Book guided tours of the Vatican, St Peters and the Sistine Chapel

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An official 'art' tour of the Vatican, Saint Peters and the Sistine Chapel, Rome

This is the information and booking page for one of our three hour group tours of the Vatican, St Peters and the Sistine Chapel. This tour is called the' Art and Faith' tour and has a stronger emphasis on the galleries and religious artwork of the various Vatican museums, most notably the 'Pio-Christian' museum. You'll be joining a group escorted by an official Vatican tour guide. This tour is currently available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and will usually run at 9.15 and 11.00 in the morning and then at 1.30 in the afternoon.
Our other three hour tour can be seen on this page; on the same days and times, also three hours long, it takes in some different parts of the Vatican and focuses less on the 'faith' and art-collection aspects.

Tickitaly also offer 'straightforward' Vatican tickets, as well as two other types of tour - a shorter two hour group tour (does not include St Peters, but is available Monday to Saturday) as well as private Vatican tours.

"The Museum truly displays a continuous interweaving between Christianity and culture, between faith and art, between the divine and the human" ... (From the Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the staff of the Vatican Museums, 23rd of November 2006).

This is an official, Vatican-organised tour that in approximately three hours covers the the Pio-Christian Museum, the Picture Gallery (Pinacoteca), the Gallery of the Candelabras, the Gallery of the Tapestries (Renaissance art), the Gallery of the Geographical Maps, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. Once the guided tour is over you are free to remain inside the Vatican complex and continue your individual explorations, should you so desire. Please note that this itinerary is not suitable for those using a wheelchair.

Reduced (slightly) price tickets are available for children between the ages of 6 and 18 (those under 6 pay nothing), as well as students under the age of 26 - ID will be required. Full priced tickets are necessary for everyone else, including those over the age of 65. You'll find some additional useful information further down the page.

Simply select the ideal date (remember, Mondays, Tuesdays Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays) for your visit by clicking on the calendar to the left.

Once you've selected a date click on the 'Book Vatican - 'Art & Faith' tour, 3 hours' link that will appear underneath the calendar.

Further down the page we'll also show you other tickets or tours that are available on or near the date you've selected, one or more of which may be of interest to you.

To reserve tickets for a Vatican Tour, just fill out the booking form, supply us with credit card details, and we'll do the rest. There will be no charge whatsoever until we confirm your reservation, at which point you'll be sent a login link from where you may print out your entrance vouchers.

Please note: Recent years have seen an incredible surge in bookings for the Vatican, and a less-than-perfectly-organised administration has seen some small amount of queueing necessary in peak season, even for these pre-arranged official tours. There is simply nothing that can be done about this, and if you find someone claiming to be able to bypass this, then they're being disingenuous, to put it mildly.

Pricing

The price is per person, and is all inclusive, covering the cost of the tour guide (only in english), booking fees, entrance tickets and the 'Whisper' audio system. Children under six years of age pay nothing, and reduced price tickets are available for anyone aged between 6 and 18, and for students aged under 26.

How do I get my tickets, how do I get into the Vatican?

If there is availability for the date you have chosen then we shall charge your credit card and instantly send you an email containing a link to a page from where you'll be able to print out your voucher. The voucher will be in Adobe PDF format - download the viewer here if you need it. You may also view PDF's with this software - a much smaller download than Adobe's own reader. On the day of your visit you will join the special 'pre-booked' queue located to the right hand side of the main entrance. You will need to present your voucher and some ID (passport is always best); next you'll need to pass security - everyone has to go through the metal detectors - and then you'll swap your voucher for entrance tickets. Please note that vouchers can only be used for the date and time specified and are not refundable.

The 'Whisper' system

For groups of more than seven people it is obligatory to use the 'Whisper' audio system. Your guide will be talking into a small microphone and you'll each be listening on special earpieces. This is included in the price.

Dress code and disabled access

You'll need to be wearing clothes that do not leave your shoulders/arms or lower legs bare. No shorts, short trousers, short skirts, sleeveless shirts or bare shoulders. All visitors to the Vatican Museums will be required to pass through a metal-detector prior to being granted admittance. Wheelchairs are available onsite and do not need to be reserved.