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Entrance Fee To Vatican Museum And Sistine Chapel

Can You Go Inside The Vatican

Join our Tour of Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel!

While St. Peters Basilica is free to enter, you can opt for a guided tour ticket that includes both the Vatican Museums and the basilica. If you enter on your own, you will be required to go through security, and lines can be long. Visitors suggest going in the afternoon when lines are shorter compared to the morning.

Can You Buy Vatican Tickets At The Door

Usually, yes, you can buy Vatican Museum tickets at the entrance. The price for the standard ticket is 17 .

Currently, as a result of the provisions against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is only possible to book tickets online. There is no sale at the entrance booth.

On a normal day before the COVID, there were about 30,000 people visiting the Vatican Museum daily. Therefore, the queue to buy tickets at the door was definitely long and it was worth buying a ticket in advance to avoid spending hours in line.

Today, the capacity of the Vatican Museum is about 10% of the previous one. Therefore, youll get the chance to see all the masterpieces without crowds. Its probably the best time in history to visit the museums!

Select Participants And Date

Know before you go

  • On arrival at the Vatican, please follow the signs for the separate Partners Entrance
  • All visitors must pass through airport-style security. During high season the wait at security may be up to 30 minutes
  • St Peters Basilica and the Square may be closed in the morning due to Papal Audience
  • The opening hours are subject to change due to special events at the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St Peter’s Basilica
  • Children under 6 years old go free of charge with a valid ID
  • Those with a disability and their carer or companion go free of charge with a certificate of disability, which you must present at the Special Permits and/or the Reception desk in the hall of the museum
  • The minibus tour is not available for children 6 years old or younger
  • The Vatican can get very crowded all year round. June, July and August are particularly busy as they are high-season months

FromC$ 30.53per person

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Frequently Asked Questions About Vatican Tickets

The Vatican Museums reopened to the public on 3 May 2021 following a closure to the pandemic. For the safety of its visitors, the Vatican now accepts only online reservations and has administered several health measures in place.

The Vatican Museums have reopened to the public in 2021 with various public safety measures in place. Only bookings made online are accepted at the entrance. It is mandatory that visitors wear masks that cover their nose and face at all times and their temperature will be checked before entry. Hand sanitizer stations are also available for public use. Guided tours now permit only groups of 20.

Yes. The Vatican Museum is only accepting online reservations now. You can book your Vatican tickets online.

It depends on the ticket you choose to book. While some tickets offer a full refund on canceling tickets up to 48-72 hours in advance, for others there may be no refund available on cancelation. Please check before you make your reservation.

While the Vatican is accepting reservations for guided tours, it has placed a cap on the maximum number of visitors in a group. Each guided tour group can comprise a maximum of 20 visitors now.

Vatican Museum opening hours have been renewed following the reopening in 2021. The opening hours are now 08:30 AM to 06:30 PM from Monday to Saturday. Last entry into the museums will be at 04:30 and all guests must exit the exhibition rooms by 06:00 PM.

Vatican Museums Skip The Line Tickets

Essential Sistine Chapel Tour, Vatican Museum &  St. Peter ...

This reservation allows you to enter the Papal Museums avoinding the long line at the entrance. Once you are inside the museums, you will be able to stay there at your leisure until closing time.Foreseen visit time: 3/4 hours

Please note: Vatican Museum tickets are non-refundable in any case.

The Pope’s Museums are located inside the Vatican City. They represent one of the largest art collection in the world since they display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries. As a result they include some of the most renowned classical sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance Art.

GROUP RESERVATIONS: for groups over 11 visitors, please contact our reservation office +39 055 2670402 or write us an email to

IMPORTANT DEVICE: confirmed entrance time may not be always the same time you have requested museum automatically confirms the closest available time on the same date if requested time is sold out. In case you want to point out some time restrictions please write them in the form blank space. If no restrictions are pointed out, this means you are open to accept any different entrance time in the day you have requested, one hour before or later than the original requested time.

For example: you have requested 11.00 am. No time restrictions are pointed out. This menas you will acceopt any entrance time between 10.00 am to 12.00 pm.

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What Are The Vatican Museum Opening Hours

Current opening days and times

Monday to Saturday: 09.00 a.m. 06.00 p.m.

Every last Sunday of the month: 09.00 a.m. 02.00 p.m. That excludes Easter Sunday, Sts. Peter and Paul at the end of June, Christmas Day and Feast of St. Stephen on 26th December.

The Museums are closed on a certain number of days per year. In 2019, they are closed on: 1st January, 11th February, 19th March, 22nd April, 1st May, 29th June, 14th and 15th August, 1st November, 25th and 26th December

Is St Peters Basilica Included In The Vatican Museum Ticket

No, St. Peters Basilica is not included in the Vatican Museum ticket.

The Basilica is free to enter. However, you will have to queue to get in and pass through the security check. Even if you have visited the Vatican Museum before, you will need to exit the complex, go to the main entrance of St. Peter and queue for the security check.

