VIP Breakfast at the Vatican with Tour of the Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica

Enjoy a buffet breakfast within the Vatican’s Pinecone Courtyard before the crowds arrive! We get Reserved Early Access to the Vatican Museums before other groups, so you’ll see the Vatican like few others have with this fully guided trip.

Your English-speaking guide will bring you through quiet hallways to the lovely Pinecone Courtyard, where a dinner worthy for the Pope awaits. Begin with an American-style breakfast on the Pinecone Courtyard, overlooking the Vatican with unsurpassed calm, before the public is permitted inside.

Enjoy a delectable American and continental breakfast buffet that includes cooked-to-order eggs, meats, cheeses, muffins, croissants, fresh fruits, cereals, and more. The Vatican’s pancake cook will even make you a small stack! Your breakfast at the Vatican will be casual, with plenty of opportunity to lounge on the courtyard terrace with a coffee or juice, soaking up the serenity and quiet of this little state in the early morning.

Exclusive Entry to Vatican Museums

After breakfast, you’ll go on a semi-private tour of the Vatican Museums with your professional guide. You’ll get started early thanks to our special admission time – shortly after other tour groups are let in and before the halls of the Museums become packed. Once inside, you’ll have an advantage over everyone else and will be able to stay ahead of the throng for the majority of your travel.

Your guide, as a specialist in art history, will be the ideal host for your excursion around the Vatican, taking you through all the highlights of the Museums without having to travel the nine kilometers covered by the Papal Palaces. Stroll along our well planned path to discover stunning centuries-old art treasures and ancient wonders.

The Masterpieces of Sistine Chapel

Of course, we won’t miss out on the major attractions, such as the Gallery of Maps and the Gallery of Tapestries. Then, proceed to the Sistine Chapel, the Pope’s personal place of devotion. As you enter one of the world’s most iconic sites, marvel at Michelangelo’s creativity. You’ll be well equipped for the marvels that await you. You’ll grasp Michelangelo’s methodology for creating these amazing paintings (like it or not, he didn’t actually lie on his back at all) and find the astonishing intricacies and private jokes that he painted into the world’s most recognizable artwork, making the most of your time here.

Finally, your guide will bypass enormous lines to bring you into St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the Catholic church’s cornerstones. We’ll have direct access from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter’s Basilica instead of leaving the Museums, walking 20 minutes to St. Peter’s Square, and queuing for an hour. You’ll have plenty of time to tour the Basilica* with your guide with all that additional time. They’ll discuss the enormous effort that went into the dome here (and how Bernini nearly split the Basilica in half), show you great artworks within such as Michelangelo’s sculpture ‘Pietà,’ and bring you to the world’s most stunning altar.

With so much to see and do, you are invited to stay in St. Peter’s Basilica after the tour to explore more of this incredible building at your leisure, or to take a step back into St. Peter’s Square to enjoy Bernini’s ingenious optical trick and the basilica’s magnificent facade.

Your Vatican experience will be spectacular and intimate, beginning with a special breakfast at the Vatican and ending with a small group tour around the Museums. With audio headsets provided for each visitor and groups of 13 or fewer people, your guide will be easy to hear and communicate with, ensuring that you get the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Colosseum Private Tour with the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill

Instead of a group tour’s planned agenda and monotonous commentary, experience Rome’s top three ancient monuments with a private guide who can bring their history to life. Learn how gladiators lived and died in the Colosseum, marvel at the spectacular temple remains in the Forum, see where Rome was established on Palatine Hill, and benefit from the personal attention of a knowledgeable guide. 

• Skip-the-line access to the Colosseum and Forum. 
• Visit with a tour to have a deeper understanding of the ancient remains. 
• A private tour’s leisurely pace and flexible itinerary
• Special Access to the Colosseum First Floor 
• Private Tour
• All Fees and Taxes 
• Entry to Palatine Hill

On this afternoon tour of the Colosseum, revel in gorgeous antiquity as your guide dazzles you with tales from the Roman Empire. This meticulously prepared schedule also includes visits to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill without having to wait in long lines, giving you a comprehensive understanding of one of history’s most important civilizations. 

Pass by the Arch of Constantine Every inch of this gigantic triumphal arch is adorned in carvings and sculptures, making it a real billboard promoting Constantine’s victories at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Surprisingly, most of its ornamentation was patched together from former emperors’ monuments, notably those of Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius. All of these individuals were considered by Constantine to be the greatest rulers of the second century AD, and he desired to be identified with them.

The Roman Forum was originally the enormous empire’s major core, where the early Romans would mix and mingle during its glory days. The stories that have occurred on this same site will captivate you as you stare over towering triumphal arches and the majestic relics of senate buildings and holy sanctuaries. Get the inside scoop on Marc Antony and Cleopatra’s epic love affair, as well as the riveting account of the plot that cost Julius Caesar his life – but also learn how the vast Roman Empire slowly began to unravel, eventually collapsing in 500 AD.

Palatine Hill was the birthplace of Romulus and Remus, the twin boys who were suckled by a she-wolf and subsequently became the founders of Rome, according to Roman legend. According to literary sources, the city Romulus created was mostly restricted to this hill, where Romulus stayed in a cottage in the south-west corner, which was constantly maintained in his honor. This was also where prominent and wealthy Romans lived, and where the Emporers eventually elected to relocate their massive homes. Embrace the captivating panoramic views and architectural relics of this once magical location that has now been engulfed by thick flora, and take a journey through history to picture the beauty and vivacity of this old village.

Private Transfer from hotel to Florence with a stop in Montepulciano

Montepulciano is a town in the province of Siena, in the Italian region of Tuscany. It is well-known for its stunning Renaissance architecture, attractive streets, and panoramic views of the surrounding hills. Montepulciano is also well-known for its Sangiovese-based wine, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. 

You will enjoy free time in the historic hamlet of Montepulciano during the trip halt. A tour to a winery and sampling of a well-known local wine are included.

Siena Magica Private Walking Tour

This private guided walking tour will take you through a city that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will see the city’s most important and attractive landmarks, including the Cathedral of Siena, Piazza del Campo, Torre del Mangi, Fonte Gaia, and Piazza del Mercato.

Siena is famed not just for its magnificent and ancient structures and the lovely scenery that surrounds it, but also for its food, art, museums, medieval cityscape, and, of course, the Palio, the famous horse race conducted twice a year.