Group Tour | Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

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What would your perfect Vatican tour be like?

One that hits all the important parts of the collection and leaves you wanting more?

One that is informal and fun, yet leaves time for detailed answers to your questions?

Are you looking for a tour that brings together the bright threads that connect the stories, the same way the History Channel and National Geographic do?

Well then you're in luck. That's my idea of a great Vatican tour, too.

This is a perfect way to see all the important parts of the Vatican in a relaxed and enjoyable 4 hours.

The tour is conversational and the groups are tiny (not more than 4 couples) so you will have plenty of time to ask questions and get detailed answers, as well as take plenty of great photos.

The Vatican tour will start at a cafe near the entrance to the museums, that way we can enjoy a glass of wine while getting an overview of the afternoon.

You will have reservations and pre-purchased tickets, so there won't be any line, and you will go straight through the front entrance, presto.

The tour will start with the Vatican pinacoteca, the overlooked paintings gallery that contains Raphael's Transfiguration and Leonardo da Vinci's St Jerome, among other things.

We will cover all the traditional highlights of the museums, including the Laocoon, Belvedere Torso, Gallery of the Tapestries, Gallery of Maps, and (if open) the Etruscan or Egyptian collection.

The highlight of the day, of course, will be Michaelangelo's fresco paintings in the newly-restored Sistine Chapel. You'll understand them so well when you come out that you'll be showing off to your friends what you've learned!

By popular request I've added a climb inside the massive dome over St Peter's Basilica. The view from the top is by far the highest in Rome and is truly breathtaking! Note: an elevator takes us the first 26 floors, but you need to be able to walk the equivalent of 10 stories once there. The stairs are shallow and there are places to rest; it's not particularly demanding if you are in decent shape, but if you have a weak heart you may want wait for us here.

When we return to the ground the tour will finish with a walk inside St Peter's Basilica, and you will have the option of staying for the 5pm mass, otherwise I will take you outside and you will finish the tour with questions and answers.

This has always been my most popular tour and it's a fantastic way to get what is essentially a private vatican tour....but at a fraction of the cost!

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