The Vatican Museums hold one of the richest art collections in the world, gathered by the popes over five centuries, and the route through them ends at the Sistine Chapel. Queues and crowds are part of the experience, but good timing and an advance ticket help a lot. Here is how to get there by metro, how to book, what to wear and what not to miss.
What the Vatican Museums are
The museums trace their origin to the early sixteenth century, when Pope Julius II displayed classical sculptures in a courtyard of the Vatican palace. Over the following centuries successive popes added galleries, palaces and collections. Today the complex covers Egyptian and Etruscan antiquities, classical sculpture, Renaissance frescoes, a picture gallery, modern religious art and much more, spread across a very long walking route.
The museums are separate from St. Peter's Basilica, which has its own entrance on St. Peter's Square and its own security line.
Getting to the Vatican Museums by metro
Take Metro Line A to Ottaviano, the stop most visitors use. From there the museum entrance on Viale Vaticano is roughly a ten-minute walk west, following the signs for "Musei Vaticani" and, before long, the line of visitors along the Vatican walls.
The next stop on Line A, Cipro, is a similar distance from the entrance and is often less crowded, so it is worth considering if you are coming from the Termini direction. Ottaviano is also the station to use for St. Peter's Square, which is around ten minutes south on foot.
For food and other sights around both stations, see our Rome metro guide.
Vatican Museums tickets and booking
Buy tickets in advance on the official website (museivaticani.va). Booking online lets you choose an entry time and skip the long ticket queue, which on busy days can take hours. Guided tours and early-entry options are also sold on the official site, along with an audio guide.
The museums are closed on Sundays, except for a free-entry Sunday each month, and on a number of religious holidays. Free Sundays bring very large crowds. Since dates, prices and hours are set by the Vatican and change, check the official site for current prices and opening hours before your trip.
Be wary of street sellers near the entrance offering "skip the line" tickets at inflated prices. The official website is the safest place to buy.
Dress code and rules
- Shoulders and knees should be covered, as the Sistine Chapel is a consecrated chapel. A light scarf is a handy fix on hot days.
- Photography is not allowed inside the Sistine Chapel, and guards ask for silence there.
- Large bags, umbrellas and some items must be left at the cloakroom.
Best time to visit the Vatican Museums
The quietest times are usually the first entry slots in the morning and the later afternoon, after the main wave of tour groups has moved through. Tuesdays and Thursdays are often recommended as calmer, while Mondays and Saturdays tend to be busier because the museums close on Sundays. Summer and Easter are the peak seasons.
Plan on three to four hours to see the main route at a reasonable pace. The walk from the entrance to the Sistine Chapel alone takes some time, and there is no way to skip straight to it.
Highlights on the route
Classical sculpture
The Pio-Clementino Museum holds the Laocoön group, the Apollo Belvedere and the Belvedere Torso, which influenced Michelangelo. The Octagonal Courtyard is where Julius II's original collection was shown.
The long galleries
The Gallery of Maps is lined with painted maps of Italian regions from the late sixteenth century under a gilded ceiling. The Gallery of Tapestries and the Gallery of Candelabra sit along the same corridor.
Raphael Rooms
Four rooms painted by Raphael and his workshop for Julius II and his successor. The best known fresco is The School of Athens.
The Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo painted the ceiling between 1508 and 1512 and returned decades later to paint The Last Judgment on the altar wall. The side walls carry frescoes by Botticelli, Perugino, Ghirlandaio and others. This is also where papal conclaves are held.
Also worth your time
- The Pinacoteca, the picture gallery, with works by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio. It is off the main flow, so it is often quieter.
- The modern spiral staircase near the exit, a favourite with photographers.
Nearby on the same metro stop
- St. Peter's Basilica and Square, a short walk south.
- Castel Sant'Angelo, toward the river.
- Via Cola di Rienzo, a shopping street running east from Ottaviano.
- Mercato Trionfale, a large covered food market close to the museums, good for picnic supplies.
See restaurants, cafés and other sights around the entrance on the Vatican Museums page on Around the Metro.