

The Vatican City, the world's smallest country, is home to the renowned Vatican Museums. These museums house some of the world's most famous art and architecture, including the Sistine Chapel, the Basilica of St. Peter, and the Vatican Library. A visit to the Vatican Museums is a must for anyone interested in art, history, and architecture.
Explore the full itinerary for Skip the Line: Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel + Optional Basilica in Rome, Italy. This historical & heritage tours experience includes 7 stops over 1 day. Duration: 2 hours. Activity level: Extreme.

Visit the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel on your own or with a guide (if option selected). Tickets provide skip the line access.

Explore one of the Vatican's many open air courtyards. This one is decorated with a giant bronze pinecone sculpture, giving the courtyard its name.

The Vatican Museums are divided into many smaller, unique museums. Among them, the Museo Pio Clementino is likely the most important, and the many highlights it contains cannot be missed! Stop at the Octagonal Courtyard for the Laocoonte and the Apollo Belvedere -- or the Round Room for the giant marble bathtub patrolled by an enormous bronze statue of Heracles. Spot a sculpture of your favorite fauna at the Room of the Animals, or just marvel at the 3D painted vaults of the Gallery of the Candelabra.

One of the most popular galleries of the Museums, make a stop here and try to spot the Italian cities you have travelled to, or your ancestor's hometown. These hand-painted maps, dating to the late 1500's, can also be admired for the exquisite attention to detail and embellishments. See if you can spot the nod to Christopher Columbus' voyage across the Atlantic...

Admire Raphael's Rooms -- painted by the master himself and his pupils around the same time as the Sistine Chapel -- and inspired and challenged by Michelangelo's greatest masterpiece.

Michelangelo's masterpiece, take time to admire the vaults.

Only for tours where the option to access St. Peter's Basilica is selected in the booking process, access directly from the Sistine Chapel to the Basilica, skipping the outside security lines, will be provided. Your tour will end at the entrance to the Basilica and, after an introduction, you will be free to explore on your own inside.