VIP Papal Audience and Private Tour of the Best of the Vatican

Description

When in Rome what better experience to have then a once in a lifetime audience with Pope Francis himself? Since his election, Pope Francis has earned a reputation for interacting more with the crowds who come to see him than any pope before him. As a result, the popularity of his Papal Audiences has risen dramatically. People from all over the world, travel to Rome to visit the Vatican City and the pope, and crowds can get as large as 100,000 people. Papal Audiences have become spirited events with gathered crowds encouraged to pray and sing along. Attending this energetic display of faith is a moving event not to be missed by any visitor to Rome.

After being picked up and taken to meet the tour operator assistant in St. Peter’s square the assistant will bring you to the official Vatican Gift store where you can purchase religious items to be blessed by the Holy Father during the ceremony so that you can get back home a piece of the experience with you.

Clients presenting the voucher for this tour at checkout will receive a 10% discount on all Vatican gift shop purchases (except stamps, coins, postcards, and books).

You will be accompanied inside St. Peter’s square, which is where the audience takes place, hand over your audience tickets to the Vatican guards, and secure seats in one of the seating areas which follow a first come first serve basis. Before the ceremony begins, you will receive an introduction to the history and traditions of the Papacy.

After the ceremony you will get to enjoy an infinite number of masterpieces like Michelangelo’s “Pietà” and “Last Judgment”, gorgeous works by Bernini, Raphael, Botticelli, Perugino, and other treasures all incredibly united under the roof of the world-renowned Vatican museums. The numerous popes that have lived in the Vatican continuously enriched it with different artworks but the unmissable ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and its sublime ‘Last Judgment” by Michelangelo are surely the real attraction.
Your guide will then take you to the usually packed museum entrance skipping the check-in line, and access directly the metal detector control.

In the museums, you will admire the most beautiful ancient Roman statues, you will gasp at the length of the enormous Tapestry Hall, then through the Hall of the Painted Maps, you will enter the Sistine Chapel whose impact on history, religion, and visual arts has no equal in the world.
At last, through an exclusive gallery directly linked to the Sistine Chapel, you will reach the largest Catholic church in the world: St. Peter’s Basilica. The greatness and care of details will overwhelm you. Highlights of the Basilica include Michelangelo’s Pieta’, the imposing 29-meter-tall Baldacchin by Bernini, and the mosaics that decorate the whole ceiling.
After the tour ends, your tour guide will help you to arrange transportation back.