Why go

The Vatican Museums are the papal collections assembled over five centuries, spread through palaces, courtyards and galleries that would take days to see in full. Most visitors come for the Sistine Chapel, and rightly so, but the walk there passes some of the finest classical sculpture anywhere, Renaissance frescoes by Raphael and long corridors decorated from floor to ceiling.

The experience is busy and the route is long, yet there are few places where so many masterpieces sit so close together. Arrive with a plan, and the Vatican becomes one of the highlights of any trip to Rome.

What to see

  • The Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo’s ceiling, painted between 1508 and 1512, and his later Last Judgment on the altar wall.
  • The Raphael Rooms. Four rooms frescoed by Raphael and his workshop, including the School of Athens.
  • The Pio Clementino Museum. Classical sculpture including the Laocoön group and the Apollo Belvedere.
  • The Gallery of Maps. A 120-metre corridor of painted maps of 16th-century Italy beneath a gilded ceiling.
  • The Pinacoteca. The picture gallery, with works by Giotto, Leonardo, Raphael and Caravaggio, often quieter than the main route.
  • The Bramante Staircase. The double spiral stair near the exit makes a striking final photograph.

Plan your visit

The museums open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm, with final entry at 6pm. They are closed on Sundays except the last Sunday of each month, when entry is free from 9am to 2pm, last entry 12.30pm. Other closing days include 1 and 6 January, 1 November and 8, 25 and 26 December.

A full ticket costs €20 at the ticket office. Booking on the official site, tickets.museivaticani.va, adds a €5 ‘Skip the Line’ fee but lets you choose a time and avoid the ticket queue, which can be long at any time of year. Reduced tickets cost €10 and children under 7 go free. The museum warns that other websites using similar names may charge more, so check the address before paying.

Dress as you would for a church, with shoulders and knees covered, and remember that photography is not allowed in the Sistine Chapel. In December 2026 the chapel closes early, at 6pm, on 4 and 18 December.

Getting there

Cipro and Ottaviano stations on Metro line A are both about ten minutes’ walk from the entrance on Viale Vaticano. From the historic centre, allow 25 minutes on foot.

Tips

The first slot of the day is the calmest; some visitors walk straight to the Sistine Chapel and then double back. Avoid the free last Sunday unless you are happy to queue for hours. A guided tour helps on a first visit, because the route is long and the signage limited. Leave time afterwards for St Peter’s Basilica, a 15-minute walk away.

Food and drink are limited inside. There is a cafeteria and a pizzeria within the complex, and a free cloakroom for bags, but large items are not allowed in the galleries. If you are travelling with children, plan breaks: the full route involves several kilometres of walking and a lot of stairs, and there are few places to sit once the crowds build up in the late morning.