CultureHikingHistorical

Wheelchair Accessible Private Vatican Museums Tour

5(1 review)Rome, Italy
4hDurationPortuguese, English, Italian, SpanishOffered inMobile ticketTicketNot includedPickupWheelchair accessibleAccessibilityModerateLevel

About this experience

This private tour of the Vatican is wheelchair accessible and lasts for 3 to 5 hours, tailored to different interests. Participants will visit the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica, accompanied by a knowledgeable guide. The 4-hour option covers all three sites, while the 5-hour option allows for more in-depth exploration of the Museums. A 3-hour tour can focus on just the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica or on the Museums and Sistine Chapel. The tour includes audio headsets for groups of six or more and is suitable for those with disabilities.

Itinerary

1

Vatican Museums

Start your tour at the renowned Vatican Museums. Aside from being the home of the Pope, Vatican City is also home to the Vatican Museums, the world's largest collection of art with 9 miles of artworks that wrap around the Vatican walls 4½ times. It contains 54 museums, 1,400 rooms, chapels, and galleries. Aside from the renowned Sistine Chapel, the museums also display the only work of Leonardo da Vinci in Rome, along with masterpieces by St. Jerome, the Raphael Rooms, and the Pinacoteca, which houses collections of the Popes dating back to the Middle Ages and arranged in chronological order.

2

Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel is possibly the most well-known masterpiece in modern day, with over 5 million visitors per year. It was a project the artist took on reluctantly because his focus was sculpture, and he would often complain about the physical toll it took on his body. It is said that the design of the chapel from Pope Sixtus IV is modeled after Solomon's Temple from the Old Testament, measuring just larger than a professional basketball court! There are many more frescoes to admire here from other artists, including Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pietro Perugino, Cosimo Roselli, and Sandro Botticelli.

3

St. Peter's Basilica

You will head through a secret entry into our last stop on the tour, St. Peter's Basilica, the largest basilica in the world, with markings inside the church showing that every other basilica could fit within it. Visitors are welcomed by Michelangelo's Pietà at the entrance, followed by magnificent mosaics and Bernini's Baldacchino, which stands 96 feet tall and weighs 100,000 pounds of bronze. Surprisingly, there is only one actual painting inside the Basilica, which can be spotted hanging above the Pietà. Many Popes are buried within the church or are on display, while most are buried beneath the Basilica, including St. Peter, the first Pope.

What's included / not included

Ear phones are included for groups of 6 or more
Bottled waterPrivate transportationWheelchair is not providedWheelchair Assistant is not provided

Additional information

Accessibility and comfort

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Good to know

  • If you hold a valid Disability Certificate, please bring it with you on the day of your visit. If you are unable to present one, please notify us before your tour.
  • Entry to St. Peter's Basilica is subject to availability and may be restricted or closed without prior notice due to religious ceremonies, papal events, or Vatican regulations. If access is unavailable, your guide will extend the tour within the Vatican Museums instead. No refunds or partial refunds will be provided.
  • Wheelchair assistant: If a wheelchair pusher is required, please let us know and we will arrange a wheelchair assistant at the rate of 20€/hour-
  • Pick up and Drop-off Service: If you require a wheelchair accessible vehicle to pick you up and/or drop off after the tour ends, please let us know and we will arrange it if possible
  • For groups of more than 6 guests, some areas of the Museums may have access limitations. At a certain point, the wheelchair user and one companion will take a special accessible route to the Sistine Chapel, reaching it in approximately 10 minutes. The rest of the group will follow the standard route, which takes around 30 minutes, so the group will be briefly separated. A similar arrangement applies for access to St. Peter’s Basilica, with a dedicated accessible route for the wheelchair user and companion.
  • There is a dress code for entry into the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You will be refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
  • If it is raining carry umbrellas that are compact and can be folded and not ones that have sharp pokey end. The long one give by your hotels will have to be checked into the cloakroom of the museum and involves a 1 km walk to get it back again.
  • Do mention your preferred start time for the tour & we will accommodate it depending on the availability of the tickets & guides.
  • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
  • The tour ends in front of the Basilica. You can spend more time inside the Basilica but you cannot go back to the Sistine Chapel nor the Museum.
  • Photography is permitted in most rooms but without flash. Photography inside the Sistine Chapel is prohibited.

Traveller reviews

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