Alone in the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums, is it even possible? It is, with the exclusive Vatican Museums tour we recently joined.
There are many VIP tours of the Vatican Museums where you can enter in the morning before closing time or in the late afternoon once the gallery is closed. But the Alone in the Sistine Chapel & Vatican Museums experience we took with LivTours grants you exclusive access even before any VIP tour. This will allow you to walk the corridors of the Museums and enjoy the Sistine Chapel with only your small group and your tour guide.
I had the true pleasure of taking this tour recently and after having visited the Vatican Museums several times, I can’t deny this is a special experience.
The first time I went to the Vatican Museums, I was on a school trip and all I remembered of both the Sistine Chapel and the whole gallery when we left was the ceiling. It was so crowded that we could barely move. I was only 18 but quickly understood that that was no effective way to enjoy the art and history enshrined in such an important monument.
This is why I generally suggest booking a quality tour for those genuinely interested in digging into the Vatican Museums and going beyond blindly staring at the different masterpieces without quite understanding their meaning.
Alone in the Sistine Chapel & Vatican Museums tour – My full review + video!
Meeting point and entrance procedure
The meeting point for this fantastic experience is the entrance of the Vatican Museums. There will be no line so, together with your tour guide, you will be entering straight away.
At the entrance, you will be asked to place your jacket, bag, and camera on the metal detector and the guards will let you in. It’s a bit like at the airport, but the process is quite fast. Once the initial control is over, you will officially enter another country and your tour will begin taking you to the different halls and masterpieces.
Only you and your guide
I think this is one of the highlights of this exclusive private tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. You can actually hear what your guide says, you won’t need headphones, and you will be able to ask him/her questions and share your thoughts.
The concern of many travelers is to be dragged by the crowds and finally not be able to see much. Unfortunately, this is often the case. More so in the high season, but also in less busy times because the Vatican Museums is always one of the biggest draws in Rome.
The exclusivity of this experience run by LivTours is precisely this: there will be no other group, only yours and your expert local guide showing you around and answering all your questions. This is one of the aspects I particularly appreciated about this tour and that I think makes it worth booking.
Stories behind the masterpieces
We all know the Vatican Museums host many landmarks, but how much of the “behind the scenes” do we know? Our guide Davide was very knowledgeable and enriched our visit with all sorts of historical facts and anecdotes, from the private lives of artists and popes to the lesser-known technical aspects of the immortal masterpieces on display.
In total silence, we could admire the polychrome marble floors, the paintings, statues, and tapestry on display by the walls, the finely decorated ceilings, the doors, and every piece of ornament at our own pace.
We learned the whole process and technique Michelangelo put into place to paint the ceiling and the wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. We took our time admiring Raphael’s Rooms and the different characters of the famous frescoes. From time to time, we glanced at the Vatican Gardens and we even stopped in the rooms where centuries ago Leonardo Da Vinci lived for two years when he was studying in Rome.
I enjoyed having the chance to notice details I had previously overlooked, such as the large fresco portraying the 4th-century Constantinian Basilica where is now Saint Peter’s Basilica, and my hometown in Sardinia in the Gallery of the Maps.
End in style with breakfast
Since the tour starts so early, chances are you didn’t have any breakfast. To end it in style, LivTours will invite you for a scrumptious first meal of the day at the Vatican Museums cafè in the famous Pinecone Courtyard.
Practicalities + How to book
Private vs semi-private – How it works
LivTours’ Alone in the Sistine Chapel & Vatican Museums Tour is offered in two formats: private and semi-private.
If you book the semi-private, you will be part of a group of a maximum of 10 people. If you book the private tour, it will be only your own family/group.
When the tour takes place – LIMITED DATES
Due to the very exclusive nature of this tour, its availability is extremely limited. Specifically, this year, it will take place on July 10th, 18th, 23rd, and 30th; on September 3rd, 16th, and 30th; on October 24th and 29th; and on December 30th.
If you are interested in this one-of-a-kind experience, make sure to book early to secure your spot.
How much
This is a very exclusive tour so it’s not a cheap one.
The price for the semi-private option is 449€ per person. For students with a valid student ID, it’s 444€, for teenagers aged 13-17, it’s 439€, while for children between 3 and 12 years of age, it costs 434€.
The private format of LivTours’ Alone in the Sistine Chapel & Vatican Museums tour costs 5499€ for 2 participants. If you want to add more participants to your private group, it will cost 199€ for each additional adult, 194€ for each student, 189€ for each teenager, and 184€ for each child.
To both formats, it’s possible to add a St. Peter Basilica Tour with express access for an extra charge of 450€.
How to book
You can book both formats of this tour on the LivTours website.
Click here for the semi-private tour and here for the private experience.
If you are booking the semi-private tour, there will be a limit of 10 people and once the limit is reached, you won’t be able to add any other participant.
If you opt for the private format, you can add members at an extra cost but the whole tour will be only for your group. When booking the private tour, you will also have the option to book a one-way pick-up transfer service.
Where and how to meet
The meeting point is in front of the main entrance of the Vatican Museums in Viale Vaticano. You will see your guide holding the LivTours sign.
When to meet
The meeting time is 6.30 am so that you can start going through the metal detector and begin the tour on time.
How long
This private early morning Vatican tour takes 2 hours and 45 minutes.
My tips for a top experience alone in the Vatican
- Be on time. Make sure you show up right on time at 6.30 am sharp. This is crucial to be able to enjoy the experience of being alone in the Vatican before they open the doors to the standard VIP tours.
- Wear comfy shoes. It’s not a difficult path but you are likely to walk a lot so I suggest wearing a pair of comfortable shoes.
- Don’t carry professional photo gear. This is not allowed. I used my semi-professional DSLR Nikon D7100 and it was fine.
Check out my full guide to visiting the Vatican Museums for more tips.
Enjoy our video of the Alone in the Sistine Chapel & Vatican Museums Tour!
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