 minutes before the start time of the tour. • No wheelchairs nor walkers are permitted on group tours. Anyone with walking ailments must book a private tour so we can better accommodate your needs. • All participants (including under 18s) must bring valid ID. • We cannot accommodate service animals. • ALL participants MUST cover their knees and shoulders during visits to religious sites, the Vatican Museums included. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements. • We are not responsible for the number of visitors the Vatican Museums allow inside. • Large umbrellas are not allowed so please leave these at your accommodations. • No pictures, videos, or speaking is permitted in the Sistine Chapel. • We recommend you bring your own headphones as the ones provided by the Vatican have a single earpiece only, and you may prefer to use both earbuds to hear the guide better. • Powerbanks are not permitted inside the museums, please leave these at your accommodations.