There are tours which include the Vatican Museums and St. Peters Basilica. Guided tours are the only way to avoid queuing again. The guide will lead you through a door connecting the Sistine Chapel directly to St. Peters Basilica after the visit to the museums.

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Skip The Line: Vatican Museums And Sistine Chapel Fast Track Admission Ticket

Rome, Italy

Overview
  • Save valuable vacation time with fast-track admission to the Vatican
  • Ideal for travelers who want to spend no more than a morning or afternoon at the Vatican
  • See the massive collection of art at your own pace on a self-guided tour
  • A rep escorts you to the Vatican entrance to make sure you enter in an efficient manner

Is The Sistine Chapel Included In The Vatican Museum Ticket

Rome Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is always included in your ticket.

There is exclusive access available for the Sistine Chapel if you want to visit it when it is almost empty. In fact, you can book tickets for the first time slot of the regular opening hours or you can reserve an Early Access tour. Early access tours have the feature to give you access to the Sistine Chapel before the opening hours. Therefore, you will see if when it is empty. Moreover, with a regular visit you will arrive in the Sistine Chapel after visiting all the museums, while with the Early Access tours, you will be led directly to the Sistine Chapel at the beginning of the guided visit.

Early Access tours start from 45, with the guided visit included.

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What Is Included In The Vatican Museum Ticket What Will You See

Your Vatican Museum ticket allows a single entry for the appropriate day. Once you leave, you may not return but once in you can stay as long as you want.

The Vatican Museums is one of the largest art collections in the world: to see everything, you will walk around 7.5 km!

Several famous masterpieces are on view and you should look out for those as you walk around. They include:

  • Michelangelos The Last Judgement depicting Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the Saints is in the Sistine Chapel.
  • Raphaels School of Athens shows scholars discussing topics of the day, philosophy and science and is found in the Raphaels Rooms.
  • Caravaggios The Entombment of Christ in the Pinacoteca Vaticana
  • Leonardo da Vincis St. Jerome in the Wilderness is located in the Pinacoteca Vaticana and it is unfinished. It was identified as a Da Vincis work only in the early 19th century.

These four artworks are just a fraction of the collections. The Vatican Museum is in fact made up of a number of museums . All of these museums are accessible with your ticket:

  • Sistine Chapel
  • Room of the Aldobrandini Wedding
  • Chapel of St. Peter Martyr
  • Collection of Contemporary Art
  • Room of the Immaculate Conception
  • Room of the Chiaroscuri

There are also some special sections that are opened only for group tours, such as:

  • The Villa Barberini and its garden
  • The Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo
  • The Hidden Pontifical Villas
  • The Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis
  • The Carriage Pavilion

Omnia Vatican And Roma Pass

Also known as Omnia card Roma, this card is usually combined with the Roma Pass and is the best option for visiting the Vatican as it includes entrance to the museums and other attractions. If you are going to visit the area in depth and go sightseeing in the rest of Rome I recommend you to take a look at this other article about the Roma Pass, where I tell you how to use it and all its advantages.

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The Ceiling Of The Sistine Chapel

All of the frescoes of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are the work of Michelangelo, who spent four years painting the vault between 1508 and 1512.

If there is one thing that stands out from among the images on the ceiling, it is the nine stories from Genesis that occupy the central area: The scenes from the Drunkenness of Noah to the Separation of Light from Darkness are represented.

Other Highlights Of ‘i Museu Vaticani’

The Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel » Diary of Dittrich

If you would like to learn more about the background of the artworks in the Vatican Museums, we recommend using an audio guide. Do you plan not to spend too much time in the museums? Then â in addition to the Sistine chapel tour â these are the rooms and artworks you should not miss on your visit to the Vatican museums:

Visit of the Vatican Museums Topographical maps in the Vaticans museum

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Visit The Vatican Museums First Thing On A Wednesday

Wednesdays are busy at the Vatican as the faithful and curious tourists alike swarm the area to attend an audience with the Pope.

But if you are not that bothered about seeing the pontiff, Wednesday mornings are a great time to head to the Museums, as you will be able to whizz right through to the Sistine People just before the crowds disperse from mass.

Visiting The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is located in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope. Originally known as Cappella Magna, it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who initiated restoration works in 1477 and used it for both religious purposes and for his functions as pope. Nowadays, the Sistine Chapel is the site of the Papal Conclave, the process through which a new pope is elected.

What makes it such a popular place to visit is the many incredible frescoes that adorn it. These include works of Botticelli, Pinturicchio and Ghirlandaio. Yet, its The Last Judgement, painted on the ceiling by Michelangelo between 1535 and 1541 upon request of Pope Clement VII and Paul III, that attracts visitors every day.

I strongly advise you to actually get a guided tour for your visit of the Sistine Chapel. For as nice as it is to just raise your head and appreciate the beauty of all the frescoes, its great to have someone that helps you put everything in context and get a better understanding of the historical, cultural and artistic value of what you are seeing.

