Tours › Vatican
Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Skip-the-Line Ticket
From €31.50 per person
- Duration
- 2 to 3 hours
- Visit
- At your own pace
- Entry
- Skip the line
- Guide
- Not included
Reserved entry, and the rest of the day is yours
This is the entry and nothing else: a reserved time slot at the Vatican Museums, collected at our office on Via Germanico a few minutes from the door, so you walk past the queue that runs along the wall. Inside you follow the one-way route at whatever speed suits you, through the Pio-Clementine courtyards, the Gallery of Tapestries and the Gallery of Maps, on through the Raphael Rooms and into the Sistine Chapel. Nobody is waiting for you and nobody is moving you along.
Be clear about what this is not: there is no guide and no audio guide with this ticket, so nothing is explained to you. If that is what you want, our guided tours cover the same route with a licensed guide and radio headsets. What you get here is the cheapest way in with a reserved slot, and total freedom over how you spend the time, which for a second visit or for someone who has already read up is exactly the right trade.
At a glance
- Duration
- As long as you like - most people take 2 to 3 hours
- Visit style
- Independent: no guide, no audio guide, no group
- Entry
- Reserved time slot, skip the ticket line
- Ticket collection
- Our office, Via Germanico 8 - come 25 minutes before your entry time
- What to bring
- An original passport or ID for everyone; photocopies are refused
- Dress code
- Shoulders and knees covered, enforced at the Chapel
- Cancellation
- Free up to 24 hours before your entry time
- Best for
- Independent visitors who need the entry and already know what they want to see
Highlights
- Reserved-entry ticket: you skip the ticket line at the Vatican Museums
- The Gallery of Maps, the Gallery of Tapestries and the Pio-Clementine sculptures
- The Raphael Rooms, on the route towards the Chapel
- Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, for as long as you want to stand there
- No group and no fixed pace: seven kilometres of galleries, and you choose
What’s included
- Skip-the-line entry to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel
- Self-guided access to the galleries, the Raphael Rooms and the papal collections
- Ticket collection and check-in at our office, minutes from the entrance
- WiFi, restrooms, refreshments and phone charging at our office
Not included
- A guide: this is entry only
- An audio guide: there is no commentary of any kind with this ticket
- St Peter's Basilica: you leave the Museums and enter it separately
- The climb to the dome of St Peter's
- Food, drinks and hotel pick-up
Itinerary
Ticket collectionOur office, Via Germanico 8
Come here first, 25 minutes before the time on your booking. You collect the ticket, we point you at the right door and tell you how the security queue is running, and there are restrooms, WiFi, refreshments and phone charging before you go. Bring an original passport or ID for everyone in the party, children included: photocopies and photos on a phone are refused at the entrance, and a refused entry is not refunded.
1Vatican MuseumsSeven kilometres of galleries, on a one-way route
The Museums run on a single route that everyone follows in the same direction, so you cannot get lost but you also cannot double back easily: decide early where you want to spend your time. The Pio-Clementine courtyards come first, with the Laocoon and the Apollo Belvedere, the ancient sculptures that taught Renaissance artists what antiquity looked like, and then the long galleries of candelabra, tapestries and maps.
2Raphael RoomsThe pope's private apartments, painted 1508 to 1524
Julius II refused to live in his predecessor's rooms and handed four of them to a twenty-five-year-old from Urbino. The best known is the School of Athens, where Plato and Aristotle argue at the centre of a crowd of philosophers painted with the faces of Raphael's contemporaries. They are on the route to the Chapel, so you pass through them whether or not you stop, and they are worth stopping for.
3Sistine ChapelMichelangelo's ceiling and the Last Judgment
The Chapel is the end of the route. Photography and filming are forbidden, silence is requested and the custodians enforce both, so this is a room you look at rather than photograph. The ceiling was painted between 1508 and 1512; the Last Judgment on the altar wall came twenty-five years later. There is bench seating along the walls, and with no group waiting for you there is no reason not to use it.
