1

There are a million and one tour companies in Rome offering tours of the Vatican. Take a look at Walks of Italy and Through Eternity .

2

AS #1 says..pretty much every tour company in Rome will do that tour.

Dark Rome is one pretty well respected tour company..I think their basic tour is about 60 euros a head for a half-day tour.

Going up to over 300 euros if you want a 'private' all day tour (inc.visiting the Sistine Chapel after normal closing time).

3

What's the relevance of their age?

Are they aware that there are audio guides and self-guided tours available as well? A guided tour is only as good as the guide you get, they can be great or they can be pretty lifeless. Personally, I prefer self-guided tours as I may wish to spend more time in looking at one thing while a guide moves on to something else. You can't really dictate the pace when you are on a guided tour.

For example, I found the Sistine Chapel to be entirely under-whelming and disappointing and couldn't get out fast enough. A guide would probably have spent 15 minutes telling me all about the ceiling, which I could read about in any guidebook.

4

Thanks. I realize Googling "Vatican Tour" will get about a million hits. I was hoping to use TT to get specific recommendations based on personal experience. Isn't that why people ask questions here?

5

I doubt that most people here who have visited the Vatican Museums or St. Peter's have done so as part of a guided tour--for the reasons touched on above.

The Vatican Museums offer their own "official" guided tour. Also a tour of the Vatican gardens (the only tour I know of that takes place within the actual grounds of the Vatican), and a tour of the excavations under the basilica. Check the museum's website!

Italy With Us is also a reputable tour provider. Their "early bird" tour begins before the museum opens, in a virtually empty Sistine Chapel. Well worth it to avoid the bedlam that the Sistine Chapel seems to be throughout regular hours.