Vatican Small Group Tours

Discover the artistic treasures of the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel, and the majesty of St. Peter’s Basilica and its famous square – a notable example of Baroque architecture and town planning – on a tour of the Vatican City led by an expert guide. The Vatican has always been the most popular tourist destination in Rome and is almost always very crowded. For this reason, Walks Inside Rome organizes for you a series of Vatican Small Group Tours that allow you special access avoiding long queues thanks to skip-the-line tickets.

Rome and the Vatican City: a destination to be experienced in small groups

Rome, the capital of Italy, has some of the most popular and amazing tourist attractions to visit.

The Vatican City is certainly a must see on a trip to Rome, a place which holds the greatest secrets of Christianity. It is the smallest state in the world, yet it welcomes nearly 6 million tourists every year. However, it is unthinkable to see everything on your own, so an expert guide can help you simplify your visit and discover its most important areas.

It is an elaborate complex of extraordinary artworks, magnificent papal palaces, and lush landscaped gardens overlooked by Michelangelo’s mighty dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica. With a lot of good will and patience, you can visit it entirely in just one day.

The Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums are one of the largest museum complexes in the world and house one of the largest collections of art, archeology and ethno-anthropology created by the Popes over the centuries.

Located in the vast and magnificent Vatican Palace, with more than 7 kilometers of galleries to explore, the museums bring together thousands of masterpieces, paintings and sculptures and welcome more than 4 million visitors a year. In fact, they collect some of the most famous masterpieces from around the world and some of the works of the most famous artists of all time, including Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Bernini, Botticelli, Raphael, Caravaggio, Giotto and hundreds of others.

The Sistine Chapel

The highlight of your tour through the Vatican Museums will be a visit to the Sistine Chapel – whose name derives from its founder, Pope Sixtus IV. The imposing 15th-century Sistine Chapel ceiling was painted by Michelangelo in the 16th century and represents the story of creation and the flood. Also noteworthy are the walls with the paintings on the life of Jesus made by Ghirlandaio, Botticelli, Perugino and Pinturicchio. On the wall behind the altar stands “The Last Judgment”, the painting by Michelangelo.

The Sistine Chapel owes its fame to the space the cardinals use for their conclave when choosing a new pope. When a new pope is elected, smoke rises from the chapel chimney twice a day. White smoke indicates that the new pope has been elected, black smoke indicates that the cardinals have not yet fulfilled their mission.

St. Peter’s Basilica

St. Peter’s Basilica, the beating heart of the Vatican and the seat of the Holy See, is the the most important Catholic church as well as one of the largest buildings in the world. It is 218 meters long and 132.30 meters high up to the dome, the total area is about 23,000 square meters and can accommodate up to 60,000 people. The Pope celebrates the most important liturgies there.

Its name derives from the first Pope in history, St. Peter, whose body is buried in the basilica. Among the most beautiful works that can be admired inside we remember:

• Bernini’s Baldacchino


• Michelangelo’s La Pietà


• The chair of St. Peter

Do not miss the climb to the Dome, from where you can admire St. Peter’s Square and to discover the magnificent panorama of Rome.

Come and discover the Vatican City with Walks Inside Rome

Walks Inside Rome is a travel agency located in Rome which for more than 20 years has been specializing in a variety of exciting, engaging, and educational guided tours and day trips in Rome and other Italy’s destinations.

Thanks to a historic partnership with the Vatican City, with us you can explore the Vatican‘s exceptional collection before the masses arrive, in small groups of 10-12 people that guarantees personalized attention from your knowledgeable, licensed guide. In addition to benefiting from a skip-the-line entrance ticket that will save you hours of waiting, you will also be given all the historical and cultural information essential to understand the history of the monument.

To check out our catalogue of tours and experiences, visit our website or contact us directly. We look forward to meeting you soon so we can start exploring Italy together