In case you haven't noticed, the Vatican Museums are huge! But our best Vatican tours ensure that you experience this special attraction in a special way on your tour to Italy.
If you’re traveling as a family to Rome, and you have young kids with you, you’re going against the grain visiting the Vatican Museums. We congratulate you for thinking outside of the box here and seeing beyond the surface.
It’s a misconception that a Vatican tour isn’t suitable for children. There’s plenty for individuals of all ages here, and children can delight in their discovery of the Vatican. The trick is to plan carefully for the visit and engage your children with the art and sculpture they will see in an age-appropriate way.
We show you how with our tips below.
Choose the best tour for your family
Only you will know what type of tour will best suit your family. We offer varied best Vatican tours that range in time from one hour to ten hours.
In general, an early start is advised for families. Crowds are smaller in the mornings, and in summer, temperatures are cooler.
But don’t discount any of the tours without taking time to consider what works for you and your children. Many of our tours come with exclusive benefits, including “faster than skip the line” and VIP access. Booking a tour with one of these benefits goes a long way to introducing your children to the Vatican museums in a more relaxed way.
A longer tour of ten hours could also offer an experience that older children will love. Our Complete Full Day Papal Experience tour includes the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and the Pope’s Summer Palace via the Vatican train.
There are restaurants inside the Vatican city so don’t worry about hungry tummies on longer tours!
Opt for a tour designed specifically for children
While all Vatican tours could possibly have an element that will appeal to you and your offspring, there’s also the option to choose a tour that’s been designed specifically with children in mind.
Our Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Tour for Kids & Families is two hours long and comes with activities and materials that kids love. The tour is aimed specifically at families with children between 7 and 12 years of age.
Our expert guide (who is fully kid-approved) will lead you and your children on a rich tour that’s filled with story-telling and interactive elements. Your children will be introduced to the history of the Papacy, plus some of the most outstanding artworks within the Vatican.
The tour also includes a visit to two museums that have adults and children enthralled; the Egypt Museum and the Carriage Museum.
The Egypt Museum is filled with artefacts that will keep your children spellbound. And the Carriage Museum is where the Pope Mobile can be found!
See more of Rome on a combined tour
We understand how special you want your trip to Italy to be. Making the most of every minute is the best way to see everything you want to while you’re on holiday.
One of the best ways to do this is on a combined tour. A tour that incorporates different elements is also a way to keep the attention spans of younger children more engaged.
Our Complete Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Colosseum Tour is a nine-hour tour that introduces two of Rome’s most iconic sites to young minds. The Vatican and the Colosseum!
The tour is made up, both in the Vatican and the Colosseum, of guided exploration and your own free time. Best of all, our tour promises skip the line access to both attractions. No wasting time waiting for entry with us!
Explaining to your children that you’re all going to spend a day following in the footsteps of Popes and of gladiators is a surefire way to get them excited. The day guarantees many surprises as the secrets of Michelangelo’s art are revealed and you’re transported back to the Roman empire at the Colosseum.
Tell children stories instead of showing them art
No child wants to feel as though they’re in a classroom while they’re touring Italy. But there’s no doubt that a trip to the Vatican offers an amazing opportunity to learn.
The art and sculpture to be found in the Vatican museums are extraordinary. Book a tour that understands that’s the best way to get young minds to engage with this visual feast via stories.
Our guides bring many of the art treasures to life, and shares the history behind these amazing pieces of art, through story-telling. Just by the way, this is the best way for adults to learn too!
Play a game with your children
The School of Athens in the Rapahel Room
Good old “I spy” or another game that encourages children to keep a lookout for certain items within the Vatican works wonders.
In an environment that’s jam-packed with art, all of the murals, sculpture and paintings can become a little overwhelming. But start playing a game where you have your kids focus on a specific art treasure, and suddenly the Vatican is a smorgasbord of art treasures to enjoy.
The Vatican and children
Visiting the Vatican with your children could be one of the best ways to form great memories that stay with you forever. The key is to find the right tour for your family, introduce the Vatican to your children in manageable chunks, and to incorporate story-telling and games into your trip. You might just find that your children become budding artists after all!
