The Vatican Museums – Musei Vaticani – are among the greatest museums in the world. The site is actually a collection of museums, all inter-connected. The museums display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries. The Vatican Museums were begun by Pope Julius II in the early 1500′s. The Museums include the Gregorian Egyptian Museum, Gregorian Etruscan Museum, Classical Antiquities (Greek and Roman), Pio Christian Museum, Pinacoteca Wing, and the Missionary-Ethnological Museum and then there’s the Palace!
As you can see, it can be a full day! Visiting the Vatican is an incredible experience… but if you’re not prepared it can be overwhelming, exhausting, and even frustrating. The following twenty tips are based on my experiences in the Museums and will help you better enjoy your visit!
1 – The Vatican Museums DO accept credit cards AT THE TICKET OFFICE… but often these booths are limited to one or two and sometimes not even open. Thus, this is one of the spots in Rome where I would take cash! The entrance fee is €15 (eff. Jan 2010) and if you have students, their fee is €8. They are pretty open to giving you the student fee, unlike anywhere else in Rome where you have to be an EU citizen or your country has an agreement with Italy. But then again, this is a different country!
You can pre-purchase tickets to skip-the-line for €19 at the Vatican Online Ticket Office . Recently they created a student or child option – make sure you bring a student ID (if you look “older” than college age) or you may be forced to pay full price upon arrival. So if you are going on a Holiday week, a Saturday or Monday, or early morning, you might want to pay extra to avoid the longer lines. For more info on the “line strategy” at the Vatican, see my post on Vatican Museums – Do I Pre-Book or Not?
2 – As you near the Vatican and St. Peter’s, you will be set upon by young, English-speaking kids proclaiming, “Do you speak English? English-speaking tours starting in a few minutes.” Often times they will tell you that the lines are 1 1/2 – 2 hours longs and they can help you “skip the line.” Frankly, since the inception of the new extended hours in 2007, the lines are no where near what they used to be. So be forewarned… I just avoid these folks because they often make false or misleading claims… The tours they give tend to be inconsistent depending on which guide you get. Some ARE quite good… others not so much.
3 – Dress Appropriately. Rules in Italy are inconsistently and randomly enforced (Have you seen how we drive here? ). But if there is a place where the DRESS RULES are enforced, it’s at the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. You do not want to pre-purchase tickets, or wait in line, only to be told at the the door you cannot enter! The guidelines are fairly – FOR MEN AND WOMEN – Shoulders and knees must be covered. If you wear a sun dress bring a shawl or scarf to cover your shoulders. Tights seem to be okay. But don’t wear a tank top and shorts and expect to get in. They are adamant about enforcing these rules!
Many websites will tell you that the “rules” are different for the Vatican Museums than they are for St. Peter’s Basilica. Yes and No! If you are going from the Museum to the Basilica the “back way” then you will have to dress correctly, as the rules are MORE adamantly enforced at the Basilica. In addition, if you plan on entering the Sistine Chapel, they often monitor guests entering. Don’t make this mistake and NOT dress corrrectly. Like most rules in Italy, it depends on who is enforcing them at the door … and once you’ve been “told NO,” they will not back down. Debating will not work!
4 – There are some “differences” between the Basilica and the Museums. First, the Museums cost money (€15) and St. Peter’s Basilica is free… The Vatican Museum entrance is on the north side of the “city”, on Viale Vaticano . The Entrance to the Basilica is through St. Peter’s Square, which is on the EAST side of the “city.” This Goggle Map might make it easier to understand. Use the “+” or “-” keys to zoom in and out, or your mouse to “pull” the map as necessary. The red marker represent bus stops for buses headed AWAY from the Centro area of town… and the yellow markers are buses head back downtown.
For a larger Google map you can print out, Click Here!
The red pin, located in the bottom center of the map is the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica. It sits in the middle of St. Peter’s Square. The green pin, located above and slightly to the left on this map (NORTH) is the entrance to the Vatican Museums. It’s about a 12-15 minute walk, around the city walls, from one entrance to the other. The odd-shaped, grey outline you see in the center of the map is the wall of Vatican city. So the entire country, the smallest in the world, fits in a few blocks in Rome!
Also on this map… the “man ” figures are public rest rooms. Outside St. Peter’s there are three – one on either side of the Square, one on the lower level of the Basilica, and the last (top right) is outside the city next to Il Passetto. There are also rest rooms at the entrance in the Museums and a few select spots through the Museum (at the entrance, just off Pine Cone Courtyard, down below the Pinacoteca Wing, off the Raphael rooms, and just below Sistine Chapel for example…)
The bus markers denote where the closest buses stop., I’m not going to try and get into all the bus routes… but here are the easiest. Starting bottom right, you can click on the numbers for details, is the #64 bus (Red #9 and #10 – yellow #8). You can catch this bus starting at Termini but BE CAREFUL. This is the infamous pickpocket bus! Ride at your own risk!
Just above that, the bus with the #9 red marker in it is the bus which will drop you closest to the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica. This is the #62 bus stop, which is adjacent to Il Passetto. When riding this bus, you’ll drive directly TOWARD the St. Peter’s (great view). Push the button when you see it and get off at the next stop.
There are many markers representing stops for buses #23 and #492. These are two buses that are GREAT to get to the Vatican area from many parts of town. Other buses do stop at these stops, but these are the easiest! I’d check at the ATAC site for more info. There is also a bus stop just outside the vatican Museum entrance, but the bus that stops there, #49 (#8 red), will only help you if you’re coming from Piazza Cavour, or the WEST side of town.
