The Vatican City, St Peter’s Basilica, and Colosseum Tour | Special Access to Arena.
The Vatican Tours | With a maximum of 12 participants, this tour is as private and intimate as it gets.
Inclusions:
- Sistine Chapel
- Vatican Galleries
- St Peter’s Basilica
- Octagonal Courtyard
- Pinecone Courtyard
- Galleries – Tapestries| Maps| Candelabra
- Colosseum and Arena
- Roman Forum
- Palatine Hill
Itinerary
Semi-Private Tours – The Vatican City and Colosseum Tour Special Access to Arena
Six hrs. | Start 9.30 a.m. (First part of the Tour) | Participants: Max 12|
3.00 p.m. (Second part of the Tour)
Meeting Point: This Will be communicated at the time of booking.
If you have a few hours to spare in Rome and want to see the big-ticket attractions such as the Colosseum, including the arena floor, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Vatican Galleries, Sistine Chapel, and St Peter’s Basilica Tour is for you.
With a maximum of 24 participants, this Tour is as private and intimate as it gets. Your fully licensed guide is an expert on Ancient Rome and Vatican City, including in-depth art and history knowledge. Added to this Tour is a bonus Skip the line entrance tickets, which reduces queue time and allows visitors to spend more time inside the attractions!
Depending on the tour time selected, the group will meet the guide at either 8.30 a.m. or 9.30 a.m. There is a security check before you enter the Vatican Museums. During this period, your guide will highlight all the essential artworks to look out for in the Sistine Chapel, as visitors are not permitted to talk in the Chapel.
Vatican Museums
Highlights include:
Octagonal Courtyard
It is one of the oldest parts of the Vatican Museums. Several masterpieces are contained here, including Apollo of Belvedere.
Pinecone Courtyard
It is an ancient Roman fountain that has been moved several times before finding its permanent home in the Vatican Museums. The fountain, in the shape of a pine cone, is aesthetically perfect.
Gallery of Tapestries
The breathtaking ‘The Resurrection of Christ’ is displayed here. It is an artistic illusion at its best as you feel long after you have left the painting Jesus is staring at you in the eye.
Gallery of Maps
You will find great topographical maps of Italy commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII.
Gallery of Candelabra
Be greeted by a vast marble candelabra in this gallery and colored marble columns.
Sistine Chapel
The Tour then moves to the Sistine Chapel, explained earlier by your guide, and you will see Michelangelo’s spellbinding, frescoed ceilings. It was the height of the Renaissance period.
St Peter’s Basilica
The group enters St Peter’s Basilica through a VIP passageway only available to the Vatican tour. Here they will witness another famous artist – Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Bernini created a bronze canopy called a ‘Baldachin’ over the high altar. You will also view the frescoed ceiling painted by Michelangelo and his many other famous works.
After a short break, the Tour will continue at the Colosseum. The guide will advise the location of the meeting point.
Colosseum Arena
Your intimate group will be driven back to Ancient Rome and through a VIP gate, only reserved for gladiators, an entry will be made into the Colosseum. The guide will not only explain the history of the Colosseum but share colorful stories of the arena floor, which you will also have access to!
From there, you continue to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.
For a fun-filled day touring Rome escorted by a professional tour guide and learning about Rome and the Vatican, do not hesitate to book this Tour.
Important Reminder – Semi-Private Tours – The Vatican City and Colosseum Tour Special Access to Arena
- This Tour is not ideal for visitors who use wheelchairs as well as visitors with hearing disabilities. We are happy to organize private tours for wheelchair and hearing-disabled visitors. Please get in touch with us.
- There is a lot of walking, so please wear comfortable shoes as the ground can be somewhat uneven at the Colosseum.
- You will pass through airport-style security checks at the entrance of the Colosseum and the Vatican Museum, so please only carry a light backpack as many items are restricted (pointed umbrellas, large suitcases, and big backpacks, weapons, firearms, knives).
- It is possible only to bring an empty water bottle into the Colosseum; it is possible to fill your water bottle with the many fountains available inside.
- If the weather conditions deteriorate, the Colosseum officials may decide to close off the Dungeons and arena floor for visitor safety. In such an event, the group will enter via a different entrance and be guided to visit other Colosseum areas.
- There is a dress code to the Vatican that applies to children, too: Shoulders and knees must be covered!
- If St Peter’s Basilica is closed for a religious function at short notice as it is a working church, you will spend more time in the Vatican galleries with your guide.
- The Vatican Museums get rather busy during summer and after a bank holiday.
- This Tour is not available on Sundays or religious holidays.
