Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel

A visit to Vatican City and Rome is not complete without a visit to the Vatican Museums (‘I Musei Vaticani’). As the name suggests, this is not just one museum, but multiple museums that together form a museum complex. In total, the Vatican Museums consist of 26 different museums, all interconnected and located within the Apostolic Palaces in Vatican City.

Thanks to its enormous collection of art treasures from ancient Rome and Egypt, the museum is one of the largest museums in the world. It is also by far the most popular museum in all of Rome. This is not only due to the museum’s vast collection but especially because of the Sistine Chapel located within the museum.

Because the Vatican Museums are the most popular attraction in all of Rome, the queues at the ticket office can sometimes be extremely long. Especially during holiday periods, it can be very crowded at the entrance. Therefore, it is recommended to reserve special skip-the-line tickets. These can easily be booked in advance via the website of Tiqets.com.

Highlights of the Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums consist in 54 halls filled with artworks. To view everything in detail, you would need at least a day, but if you don’t have much time, you can also just see the highlights of the museum. We have listed all the artworks and the most important halls in the Vatican Museums that you should not miss.

The Vatican Pinacoteca
The Vatican Pinacoteca is located on the ground floor and houses a collection of tapestries and paintings from the Vatican. Here you can find works by great masters including Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Raphael, and Titian. Some of the tapestries in this room were originally made for the Sistine Chapel.

Stanza della Segnatura
On the second floor of the museum lies the Stanza della Segnatura, which was originally the library of Pope Julius II. Later, this room was used as a ecclesiastical tribunal. Thanks to the splendid paintings by Raphael on the walls and ceiling, this room is one of the highlights of the Vatican.

La Galleria delle Carte geografiche
On the first floor of the museum lies the 16th-century map gallery where you can find enormous topographical maps of Italy and the rest of the world. There are also 40 magnificent wall panels to admire, the work of Ignazio Danti.

Stanze di Raffaello
On the first floor are the rooms of the Stanza di Raffaello, decorated by Raphael on the orders of Pope Julius II. The paintings in the rooms represent rights, philosophy, theology, and poetry. One of the most famous works in this room is the ‘School of Athens’ from 1509, depicting philosophy with the philosophers Plato and Aristotle.

Skip the Line at the Vatican Museums

Would you like to visit the Vatican Museums and the remarkable Sistine Chapel in Vatican City but don’t want to risk waiting in the long queue at the ticket office, potentially wasting valuable time during your city trip to Rome? Then opt for the skip-the-line ticket, allowing you to bypass the long queue at the ticket office and proceed directly to the ticket control.

During your visit to the Vatican Museums, you can admire thousands of artworks, many of which are of priceless value, originating from the papal collections. You can also marvel at the splendid frescoes by Michelangelo adorning the Sistine Chapel. On the ceiling and walls of this chamber, you’ll find extraordinary paintings, including ‘The Last Judgment.’

It’s best to book tickets for the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel in advance because availability is limited, as only a limited number of people can enter the museum per hour, and demand is high, especially during holiday periods. The queues at the entrance ticket office are often extremely long, and waiting times averaging one hour are more the rule than the exception. During peak season, this waiting time can even extend to two hours. By booking your tickets for the Vatican Museums in advance, you’ll save a lot of time, time that you can better spend exploring Vatican City and Rome.

Ticket Prices for Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

The skip-the-line tickets for the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel cost 38 euros for adults, while children between 6 and 17 years old or students pay 22 euros. Children under six years old and individuals with disabilities are granted free admission. You can easily order your tickets online by this link. If you want to book tickets for today or tomorrow but everything is already sold out, you can also book a last-minute ticket for a small additional fee by this link.

The tickets can be reserved online through the websites of Tiqets.com, GetYourGuide, or Tiqets. Payment can be made quickly and securely via iDeal, credit card, or PayPal, and you will receive the tickets in your mailbox within 24 hours after booking. When booking, you must indicate a time slot for your museum visit. When visiting the Vatican Museums, your knees and shoulders must be covered, and low-cut and sleeveless tops, as well as shorts, are prohibited.

Bij je boeking moet je een tijdslot aangeven waarop je het museum wilt gaan bezoeken. Als je een bezoek brengt aan de Vaticaanse Musea moeten je knieën en schouders bedekt zijn en laag uitgesneden en mouwloze topjes en korte broeken zijn verboden.

Click here to book your tickets online