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Lazio Museums & exhibitions

Our most recommended Lazio Museums & exhibitions

Rome: Turning the Lights on at the Vatican Museums

1. Rome: Turning the Lights on at the Vatican Museums

Almost every morning for the past decade, Gianni has led the team with the massive task of opening up the 24 interconnected galleries, museums, and chapels that make up the Vatican Museums. With a small group, join him on his morning routine to open the doors to some of the world’s most renowned artworks. Hear the sounds of the ancient locks turning as you hold the keys, and see the historic rooms go from dark to light as you flick the switch. Discover the Vatican Museums and their treasures in a way no other visitor can. As you explore, listen to Gianni’s experiences and anecdotes of his time as head clavigero, as well as the stories behind some of the 20,000 pieces on display. In the calmness of dawn, you'll have the chance to see the most impressive spaces, as well as those not open to the public. After your tour, head to the Cortile della Pigna to tuck into a delicious breakfast consisting of a croissant or pain au chocolat, pancakes with peanut butter or marmalade, an orange or apple juice, and a tea or coffee.

Vatican: Museums & Sistine Chapel Entrance Ticket

2. Vatican: Museums & Sistine Chapel Entrance Ticket

Take a stirring journey through art and religious history with skip-the-ticket-line entry to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Avoid the long ticket lines and then enjoy your visit at your own pace.  Wander through the Greek Cross Gallery to see elaborately-carved sarcophagi that might just contain the earthly remains of some of antiquity's famous kings and queens. Peek at the Cabinet of the Masks, or tour the Sala degli Animali to see a virtual menagerie of fantastic beasts, real and imagined. Walk the Upper Galleries, including the Gallery of Maps, to see how cartographers depicted the world through the ages. See masterpieces by Renaissance masters in the Raphael Rooms, and rest for a while in the Borgia Apartments. Then, it’s time to marvel at Michelangelo’s exquisite Sistine Chapel, the crown jewel of the Vatican, and perhaps even of all the world’s art treasures.

Rome: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Tour with St. Peter's

3. Rome: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Tour with St. Peter's

Discover the art collection inside the Vatican Museums on a tour with an art historian guide, with an optional entry to Castle Gandolfo and skip-the-line access to St Peter's Basilica for visits before lunchtime. Walk through the galleries and admire masterpieces by Michelangelo inside the Sistine Chapel.  Meet your guide, an art historian who will tell you all about the masterpieces you will be encountering. Hear fascinating facts and stories as you visit the Gallery of the Maps, the Gallery of the Tapestries, and the Gallery of the Candelabra. Round off the tour with by encountering the marvels of the Sistine Chapel, complete with frescoes by Michelangelo. Be awed by coming face-to-face with Michelangelo’s most famous artwork: The Last Judgement. On tours before 2:30 PM, take advantage of skip-the-line access to St. Peter's Basilica. You can also make the most of your experience by taking advantage of additional entry to Castle Gandolfo (if option selected).

Rome: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and Basilica Tour

4. Rome: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and Basilica Tour

Take a tour of one of the holiest sites in Christendom on this guided walking tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. First, visit the Pine Courtyard, Belvedere Courtyard, the Gallery of the Maps, Candelabra Gallery, Pio Clementino's Rooms, the Tapestry Gallery, Raphael Rooms (only on early morning tours), and the Sistine Chapel. Then, be led by an expert guide to some of the major attractions, as well as to some lesser-known spots that other tourists often miss. You will also get to see other galleries of the Vatican corridors. Finally, visit Michelangelo's Pietà at St. Peter's Basilica before concludig your tour at the Sistine Chapel.

Rome: Borghese Gallery Guided Tour

5. Rome: Borghese Gallery Guided Tour

Enjoy the Borghese Gallery and Villa Borghese Gardens in Rome with skip-the-line admission and a guided walking tour limited to 15 people. Take advantage of the option to pre-book your ticket, knowing that this popular attraction often sells out in advance. Secure your entrance to one of the world’s most beautiful art museums hosting the works of extraordinary artists. Once inside, admire Caravaggio’s most important paintings like Young Sick Bacchus, and Boy with a Basket of Fruit. You'll also see Bernini and Canova’s magnificent sculptures collection, including works like Apollo and Daphne and “Paolina Bonaparte, as well as Raffaello’s Entombment of Christ. Be led through the marvelous rooms of Casina Borghese, with its splendid frescoes, and discover the secrets, stories, and painting techniques behind the masterpieces in one of the world’s most beautiful art museums.

Rome: Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Reserved Entrance

6. Rome: Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Reserved Entrance

Take in the highlights of the Vatican Museums, from the Sistine Chapel to lesser-known gems of the collection. Visit the Hall of Maps, Pinecone Courtyard, Gallery of Tapestries, Gallery of Candelabra, and Raphael Rooms. Choose to add an open-top bus tour of the Vatican Gardens or an Italian breakfast. Redeem your voucher at the activity provider's office. Be taken by their staff to the Vatican Museums to get your official reserved ticket. Enjoy exploring at your own pace. Admire the immense art collection amassed by the Catholic Church, including Roman sculptures and Renaissance masterpieces. Visit the Sistine Chapel. Admire the details you have heard about, including Michelangelo’s boneless self-portrait, in which he expresses to the world that he would rather be skinned alive than paint the Sistine Chapel again. See what it takes to create a fresco and appreciate the work up close. Depending on the option chosen, then take a panoramic open-top bus around the Vatican Gardens. Listen to the multi-lingual audioguide to learn their secrets. Marvel at the elegant fountains and the sculptures as you tour the gardens.

