“Early Entrance Vatican – Linda – New York
LivItaly’s Vatican Early Entrance Small Group Tour is ideal for people who want to get an early start on their day and get the very best of Vatican City . Just as the name suggests, people who sign up for this tour get to enter the Vatican Museums one entire hour before the general public. Take in the majesty of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel in total peace before the crowds start pouring in. Since all LivItaly small tour groups have no more than six people, you will have plenty of time to admire the Vatican’s many treasures with your local guide navigating through this 9-mile long museum so you get to see the highlights and recommend rooms and collections to save for a later date. Your tour will end in the most famous church in the world – St. Peter’s Basilica .
This small group tour is perfect to experience the best of the Vatican without having to battle hordes of tourists.
About Your Vatican Early Entrance Small Group Tour Your tour begins at 7.30AM near the Vatican Museums entrance. Here you’ll meet your expert tour guide who will let you into the museums one hour before they officially open and you will be immediately guided through the empty Vatican Museum hallways straight to the first stop – Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Since this chapel is the number one attraction in the Vatican, LivItaly believes it’s important to give guests the time and space they need to fully appreciate it. You’ll get a rare opportunity to admire Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes and Last Judgment without having to deal with the surge of crowds by your side.
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After you’re finished learning all about Michelangelo’s masterpiece, your guide will loop you back into the Vatican Museums to the beginning of this amazing art collection and discover the highlights of the Vatican Museums with a Greek statues of the Laocoon , the Apollo Belvedere and the inspiring Belvedere Torso .
The small group tour of the Vatican led buy your expert LivItaly guide, will then walk up the stairs to the amazing galleries, from the Candelabra , to the Tapestries up to the world-known Gallery of Maps , the Renaissance version of Google Maps. A Vatican Tour cannot be complete without the Raphael Rooms of the apartments of Pope Julius II. Your small group of max 6 participants will be able to slip through the crowds easily and be in awe at the majesty of these newly cleaned Raphael frescoes.
Once you’re done in the Raphael Rooms, your guide will take you through the Sistine Chapel one more time before heading into Saint Peter’s Basilica. Admire the spaciousness of this basilica, which is the largest Catholic church in the entire world. A few of the glorious works of art you will get to see up close include Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s Baldacchino Altar . Before you leave St. Peter’s Basilica, your guide will tell you about the Papal Tombs, the Memorial of Pope Alexander VII, and tell you how to climb up to the top of the Dome. Conclude your Vatican tour by walking around Bernini’s celebrated Piazza San Pietro Square.
Highlights of Vatican Early Entrance Tour
As you could imagine, both the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel are crowded with tourists every day they’re open. It’s almost impossible to fully appreciate these masterworks as you’re being pushed and pulled by hundreds of visitors. That’s why this small group tour is such a great opportunity. You’ll get the space and time you need to soak in the majesty of Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes and the major works by Raphael. With your tour guide by your side, you’ll learn all the juicy stories behind the composition of these great works of Western art.
As of January 2, 2019 this Vatican Early Entrance Small Group Tour will ALSO feature exclusive access to the RAPHAEL ROOMS before they open to the general public. Guests will be privy to some of the most important artwork and rooms in the entire museum – all without the rush of crowds around them. The sixteenth century Raphael Rooms were painted by the great High Renaissance artists by Pope Julius II to adorn the walls of his apartment with the Vatican. Your LivItaly Vatican Early Entrance Small Group Tour will take you through to see these and right after the glorious Sistine Chapel so you see the most important Vatican highlights before the museum even opens!
Why Book Vatican Early Entrance Small Group Tour
PLEASE NOTE:
*Wish to tour the Vatican Museums in the afternoon? Check our our Vatican & Sistine Chapel Small Group Tour offered every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 2,30 pm here.
*Guests with wheelchair accessibility needs will find difficulty with this small group tour. In order to ensure a barrier-free tour with alternative routes, please book the private version of the Vatican Tour with Early Entrance .
* Please be aware that the Sistine Chapel is a Holy Place and talking during your visit inside is strictly forbidden. LivItaly’s Vatican Early Entrance Small Group Tour begins at 7.30AM, however the first 30 minutes of the tour are held outside of the Vatican Museums in order to give you a comprehensive explanation before entering the chapel.
LivItaly Tours is proud of our collaboration with the Vatican Museums, which allows us access one entire hour before the museums are open to the general public. We are however aware that the Vatican Museums are selling at maximum capacity to accommodate an extremely high demand in what is already high season. We have absolutely no control or insight into the number of collaborations the Vatican Museums deals with nor how many people it chooses to give early entrance to. Access into the museums a full hour before entry during high season is nevertheless highly recommended considering the immeasurable crowd sizes admitted once the doors open to the public.
We are firm in our mission to giving every one of our guests an entirely unique and comfortable experience, maintaining small group sizes to make it easier to navigate through this very busy (and sometimes overcrowded) period.
ABOUT OUR 6 PEOPLE SMALL GROUP POLICY
SAFETY REGULATIONS
Please note: Due to new health and safety regulations, the Vatican currently opens at 10am rather than 8am. Despite the later start, our early entrance tour is in all other ways identical to the 7:30am tour. By arriving 30 minutes before Vatican doors open, we get you into the museums first, so you can go directly to the Raphael rooms and the Sistine Chapel before the crowds and enjoy them with as few people as possible before your guide brings you for a thorough exploration of the Vatican museum collection.
Due to these unprecedented times and ongoing safety and regulation changes, some sites may have limited accessibility if the venue can not guarantee social distancing which may lead to unforeseen tour modifications. Thank you for your understanding.
LivTours’ group size of max 6 participants is and always has been based on sustainable travel and especially in these new times, we are proud to be at the forefront of the innovation, changes, and challenges that are presented to us during this post-pandemic time. At the moment, due to COVID-19 safety regulations, the museums and sites visited on this tour require wearing a mask while on the site. Please bring one for every participant over 6 years of age.
Our Early Entrance Tour lets you & your guide enter the Vatican Museums 1 hour before the general public!