You can also see the two metro stops that are near the Vatican. The Vatican Museums are located about centrally between the Cipro and Ottaviano stations. If I was headed to the Vatican Museums, I’d probably get off at Cipro. Go up the stairs of the station, turn RIGHT at the top of the stairs, turn RIGHT again immediately, and now you’re walking southeast on Via Fra Albenzio. Follow this road, pass in front of a church (on your right). Cross the street, Via Angelo Emo, and you’ll see a HUGE staircase in front of you (You’ll see the Vatican walls directly in front of you also!). Climb these stairs and once you’re at the top, you’re on Viale Vaticano – the street the Museum entrance is on. TURN LEFT and walk down the hill … the entrance to the Vatican Museums will be on the right side of the street as you approach.
This is the staircase (on the right as you exit the station) leaving the CIPRO Metro. Go up these stairs!
At the top of these stairs, TURN RIGHT (See the brown Museo Vaticani sign!)…
and then make ANOTHER immediate right!
Follow this sidewalk after you make the immediate right…
head towards the Church you see on the top right side of this picture!
As you approach the Church (on your right) you’ll see this apartment building in front of you. Head to the opening on the LEFT side of this apartment buidling. (The crosswalk is to your right in this picture)
On the left side of the building above is this staircase. Walk to the top and you are on Viale Vaticano! TURN LEFT to head to the entrance of the Museums. The walls you see at the top of this staircase are the walls of Vatican City.
If you’re headed to the Basilica from the Metro, better to get off at Ottaviano, and head south on Via Ottaviano, directly to the Square. You’ll see the heads and shoulders of statues on top of a wall in the distance. This is St. Peter’s Square… just keep walking south and you’ll hit St. Peter’s Square.
Here’s a picture of the sign in the Ottaviano metro station.
Here’s the view once you exit the Ottaviano metro. In the FAR distance, you ca n see the whites of the statues that flank St. Peter’s Square. Head south towards them!
If you’re not into public transportation, there is a taxi stand just outside the entrance to the Vatican Museum and also one just across from St. Peter’s Square. The taxis will queue up in both locations.
5 – Yes, you can go from the Vatican Museums directly to St. Peter’s Basilica. Okay, you can and you can’t! Once you walk through the Museums 1+ mile, you come to the end of the line… the Sistine Chapel. After you’ve spent your time in the Chapel you can leave through two doors. As you walk, with the Last Judgment BEHIND you , the door on the LEFT takes you back through the Museum and BACK to the entrance you came in on Viale Vaticano. And back to Cipro or Ottaviano Metro Stations. You would be walking back through the Library section of the Vatican Museums.
But if you want to go to the Basilica (and save yourself about 30-40 minutes of walking), take the RIGHT door. Now, honestly… you’re breaking the rules. The RIGHT door is reserved for “guided tour groups.” As of late, there has been a guard on the door and, by the rules, only tour groups are allowed to depart through this door. The guided tour group companies – that pay the Vatican fees – are unhappy that everyone (including you!) will try to use this door. So, in the past, while there has been a half-hearted attempt to prevent abuse of this door, the climate has changed as of late. Frankly, I’ve been in the Vatican Museums 100+ times and been turned away twice. So in the past, the odds WERE in your favor. Half the time the guard is no where NEAR the door. And other times, they could care less. But now, there seems to be more pressure bu the tour groups and thus more presence and enforcement by the guards.
Here’s why it’s such a GREAT deal to cut through these doors. This Sistine Chapel EXIT door is less than 200 yards from St. Peter’s Basilica entrance. 200 yards! If you cannot go this way, you have to go ALL THE WAY BACK THROUGH THE MUSEUMS (about 3/4 mile), exit the Museums on Viale Vaticano , and then walk AROUND the walls of the city… add another 2/3 mile… then you have to WAIT IN LINE in St. Peter’s Square and go through X-Ray security again. So 200 yards vs. almost 1.5 miles and a security line… You will save about 40-45 minutes if you go through the RIGHT door. There’s no doubt why EVERYONE wants to cut through these doors if they are headed to St. Peter’s Basilica (see the map below)!
The picture above is taken just after you exit the hallway below the Sistine Chapel… that’s St. Peter’s Basilica on the right side of the picture – it’s that close! The people in the line on the right side of the picture are headed to the tombs, the lower level of the Basilica.
Here’s a map of the trip you’ll have to make if you cannot go through the group tour exit… This is from an older Vatican site map.
On this map, you start at #22, the entrance to the Vatican Museums. You’ll eventually work your way through the Museums maze to the Sistine Chapel, #9 circled in purple on the map. You can see how FAR you’ve come and how CLOSE you are to St. Peter’s Basilica. The photo of the exit, captioned above, is just to the LEFT of the #9 on this map. But if you cannot get through this door….. you have to turn around, exit the left side door of the Sistine Chapel … and walk all the way back to #22 on the map. Yes, the only exit (other than this tour group door) is back at the entrance! Then, as you can see on the map, you have to walk all the way around the walls, following the purple arrows, to St. Peter’s Square – where you get to wait in line to go through security (AGAIN).
If you plan to take the “secret” doorway to St. Peter’s from the Sistine Chapel, I would offer this advice. One of the most famous objects in the Vatican Museums is the Spiral Staircase (pictured below). The Spiral Staircase IS NOW the exit ramp OUT OF the Vatican Museums, but only if you’ve come back through the LEFT door in the Sistine Chapel and walked through the museum. If you DO NOT plan to take this door, then here is what I would suggest you do so you get to the see this famous staircase.
