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Vatican Museums + fresco painting workshop

Places visited (with skip-the-line tickets): 

  • Vatican Museums
  • Sistine Chapel
  • St. Peter’s Basilica
  • St. Peter’s Square

Activities:

  • Fresco-painting workshop

Duration: 2.5 hours (tour) + 1,5 hours (fresco lab). Please note: transfer time and snack time have to be considered in between

Difficulty: 3/3

Accessibility: all venues are accessible for wheelchairs and strollers – to enter St. Peter’s Basilica, strollers have to be left at the checkroom

Focus: Art, History, Hands-on Activity

Price: starting at € 180,00 plus workshop

I’m quite sure that as soon as your friends learned you were planning a trip to Rome, they all gave you one piece of advice: don’t miss the Vatican! And I have to agree: there’s hardly any other place in the world as packed with incredible art as the Vatican.

But – I have to be clear on this: there are locations which are way better suited for a kids-friendly tour than others. The crowds and the amount of walking required when visiting the Vatican Museums can be challenging for children. I love to engage kids in games and activities during tours, but due to the logistics of the place, this is a limited option at the Vatican. 

If you are looking for a kids-friendly tour, with the aim of making your kids love art by turning it into a fun, engaging and playful experience, I would advise to consider visiting less crowded venues like the Capitoline Museums or the Baths of Caracalla

On the other hand, I fully understand your wish to show the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica to your kids. No worries! After many years running kids-tours, we have come up with the perfect solution. On this tour, we focus on just a few items in the Museums, primarily the Sistine Chapel, and we combine the tour with a hands-on activity: have fun with your kids at our fresco-painting workshop!

It’s not just a tour, but a wonderful way to make some unforgettable family memories.

This is what we’ll do: we’ll enter the Museums with skip-the-line tickets, and I’ll give you an overview of the Sistine Chapel straight away, as long as you are still full of energy, telling you lots of stories and funny behind-the-scenes stuff about Michelangelo and his amazing work, and using interactive tools to engage the younger ones. 

Then, we’ll briskly walk along the Upper Galleries, where we’ll see some interesting Roman art, colorful tapestries, and the dazzling Gallery of the Maps. The Galleries take us to the Sistine Chapel, and here the kids can have fun looking for the items listed on their scavenger hunt while soaking up some of the most iconic art in the world. 

From the Sistine Chapel, we’ll proceed to St. Peter’s Basilica, and we’ll have a quick look around, doing a photo-safari. Walking down to St. Peter’s Square, we’ll see the Swiss Guards sporting their jester-like uniform, and I’ll point out the window where the Pope appears for the Sunday blessing.

Now, it’s high time for a gelato or some pizza: we’ll have a little break before heading to a painter’s workshop and meet the young artist who will teach us how to paint a fresco. Together, you’ll learn how to make the preparatory drawing, transfer it onto the fresh plaster (hence the name fresco!) and paint the fresco. You will create your own work of art to take home, using exactly the same techniques Michelangelo used 500 years ago when painting the Sistine Chapel!

Please don’t forget that when you book one of our Family Adventures, this is entirely focused on children! This Vatican Museums Tour for kids tour is specifically focused on the Sistine Chapel and is very “light” so as not to overload children with too much information. If you wish to have a deeper knowledge of the Vatican Museums and of St. Peter’s Basilica, check out my standard Vatican Tour.

The tour rate includes your private guided tour and the fresco-painting lab – price is total, not per person. 

Tickets for the Vatican Museums are not included and have to be purchased in advance (subject to availability). Once you book the tour, I can either send you the link to book the tickets on your own, or I can take care of it (handling fees apply). Children and students get reduced tickets.

There’s a small fee to access St. Peter’s from the Sistine Chapel, which is not included in the tour rate but will be listed in the cost rundown you’ll get prior to confirming the tour.

Headsets are not included in the tour rate, but if necessary (from 5 persons up) will be listed in the cost rundown you’ll get prior to confirming the tour.

