Includes
Ticket validity: 1 Day
Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums Guided Tour Highlights
Explore the Vatican Museums with an expert. Around City Time Tours offer a 2.5-hour guided tour throughout the Vatican Museums complex, with a special focus on the Sistine Chapel . Discover Michaelangelo's luminous frescoes The Sistine Chapel Ceiling and The Last Judgement. Explore the Borgia Apartments, the Gallery of Maps, the Raphael Rooms, the Sala Rotonda and see many more treasures with a dedicated guide. The Vatican Museums are a series of 54 galleries located inside Vatican City in Rome. The galleries display works from the enormous collection gathered by Popes throughout the centuries, with an emphasis on classical sculpture and Renaissance masterpieces. There are over 70,000 works in the collection, with 20,000 of them on display. The galleries are designed to be toured in consecutive succession, culminating in the Sistine Chapel.
More Info Read LessLive Guide
Experience the magic of the Vatican Museums with an expert live guide. You'll hear fascinating facts and stories about the artworks on display, and you'll gain valuable insight into the history of the Vatican museum complex and authority. Tours are conducted in English, French, Spanish or Italian, and last about 2.5 hours.
What You'll See
Your guide will lead you throught the Vatican Museum complex, with a special focus on Michaelangelo's masterpieces inside the Sistine Chapel.
Important Information
Tickets must be redeemed with a Big Bus Tours staff member prior to the tour so that you can select your preferred tour time (subject to availability) and language. Note that tours are not available on Sundays and public holidays. Please wear comfortable footwear, and dress apprpriately for your visit - low-cut or sleeveless tops, short skirts, shorts and hats are not permitted.
History of the Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums were established in February 1506 after Pope Julius II heard of a marble sculpture discovered in a vineyard near the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. He sent the artist-architect-sculptor-engineers Giuliano da Sangallo and Michelangelo Buonarroti to see the sculpture, which they quickly recommended he purchase from the vintner. The scultpure, now known as Laocoön and His Sons, depicts the Trojan priest Laocoön and his two sons being attacked by giant serpents. It was probably sculptured between 27 BC and 68 AD.