After you leave the ticket booth area at the entrance, go through the turn stiles and enter the Museums, you will go up a very long escalator. At the top of this escalator EVERYONE heads straight. Don’t! Go immediately to your right and head north (back in the opposite direction of the escalator). You’ll come into an “open area” and directly to your LEFT will be the famous staircase. Walk over to it, stand at the top, and get your pictures and your view of the staircase…. then head back the way you came – back to the staircase and head into the Museums! Don’t go down it as it’s one way and this IS THE EXIT!
6 – Many people say I do not want to see the Museums, just the Sistine Chapel. As you can see from above, that’s really not possible. In order TO GET to the Sistine Chapel you have to walk through the museums . But you can use another “shortcut.” After you’ve walked, and walked, and walked… you’ll go through the Gallery of Maps (the Map Room), and after exiting, you will go through another room of Tapestries… then you’ll come to a dead end…
Directly in front of you is an doorway with an undecorated hallway. This is the DIRECT path to the Sistine Chapel. Most other folks will be turning LEFT and heading to the Raphael Rooms from which they will take a seemingly endless trek back to the Sistine Chapel. But if you GO STRAIGHT from the Gallery of Maps room, through the Tapestry room, and into this doorway, you’ll go through an unspectacular hallway and end up just outside the Sistine Chapel… so if you’re looking for the fastest path, this is the way!
On the other hand, if you want to see the Raphael Rooms (which I recommend) then take a left at in this tapestry room and follow the crowd. You will walk through the incredibly beautiful paintings of Raphael (probably packed with people…) and then you will take a circuitous route and end up at a set of stairs BELOW the Sistine Chapel. Be warned. The Raphael Rooms are GREAT but you will have to walk , and walk, and walk up and down stairs through the modern art wing of the Palace if you take this route. This walk takes 8-10 minutes AFTER you leave the Raphael Rooms.
7 – Yes, you can go DIRECTLY to the Sistine Chapel and then double back to see the Museums. Okay, but it’s a little tricky as the Museums are primarily ONE-WAY traffic. Once you are in the Sistine Chapel, exit through the Left Door and head back through the Library towards the front entrance. Eventually you will go down a flight of stairs, bear to the left and come to the LAST Gift Shop. Once you go through this Gift Shop, try and GO RIGHT. They may have this blocked by a rope (they have been re-directing folks for a couple of months while they do work)… But if you get stopped just ask, “Where is the Post Office?” Once back at the post office, you’re directly over the entrance and by the famous spiral staircase — WHICH IS THE EXIT. Do not GO DOWN the staircase as that is the point of NO RETURN, just head back into the Museums!!! I’ve done it many times – and actually have never been stopped.
8. Take food and water. Okay, it’s not quite that long a trek, but it can seem like it. There are very limited places to get food or water in the Museums. Outside a few of the bathrooms there are drink vending machines but the selections are limited, the areas are crowded, and often the machines are not full. Don’t take any chances. Take water/drink with you and some snacks. Now, don’t plan on spreading out a picnic on the floor of the Sistine Chapel with wine and cheese… but do take something as you’ll be here a few hours! Also, be discrete.
9. Conversely, you will be going through an X-ray machine, so don’t bring any weapons with you. Along these same lines, if you come with a VERY large backpack into the Museums you will have to check it – right here at this entrance. This IS NOT good news if you plan to use the “St. Peter’s Basilica” door in the Sistine Chapel. Once you check your backpack or oversized bag… you will have to walk all the way back to the entrance to retrieve it. So folks carrying EXTRA-Large camera gear and large backpacks, you’ve been warned. You will not be able to use the shortcut to St. Peter’s Basilica if you have to return to retrieve your large bag. Leave ‘em at your hotel/B&B!
And if it’s raining and you take a large umbrella (or probably anything but a portable) they will make you check it. We found this out the hard way as one of our friends had a long, standard umbrella. We had to check it, walk back through the museums, and then over to the Basilica. So only bring a portable umbrella you can stick in your purse or bag…
On the other hand, the cloakroom is quite convenenient for checking your luggage!. Yes, if you’re in a rush from the airport, or you’ve had to check out of your apartment, you can store you luggage here while you tour the Museums. (The Basilica also has a storage area.) They tend to frown on really large pieces but they will take them. A friend of ours stored his guitar there while he toured the museums.
10. If you need a rest room, use the one at the entrance. After you get through the X-Ray Machines, head towards the left side of the room, left of the staircase (where you go up to get your tickets) and you’ll see the hallway that leads DOWN to the bathrooms. A vending machine is also in the area if you forgot your water. There are other bathrooms – sometimes a little disguised – as you walk through the Museum, but this is certainly the most convenient! Others include, but are not limited to: the post office near the spiral staircase, the stairs to your left just after you leave the Pine Cone Courtyard, under the Pinacoteca wing, off the last Raphael Room, and outside the Sistine Chapel. There are others, but these are probably the most frequented.
11. As many locals suggest, take time to tour the Pinacoteca. This wing of the Museum is a delight. To get there, as you come up the entry escalator (or back from the spiral staircase viewing), rather than take the left that EVERYONE else takes as they get on the fast-track to the Sistine Chapel, GO RIGHT. In this gallery, you’ll see the last painting of Raphael (and in the room before it, one by his father), plus works by Da Vinci and Caravaggio. And there is one of the few reproductions of Michelangelo’s Piéta – you’ll see the original in the St. Peter’s Basilica but you can’t get as close as you can here. Due to an attack on the Piéta in 1972, the original in St. Peter’s Basilica sits behind 2 inches of bullet proof glass!
