Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter group tour

Discover one of the greatest art collections in the world on a 3-hour tour of the Vatican. With this handy skip-the-line ticket you'll jump straight to the front of the notoriously long queues to purchase your entrance tickets before setting off on a guided tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. Built on the site where St. Peter was martyred and buried, the Vatican later became the official residence of the popes.

Your tour starts in the Vatican Museum with the Pine Courtyard, named after a bronze pine cone from an ancient fountain. Marvel at the Belvedere Courtyard and Octagonal, where the ancient statue of “Laocoön and His Sons” is located. See the massive marble candelabra and marble columns of the Gallery of the Candelabra, and admire the classical statues of the Pio Clementine Museum.

Look at stunning Flemish tapestries in the Tapestries Gallery. Next, go to Michelangelo’s miraculous Sistine Chapel and admire the frescoes of “The Last Judgment,” as well as scenes from Genesis.

End your tour inside St. Peter's Basilica, home to more than 100 art works, some of which were salvaged from the original 4th century basilica built by Constantine. Highlights of the cathedral include Bernini’s baldacchino beneath Michelangelo’s towering dome, and Michelangelo’s “Pieta” depicting the body of Jesus on the lap of Mary after the Crucifixion.