Vatican Museum: Tickets, Hours & Dress Code
The Vatican Museum, often referred to as Vatican Museums or Musei Vaticani in Italian, started as a small collection of artworks to become, over the centuries, one of the most important monuments of the world cultural heritage.
Today, the Vatican Museum houses an impressive collection of artworks with some of the most extensive and beautiful masterpieces on earth. The decoration of the palaces of the Vatican Museum Complex are as much as stunning. Every year, nearly 6 million people come to Rome to visit the Vatican Museum.
Keep reading to learn how to visit the Vatican Museums, information about closing time, opening hours, dress code and where to buy skip the line tickets yourself without extra fees*.
*NOTE: we recommend visitors to purchase the skip the line tickets in advance to avoid very long lines. The ticket gives access to the entire Museum Complex of the Vatican, including the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms. Moreover, at the end of the itinerary you can access directly St. Peter’s Basilica and visit the biggest church in the world without having to be in line.
Topics
Attraction Overview
 Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 9.00am - 6.00pm (last entrance 4.00 pm) |
 Best Time To Visit: 8.30am or 2.00pm |
 Tickets: Needed |
 Accessibility: Partially Accessible |
 Kid-friendly Attraction |
How to Visit
1PLAN YOUR VISIT IN ADVANCE
– Prebook your skip-the-line ticket online from the Official Ticket Office of the Vatican Museum;
2CHECK IN ADVANCE THE BEST TIME VISIT
– Springtime and Summertime: 8.30am or 2.00pm;
– Fall and Wintertime: 9.00am / 1.00 pm / to 2.00pm;
3WEAR COMFORTABLE FOOTWEAR AND BEWARE OF DRESS CODE
– Summertime: sneakers, sun cream and a hat;
– Wintertime: sneakers, umbrella and raincoat
Entry to the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Gardens is permitted only to appropriately dressed visitors.
Low cut or sleeveless clothing, shorts, miniskirts and hats are not allowed.
OPENING HOURS
Closed
Sunday (except the last Sunday of each month*), 1 and 6 January, 11 February, 19 and 28 March, 29 June, 15 August, 1 November, 8 and 26 December
Opening Hours
From Monday to Saturday
9.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m. (final entry 4.00 p.m.)
Every last Sunday of the month
(*provided this does not coincide with Easter Sunday, 29 June Sts. Peter and Paul, 25 December Christmas Day, and 26 December Feast of St. Stephen)
9.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m. (final entry 12.30 p.m.)
Free entry
Visitors are required to leave the halls 30 minutes before museum closing time
TICKETS INFO
Skip the line tickets to the Vatican Museum can be bought online from the Official Ticket Office of the Vatican Museum
Note that:
– Skip-the-line tickets allow visitors to skip the line only at the ticket office, but do not exempt visitors to skip the line at the security checks.
– In order to make the reservation online please have on hand the following documents: an identity document and names of all the participants.
– After the confirmation you will receive the voucher containing the reservation code and tour information. The applicant is asked to print off the voucher (it is also possible to show it on a smartphone or tablet) as to present it on the day of the tour.
– Up to one hour before the tour, it is possible to modify the reservation date depending upon availability. It isn’t possible to make changes to the number of participants.
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
Duration: valid for only one entrance to the Vatican Museum for the date chosen;
PRICE AND FEES:
- Full entrance: €16.00 + €4 Reservation Fee for online booking (€20)
- Reduced entrance: €8.00 + €4 Reservation Fee for online booking (€12€)
Apply to: children aged between 6 and 18 years old (18 years included). It is also possible to reserve a ticket at a reduced price for students up to 25 years of age on presentation of a student identity document or a valid International Student Card on the day of the visit.*
NOTE: * If a reduced price ticket is reserved without the required documents the visitor will be asked to make payment of a full price ticket so as to enter. The reduced ticket will not be refunded.
ACCESSIBILITY
Wheelchair Accessibility Service:
For visitors in a wheelchair there is a specific itinerary. To facilitate the visit, the Vatican Museums advise a visit itinerary without barriers which, thanks to assistance from the Guard Corps, will enable visitors to easily reach the main services and places of interest.
This PDF Map shows the itinerary and main points of interest.
The Vatican Museums offer free entry to all disabled visitors with certified invalidity of more than 74%. For visitors who are not self-sufficient, free entry is also extended to a companion.
This type of visit cannot be booked online: the free entry tickets are issued upon presentation of a certificate of invalidity at the Special Permits and/or Reception desks in the hall of the Museums.
Disabled visitors and, if appropriate, a companion, are guaranteed priority skip the line entry (without the need to queue).
For visitors with mobility problems, the Vatican Museums offer free wheelchair hire from the cloakroom (subject to availability).
To hire a wheelchair, it is necessary to present a valid identity document and deposit.
