Exclusive Sistine Chapel After Hours Small Group Tour

Exclusive Vatican After Hours Small Group Tour Description

Your 2-hour tour includes:

• After-hours entry to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel

• Expert guide providing in-depth commentary

• Terrace overlooking St.Peter's Basilica

• The Pinecone Courtyard

• Visit to the Raphael Rooms, Gallery of Maps, and Upper Galleries

• Pio-Clementino Museum (6:30pm option only)

• Exclusive opening of the Sistine Chapel Door

• Time to soak in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel masterpieces

Explore the Vatican After Closing Time — Two Ways to Experience It

Choose between two exclusive start times for this epic adventure. With the 6:15pm option, you’ll enter the museums just after the last public entrance, and by 7pm, enjoy 90 minutes of near-total solitude.
Or, select the 7:15pm option for a truly private experience — two full hours with the Vatican to yourself, long after the crowds have gone.

During the day, the Vatican Museums are packed with thousands of visitors. Your expert guide will lead your small group through galleries filled with masterpieces, offering insights into the art, history, and papal legacy that shaped this collection. Here are the dates available in 2025 for the exclusive once-in-a-lifetime experience:

• Monday 23 June at 7.30 pm

• Tuesday 1 July at 7.30 pm

• Tuesday 8 July at 6.30 pm

• Friday 26 September at 6.30 pm

• Monday 29 September at 7.30 pm

• Friday 3 October at 7.30 pm

• Friday 10 October at 6.30 pm

Without the Crowds

Step onto the terrace overlooking St. Peter’s Basilica, where the world feels still and the view is yours alone. Only on this tour will you experience the Basilica’s vastness without a single crowd to block your gaze. It’s the perfect moment for breathtaking photos — the kind that become family treasures or grace Christmas cards for years to come.

Pio Clementino Museum ( only on 6.30pm tour)

Next, ascend to a series of rooms that, during the day, are packed shoulder to shoulder — but now, they’re yours alone to explore. Take your time with masterpieces of ancient sculpture, the very works that once stopped Michelangelo in his tracks. These statues shaped his vision, leaving a mark that would echo across his art, including the Sistine Chapel itself.

Enjoy ancient masterpieces like the Laocoön, the Belvedere Torso, and Nero’s massive bath carved from imperial marble — treasures once reserved for emperors themselves. Each piece carries the weight of centuries, a silent witness to the grandeur and ambition that shaped Rome. Standing before them now, in the quiet of the empty galleries, you’ll feel history almost breathing around you.

Galleries of History

With no crowds in sight, your guide will lead you through the Candelabra Gallery, the Gallery of Tapestries, and the Gallery of Maps — empty halls that are now yours to explore. Admire ancient Roman and Greek statues, intricate Flemish tapestries crafted by Raphael’s students, and the vast, hand-painted maps commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII, all in complete silence.

Where thousands pass through during the day, you’ll have space to linger, reflect, and truly take in the beauty. As you move through the empty corridors, your guide will unveil the stories behind these masterpieces, making the Vatican feel like your own private world.

A Journey Through the Renaissance

Marvel at the frescoes of the Raphael Rooms, where the great artist’s The School of Athens stands as one of the Renaissance’s most celebrated works. In the Gallery of Maps, take in the intricate cartographic artistry that once guided popes through their vast territories.

The Sistine Chapel—A Rare, Crowd-Free Experience

The highlight of the evening awaits as you step into the Sistine Chapel with your small group. In the stillness of the night, admire Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment as they were meant to be seen—without the usual rush of daytime crowds. Your guide will share the stories behind these masterpieces, offering a deeper appreciation of their significance.

An Exclusive Vatican Experience Like No Other

Unlike standard tours, this after-hours visit offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience the Vatican’s artistic treasures in near silence. Without the distractions of large crowds, you’ll have uninterrupted views of some of the world’s greatest masterpieces. Whether you’re a history enthusiast, an art lover, or simply seeking a more intimate encounter with the Vatican, this small group tour ensures a truly unforgettable evening.

The highlight of the evening awaits as you step into the Sistine Chapel with your small group. When you arrive, the doors to the Chapel will still be closed, and you’ll witness them open just for you, revealing a completely empty, sacred space. In the stillness of the night, admire Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment as they were meant to be seen—without the usual rush of daytime crowds. Your guide will share the stories behind these masterpieces, offering a deeper appreciation of their significance.