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The dome of St Peter's Basilica seen across the trees of the Vatican Gardens

Things to do at the Vatican

The Vatican Museums cost €25 online or €20 at the door, including the Sistine Chapel. St Peter's Basilica and the Grottoes are free. If you want both sites in one day, start with the Museums and leave the Basilica for later.

Updated Prices and hours Vatican Museums and St Peter's Basilica official sites, read

One Museums ticket€25Includes Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms; €20 at the door →Basilica and GrottoesFreeOptional Basilica time slot with audio guide €7 →Necropolis visitor limit250 a dayGuided visits by request; minimum age 10 →

Vatican City is an independent state within Rome, with separate entrances for the Museums and St Peter's Basilica.

Nine places

Vatican places and entry prices

The spiral staircase of the Vatican Museums seen from above

Vatican Museums

Entry costs €25 online or €20 at the door. Your ticket includes the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms, with last entry at 18:00.

Ticket €20 at the door, €25 online

The Last Judgement on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel

Sistine Chapel

Your Museums ticket includes the Sistine Chapel, with Michelangelo's ceiling and Last Judgement. There is no separate chapel ticket. Photography is forbidden and you must stay silent inside.

Included in the Museums ticket

The School of Athens fresco by Raphael

Raphael Rooms

Your Museums ticket includes these 4 rooms painted by Raphael and his school. Look for The School of Athens in the Room of the Segnatura.

Included in the Museums ticket

The nave of St Peter's Basilica

St Peter's Basilica

Entry is free without a reservation, with current winter hours of 7:00 to 19:00. A visit usually takes 1 to 2 hours. Security checks start in the square.

Entry free, time slot €7, guided tour €18

St Peter's Square and Rome seen from the top of the dome

St Peter's Dome

Online entry costs €17 by stairs or €22 with the lift, including the Basilica. You climb 551 steps on foot or 320 after the lift.

Stairs €17, lift €22

The Niche of the Pallia above St Peter's tomb

Vatican Necropolis

The guided visit costs €20, with a reduced rate of €14. It reaches Roman tombs beneath the Basilica and St Peter's burial site. Visits are by request, with up to 12 people aged 10 or over.

Ticket €20, reduced €14

A papal tomb under a mosaic in the Vatican Grottoes

Vatican Grottoes

Entry is free to these papal tombs below the Basilica. They are a separate visit from the Necropolis. Basilica bookings at 18:00 exclude the Grottoes.

Entry free

The formal French garden in the Vatican Gardens

Vatican Gardens

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

Open bus €37, reduced €23

Bernini's colonnade with its statues in St Peter's Square

St Peter's Square

Papal Audience tickets are free by request for the usual Wednesday event. It takes place here or in the Paul VI Hall. Bernini's colonnade has 284 columns and 140 statues.

Audience tickets free, by request

Opening times

Opening hours at the Vatican

7:009:0011:0013:0015:0017:0019:00

Vatican Museums8:00 to 20:00. Monday to Saturday, last entry 18:00

Museums, free Sunday9:00 to 14:00. Last Sunday of the month, last entry 12:30

St Peter's Basilica7:00 to 19:00. Every day, current season

St Peter's dome7:30 to 17:00. Every day, current season

Vatican Necropolis9:00 to 16:15. Monday to Friday, last visit 16:15

open, you can enter open, last entry has passed

If you want the Museums and Basilica in one day, start with the Museums. Last entry is 18:00. St Peter's stays open until 19:00. If the dome matters more, plan around its earlier 17:00 closing.

The Museums open from 8:00 to 20:00, Monday to Saturday. You must leave the galleries 30 minutes before closing. Their 18:00 last entry is separate from the time you leave.

The Museums usually close on Sundays. The last Sunday is free except on certain holidays. The next free date is 29 November, with hours of 9:00 to 14:00 and last entry at 12:30.

The Necropolis closes on Sundays and Vatican holidays. Visits run from 9:00 to the last visit at 16:15, Monday to Friday. Saturday visits are in the morning.

On 10 November all sectors open at 9:00. On 4 December and 18 December the Sistine Chapel closes at 18:00, with last entry at 17:30.

People also ask

Where is Vatican City?

Vatican City is an independent state within Rome. The Museums entrance is on Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome. You reach St Peter's Basilica through the square.

How much is the entrance fee for the Vatican?

The Museums cost €25 online or €20 at the door with the Sistine Chapel included. St Peter's and the Grottoes are free. The dome costs €17 by stairs or €22 with the lift.

Does the Vatican Museums ticket include the Sistine Chapel?

Yes, both the €25 online ticket and €20 door ticket include the Sistine Chapel. The Raphael Rooms also come with Museums entry.

Is 2 hours enough for the Vatican?

With 2 hours, plan for one main visit. The Basilica alone usually takes 1 to 2 hours. Choose it for free entry, or the Museums if seeing the Sistine Chapel matters more.

Can I wear jeans to the Vatican?

Full-length jeans meet the Basilica's stated rule for long trousers. Your shoulders must be covered at both the Basilica and the Museums. The Museums also ban shorts above the knee and low-cut tops.

What days should I avoid at the Vatican?

The Museums close most Sundays and on listed holidays. St Peter's is busiest on Wednesday and Sunday. If the free Museums Sunday suits your budget, its shorter hours may still work for you.

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