12. For the best info on the Vatican schedule, go to The Vatican Website. On this page you’ll find links for history of the sites, the museum hours of operation, and a link to buy tickets online. The Museums are closed on Vatican Holidays and on Sundays. The exception being the last Sunday of the month which is FREE (We’ll talk about that below). The “scheduled” dates for closure in 2012 are
- January 1, 6
- February 11
- March 19
- Easter and the Monday after Easter – April 8, 9
- May 1
- June 29 (St. Peter and Paul)
- August 15, 16
- November 1
- December 8 (Immaculate Conception), 25, 26
The Vatican is closed on Catholic religious holidays so the remainder of Rome is often still operating. The Basilica is often open (like on Sundays) even when the Museum is closed. Here’s the calendar for 2012 (from their website).
13. The best days to go to the Vatican are…. Everyone has an opinion on this! My “best” two days are Tuesday and Thursday. This is more a process of elimination. Never go on FREE SUNDAYS unless you enjoy being herded like cattle. On a fFee Sunday, the Museum is open from 9:00 AM, with last entry at 12:30 PM. The Museum then closes at 2:00 PM and starts chasing people out at 1;30 PM. I’ve seen people wait in line 2+ hours on FREE SUNDAY… only to be subjected to the BIGGEST crowds ever inside the Museum. NO THANKS!
Avoid Mondays because the Museums are usually closed on Sunday so folks with limited time in town HAVE to go on Monday. I say avoid Wednesdays if the Pope is in town and doing a Papal Audience. The Museums are LESS crowded in the AM while he is speaking, but then the 10,000 – 25,000 people at the outdoor Papal Audience head for the Museums and Basilica when he is finished, so it can get very crowded. Also, while he is doing the outdoor audience, the RIGHT side door of the Sistine Chapel is locked because you are not allowed to go to the Basilica (It’s closed while he is addressing the crowd) – security issues! Saturday is the day that many Italians come into town and they go to the Museums so that day lines tend to be longer…
So that leaves Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday… in that order! If you go in the afternoon, you’ll probably never have to wait in line. I usually plan to enter the Museums about 12 noon – 1300 (1 PM). The last entry is 1600 (4 PM) and you can stay in the Museums until 1800 (6 PM), but they will start herding you to the exits about 1730 (5:30 PM). Do make sure you get to the Sistine Chapel before 17:15 (5:15 PM) or your stay will be VERY brief!
I’ve never had to use the “skip the line” tickets as I live across the street from the Museum Entrance and walk by there often. My first time here years and years ago I did wait in line 2+ hours. That was before the extended hours and before I learned the patterns. Now I’ve waited NO MORE than 5 minutes to enter the museum. So plan accordingly and you’ll be fine. The only exception I would make on pre-buying is if there are holidays that week and the Museums will be closed (XMAS and Easter for example) , if you have extremely limited time, or you are locked into going on a Monday, Saturday, etc. Any holiday or closure usually compounds the lines for two days on either side!
14. Yes, you can take pictures in the Museums – so do bring your camera. As we said earlier, don’t bring that HUGE camera bag (larger than a backpack) or they will make you check the bag. You can take pictures ALMOST everywhere in the Museum, with the exception of the Sistine Chapel. There are places where FLASH is not allowed, and you’ll get yelled at if you do so!
©Vatican Museums and Galleries, Vatican City, Italy
No pictures, No photo!” You’ll hear this mantra over and over by the security staff in the Sistine Chapel. Why can’t you take pictures in the Sistine Chapel? In the past, the copyright for the images was owned by by Nippon TV, a Japanese channel best known for its quiz shows and baseball coverage. They underwrote the cleaning and restoration of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes in return for exclusive media rights to the restored ceiling. You might this controversial book, Sayonara, Michelangelo: The Sistine Chapel Restored and Repackaged or see this wikipedia article for info on the resoration. The Lithurgical Office of Apostolic (Papal) Celebrations, has “control” over the the rights now. The restoration work took almost 15 years for these masterpieces. Nippon TV reportedly paid $3-4 million for the restoration. Of course, there are many different stories about the “restoration agreement.”
15. Do you need a guide? Of all the places I go, the Colosseo, Forum, Palatine Hill…. and the Vatican are places where I believe a guide will enhance your experience. There is just SO MUCH to see in the Vatican. I’ve read there are SEVEN MILES of corridors in the Palaces. No wonder people get worn out! But if you do not take a guide, at least have a podcast, a few good books, and a LOT OF TIME. You can rent headsets which, although not as good as many guides, can help you tremendously. But if you rent the headsets… you will have to leave ID (DO leave your driver’s license and NEVER your passport!) and unfortunately you will have to come back to the entrance of the Museums to drop off the headset and get your ID… thus you WILL NOT be able to take the shortcut to St. Peter’s Basilica. So plan accordingly.
16. The best Post Office in Italy… is not in Italy! It’s in Vatican City. There are actually three post offices in Vatican City which YOU can use. And trust me, the poor reputation of the Italian Postal Service is well earned. Many eBay vendors NEVER ship to Italy as the products never “get here.” Whenever we mail out things to the States, we walk over to the Vatican and use their postal service. We actually walk BY an Italian Post Office to get there. If you mail from the Vatican, you buy your stamps in the Vatican, and the articles must be mailed FROM the Vatican. The stamps are no good in Italy…
The three post offices you can go to are in primarily two locations. There are two post offices in St, Peter’s Square. Most folks are aware of the post office on the LEFT side of the Square facing the Basilica. This is the larger one and it is in the Charlemagne colonnade. The other is in the Constantine colonnade, on the right side of the Square,. It is up under the colonnade, where Il Passetto comes into the Palace (almost under the Pope’s bedroom window!). The third post office is INSIDE the Vatican Museum. It’s right before the EXIT spiral staircase… or as we told you earlier, to the immediate right as you get off the entry escalator.