Transportation to the starting point, snacks and gratuities are not included. 

Meeting point is in front of the Museums main gate, on Viale Vaticano 100. If you are getting there by taxi, please ask the driver to take you to the Vatican Museums – if you just mention the Vatican, he might drop you off at St. Peter’s square, and that’s a different location.

This tour involves some walking without the opportunity to sit down and rest, as well as some  stairs to climb. The Sistine Chapel is located at the far end of the Palace, so even if we choose the shortest route available, it will still be quite a walk to get there. Comfy shoes and a water bottle are essential. There are a couple of cafeterias inside the Museums, close to the entrance and just next to the Sistine Chapel. There are vending machines to get drinks in the entrance hall.

Please note that there are security checks to enter the Vatican Museums. Our skip-the-line tickets give us priority, but there might still be a certain amount of waiting in line that can’t be avoided. No pocket-knives, scissors, glass bottles, tripods, professional video equipment, large backpacks or trolleys allowed inside. There’s a checkroom to leave any unauthorized items, but since during the tour we won’t be coming back to the starting point, if you leave anything at the checkroom, at the end you will have to walk back on your own from St. Peter’s square to get it, and that might be rather unconvienient (it’s about 15 minutes walking).

For all Vatican tours, be aware of the modest dress code! For both men and women shoulders/midriffs and knees must be covered. If you want to be comfortable in the hot Italian summer, it’s a good idea to bring a shawl to wrap around you if you are wearing shorts and/or sleeveless.

It is important that you are aware that the Basilica of St. Peter’s is still primarily a place of worship, not a museum; so it won’t be possible to visit the church if there’s any special lithurgy taking place (for example on religious festivities). Both St. Peter’s basilica and the Sistine Chapel can close without notice if the Pope is receiving guests and decides to access these venues. In this case, it’s not possible to ask for any kind of refund both of the tour or the entrance tickets, since it is something beyond my company’s control.

Except in the winter months, on Wednesday mornings the Pope holds the Audience on St. Peter’s square – this means that on Wednesday the church is closed in the morning up to about 1 pm; so if we visit the Museums early, the Basilica won’t be part of the tour. If that is the case, from the Sistine Chapel instead of accessing St. Peter’s, we’ll follow a different route through the Museums and end up at the Museums entrance where we started.

Duration of tour 1-6 people
Up to 3 hours 180,00 EUR
+ fresco workshop 1,5 hours 170,00 EUR
  • For larger groups, I’ll be happy to send you a quote. 
  • The tour rate includes your private guided tour and all materials and gadgets used. Price is total, not per person. 
  • The fresco workshop is 70,00 EUR per person.
  • Entrance tickets, transportation, meals, snacks and gratuities not included in above rates.
  • Tickets for the Vatican Museums are not included and have to be purchased in advance (subject to availability). Once you book the tour, I can either send you the link to book the tickets on your own, or I can take care of it (handling fees apply). 
  • Entry fees for the Vatican Museums are between 21-35 EUR per person depending on the kind of ticket purchased (regular, VIP access etc.). Children under 18 and students get a reduced ticket. Updated entry fees will be listed in the detailed trip summary you’ll get upon sending a request/booking.
  • There’s a small fee to access St. Peter’s from the Sistine Chapel, which is not included in the tour rate but will be listed in the cost rundown you’ll get prior to confirming the tour.
  • Headsets are not included in the tour rate, but if necessary (from 5 persons up) will be listed in the detailed trip summary you’ll get prior to confirming the tour.
  • Please note that we reserve the right to vary the prices shown on this website at any time before you book (during Bank Holidays, National Holidays, Christmas Holidays, Easter Holidays, or last minute bookings). 

You will be advised of the current price at the time of booking. Once you have booked we will not increase your tour price other than for changes in VAT or any other Venues or Government imposed levy. 

Cancellation Policy & Refunds