The halls and collections of the Vatican Museums are among the most important art treasures in the world. The gardens are an oasis of peace.
With more than six million visitors per year, the Vatican Museums are fifth in the world ranking of the most visited attractions. Here you will find an overview of tickets and guided tours.
The Vatican Museums are often completely booked. It is therefore advisable to buy tickets well in advance on the Internet. For each time slot of half an hour, there is only a certain number of tickets. If you are late, you will not be admitted and the ticket is forfeited.
Video: The Vatican Museums are preparing to reopen
Entrance and tickets
You can reserve online for the Vatican Museums and receive a QR code that you have to show at the entrance. In addition, all visitors must have valid ID with them.
Admission is free for children up to 6 years of age and they do not need a reservation. Young people up to the age of 18 pay reduced admission. This also applies to students up to 25 years of age with a valid student ID. Without ID, the reduced tickets are invalid and the ticket cannot be offset against a ticket at full price.
A visit to the Sistine Chapel is included with all tickets.
For the gardens there are guided tours on foot or a ride on the open bus. The visit to the museums is included in the ticket.
The tickets with early entry before the official opening time are very exclusive. You then have the museums almost to yourself.
Exceptions to the reservation requirement:
- Children up to 6 years
- People with a disability from 75% and an accompanying person
You get the tickets at the cash desks “permessi speciali” or “reception”
Guided tours
You can only grasp the many exhibits in the Vatican Museums and the many details correctly with a guided tour.
The tours usually last three hours. There is a special passage to St. Peter’s Basilica for guided tours. However, the passage is currently closed.
Save a lot of time with the combined tours of the museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. However, you won’t see the exhibits on the way back from the chapel and the beautiful staircase at the exit. In addition, you cannot use the cloakroom.
Some departments of the museums can only be seen on the more detailed tours.
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Opening hours
The opening hours of the Vatican Museums are 8 am – 7 pm with last admission at 5 pm. The museums are closed on Sundays and public holidays with the exception of the last Sunday of the month, when entry is free with admission from 9-12:30.
From March onwards, the museums close one hour later on Fridays and Saturdays, at 8 pm. The Vatican Museums also close at 8 pm around some public holidays such as Easter and Christmas.
For more details, see our monthly information.
What to see
Popes have collected and commissioned works of art for centuries, churchmen worldwide have missionized, researched, collected and reported to Rome in two millennia.
The Vatican Museums hold one of the largest and most important collections in the world. The highlight of the visit to the Vatican Museums is the Apostolic Palace with the Sistine Chapel.
The collections go from ancient Egypt to contemporary exhibits. Even the rooms are total works of art designed by famous artists.
On www.kolosseum.it you can find more
The Vatican Gardens
There is often a bit of confusion with the Vatican Gardens because the Barberini Gardens at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo are also called that.
At the back of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums there is a large and well-kept park that can be visited. There are two options for viewing:
- The guided tour on foot. It starts at the Vatican Museums and the ticket for the Museums and the Sistine Chapel is included.
- The tour with an ecological bus. It starts at the Vatican Museums and the ticket for the Museums and the Sistine Chapel is included. The trip through the Vatican Gardens in an environmentally friendly vehicle takes 45 minutes. It is not possible to get off while driving. Children under 6 years of age are not allowed to ride.
There are also trips and guided tours for the garden of Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo.
Dress Code
For entry into the Vatican Museums, clothing regulations and safety regulations must be observed.
The dress codes are the same as for all sacral sites in Rome: shoulders and knees must be covered. Strapless dresses and skirts are not allowed, even in off-the-shoulder shirts, mini skirts or hot pants you can not get into the Vatican Museums. Short pants will have to cover your knees. Hats are also not allowed.
It is forbidden to carry weapons in the Vatican Museums, even with a gun license. Dangerous objects must be left at the cloakroom as well as alcoholic beverages. Backpacks, large bags and luggage must also be left at the cloakroom.
Eating and drinking is only allowed in the museums in the designated rooms. Telephoning is undesirable in museums.
Animals are not allowed. This does not apply to guide dogs, which, however, must be kept on a leash and wear a muzzle.
How to get to the Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums are to the right of St. Peter’s Square, above Piazza del Risorgimento. From St. Peter’s Square it is a half mile walk to the entrance of the Vatican Museums.
Piazza del Risorgimento is the terminus of tram line no. 19, from there it is still a third mile to the entrance. The metro station Cipro of Metrolinie A. is about a quarter mile away.
Right in front of the entrance is the bus line 49, which comes from Piazza Cavour. The line also stops in Via Crescenzio corner Via Terenzio, near to Castel Sant’Angelo.
Access for persons with disabilities
Persons with a certified disability of more than 74% have free admission to the Vatican Museums and the Papal Villa in Castel Gandolfo. If they can not cope alone, an accompanying person is also admitted for free.
The tickets can not be pre-ordered, but will be picked up in the lobby of the Vatican Museums at the counters “Permessi Speciali” or “Reception” on presentation of a certificate of invalidity.
More about the Vatican