Here’s a tip. Buy your postcards a day or so in advance. Write your notes, fill in your addresses, and then come prepared. Buy your stamps and drop your outgoing mail into the Vatican Post Office boxes. To mail a postcard to the USA it is currently about 80 cents. A letter runs about 85 cents. You’ll see many people buying postcards in the Vatican and sitting down and writing out postcard after postcard… and you have to because you UNLESS you’re coming back to the Vatican, you will not be able to mail these in Italy. Nothing is more frustrating to these folks than NOT having an address or zip code for someone…. so do yours in advance and save yourself some time and frustration!
The Vatican Post Office under the Pope’s window (Constantine Colonnade)
17. Believe or not, there are pickpockets in the Vatican! Yes, it’s true. One of my friends is a tour guide and he was pickpocketed (unfortunately AFTER he had collected his fees) and lost his wallet and money. Another friend had his money clip “removed” from his pocket. So do be aware. It can get VERY crowded with the large tour groups shuffling through and thus bad things can happen. So do wear a money belt, or secure your belongings. Unbelievable…. but true.
18. Signage in the Vatican is consistent with signage on the roads of Italy – often misleading and confusing. At some points there are signs directing you to the Sistine Chapel pointing in opposite directions! It’s just that there are different ways to get there through the seemingly endless corridors. Be patient, ask a security guard or any guide giving a tour for help… and most will point you in the right direction. They’re used to dealing with tired and confused tourists.
19. The Vatican is wheelchair accessible – Well, sort of. I took a friend of a friend through the Museum who was in her eighties. We talked her into using a wheelchair and that was a WISE decision. There are elevators throughout the Museums, although sometimes we had to wait for an attendant. Thus we were able to navigate the Museums. There are many sets of stairs so we were also fortunate to be able to bypass these. Our elderly guest was treated almost reverently by the security personnel. And we were delighted that she did not have to try and walk the Museum. It made everyones’ day brighter. We “borrowed” the wheelchair from the “checked articles” counter at the entrance to the Museum. We had to leave passport info, but NOT the passport. And of course, we also had to come back to the entrance to drop off the wheelchair. Well worth it for her. Do know they have a limited amount of loaner wheelchairs as on another trip with an eldery guest they were all check out. Without the wheelchair, we did the best we could.
20. Many parts of the Vatican Museums do not have air-conditioning. In some rooms, it can get quite stuffy. Newer wings, like the Pinacoteca, have small. portable AC units. But be prepared if you go in the summer as it can quite HOT. I’d definitely wear lightweight clothing and take water in the summer.
For some popular Vatican Tour options, click on any of these links:
- Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Tour of Sistine Chapel, Raphael’s Rooms and St Peter’s
- Skip the Line: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Half-Day Walking Tour
- Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Tickets
- Skip the Line: Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Tour
- Skip the Line Private Tour: Vatican Museums Walking Tour
- Skip the Line Private Tour: Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Art History Walking Tour
- Private Viewing of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums
Hopefully these tips will help you have a more enoyable and fulfilling experience in the Vatican Museums – Good Luck!
There are more than 900 churches in Rome. Certainly reading in advance with help you separate and enjoy the many churches in the city. You can order these items here. For more travel accessories, head to our Travel Store, Magellan’s Travel Supplies, or look in amazon.com. Non-USA Guests can search for travel accessories at amazon.co.uk.
There are more than 900 churches in Rome. Certainly reading in advance with help you separate and enjoy the many churches in the city. You can order these items here. For more travel accessories, head to our Travel Store, Magellan’s Travel Supplies, or look in amazon.com. Non-USA Guests can search for travel accessories at amazon.co.uk.
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Header: Piazza San Pietro at Night – Photo by SEIMA
THANK YOU for your suggestions. I went early (the way ou clearly marked in your instructions) – got a cornetto and cappuccino on the way and waited outside. The thing I liked most about your suggestions was to see the Spiral Staircase FIRST. Because I got there practically first thing in the morning, when I took a picture of the staircase NO ONE was exiting so it was a great picture (as opposed to when I was exiting and everyone was trying to get picture on the staircase and there were loads of people). I found your suggestions very helpful and added to my visit a lot! Grazie!
Really useful tips Ron, thanksalot. We visited the musei yesterday, arriving at 1130. Although the queue stretched way down the city wall, it moved quickly and we were inside in 15 minutes, very easy. The guards on the right-hand door when exiting the Sistine Chapel were being quite vigilant but we immersed ourselves in the middle of a tour group that was leaving and everything was fine. Just don’t make eye contact with the guards or they will sense your doubt! Saw quite a few couples being turned away. Anyway, this saved us loads of time that we were then able to spend in the Basilica, the scale and grandeur of which are quite humbling.
Just want to say a big thank you Ron. We visited the Vatican last Saturday afternoon and my husband and I followed your brilliant directions to the letter. We arrived at the Vatican at 2 on the open top Rome red bus. Went by the numerous guides round the walls to the ticket office where there were no queues! we went straight in. It was brilliant. We exited at the Sistine chapel to the right straight into St.Peters. It was brilliant. We can’t thank you enough for your helpful advice.
