Best Vatican City Guided Tours – My Top 3 Picks
Have you ever dreamed of visiting the Vatican? Well, now might be a good time to realize this dream – and at a very reasonable price too. With professional, reliable guided Vatican tours you can discover all that the world’s smallest country has to offer in a unique and unforgettable way. Of course, choosing the right guided Vatican City tour can be challenging – luckily, I might just be able to help you with that!
Based on my own travel experiences, I have prepared a short list of the best guided tours in Vatican City and would like to share it with you. Which tour should you choose? Read on and find out!
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 Skip the Line |
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1st Place: GetYourGuide
 % Hasta 100€ | La Mejor
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 Calidad Precio | Calidad Precio
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 | La mejor de Tela
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 | Recomendación Barata
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 | Popular
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 | Para los que quieren ahorrar
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 | Para los que quieren ahorrar
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Although this company has a decent competitor in Viator, I must say that the guided Vatican City tours offered by GetYourGuide are still a tad above the services offered by the competitors. The tour guides I interacted with were all not only extremely knowledgeable, but also genuinely passionate about their work. Whenever I went on a little Vatican trip with GetYourGuide, the positive energy the guides radiated easily spread out to me and the other members of the tour, providing an experience that was not only knowledgable and memorable, but also genuinely wholesome.
Don’t think I am trying to imply the tours offered by Walks in Italy, or Viator are bad, they are worth checking out (especially Viator, in my opinion) – but I definitely enjoyed the tours hosted by GetYourGuide the most.
So, what, aside from the expert knowledge, can you get when signing up for a guided Vatican City tour with GetYourGuide? Well, you can certainly hope to skip all the lines and just enjoy exploring the Vatican with no need for unnecessary pauses. GetYourGuide also offers access to free wi-fi, and you won’t be suddenly charged any additional fees, or asked to cover a ticket price – the pricing is fair and affordable.
The one option that I would like to recommend the most is the Vatican Museums / St. Peter Basilica / Sistine Chapel, thanks to which you can experience three of the Vatican’s most famous landmarks during a single trip. The full tour will take you roughly about three hours, but it definitely is time well spent. Thanks to the historic beauty of all three landmarks, and your tour guide’s expert knowledge, you will be able to experience a truly unique trip. Keep in mind, however, that this particular tour might not be suitable for disabled people, as unfortunately even in 2024 many of the Vatican’s attractions still aren’t wheelchair friendly.
2nd Place: Viator
Viator is another solid company offering guided tours of Vatican City, and you can choose from a wide variety of options. Viator offers competent and experienced guides who can turn every tour into an incredible journey. Furthermore, Viator tours offer you the option to skip all the lines and go straight to exploring – which will no doubt enrich your experience and make it much more rewarding.
What exactly can you see thanks to a guided Vatican City tour with Viator? There are many options – , however, a tour that I would heavily recommend is the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica Guided Tour. I got to spend my day exploring the Vatican’s most iconic landmarks, and thanks to the very competent guide I was never bored or felt like I didn’t understand fully what was described to me.
Viator is no doubt a very experienced company, and I had a lot of fun on the tour they organized. That being said, it is not at the top of my list – while I would recommend traveling with Viator, I also found even better guided Vatican City tours and couldn’t be more happy about it.
3rd Place: Walks of Italy
Well, the Vatican isn’t technically in Italy, but don’t let this small detail confuse you: Walks of Italy is indeed offering guided tours of this historic place. With Walks of Italy you are able to choose from various options, thus customizing the experience and tailoring it to your needs. Guided tours such as the “Pristine Sistine Early Entrance Small Group Vacation Tour”, or the “Complete Vatican Tour” allow you to see iconic masterpieces, such as Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling, or Bernidini’s Baldachim. Walks of Italy also offers you the option to explore the well-known Vatican Museums, housing many incredible artifacts.
Guided Vatican City tours with Walks in Italy are always a good choice when you wish to learn more about the history, secrets, and traditions of the world’s smallest country. But remember – there are also various other companies for you to choose from, and the tours offered by Walks in Italy, while certainly high quality are, from my experience, a little bit less complex than the tours offered by the two other companies on my list.
Why should you go on a guided tour of Vatican City?
What can you expect if you decide to take the opportunity of participating in such a tour? Well, first of all, you get to discover all the wonders of Vatican City yourself, which is definitely a plus – and this can easily become a journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth for you. Vatican City is full of wonders, and each landmark is unique and has something completely different to offer.
During the tour, your guide wlll present you with detailed facts about each place you visit – and you get to ask questions too! Guided Vatican tours give you the opportunity to gain new knowledge, see incredible landmarks, develop yourself spiritually, and have fun while doing so! I can not stress enough how worth it is to participate in such a tour – this can truly be a life-changing experience.
Which Vatican City Guided Tours Are Worth It?
Each Vatican City tour is a bit different – and each experience is unique. That being said, I have some guided tours of Vatican City which are definitely worth recommending. Whether you want to check out the Sistine Chapel. St Peter’s Basilica, or something else – the options I provide below are definitely worth considering.
How to choose a good Vatican City guided tour?
Although price is obviously an important factor, it should never be the primary reason for choosing a given Vatican tour. Remember, not all tours are the same – focus on finding the one that suits your needs and preferences, and offers the opportunity to visit the places you have always dreamed of seeing. Consider also the characteristics of your planned trip: are you going to travel alone, with friends, or perhaps it is a family trip?
In my experience, the most complete and impressive Vatican City tours are offered by Getyourguide.com, however Viator is also a reliable alternative.
Remember – no matter which guided tour you choose, you NEED to dress appropriately. Vatican City is a religious site and it is crucial for you to dress modestly, no matter what gender you are – the dress code in the Vatican is pretty strict, and violating it might be seen as a sign of serious disrespect. Don’t worry though – if you adhere to a few basic rules, the time on your guided Vatican City tour will be well spent, and upon returning home you will remember it for many, many years to come.
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