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Prices & Tickets Vatican Rome: Admission Fee For St Peters Square In Rome

St. Peters Square is open 24 hours a day and admission to St. Peters Square in Rome is free. However, due to various events or ceremonies, access may be limited. For example, during the papal audiences on Wednesday mornings, a large part of St. Peters Square is closed and you have to pass a security check like at an airport. Security checks for access to St. Peters Square are also available on Sunday mornings for the Popes Angelus prayer. You can take drinks and umbrellas without problems, but pocket knives or other sharp objects are not allowed.

If you want to enjoy a beautiful view of Rome, you can climb up into the dome of St. Peters Basilica. More information can be found in my article The best viewpoints in Rome. St. Peters Dome is open from 8am to 6pm every day from April to September, and from 8am to 5pm from October to March.

The caves of St. Peters Basilica are open from April to September every day from 8am to 6pm, from October to March from 8am to 5pm. However, the grottos are closed to the public when they host fairs. Therefore, the caves are generally closed to the public in the morning before 9 or 10 am. Access to the caves, as well as to the treasury and the sacristy can be found directly in St. Peters Basilica.

Estimated Local Cash Needed

Travel Vlog/ Vatican City , Sistine Chapel & St Peterâs Basilica

40 EURO – 35 euro per adult and 25 euro per under 18 entrance: Skip the line ticket fee and reservation for Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter Basilica.5 euro per person for headsets for the Vatican Museums/St. Peter’s Basilica, the use of the headsets is compulsory only for the party with more than 5 people.In case of booking request, please send a message specifying how many adults and how many under 18 in the party.

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Raphael’s Rooms At The Vatican Museums

Book on line Vatican Tickets to admire the Raphael RoomsWhat to see in the Raphael Rooms. Among the masterpieces of the Vatican, the world-famous Raphael Rooms are a definite must and absolutely unforgettable. They beautify the apartments of Pope Julius II, who commissioned Raphaelto decorate them in 1507. In 1509, hed already started working on the Room of the Segnatura, Julius IIs office and private library. After his first much-admired fresco, the School of Athens, Raphael was made responsible for the entire decorative series. Each wall of the papal library features a fresco depicting the four disciplines of time: theology, philosophy, law, and poetry. The great medallions adorning the ceiling depict the allegories of each discipline.

Raphael’s true name was Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino . This great master was an Italian Renaissance painter and architect. His father Giovanni Santi, who was a painter too, taught Raphael basic painting techniques and principles of humanistic philosophy.Raphael took over his fathers workshop after he died. His paintings where greatly influenced by Italian greatest painters like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Raphael was invited by Pope Julius II to paint the Popes private apartments. At that time Raphael was only 25 years old. The rooms which are now known as Raphaels Rooms are located in one of the Vatican Palace. Raphel’s Rooms are undoubtedly one of the must-see masterpiece of the Papal museums.

What You Should Know About The Vatican In Rome

You may feel overwhelmed, perplexed, comforted or even helpless as you contemplate the immensity of the Vatican, but what’s clear is that regardless of your beliefs, this visit is going to make you feel something. You may think that the Vatican City and all that surrounds it is a tourist attraction in Rome reserved for those who have a special interest in religion.

And it’s true that there’s no denying the high religious charge of the area, but what you’re going to find if you buy tickets to the Vatican Museum is one of the largest art collections in Europe. Just as art knows no borders, the sensation you will have when contemplating the immensity of the Sistine Chapel or St. Peter’s Square from the top of the dome also knows no religion.

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How To Get There

The Vatican Museums are located on the west side of the Tiber River and on the northern edge of Vatican City.

There are many options for traveling to this location, but we will be focusing on some of the easiest and most affordable choices.

However you end up here, we recommend using this Google Maps link for exact directions to the Vatican Museums.

to learn more about the metro system in Rome.

Last Minute Vatican Museum Tickets

Book Tickets for The Vatican Museum &  Sistine Chapel ...

Many visitors end up searching for last-minute Vatican tickets because they forgot to book them well in advance.

Some tourists even search for online tickets at the eleventh hour, after seeing the long lines at the Vatican Museum entrance.

Either way, you need not worry.

Popular travel websites buy Vatican Museum tickets in advance and sell them as last minute tickets.

These same day tickets cost 4 Euros more than the regular tickets, but most visitors dont care as long as they get to visit the Vatican Museum.

Because of the pandemic, the night tours are now paused.

Tickets price

Adult ticket : 33 EurosChild ticket : 23 Euros

Here are a few questions on Vatican Museum tickets, which almost every visitor asks.

  • When is entry to the Vatican Museum free?

    On the last on the Sunday of every month, the Vatican Museums are open and free for everyone.On such free entry days, the Vatican Museums open at 9 am and close at 2 pm. The last entry is at 12:30 pm.On free entry Sundays you cant pre-book Vatican tour tickets and lines can be very long.Vatican Museum is free to enter on World Tourism Day as well, which falls on 27 September every year.Some of the exceptions include Easter Sunday, as well as June 29, December 25, or December 26 if they fall on a Sunday.

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