Yes, you should have time arriving at 12 noon to see the Museums. By 17:00, you’ll probably be “museumed-out.” In November, you should not need a skip-the-line ticket for 12 noon unless you’re going on a Saturday or Monday (and even then in November it’s not as crowded – so I’d not plan on buying skip-the-line tickets). I’ve not used them, but many people recommend Rick Steves podcasts. Last. you could swing by the Mercato Trionfale (market) for a view of Roman Life. It’s just off Via Andrea Doria, two blocks away from the entrance.
I was exasperated researching about how and where to reach the Vatican Museum until i came across your blog post. It is everything in detail that i need to know. GRAZIE! But I would like to kindly seek your advice on whether my planning is good. I will be visiting the Vatican Museum on November 19th 2011 (Saturday) and will do so at 12 noon. I will drop by the Spiral Stairway before heading to the Raphael Room… Sistine Chapel and attempt to take the “secret doorway” to St. Peter’s Basilico. Do i have enough time from 12noon onwards until closing to visit all the above at a comfortable pace?
Is the time of my visit (at 12noon) a good timing to avoid the crowds? Is there a need to purchase the skip-the-line tickets? Also, as i will not be following a tour and neither do i want to rent the audio guides (as i want to go through the “secret door”), is there any good podcasts that you can recommend me to download?
Last of all, i was initially planning to visit the Vatican Museum in the morning but now i’ve changed my mind… Is there anywhere you would recommend me to drop by in the morning (where it is less crowded) before heading to Vatican City at noon?
As i only have 2 days in Rome, i really want to make good use of my time. I apologize for so many questions but i figured you are the best person to ask!
I really appreciate your time and i wished i was lucky like the ladies you met on the metro some time back and brought them around St. Peter’s and Vatican Museum. Anyway, thanks again Ron!
Ravi,
Correct, you cannot access the Sistine Chapel directly from St. Peter’s Basilica. If you see the Basilica first, you must walk around the walls and enter through the Vatican Museums entrance in order to get to the Sistine Chapel. Yes, you can go the opposite way, from Chapel to Basilica if you are on one of the “official” guided tours. Make sure your tour group has access if this interests you. If there are no guards on the door, you can “exit this way” without a guide. But this exit is advertised as a “group-only, guided-tour” exit. Correct, in order to see the Sistine Chapel, you must pay to enter the Vatican Museums – the Sistine Chapel is not free.
To go to the cupola, you head up the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica and bear right, following the signs. You’ll see the Bernini statue of Constantine at the head of the Constantine Colonnade, turn here and there are two lines – one for the tombs (on the left) and the other for the cupola (on the right).
May you clarify the following:
from your post I understand that it is not possible to access the sistine chapel DIRECTLY from St. Peter’s Basilica. Is that correct? I understand that the conventional way to do this is to go out and ALL THE WAY ROUND again and enter through the Vatican museums?
However, it is possible to access the Basilica from the Chapel by taking the “group tour” door, at our own risk?
I take it one must must have paid for the vatican museums in order to access the sistine chapel. It’s not free like the basilica, is it?
How do we go to the copula in the basilica?
Ciao Sheila,
Yes, there are free wheelchairs available at the cloakroom after you clear security at the entrance of the Vatican Museums. Unfortunately, they have a limited amount of chairs and they are first-come, first-served. Take your passport as they will use it for ID info (They don’t keep it – just copy from it). If you borrow a wheelchair, you must then return the chair back at the same cloakroom… so NO, you cannot go ou the secret door – unless one person walks the chair back and then walks around the walls and meets the group in St. Peter’s Basilica. Upon leaving through the “secret door” there are many interiror, wide steps… then an exterior staircase, down to the level of St. Peter’s Basilica. As you’ve read, sometimes the door is monitored – and sometimes not. Lately it has been “guarded” more as the official tour groups are trying to ge the Vatican to “enforce” the posted rules. Good Luck!
I am wondering about my father who is not able to walk so far after an injury. Do they have any wheelchairs at the Vatican? Also can a handicapped person get through the “secret door to save taking a wheelchair back to the entrance? Very interesting advice. Not sure my Catholic conscience will let me tell a fib to get out the “secret door”.
Thank you
Aloha Ron,
First of all I want to thank you so much for replying to me with your quick notes while you were on vacation in Instanbul recently and all the other fabulous information you have provided on your website.
We visited the Vatican Museum at 1:30 pm on Thursday, May 19, 2011 and followed your advice about taking pictures of the spiral staircase before seeing the Pinacoteca as we were planning to go out the ‘secret door’.
I just wanted to let you know that when we arrived at the Sistine Chapel there were 2 guards at the entrance who kept telling all those that entered that ‘no pictures were allowed and to put their cameras away’. However, as we neared the center of the Sistine Chapel, so many people had their cameras out and were just snapping away and we would hear the occasional shout of ‘no pictures’. In fact, I noticed that the guards were mostly asking the crowd to be quiet, more than to not take pictures.
As we neared the ‘secret door’ area, there were 3 – 4 guards sitting and just talking stories . . . it didn’t seem like they were stopping anyone from going out. Because of that, I wasn’t sure if that was the ‘secret door’.
When I approached the door, I ‘acted’ like I was lost from my tour group and told one of the guards that we were supposed to go to St. Peter’s right after the Sistine Chapel; he pointed the door towards the ‘secret door’ and let us go out.
Like you said, I guess it’s a hit and miss . . . it didn’t seem like they were turning anyone away that day.
Thanks again for all your help . . . Rome was wonderful!!
