Vatican PDF guide
Plan your visit with our PDF guide: the full route through the Vatican Museums to the Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basilica, how to skip the queues, the best time to go and the dress code. Download it free.
Instant PDF download · light on your phone · a guide by Ticket Visit.
What you'll find in the guide
- The one-way route: the nearly 7 km of galleries that lead, almost without you noticing, to the Sistine Chapel, with the rooms that really deserve your time
- The key works explained: the Gallery of Maps, the Raphael Rooms with The School of Athens, the Laocoön and, at the end, Michelangelo's ceiling and The Last Judgment
- How to skip the queues and what time to go in: the slot that really changes the visit
- Dress code: shoulders and knees covered (this is why visitors are turned away every day)
- Free-entry days: the last Sunday of the month, from 09:00 to 14:00, with everything you should know before trying it
- St Peter's Basilica (free entry) and the climb to the dome: 551 steps on foot or around 320 if you take the lift
- A light PDF, for your phone and offline during the visit
The route at a glance
Full guide in the works
We're finishing the complete guide to the Vatican, with an hour-by-hour itinerary, a detailed map of the museums and more rooms and works explained. Download the free guide now and, by leaving your email, we'll let you know when it launches. It's not on sale yet: you can join the waiting list.
Already have your ticket?
The guide tells you what to see and in what order; the ticket gets you in. The Sistine Chapel has no entrance of its own: you reach it at the end of the route through the Vatican Museums, so any ticket or guided tour already includes it. If you'd rather pick your date and book in a minute, you can do so with instant confirmation and priority access.
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- Checked data against the Vatican Museums' official information and Civitatis (hours, rules and real free days).
- Made for travellers, not a brochure: the order that really saves time among so many rooms.
- A light PDF, for your phone and offline during the visit.
- Free: download it and decide later if you want the complete version.
Quick questions
How do I get the guide?
Instantly. The free guide downloads directly as a PDF. It's a light document, ideal for your phone and offline during the visit.
Does the guide include the ticket?
No. They're different things: the ticket gets you into the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel; the guide tells you what to see and in what order to make the most of your visit.
Will there be a complete version?
Yes, we're preparing the complete guide with an hour-by-hour itinerary and a detailed map. If you download the free one and leave your email, we'll let you know when it launches.