One of the most visited museums in the world, home to Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling, The Last Judgment and the Raphael Rooms. Book your guided tour with priority access and skip the long ticket queue.
Choose the best way to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Book online with instant confirmation and priority access, skipping queues that exceed two hours in high season.
Explore the museums with an expert guide: the Gallery of Maps, the Raphael Rooms and, as the grand finale, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. Includes priority skip-the-line access.
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Enter with a priority-access ticket and explore the museums and the Sistine Chapel at your own pace, without waiting in the Viale Vaticano queue.
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Get in ahead of the crowds and enjoy the Sistine Chapel with far fewer people. Small group (max. 12) with an expert guide.
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The complete experience in one morning: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and a guided visit to St Peter's Basilica, with no queues at any entrance.
View combo and bookFour ways into the Vatican and to the Sistine Chapel. Here's an honest comparison to help you decide:
| Option | Price | Guide | Queues | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skip-the-line ticket | from €55 | No | Priority access | Going at your own pace |
| Guided tour | from €67 | Yes | Priority access | First visit (most chosen) |
| Early access | from €98 | Yes (group ≤12) | Enter before anyone | Seeing the Sistine nearly empty |
| Combo + St Peter's | from €119 | Yes | No queues at either | The whole Vatican in one morning |
Prices verified July 2026 on Civitatis. First time? The guided tour is the most chosen; on a budget, the skip-the-line ticket + our what-to-see guide; to see the Sistine nearly empty, early access.
Real-time availability and prices. The booking is made securely on Civitatis.
The Vatican Museums hold miles of galleries and more than 20,000 works on display: without guidance, it is easy to get lost and reach the Sistine Chapel exhausted. An expert guide takes you straight to the essentials —Michelangelo's ceiling, The Last Judgment, Raphael's School of Athens— and explains what you are looking at before you step into the Chapel, where talking is forbidden.
These are the must-sees you can't miss during your visit.
A visual tour of the papal museums and the Sistine Chapel.
The Vatican Museums were born in 1506, when Pope Julius II acquired the Laocoön sculptural group —newly unearthed in a vineyard above Nero's Domus Aurea— and put it on display in the Belvedere Courtyard. That private collection of classical sculpture grew over the centuries with the contributions of successive popes, until it became one of the largest museum complexes in the world.
The heart of the route is the Sistine Chapel, decorated by Michelangelo in two campaigns: the ceiling between 1508 and 1512, commissioned by Julius II, and The Last Judgment on the altar wall between 1536 and 1541. In the adjoining rooms, Raphael painted the Stanze with The School of Athens. Today the Vatican Museums welcome around 5–6 million visitors a year and rank, alongside the Louvre, among the most visited museums on the planet.
Everything you need to plan your visit to the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel.
| Monday–Saturday | 08:00–20:00 (last entry 18:00) |
|---|---|
| Sundays | Closed (except the last of the month) |
| Last Sunday of the month | 09:00–14:00 · free entry |
| Standard ticket | €20 (+€5 online booking) |
| Skip-the-line ticket (Civitatis) | From €55, priority access |
| Guided tour (recommended) | From €67, admission included |
Last updated: July 2026. Hours and prices may vary; check them before your visit.
Book priority access and go in first thing (08:00) or mid-afternoon to dodge the biggest crowds in front of the Chapel. Remember: to enter you must cover your shoulders and knees, and inside the Sistine Chapel photography is forbidden and silence is required.
The standard ticket costs €20 (plus €5 if booked online on the official site). On Civitatis, skip-the-line tickets start from €55 and guided tours from €67, both with priority access. On the last Sunday of each month entry is free from 09:00 to 14:00, but it cannot be booked and queues are usually very long.
They open Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 18:00. They close on Sundays, except the last Sunday of the month (09:00–14:00, free). You must start leaving the rooms 30 minutes before closing time.
No. The Sistine Chapel has no separate entrance: it is reached at the end of the route through the Vatican Museums. Every museum ticket or guided tour includes the Sistine Chapel.
No. Photography and filming are forbidden inside the Sistine Chapel, and silence is required. In the rest of the Vatican Museums you can take photos without flash.
Yes. To enter you must cover your shoulders and knees (men and women alike). Sleeveless tops, very short trousers and skirts above the knee are not allowed.
In high season the standard ticket queue can exceed two hours. Priority access or a guided tour save you that wait and guarantee your day and time. If saving money is your priority and you have flexibility, the last Sunday of the month is free, but you'll have to queue and the hours are reduced.
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