Robbie
THANKS A MILLION RON FOR ALL THE INFO,FOLLOWED ALL YOUR TIPS ! IT WAS GREAT. THERE WAS A GUARD ON THE SECRET DOOR,BUT WHEN HE WALKED AWAY WE TRIED TO ESCAPE BUT HE CALLED US AND SAID WE MUST GO OUT OTHER DOOR SO WE HUNG AROUND FOR ANOTHER FEW MINUTES AND AS SOON AS WE GOT HIS BACK TURNED WE RAN OUT DOOR,DOWN STEPS AND ARRIVED OUTSIDE DOOR OF BASCILICA ! ! WE WERE 4 ADULTS BUT FELT LIKE 4 BOLD CHILDREN ! BUT WELL WORTH IT AND STILL LAUGH ABOUT IT ! ! THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL TIPS,IT SAVED US SO MUCH TIME
Hi Ron
Thanks for your very helpful information! Just wondering if you know if strollers are allowed in the museums. I have a 2 and 5 yr old, and it may get a little tricky if the younger one needs to nap while we’re trying to get through all the museums. I also really appreciate the tip re the secret door to St Peters. That will save us so much time! Thanks again
Maxine
*****REPLY*****
Most museums do allow strollers. The Galleria Borghese DOES NOT allow strollers. You can take a stroller into the Vatican Museums… but not into St. Peter’s Basilica. (you have to check it in the lower level). As far as the “secret door,” they are guarding the door – currently – so unless you are part of an approved tour group… you won’t be able to get through this door. But who knows if they’ll still have a guard when you will be there. It’s been hit or miss, but the companies that pay fees (tour companies) are “encouraging” the Vatican to enforce the rules. Have a great trip!
Hi Ron,
Your website in incredibly helpful! I was hoping you might be able to answer a question that’s been driving me crazy: is St. Peter’s Basilica open after the Palm Sunday service that takes place in the morning? We fly into FCO on Palm Sunday (landing at 9:15 am) and will be lucky if we’re able to get to the square by noon. I know that’s when the Pope delivers his address to the youth of the world. My question is: what happens after that? Obviously, the crowd breaks up, but is the Basilica open? Is there a mass later that day (as there normally is on a regular Sunday)? Just wondering, as it is my 18 year old nephew’s desire to attend mass at St. Peter’s. Perhaps we’re better off trying to attend mass after touring the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel on Tuesday. That may be our only other option due to the Easter schedule. What do you think? Thanks for any information or insight you can offer.
********REPLY **********
Holy Week is a very, very busy period at the Vatican. To get more info, head to their website: http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm. For detailed info on Audiences, Celebrations, etc., see this section of theie website: http://www.vatican.va/various/prefettura/index_en.html . Here is their schdule of events during Holy Week. You can see how busy it gets closer to Easter Sunday.
Sunday 17: Celebration of Palm Sunday: 09:30. St Peter’s Square
Thursday 21: Chrism Mass: 09:30. St. Peter’s Basilica
Thursday 21: Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 17:30. Basilica of St John Lateran
Friday 22: Celebration of the Lord’s Passion: 17:30. St. Peter’s Basilica
Friday 22: Stations of the Cross: 21:15. Coliseum (no tickets required)
Saturday 23: Easter Vigil: 21:00. St. Peter’s Basilica
Sunday 24: Mass of Easter Sunday: 10:15. St Peter’s Square
Sunday 24: Urbi et Orbi Blessing (no tickets required)
It appears that after the 09:30 Palm Sunday celebration, St. Peter’s will return to a “normal” schedule -which will hardly be normal this week. Parts of St. Peter’s may be closed off due to seating arrangements for events this week. The Basilica should be open later in the day when you arrive. It will be crowded, perhaps less so on Tuesday as you can see there are no special events on Tuesday. There are multiple masses all day in St. Peters – On weekdays, 9-10-11-12-17. The 17:00 mass is the largest and usually done at the main altar. On Sundays and Holiday the Mass Schedule: 9-10.30-11.30-12.15-13-16-17.30. Obviously on Palm Sunday, that mass schedule will be impacted in the early morning.
I was wondering if there was a map of the Vatican Museums anywhere so we can actually plan what we want to see and all the wonderful tips you have given here?
******* REPLY *******
Try this link for a map of the Museums – http://www.planetware.com/map/vatican-museums-map-scv-vatmus_n.htm
Thanks Ron for the manner in which you have covered the visit to Vatican Museum. I am facing a peculiar problem. I need your advice . I am visiting Rome from 23 Apr till 25 Apr . Am reaching with my family on 23 Apr, since the Vatican Museum is closed on 24 Apr , I need to visit Vatican on 23 Apr. So I have to arrive directly from Roma Termini with luggage ( arriving with wife and two kids at 1330 hrs at Roma termini) to Vatican Museum ( so that I can be in before 1500hrs). I would like to know if there is any cloak room for storing all the luggage at the entrance? If available then how do I get out so that I pick up the luggage on my return to the hotel. Thanks a ton. Please reply.
*****REPLY******
There is a cloakroom where you could store smaller luggage. (A friend of mine stored his guitar there!). There is also luggage storage in the lower level of St. Peter’s Basilica. In both cases you would have to return to the entrances to pick up your luggage. Of course, since you are coming in at Roma Termini, you could just leave your luggage at the Left Luggage facilities at Roma Termini. See these links for info: http://tinyurl.com/Left-Luggage; http://tinyurl.com/roma-termini
Wow! Thats was incredibly helpful, as many people before me have said! Thank you. I actually noticed from a few ebay purchases that Italy must not be great with handling mail. I will be backpacking through Italy, and while I do not plan on purchasing everything in sight I do think I will get some souvenirs for family back home. My original plan was to mail these things home to avoid the risk of being robbed (in a hostel or on the streets) and losing these items. Now that you have confirmed my suspicions about Italian mail, Thanks so much. Some of the things you addressed I had been wondering about and some I wouldn’t have considered but I am glad to now know (I would hate to miss the Vatican stairs)!!!!
