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St Peter's Basilica and its dome seen from St Peter's Square

The Vatican:Museums, Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basilica, the dome, tickets and tours

Vatican Museums entry costs €25 online or €20 at the door, with the Sistine Chapel included. St Peter's Basilica is free without a booking. The dome costs €17 by stairs or €22 with the lift.

Vatican Museums today8:00 – 20:00Last entry 18:00. Free on the last Sunday of the month, next on 29 November →St Peter's Basilica today7:00 – 19:00Free without a booking; optional time slot and audio guide €7 →Vatican tours compared115Choose by the route and group size of the option you book →

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Prices in euro per adult, read . The buttons take you to the tour page; the booking page shows the price for your date. We add no fee.

Things to do at the Vatican

The spiral staircase at the Vatican Museums exit seen from above

Vatican Museums

Your €25 online ticket covers the Museums and Sistine Chapel on the booked day. The entrance is on Viale Vaticano. You leave the halls 30 minutes before closing.

Entry €20 at the door or €25 online

The Last Judgment on the Sistine Chapel's altar wall

Sistine Chapel

Included with Museums entry, the chapel has no separate ticket. Look up for the Creation of Adam on the ceiling. Keep your phone away and stay silent.

Museums ticket includes entry; Museums last admission 18:00

Raphael's School of Athens fresco in the Raphael Rooms

Raphael Rooms

The Museums ticket covers these painted rooms too. The School of Athens is on the wall here. You need no separate ticket to see it.

Included in your Museums ticket

The nave of St Peter's Basilica looking towards Bernini's baldachin

St Peter's Basilica

Free entry needs no booking. Your security check starts on the right of the square as you face the Basilica. Allow 1 to 2 hours inside; Wednesday and Sunday are busiest.

Entry free, optional slot €7; open 7:00 to 19:00

St Peter's Square and Rome seen from the dome

St Peter's dome

For €17, you climb all 551 steps; the €22 lift leaves 320. Both online tickets include the Basilica and its audio guide. You can bring only a small bag.

Stairs €17 or lift €22; winter hours 7:30 to 17:00

The area of St Peter's tomb beneath the papal altar

Vatican Necropolis and Scavi visits

The €20 Scavi tour visits Roman tombs beneath the Basilica. You request a date and wait for a reply. Groups have at most 12 people; children must be at least 10.

Guided visit €20, reduced €14

A papal tomb beneath a mosaic in the Vatican Grottoes

Vatican Grottoes

The papal tombs in the Grottoes are free to visit beneath the Basilica. The Roman tombs of the Necropolis need a separate guided booking.

Entry free; separate from the Necropolis

The formal French garden in the Vatican Gardens

Vatican Gardens

At €37, the open bus ticket includes a 45-minute Gardens ride with an audio guide. You visit the Museums and Sistine Chapel afterwards on the same day. The bus makes no stops.

Open bus €37, including Museums entry afterwards

Bernini's colonnade and the statues above St Peter's Square

St Peter's Square

Audience tickets are free, requested through the Prefecture of the Papal Household. Wednesday audiences take place here or in the Paul VI Hall. Basilica security checks start in the square.

Papal Audience tickets free, by request

Plan your visit

People also ask

The platform at Ottaviano San Pietro metro station on line A

How do you get to the Vatican in Rome?

The Museums entrance is on Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome. Metro line A stops at Ottaviano or Cipro nearby. For the Basilica, use Ottaviano-San Pietro; bus 49 serves the Museums.

Do I need tickets to get into St Peter's Basilica?

No ticket or reservation is needed for free Basilica entry. Your optional €7 booking adds a time slot and Digital Audio Guide. Security checks still apply.

How far in advance should I buy Vatican Museums tickets?

Book once your date is set if you need a particular slot. The official online ticket costs €25. If you can keep your plans flexible, entry at the door costs €20.

Can I enter the Sistine Chapel for free?

Yes, on the Museums' free last Sunday of the month, apart from holiday exceptions. The next date is 29 November. Entry starts at 9:00 and ends at 12:30; the Museums close at 14:00.

Can I wear jeans to the Vatican?

Yes, full-length jeans meet the Basilica's rule for long trousers. Your shoulders must be covered at both sites. The Museums also ban shorts above the knee and low necklines.

How many steps are there to the top of St Peter's dome?

There are 551 steps on the stair route, or 320 after the lift. The lift stops at the terrace. The climb is not recommended if you have heart or breathing problems, vertigo or claustrophobia.