Official Vatican Tours

Lux in Arcana

2011-10-08T07:52:00.005+02:00

Between February and September 2012, some one hundred never seen before documents from the Vatican archives will be on display in the Capitoline Museums. 'Lux in Arcana - Secret Vatican Archives Revealed' (you can bet your bottom dollar they won't be for a long while yet), a thinly veiled attempt by the Vatican to proffer transparency in the public domain amidst ongoing debate about Pope Pius XII's unwillingness to help those who perished in the holocaust and final solution, which raged unchecked in the early years of his 1939 - 1958 papacy, may be worth a look.
A parchment with red wax seals from the English Parliament dates back to 1530, imploring Pope Clement VII to annul Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Permission was not granted, and the Church of England came into being. Missives from the trial of Galileo Galilei's 'heresy' will also see the light of day. However, only a miniscule quantity of documents have been tagged for the exhibition on Campidoglio, which serves only to propagate the intrigue and mystery which surrounds the secretive Vatican state. No one knows exactly where the closely guarded collection is located within the towering walls of the Vatican city, but we do know that it has existed for well over 1,000 years, ergo it stands to reason that they must be hiding something. We'll never know what, or why. It seems that the mythos surrounding Dan Brown's Angels and Demons is set to stand the test of time, and may not have been too wide of the mark of truth after all. We'll be extending our Vatican tours to include the exhibition early next year.

Vatican Tours in the Afternoon

2011-09-12T08:32:00.005+02:00

Group Walking Rome tours » Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel Afternoon tour

See all the important major works of art behind the Vatican City walls on an afternoon tour with 100% guaranteed skip the Vatican lines access and a native English speaking licensed guide. Explore the labyrinthine Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with an option to visit St. Peter's.

The When In Rome Tours Promise

** WE TAKE CARE OF YOUR VATICAN TICKETS WITH PRIORITY NO LINES ENTRANCE
** 45 Euro per person

No hidden costs.
English speaking guides.
Personalized assistance.
Original articles & top stories from Italy.
Free Rome orientation & maps at our office.

What You Will See

Our Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel afternoon tour covers arguably the most important collection of art in the world with more than 1,200 rooms. Highlights of the collection include the Raphael Rooms, Sistine Chapel and Ancient Roman and Greek pieces in the Belvedere Courtyard. The Sistine Chapel is located at the far end of the main galleries, so we have outlined the shortest possible way to get you there quickly while still covering the most important masterpieces on the way. Our guides provide a full background on the Sistine Chapel, from when it was commissioned to the finishing touches.

Tour Availability

Monday to Saturday excluding religious holidays. To check availability on a specific date, please use the link at the bottom of this page.

Meeting Point

2:30 PM April - October (11:00 AM November - March) at When In Rome Tours, Via Santamaura 21. We're just one block away from the Vatican Museums entrance. Our office is open Monday - Saturday from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

Tour Duration

2.5 hours

Pricing

45 Euro per person. You will skip the Vatican line. Children 10 and under are free, although children over 6 years will be expected to purchase an entrance to the Vatican Museums.

Current Promotions

Buy 3 get 1 free promotion details: for every 3 paying adults, 1 free guest may join this tour. To take advantage of this offer, simply fill out the booking form, excluding the free guest from the form. For example, if there are 4 in your party, enter '3' in the booking form. In the remarks section of the form, enter 'buy 3, get 1 free'. In the event of 6 paying adults, 2 may go free. Free guests must however pay for their entry ticket into the Vatican Museums.

Those who wish to spend time inside St. Peter's church on their own will be allowed to do so for as long as they like before leaving the Vatican.

Exclusions

Guide gratuity (optional).
Food, drink, and personal extras.

Additional Information

Once your booking is received, you will receive an automatic email from our website. Within the next 24 hours, a second and more detailed confirmation will be sent to you. There is a strict dress code at the Vatican. Shoulders and knees must be covered for both women and men. Capri pants are permitted, as long as knees are well covered. Sandals are considered appropriate. This tour is conducted as a walking tour, as no vehicles are allowed inside the Vatican. As a significant amount of walking is required, in the event of physical disabilities, we ask that you contact us before booking so that we can assess whether or not a wheelchair is needed.

This tour is a group tour (average 15 people). See our private Vatican tours options for more information on private guide service to the Vatican.

Book any three (3) of our private or group tours excluding those to Pompeii & Sorrento, and get one (1) Roma Pass free of charge! (Offer cannot be combined with any existing offers and/or discounts advertised on this website). Obviously this is not per person, it is per BOOKING of three or more tours as above, for which you will be offered ONE (1) FREE ROMA PASS.

Vatican tours in Rome can be very hit and miss, the vast majority of Vatican tour providers online are unlicensed and have no office premises. If you book any other Vatican tour online, please make sure that their meeting point is official, NOT on a street corner near the Vatican Museums which are spot checked by the police every hour. Our official office is located on Via Santamaura 21, just 100 metres from the Vatican Museums entrance. We are an official Vatican tours partner.

See the Vatican with the official Vatican Tours agency in Rome

2011-07-12T07:21:00.001+02:00

The easiest way to book an official Vatican tour online is at http://www.wheninrometours.com/Tours/Vatican-Tours/ or by visiting our office in person on Via Santamaura 21, which is less than 100 metres away from the Vatican Museums entrance. When In Rome Tours are the leading independent Vatican tours provider in Rome. All our tours of Rome and the rest of Italy are of an exceptionally high standard.