As an update to Ron’s great blogpost, the Vatican has now definitively closed the exit door from the Sistine Chapel down to St. Peter’s UNLESS you are with an authorized tour. Their official reason: There is SO much great art to see after the Sistine Chapel (it is true.. but?). The REAL reason: There are now some brand new souvenir shops between the Chapel and the other, long walk away exit door that the Vatican wants you to walk by on your way out of the museum. This is unfortunate for you if you just wanted to see the Chapel and the Church, like many people. Not unfortunate if you’ve paid the extra for a quality tour, which now not only has the perk of helping you understand and appreciate some of mankind’s greatest artistic contributions of all time, but also let’s you save A LOT of time from the half-mile walk back to St Peter’s and the second security line there (which can take an hour or more).
****** REPLY****** Thanks for this update Steve. The “secret exit” to St. Peter’s Basilica has always been a tour group exit. It’s clearly marked as such. The “guard on the door” has the responsibility of verifying all folks leaving through THIS exit. Yet, often there has been no guard, or an indifferent guard, at this door. Thus, EVERYONE took this exit and it gained fame as the “secret shortcut” from the Sistine Chapel. No doubt that tour groups, like the one Steve represents, are a little frustrated by this lack of support from Vatican Security. After all, they are in “agreements” with the Vatican and I’m sure they would prefer that if you’re not on our tour… you’re walking all the way around!
As a reminder, there’s a large gift shop just below the stairs from the “secret exit,” adjacent to the Basilica. This “exit door” enforcement tends to go in cycles. I’ve seen it enforced for about a few weeks… then it drops off. Then it starts back… It will be interesting to see what transpires over the next few weeks. As per “full disclosure,” do know that Steve does represent a tour group and does have a vested interest in publishing an “update” that states you need a tour to use this door.
Thank you so much for this post! We visited Rome this past Christmas, and the Vatican museums/St.Peter’s on the 23rd. Followed your advice to the letter and it worked a charm! There *was* a guard at the secret doorway to St.Peter’s who stopped us, but we asked nicely as my kids ages 10 and 8 were pretty wiped out and he waved us on!
We had no choice about the Raphael rooms though (not an issue, we wanted to see them anyway) – but the other short-cut wasn’t open.
We visited the Vatican in Oct 2010. There was an area outside of the museum that contained a small gift shop. It was like a mini plaza. I would like to have more information on that particular area, but I don’t know how to look it up since I don’t know the name of the area. Can you possibly help? Your article is wonderful; too bad that we didn’t find it before we went. Thank you.
**** REPLY ***** Through the photo you sent me, that was the Pine Cone Courtyard!
Thank you for the informative post! I will be making my second trip to Italy, this time with my husband and 2 year old daughter, in a few days.
Ron,
Thanks for all of the great information! I was wondering if you could recommend a guided tour company for the Vatican and museums?
Amazing post! I leave in 2 days and have written a lot of your advice down… Thanks!
This information is just amazing! Will use it as my guide book when I get there.
Ron, Thank you!
This post is so helpful. Last weeks I’m planing my trip to Rome, but such useful comment I have never found.
Thank Ron – your advice saved us a ton of time and made our trip through the Vatican even better. We went on Tuesday around 2 pm and did not wait at all – and had seen a LONG LINE of people between 10 am and 11 am when we were driving in to Rome.
Thanks again! are trip started off spectacularly just by using your advice!
I can honestly say that this is the best advice and thanks to modern technology we were able to use my blackberry to follow the directions as we went along. We saved ourselves a huge amount of time and it was completely invaluable because we were there for such a short amount of time.
The photos were fantastic and i have already recommended your site to numerous friends and colleagues that are planning trips to Rome.
Thank you so very much, i can’t explain how useful this was!
Thanks Ron for putting together this blog post, we found it very helpful with our trip to the Vatican today. In particular, the tip on going out the ‘other door’ in the Sistine Chapel saved us a lot of time. While we had already visited the Basilica, it allowed us to get out without having to double back through the entire museum.
Thanks, Ron, we are really appreciate it your information.
Den from Vancouver,Canada
Great advice. Thank you.
Have read the topic and printed it out as one of guides for my summer trip.
Thanks very much, Ron.
My husband and I visited the Vatican City at the beginning of February, and I emailed Ron for some advice about the “skip the line” tickets since we would be visiting on the Saturday. He recommended that we visit St Peter’s Basilica in the morning and then the museums to avoid the queues. And he was right, not really any queues to speak of! The longest wait we had was to get a ticket for the cupola and that was only 5 minutes at the most!
Thanks Ron!!
I agree, what a great blog post. We’ve been to Italy many times, too, and just got back from our third trip to Rome. We went to Vatican Museums on Wednesday, December 9, and Ron nailed it exactly. We got off at the Cipro Metro stop and the rest of the experience was exactly as he describes here.
We left the Sistine Chapel via the ‘secret’ door by just joining in with a Japanese tour group. We are obviously not Japanese but no one seemed to care.
Thanks for a great blog! For anyone reading this who is considering a trip to Rome, do what Ron says!
I have travelled to Italy several times, and have been using Trip Advisor for research for many years, but this is the most extraordinarily helpful piece I have ever seen! We’re headed back in May, bringing some friends who have never seen Italy, and this is truly great info to have- even for someone who has been there a couple of times. Thank you.