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Travel bucket list idea:

Last updated: 26 June, 2023
Expert travel writer: Rebecca Winke

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.

Sistine Chapel

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).

Gallery of Maps

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.

Pio Clementino Museum

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.

Gregorian Profane Museums

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.

The Pinacoteca

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.

Borgia Apartments

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.

Logistics

Price from: £15
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

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.

When to do it

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.

Who to go with: organised tours

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Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica Guided Tour

Rome

Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica Guided Tour
Spend more time inside with no-wait access to the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica through an official Vatican partner entrance. On this comprehensive guided tour, you'll experience the best of the Vatican in just three hours, including the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, and more. Navigate the vast complex of artwork and history with an expert, who will bring this ancient collection to life. Choose from several departure times and languages.

Price: €65

Min age: 0

Rating 4.50 / 5 [30547 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Skip the Line: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel with St. Peter's Basilica Access

Rome

Skip the Line: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel with St. Peter's Basilica Access
Easy and FAST Skip the Line tickets or tours for timed-entry to the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel. Meet us at a designated meeting point near the Vatican Museums entrance to redeem your tickets and get useful advice. Then either explore on your own, and stay as long as you like until closing time. Looking for an expert guided experience? Choose a guided tour upgrade and benefit from Skip the Line Access to St. Peter's Basilica as well.

Price: €35

Min age: 0

Rating 4.68 / 5 [3140 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Semi-Private Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter’s Basilica Guided Tour

Rome

Semi-Private Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter’s Basilica Guided Tour
See the highlights of the world-famous Vatican Museums in one morning on this intimate, small-group Vatican walking tour! Starting early in the morning to beat the heat and crowds, you'll skip the line and head straight inside with your priority access ticket. Led by an expert Vatican guide, your comprehensive tour visits the sacred Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and more! Due to a new Vatican partnership, this tour provides VIP access through a reserved door, allowing you to skip all the lines – even the priority lines. Numbers are also limited to just 10 people on this unique Vatican tour, ensuring you'll see the very best of the Vatican Museums in a small-group atmosphere.

Price: €84

Min age: 0

Rating 4.60 / 5 [3124 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Skip-the-Line Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Group Tour

Rome

Skip-the-Line Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Group Tour
Skip the lines and see the incredible Sistine Chapel, the highlights of the Vatican’s extraordinary collections & galleries, and get direct access to St.Peter's Basilica with an expert guide. Once you book, we organize everything. Just show up at the Maya Tours office (VIA GERMANICO, 16) at the correct time (Please arrive 10 minutes before your booked departure time) and your guide will escort you inside the Museums & provide you with your ticket. No unnecessary waiting around! Time is important, especially when you are on vacation, so we always use fast track tickets to ensure you get inside as soon as possible. The Vatican Museum boasts over 4 miles of Art, and a whopping 20,000 works on display, the Vatican Museums make up an impressive assemblage. The Sistine Chapel is an impressive sanctuary boasts works by master painters like Perugino, Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio, Rosselli, Botticelli, Signorelli, della Gatta and, of course, Michelangelo.

Price: €45

Min age: 6

Rating 4.63 / 5 [2932 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Vatican Breakfast: Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica Tour

Rome

Vatican Breakfast: Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica Tour
Embark on an extraordinary journey at the Vatican with this semi-private morning tour that includes an American-style breakfast inside the Vatican's Courtyard. You’ll explore the Vatican Museums before they open to the general public so you can admire famous sights like the Sistine Chapel in a more intimate atmosphere before finishing with skip-the-line access to St Peter’s Basilica through a reserved entrance.

Price: €114

Min age: 0

Rating 4.57 / 5 [1511 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Lazio, Italy

Rome

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.

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