Private tour of the Vatican Museums with an art historian

What to expect

A kaleidoscope of the Vatican Museums
You will walk through endless halls and galleries filled with stunning masterpieces of ancient art and the Renaissance. We will start the tour with the Papal Picture Gallery, where I will introduce you to the paintings of Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, and Caravaggio. Then we will move on to the Chiaramonti Museum and the Pio-Clementino Museum with ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, peek into the Zoo with marble animals, pass through three luxurious galleries: Candelabra, Tapestries, and Geographic Maps of the 16th century. You will learn how the greatest works of art were created, delve into the intrigues and secrets of famous masters and Roman popes.

The exquisite beauty of the Sistine Chapel
You will admire the main treasure of the Vatican - the majestic and beautiful Sistine Chapel, whose walls are decorated with frescoes by outstanding artists, the main of them being the genius Michelangelo! The master worked here for almost nine years: he seemed to challenge God, whose image he painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I will tell you how this world masterpiece was created, how the elections of a new Pope take place here, and what else the chapel is used for in our days.

How the tour goes

• The tour is suitable for adults over 18 years old
• A document confirming identity is required to enter the Vatican
• When visiting the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica, your clothing should cover your shoulders, knees, and décolleté area. Large bags, umbrellas with a staff, any liquids in glass containers are not allowed.
• Visiting St. Peter's Basilica will not be included in the tour program if the passage connecting the museum and St. Peter's Basilica is closed
• You can visit the basilica on your own after the tour. To do this, you will need to exit the museums and walk to St. Peter's Square (about 15 minutes along the Vatican walls), the entrance to the basilica is free. There may be a queue at the metal detector at the entrance to the basilica, the waiting time in the queue can range from 15 minutes to 1-2 hours.
• St. Peter's Basilica is open daily from 07:00 to 18:00 from October to March and from 07:00 to 19:00 from April to September. On Wednesdays from 13:00 (due to the audiences of the Pope).

Additional expenses

• Entrance tickets that guarantee entry to the Vatican Museums without queuing are not included in the tour price. They can be purchased on the official Vatican Museums website: adult - 22€ (ticket + reservation on the website), children (6 to 18 years old) - 13€, children under 6 years old are free.
• We recommend ordering tickets no later than 15 days before the tour day (tickets to the Vatican Museums are non-refundable, but it is possible to change the date or time)
• You can buy tickets at tickets.museivaticani.va (you need to choose Vatican Museums Tickets, then Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, then the month, number of people, date, time (indicate the start time of the tour, for example, 10:30), surnames and names of all participants, and 'buy'). The purchased tickets (vouchers) must be printed or saved on the phone on the first page. If you have difficulties with ordering or questions, I will be happy to help.