Visiting the Vatican, especially for the first time can be quite overwhelming. Often taking a tour can ensure that you see the most important parts of the museums while avoiding the major lines entering into the Vatican. After working as a tour guide at the Vatican and then founding (and later selling) my own tour company, I have been able to lead and listen to tours of the Vatican for nearly 15 years. Trust me when I say that I have seen both amazing and disappointing tour guides.
There are so many choices out there for semi-private and group visits, but here are six of the best Vatican tour companies to use.
The Tour Guy started in Rome and has since expanded to multiple European cities because they offer really fun and educational tours for great value. Whether you want to spend the entire day in the Vatican, just see the highlights, or visit the Vatican with kids, they have a range of customizable tours available. I really like the Tour Guy because they also include the Vatican in their epic one-day tour of Rome, so you can see everything even with a limited amount of time. With an average of 5 stars for all their Vatican tours and great customer service, you really can’t go wrong.
City Wonders is a tour company that has been running for over 15 years. They provide skip-the-line tours and also have a special agreement allowing you to enter the Vatican an hour and a half earlier than the general public allowing you to see the museums and the Sistine Chapel while avoiding the large crowds. Over 1.5 million people have experienced a tour with City Wonders. Their prices range from $58.29 to as much as $320+ depending on what you would like to experience on your Vatican trip. To see all of their options for your Vatican visit click here. City Wonders is ranked 191 of 1,666 on Tripadvisor for Rome tours with a total of over 27,000 reviews overall.
Through Eternity was founded by Rob Allyn in 1999 making his mission to offer visitors to Italy a richer experience than anything else out there. They have been recommended by Rick Steves and Forbes Magazine. Through Eternity offer a number of different Vatican tours from virtual tours to group tours and private tours. Their prices range from as little as €20 to €129 euro a person and they also offer student prices. You can see the options for their Vatican tours here. They can be contacted at office@througheternity.com or you can phone them at +39067009336. Their office hours are Mon-Sat 7:00 am – 6:30 pm (CET). They are ranked 34 of 1,666 for Rome tours on Tripadvisor.
LivItaly is a family-run operation and offers tours in over 25 different cities around Italy. They started in 2009 and have been recommended by The Guardian, Forbes, and Fodor’s Travel among others. LivItaly never has more than 6 people in a group. They offer Vatican tours from €79 to as much as €1,029 that range from a skip-the-line tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel to private Vatican after-hours tours and VIP breakfast and Museums Tours. To see their vast range of Vatican tours click here. You can also phone them at +393313076529 or email them at info@livtours.com. On Tripadvisor they are ranked number 2 of 287 for tours of Vatican City so any tour you select is sure to be exceptional.
Walks of Italy
Walks of Italy was originally started by two young men with a passion to give tours of the Colosseum in Rome. They soon realized their passion for all things Roman including the Vatican despite that it is technically a separate country. The tour company has now expanded around the globe. Their prices for the Vatican are quite reasonable ranging from 55 to 160 dollars depending on what you would like to see and if you would prefer larger or smaller group tours. To see their Vatican tour options click here https://www.walksofitaly.com/vatican-tours/. They can be emailed at info@takewalks.com. You can also view their website here www.walksofitaly.com
Fully Private Guide Experience: Eyes Of Rome
Eyes of Rome concentrate mostly on giving private tours setting the pace of the tour to their clients preference. The company was founded by three friends back in 2005 and today offers many tours around Rome including Vatican City. Because they only provide private tours their price range is usually over €350. The tour avoids all lines and minimum crowds throughout the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. You can phone Eyes of Rome Tours at +390645503948 or you can email them at info@eyesofrome.com. To see what they offer for Vatican tours click here.