The Museums are accessible also to visitors on mobility scooters and with electric wheelchairs. However, due to space limitations, access or use are not permitted in some museum areas. In this case, the visitor will be invited to transfer to a traditional wheelchair, which may be hired free of charge in the entrance hall.
Deaf Visitors:
The “Guided tour for the deaf and hard of hearing” is free and includes entry to the Vatican Museums.
Entry is also free for a companion.
The tours are conducted entirely in Italian Sign Language.
Blind Visitors:
The Vatican Museums offer blind and partially sighted visitors a free service of tactile and multi-sensory tours. They are offered the opportunity to explore casts and a broad selection of sculptures and original works exposed in the Pinacoteca of the Vatican, the Gregorian Profane Museum, the Gregorian Egyptian Museum and the Ethnological Museum, as well as the Vatican Gardens.
General Information:
+39 06 69884676
+39 06 69883145
info.mv@scv.va
How to Reach
1FROM THE CITY CENTER TO VATICAN MUSEUM
Bus Lines (Stop “Viale Vaticano”):
49
Bus Lines (Stop “Bastioni di Michelangelo”):
23492
Bus Lines (Stop “Emo”):
490492495N1
Bus Lines (Stop “Risorgimento”):
59019
Metro Station:
Take the “Red Metro Line” or “A Line” and stop at “Cipro” or “Ottaviano”.
Address:
Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome, Italy
Get directions from Google Maps
Vatican Museums
Vatican Museum Highlights & Facts
The Vatican Museum was founded by two popes. It all started with Clement XIV (1769-1774) and Pope Pius VI (1775 – 1799). They were the firsts to open the collection of artwork of the Vatican State to the general public to promote culture among people.
As we previously said, the Vatican Museum is actually a complex made up by several buildings, pavilions, gardens and courtyards. The first building of the museum complex was… Read More…
Vatican Museum FAQ
Where is the entrance to the Vatican Museum?
The Vatican Museums are located in Viale Vaticano 00165 Rome, Italy.
The entrance stands on the opposite side of Caffè Vaticano in Viale Vaticano number 100.
What are the Vatican Museums?
The Vatican Museums are a museum complex made by several galleries, rooms, pavilions and courtyards. Overall, the complex counts 13 museums housed in 2 Vatican Palaces.
All these spaces can be accessed from the same entrance and with the same ticket. Among the most famous highlights in the Vatican Museums there are the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael’s Rooms.
How to get to Vatican Museum?
Generally speaking, the easiest way to reach the Vatican Museum is by metro.
The closest metro stops to the Vatican Museums are “Cipro” and “Ottaviano”, both located on the “Red Metro Line” (or “A Line”.
You can also get to the Vatican Museums by bus:
49, stop in the square in front of the Vatican Museums
32, 81, 982, stop at Piazza del Risorgimento
492, 990, stop in Via Leone IV / Via degli Scipioni
or by Tram:
19, stop at Piazza del Risorgimento
Where can I buy tickets for Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum?
We strongly advice visitors to buy in advance the tickets for the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, which is located inside the museum complex.
Individuals and groups can buy skip the line tickets online from the Official Ticket Office of the Vatican Museum. This Reservation fee is 4€ to be added to the price of the tickets (16€ for Adults and 8€ for Kids from 6 to 18 years old), but it’s totally worth it if you don’t want to be standing in line for hours.
What to see in Vatican Museum?
A complete tour of the Vatican Museum will need at least five hours. The museum is huge and the masterpieces within are countless.
Among the “Must See” we advice you not to miss there are:
1. The Vatican Pinacoteca
2. Belvedere Courtyard
3. Pius Clementine Museum with the Octagonal Courtyard
4. Egyptian Museum
5. Gallery of Maps
6. Gallery of Candelabra
7. Raphael’s Rooms
8. Giuseppe Momo’s Spiral Staircase
9. The Sistine Chapel
Is the Vatican Museum Free on Sunday?
The Vatican Museum is NOT free every Sunday.
Indeed, on Sundays the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel are generally closed.
Free Entry occurs only on Every last Sunday of the month
(*provided this does not coincide with Easter Sunday, 29 June Sts. Peter and Paul, 25 December Christmas Day, and 26 December Feast of St. Stephen) and for a limited time: 9.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m. (final entry 12.30 p.m.)
Is the Vatican Museum Open Wednesdays?
Yes! The Vatican Museums are generally open on Wednesdays.
Many people get confused about this because on Wednesday mornings general audiences occurs in St. Peter’s Basilica. However, this means that in the morning the Basilica won’t be accessible through the Vatican Museums.
We recommend to visitors that are planning to visit the Vatican on Wednesday to schedule the visit in the afternoon.
Otherwise, if you want to see St. St. Peter’s you will have to exit the museum and get in line for St. Peter’s Basilica through the main entrance. You want to avoid that, trust us!
Are you wondering something about this landmark in Rome? Go to our Q&A section and post your question. It will be answered by an official Rome tour guide!