Vatican City: Sistine Chapel Tour with Basilica Access

7. Vatican City: Sistine Chapel Tour with Basilica Access

Enter the Vatican Museums without the wait on this skip-the-line tour of the Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and the Raphael Rooms. Admire masterpieces by Michelangelo and Raphael and learn from an official tour guide. Skip the lines for faster entry to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel and become an expert in the history of the art and culture on display as you listen to your tour guide and your audio headsets. See the marvelous artwork of Raphael and Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, Giotto, Leonardo, and Caravaggio in the Pinacoteca, and van Gogh, Matisse, and Moore in the area dedicated to contemporary art.  Encounter the greatest masterpieces of classical antiquity, visit the Etruscan and Egyptian Museums with collections that span centuries, and see the non-European collections in the Ethnological Museum.

Rome: Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter Tour

8. Rome: Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter Tour

Be led behind the doors of Catholicism in the holy Vatican City on an early entry walking tour. Avoid crowds and lines and experience the Vatican with the comfort of a very small group. Go on a journey made of mesmerizing history, breathtaking masterpieces, and mysticism led by an expert in art and religion. Enjoy your skip-the-line entrance and follow a tour guide on a visit to the Vatican Museum, a chest of countless masterpieces including the astonishing gallery of statues, the interesting gallery of maps, the gallery of tapestries, and the Raphaels rooms. Learn about the great artists who helped to intricately embellish one of the most fascinating sovereign states in the world. Enter the Sistine Chapel and lift your head up to one of the most admired ceilings in the world. Immerse yourself in The Last Judgment, the seemingly never-ending fresco magnificently adorned by Michelangelo’s life-like, potent figures of Adam, God, and many saints. Try to spot the artist’s self-portrait on the torso of Saint Peter. Explore the inside of St. Peter’s Basilica. Marvel at the incredible mosaics, Michelangelo’s Pietà, and Bernini’s Baldachin in all their glory.

Rome: Official Guided Tour of the Catacombs of St. Callixtus

9. Rome: Official Guided Tour of the Catacombs of St. Callixtus

Uncover the secrets of ancient Rome, hidden in its underground cemeteries. Join a guided tour of the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, excavated by the Christians between the 3rd and 5th centuries. Learn about the mysterious origins of this site and its rediscovery in the modern era. Enter the crypt of the 3rd-century Popes, where 5 of the 9 tombstones of Rome's bishops who were buried here are still preserved. Then admire a slab of marble where some famous verses of Pope Damasus were engraved. Next, cross a narrow arch and enter the crypt where St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music, was first buried. Be inspired by her history while contemplating the crypt's decorative frescoes and a copy of the statue made by Maderno, depicting the martyr's body when a reconnaissance was made in 1599. From the crypt of Santa Cecilia, continue your tour through the oldest part of the catacomb. Admire its majestic galleries and the beautiful cubicles of "sacraments". Finally, walk through the maze of tunnels dug in peacetime, trying to find your way out. Along the way, see various archaeological finds of funeral furniture before coming up to see the sunlight again.

Rome: Borghese Gallery Skip-the-Line Ticket & Golf Cart Ride

10. Rome: Borghese Gallery Skip-the-Line Ticket & Golf Cart Ride

When in Rome, a visit to the Borghese Gallery is a must. Explore the beautiful complex and see masterpieces by some of history's most renowned artists. Avoid waiting around with skip-the-line access and discover afterward the grounds as you ride in a golf cart or take a stroll at your own pace. Meet your host at the main entrance to the gallery and pick up your tickets. Then, head inside where a vast collection of world-famous artworks await you. Beat the cue with your skip-the-line tickets, giving you more time to check out the exhibits and artworks. Explore the gallery at your own pace and spend time with the artworks that appeal to you most. Admire sculptures and paintings from icons of the art world including Canova, Caravaggio, and Bernini. Some of the highlights of the gallery include Canova’s Representation of Pauline Bonaparte, Caravaggio’s David with the Head of Goliath, Raphael’s The Deposition, and Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne. After the gallery, step outside and hop on board a golf cart for a tour of Villa Borghese. Sit back and relax as you travel through the tranquil gardens of the villa and marvel at the Fountain of the Sea Horses, the water clock, the Temple of Diana, and the Piazza di Siena. You can also enjoy a walk around the gardens, take some photos of the breathtaking view from the Pincio Terrace, and have a look at the onsite cinema museum.

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What people are saying about Lazio

My husband and I were *blown away* by this tour - our tour guide (I'm so sorry we didn't catch her name) was absolutely phenomenal, and made this tour one of the highlights of our entire trip to Italy (5 cities). She enthrallingly made each work of art come to life, with the story behind it, the artist's life and so many interesting facts. It was almost a performance vs a regular tour, but one we could not get over. Her knowledge and delivery were absolutely incredible, though I did have some trouble understanding her accent at times. That still wouldn't take a star away from this being an outstanding tour, and each of the other people on our tour made sure to tell her how incredible a job she did before we left, with extra emphasis. We would highly recommend this tour!

Deborah was fantastic. The best tour guide we had all weekend in Rome. Knowledgable, in control, took us to all the best parts. Couldn’t have asked for better. Perfect!

It was an amazing experience. Our guide was Marianne and she was fantastic. She had a ton of great information and was a very fun guide.

Our Guide, Lindsy(?) from Netherlands was amazing and very passionate about the tour and content and stories etc.

Great tour, great guide. Place itself was very growded, so it was convenient to visit with the guide.