The Key Masters Vatican Tour: Alone in the Sistine Chapel

Tour Overview

Enter the Vatican before dawn breaks on the horizon in the company of the chief Vatican Key Master (Clavigero). Together, you will unlock the doors of the greatest museum collection in the world on this truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. Your private official Vatican guide will join you on this extraordinary journey, pointing out the highlights and bringing this incredible collection to life as you wander through the maze of courtyards and galleries alone.

Tour Description

Experience the Vatican like the ultimate VIP. Our carefully curated luxury Vatican experience will allow you to explore the Vatican Museums in a way that is usually only accessible to diplomats, celebrities, and heads of state. This is the most exclusive tour of the Vatican available today.

Hallways normally brimming with thousands of daily visitors are eerily silent and serene; the only sound is your footsteps and the jangle of the Key Master's keys in the dim light of dawn. The Vatican Museums span miles of corridors and thousands of rooms. Unlocking the 2,797 doors is a mammoth daily undertaking, and joining the Key Master and his small team is a rare privilege that few ever experience. 

You will get the opportunity to hold some of the massive keychains that seal this collection every night. The Key Master may also invite you to open some of the ancient doors yourself! The feeling of hearing the click as you turn the key in these historic doors, then the creak as you push them open, is both electrifying and humbling. 

You'll come face-to-face with some of the world's great masterpieces from the ancient world and the Renaissance. From Lacoön and the Apollo Belvedere to the Raphael Rooms and the iconic School of Athens fresco - you will literally have these works of art to yourself. There is no more intimate way to experience the Vatican Museums. 

The suspense rises as you descend the steps to the highlight: the Sistine Chapel. The rest of the museums' keys are numbered and kept on huge metal keyrings, but this key. The key to the Sistine Chapel is placed and sealed inside an envelope every night. The Key Master will unseal the key before you, and perhaps you might be lucky enough to open the most famous door of the Vatican yourself. 

You'll step inside in the darkness, your footsteps echoing around you. Then, look up in awe as the Key Master flicks the switch and illuminates Michelangelo's masterpiece before you. To be alone with Michelangelo's frescos is a truly unique experience that will leave you breathless. 

Afterward, your guide will lead you to the Pinecone courtyard, where you can enjoy a leisurely and filling breakfast while ruminating on what is genuinely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As you watch the other visitors start to flow through the museums, you know that you have created memories that will last a lifetime.

Important Disclaimer:

This description is an example, and your experience may vary slightly depending on factors such as the season, day of the week, and group size. However, you can always expect an excellent and memorable experience with us.