Good to know
- Come to our office, Via Germanico 8, 25 minutes before your entry time to collect the ticket
- Every visitor needs an original passport or ID, minors included; photocopies are refused
- Dress code is enforced: shoulders and knees covered, for everyone
- Arrive after your entry time and the ticket is lost, with no refund: the slots are strict
- There is no guide and no audio guide with this ticket
- Photography is not allowed in the Sistine Chapel, and silence is requested
- Weapons, sharp objects, glass bottles, aerosols, large umbrellas, luggage and pets do not pass security
- Large bags go in the cloakroom, which is free but costs a few more minutes
- St Peter's Basilica is not included: you exit the Museums and join the queue in the square separately
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your entry time; after that the ticket cannot be refunded
- The Museums are closed on Sundays, except the last Sunday of the month, when entry is free and extremely busy
Who this ticket is for
This ticket is for
- Independent visitors who need the entry and already know what they want to see
- Anyone who has been before and wants to go back to two or three rooms without a group
- Travellers on a budget: this is the cheapest way in with a reserved slot
- Visitors who want to spend an hour in the Chapel, or twenty minutes, and decide on the day
Look elsewhere if
- Anyone who wants the Museums explained: there is no guide and no audio guide with this ticket
- First-time visitors who want St Peter's Basilica without queueing, which needs a guided tour and its internal passage
- Visitors hoping to climb the dome, which is not part of any Vatican product we sell
- Anyone travelling without an original passport or ID: photocopies are refused at the entrance, for adults and children alike
Not sure which Vatican option to pick?
Frequently asked questions
Is an audio guide included?
No. This ticket is entry only: there is no guide and no audio guide, and nothing is explained to you inside. If you want commentary, book one of our guided tours, which cover the same route with a licensed guide and radio headsets.
What does skip-the-line actually mean here?
It means you have a reserved entry time and do not queue at the ticket office, which is the long line that runs along the Vatican wall. You still pass through the security check, like everybody else, and on a busy morning that takes a few minutes.
Where do I collect the ticket?
At our office, Via Germanico 8, a few minutes from the Museums entrance. Come 25 minutes before the time on your booking: you collect the ticket, we tell you which door to use and how the security queue is running, and you can use the restrooms and the WiFi before you set off.
What ID do I need?
An original passport or identity document for every visitor, children and minors included. Photocopies and photographs on a phone are refused at the entrance, and an entry refused for this reason is not refunded.
What is the dress code?
Shoulders and knees covered, for everyone, adults and children. It is enforced at the entrance to the Sistine Chapel, and a scarf over bare shoulders is accepted. People are turned away for this every day.
How long does the visit take?
As long as you want, since nobody is setting the pace. Most people take between two and three hours to follow the route from the entrance to the Sistine Chapel. The Museums hold seven kilometres of galleries, so no visit sees everything.
Are the Raphael Rooms included?
Yes. They are on the one-way route to the Sistine Chapel, so you pass through them with this ticket. Nothing is explained there, but you can stay as long as you like.
Is St Peter's Basilica included?
No. The Basilica is free to enter but has its own security queue in the square, and with this ticket you exit the Museums and walk round to join it. The queue is usually shortest in the late afternoon. Our guided tour with the Basilica avoids it entirely, using the internal passage from the Sistine Chapel.
Can I take photographs?
Everywhere except the Sistine Chapel, where photography and filming are forbidden and the custodians enforce it. The Gallery of Maps and the Raphael Rooms are both fine.
Can I enter at a different time from the one on my ticket?
No. The Museums sell timed entry and the slot on your ticket is the one that is checked. Arrive after it and the ticket is lost, with no refund, so collect it at our office in good time.
Do children need a ticket?
Everyone in your party must be included in the booking, children and infants alike, because the Museums count heads against the reserved slot. Reduced and free rates apply by age, and the booking form shows which one applies to each person.
When are the Museums closed?
On Sundays, with one exception: the last Sunday of each month, when entry is free and the crowds are correspondingly enormous. They also close on a handful of religious holidays through the year, and those dates simply do not appear in the booking calendar.
Can I cancel my booking?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before your entry time and you are refunded in full. Inside the last 24 hours the ticket is non-refundable, because the slot has already been issued in your names.
Is the visit possible for wheelchair users?
The Museums do have lifts and step-free options, but the signposted route is long and includes stairs, and arrangements are best made in advance. Write to us before booking and we will tell you honestly what is workable on the day you are coming.