Official Vatican Tours

2011-05-09T17:02:00.001+02:00

Official Vatican tours? Few and far between on St. Peter's Square. You are almost guaranteed an unofficial Vatican tour if you book on any one of the vast majority of websites which sell unlicensed small group Vatican tours using unlicensed Vatican tour guides, all of whom meet on street corners close to the museums in order to avoid prying eyes.

For lots of useful information about official Vatican tours and visiting Rome in general, visit http://wheninrometours.wordpress.com/ and don't forget to rate or slate our articles!

New articles about Rome Tours and Vatican Tours

2011-03-13T15:02:00.000+01:00

    We've been writing away over at WordPress about new tours, old tours, and everything else!

    We published an article about wine tasting in Rome under the title Wine tours from Rome in the Castelli Romani region.

    A few days ago, Shore excursions to Rome from Civitavecchia discussed the quality of port transfers and tours into Rome from Civitavecchia organised by cruise line companies.

    Rome in a day or two? covers our most popular Rome city tours, both of which make sightseeing in Rome as comfortable as possible.

    Wine tours Rome looks at how we'll be extending our current Rome wine tour in the Castelli Romani to enoteche in the city and visits to other wine producing towns in Lazio.

    Vatican ticket prices may increase, again! if accusations of financial irregularities and allegations of money laundering in the Vatican bank are proven.

    Our Pompeii tours from Rome have been up and running for a few years now, and we've been writing about how our tour of Pompeii includes time spent in Naples and Sorrento.

    Vatican tours in Rome are important for us as our office is based 100 metres from the Vatican Museums entrance! In this article we return to our main website, When In Rome Tours, and detail Vatican tour options available to our customers. We do offer very interesting tours of the Vatican city, not the least of which being a trip down to see the Vatacombs; papal tombs beneath St. Peter's Basilica - they're an absolute must see!

    Tour guides in Rome are not uncommon! The problem for visitors to Rome is that their tour may end prematurely if their guide is not licensed. Most, if not all tour guides in Rome are good, some of them are brilliant - but that's not the point. What is the point is that officialdom in Rome has recently clamped down on unofficial tour guides. Only pay for tours of Rome from an agency with office premises in the city centre.

    Shore Excursions Rome have become popular, and not just with passengers arriving in Civitavecchia. Cruise ships to Rome are regarded as floating cashpoints by some of the bigger italian limo services and their ever-so-smart drivers. They've really hogged the limelight in recent years, and charge an arm and a leg for a quick drive (and some kind of tour) to Rome and back. This is a service standard in dire need of improvement and we are working extremely hard to improve it. Our own shore excursions to Rome from Civitavecchia and back are of a very high standard indeed. We now offer top quality Italy shore excursions and port transfers from Messina, Palermo, Venice and Livorno.

    We are hoping that our Vatican City tours this year will be as popular as ever, if not more so. Vatican tours Rome are far and away the most popular tourist attraction for visitors to Rome. Vatican City tours are unique in that the sheer volume of works of art in the Vatican Museums means that it is essential to book with the right tour agency. Always, always book your Vatican tours through a local agency. Booking online through a major tour operator (broker), accustomed to hiring freelance guides they've never met to greet their customers on a street near the Vatican they've never even seen will only end in tears!

    Trip Advisor Rome used to be a paragon of virtue in so far as reviews of Rome and Vatican tours were concerned, but now, no one cares. Their website is a paradise for newbie Rome tourism webmasters to write their own way to the top.

    Ostia tours, Tivoli tours are both new at When In Rome Tours. The former a trip towards the Tyrrhenian coast followed by 3 hours of intensive archaeological exploration, the latter a more relaxing experience altogether spent in the gardens of Villa d'Este, Hadrian’s villa and Villa Gregoriano.

    Sightseeing in Rome is easier said than done! Where to begin? We've given you a head start by talking about garden tours of Rome, Stadio Olimpico tours, Rome's parks and added a few more words about Tivoli, but don't let us cramp your style! Visit this website to read about the real beauty of Rome.

    Just to close this first chapter about our writings on WordPress, it is well worth pointing out that Vatican tours, and how (and by whom) they are blogged about online, is very important for visitors to Rome thinking about booking a private Vatican tour. Please visit us at http://wheninrometours.wordpress.com/ and read up on Rome!

Vatican Tickets and Rugby in Rome

2011-02-13T14:39:00.000+01:00

We're in the low season. Rome in February is a curious thing; mosquitoes are making a comeback, weather is improving on the quiet and while the number of tourists in town seems to be set fair, it's actually borderline negligible. Perhaps its not just tourism in need of a boost. It was interesting to note at the weekend that Irish pubs across Rome were almost empty of Irishmen, and there are thousands of them who live here. They were out in force to watch English football's greatest derby (Man U v Man C), and England Rugby's destruction of Italy in the Six Nations at Twickers on Saturday, but no sign of any of them on Sunday bar a token gathering in the Rack and a family affair in the Den. Finnegans was fun as ever, but there were almost as many Lazio fans watching their team win in Brescia as there were Italians supporting Ireland (zzzzzz). Born Irish? Well, it was a very poor do indeed. We had the pleasure of meeting a group of rugby fans from Devon in England before the Ireland France match. Most of the discussion was about small group Vatican tours on Monday and Vatican ticket prices, they weren't exactly running to the pub to watch the opposition injure each other for the greater good.