Bucket list experience:
Vatican City, Lazio, Italy
Sistine Chapel
Credit Shutterstock.com/S-F
This complex of museums, in the home of the Catholic Church, are mind-bogglingly opulent. They’re home to one of the greatest hoards of treasure, antiquities and art anywhere.
Michelangelo’s extraordinary Sistine Chapel is arguably the world’s greatest masterpiece, and the start of the show here. No single artist before or after has ever equalled his powerful vision: the ceiling (1508-12), painted for Pope Julius II, surrounding the famous scene of God creating man, and the much darker, harrowing vision of the Last Judgement (1534-41).
This astonishingly beautiful gallery, located on the west side of the Belvedere Courtyard, features a series of painted topographical maps of Italy, painted over three years by Danti in 1580.
Housing Greek and Roman sculptures; most are copies of lost ancient originals, notably The Apollo Belvedere and Laocoon, which are the stars of the Pio Clementino Museum.
Two original spiral stairways designed by Bramante in 1505 are located on the other side of the museum can be tour by special arrangement.
Superb Etruscan, Greek and Egyptian works fill the Gregorian museums. Large marble fragments from the Athens Parthenon and mosaics from the Baths of Caracalla can also be seen.
Paintings by Giotto, Leonardo, Titian and Caravaggio fill the Pinacoteca (art gallery) along with a single, rare work by Leonardo da Vinci depicting St Jerome in the desert. There’s also a room entirely devoted to Raphael, that includes his The Transfiguration.
These wondrous papal apartments, frescoed by Raphael (including the School of Athens), take their name of Spaniard Rodrigo de Borja y Doms, who was elected as pope following the death of Innocent VIII. Consisting of six monumental spaces, today the Borgia Apartments house part of the Vatican Museums’ Collection of Contemporary Art.
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Destination Guide >Cipro-Musei Vaticani is the nearest metro station.
The queues at the entrance are horrendous; book a time-dated ticket online and print out a voucher. If you haven’t booked a ticket, get there before 9am when the ticket office opens and sprint straight to the Sistine Chapel to avoid the worst crowds (then work your way back through the museums).
Once you’re inside, there are four colour-coded itineraries taking in the most popular collections: the shortest (to the Raphael rooms and Sistine Chapel) takes 90 minutes. You can also book onto official guided tours in English or Italian of the main museum highlights, or the mystery-laden ‘Hidden Vatican Museums’. https://tickets.museivaticani.va/home
To get into the Vatican Museums, both men and women must have their knees and shoulders covered, no matter how hot it is. The dress code is strictly enforced. The sheer scale of the museums (over 7km in total length) can be exhausting; wear comfortable shoes.
The museums are open all year round, Monday to Saturday. Closed Sunday – apart from last Sunday of the month, when the museum is free. Wednesdays are the most crowded days, so avoid if possible.
If you’re doing St. Peter’s and the museums on the same day, visit the museums first as the wardens begin hurrying people round from mid-afternoon.
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Rome, Lazio, Italy[0.8 miles]
An inspired new-wave vibe, pampering spa and hip on-site eateries, the energetic 212-room Mama Shelter is a modern bolthole in Rome’s starchy Prati neighbourhood.
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Rome, Lazio, Italy[1.2 miles]
A sophisticated and chic boutique hotel set on one of Rome’s most beautiful streets in the centre of historic Rome.
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Rome, Lazio, Italy[1.5 miles]
A great value, sleek hotel in a former palazzo that blends old with new, in unbeatably convenient location near Piazza Navona.
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Rome, Lazio, Italy[1.8 miles]
Period charm abounds at this 1920s art nouveau gem near delightful Piazza del Popolo and all the main attractions.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Lazio, Italy
The Eternal City – 2,000 extraordinary years of glory, greatness and triumph – and decadence, murder and destruction – evidenced by some of the world’s most iconic, must-see monuments and museums.
Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Rome, Lazio, Italy[0.2 miles]
A UNESCO World Heritage site, Vatican City is the world’s smallest sovereign nation-state and Holy See of the Roman Catholic Church. Within its borders are St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, the Vatican Museums, and Apostolic Palace, home to the Pope.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Vatican City, Lazio, Italy[0.3 miles]
The sublime, world-famous basilica built over St. Peter’s tomb and crowned by Michelangelo’s heavenly dome.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Rome, Lazio, Italy[2 miles]
A superbly preserved Roman shrine under an astonishing 43m dome, housing the tomb of Raphael. The Pantheon was originally a temple to the Gods, rebuilt by Hadrian in AD 118.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Rome, Lazio, Italy[2.3 miles]
A lavish treasure-filled palazzo housing paintings and furniture assembled since the 16th century by the Doria, Pamphilj, Landi and Aldobrandini families. Rome’s most impressive private art collection also includes works by Titian, Guercino, and Caravaggio.
Best for ages: 18+ | £10
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Rome, Lazio, Italy[0.9 miles]
Walk the Passetto do Borgo that connects the Vatican with Castel Sant’Angelo, used by Pope Clement VII to flee mercenaries in 1527. It’s only open in July and August; enter via the castle.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Rome, Lazio, Italy[1 miles]
This Roman bridge was built in AD 134 by the Roman emperor Hadrian, to provide a scenic access route from the city to his newly built mausoleum, the Castel Sant’Angelo (which later became a fortress, and is now a museum).
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Rome, Lazio, Italy[1.6 miles]
Museum holding one of Italy’s finest archaeological collections – antiquities from the 5th century BC to the 3rd century AD including superb sculptures, bronzes and frescoes.
Best for ages: 18+ | £6
Rome, Lazio, Italy[1.6 miles]
Sumptuous 16th-century Roman villa designed by Baldassare Peruzzi and beautifully frescoed by Raphael, in particular the Triumph of Galatea featuring a nymph driving a scallop-shell chariot pulled by dolphins.
Best for ages: 18+ | £10
Round-ups that include this experience
Multiple countries
From New York to London, Paris to Berlin, here’s our round-up of the must-see art galleries and museums around the world that should be on everyone’s travel bucket list.
