vaticanday.comUpdated
The Last Judgement by Michelangelo on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel

Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel comes with your Vatican Museums ticket at €25 online or €20 at the door. You enter through the Museums to see Michelangelo's ceiling and Last Judgement. Photos are forbidden inside and your phone must stay put away.

Updated Hours and rules Vatican Museums official site, read ; tour prices read

Museums and chapel ticket€25Official online price; €20 at the door →Museums last entry18:00Monday to Saturday; chapel closures can differ →PhotosNot allowedNo photography or filming; phones put away →

Use the Museums entrance on Viale Vaticano for the chapel; it is separate from St Peter's Basilica.

Chapel paintings

Who painted the Sistine Chapel?

Michelangelo painted the ceiling between 1508 and 1512. Look up for the Creation of Adam among the nine Genesis scenes along its centre. These paintings are separate from his later work on the altar wall.

The Last Judgement covers the altar wall. Michelangelo painted it between 1536 and 1541. The side walls have earlier frescoes from 1481 and 1482, painted by a team including Botticelli and Perugino.

The chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV. He had it restored between 1477 and 1480. The official Museums website also offers a Sistine Chapel virtual tour for a closer look before your visit.

What to do: If you want to recognise the paintings, read about them before entering. A guided tour can help if you prefer spoken explanations, which take place outside the silent chapel.

The ceiling and altar wall of the Sistine Chapel seen from the far end of the room
The ceiling and the altar wall

The ticket

Can you buy Sistine Chapel tickets only?

TicketAdult price
Museums free Sunday9:00 to 14:00; last entry 12:30; holiday exceptions applyFree
Museums and chapel ticket at the doorIncludes the Sistine Chapel on the same day€20
Museums and chapel ticket onlineIncludes the chapel and the official Skip the Line entry€25

Official adult prices, read

There is no chapel-only ticket in the official price list. Your Museums ticket costs €20 at the door or €25 online. It includes the Sistine Chapel on the same day.

The official online shop is tickets.museivaticani.va. The €25 price includes the €5 booking fee for the official Skip the Line entry. Security checks still apply and Museums tickets cannot be refunded.

Reduced entry costs €10 at the door or €15 online. It covers ages 7 to 18 and students through 25 with documents. Children under 7 enter free with the Museums visit.

The rules

Can you take photos in the Sistine Chapel?

Photography and filming are forbidden with any device. Guards can ask you to delete images in front of them. Your phone must stay put away throughout the chapel visit.

Visitors must stay silent inside the chapel. Guides explain the paintings before entry, even when the group uses headsets. Information panels along the museum route also help you prepare for what you will see.

Your shoulders must be covered and low necklines are not allowed. Shorts above the knee and miniskirts are banned. Hats must come off before you enter the Museums and chapel.

The Gallery of Maps in the Vatican Museums
The Gallery of Maps, on the route through the Museums

Opening times

Sistine Chapel opening hours and closures

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

open, you can enter open, last entry has passed

The normal Museums hours are 8:00 to 20:00, Monday to Saturday. Last entry to the Museums is 18:00. You must leave the halls 30 minutes before closing, and the chapel can have separate closures.

Most Sundays are closed. The last Sunday is usually free from 9:00 to 14:00, with last entry at 12:30. The next free date is 29 November. Easter Sunday and certain other holidays are exceptions.

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.

What to do: If you are choosing a date, check the calendar for chapel closures as well as Museums hours. The free Sunday suits a lower budget; a paid weekday gives you longer opening hours.

People also ask

Where is the Sistine Chapel?

The Sistine Chapel is in the Vatican and reached through the Vatican Museums. Your visit starts at the Museums entrance on Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome.

Who painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling?

Michelangelo painted it between 1508 and 1512. His Last Judgement on the altar wall came later, between 1536 and 1541.

Where is the Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel?

The Creation of Adam is on the ceiling. It is one of the nine Genesis scenes along the centre, painted by Michelangelo.

Can you buy Sistine Chapel tickets only?

There is no separate chapel ticket in the official price list. Your Vatican Museums ticket includes it at €20 at the door or €25 online.

What is the official site to buy Sistine Chapel tickets?

Use tickets.museivaticani.va for the Museums ticket that includes the chapel. The official online price is €25, including the €5 booking fee.

What happens if you take a picture in the Sistine Chapel?

Guards can ask you to delete the photo in their presence. Photography and filming are forbidden with any device.

Tours

Sistine Chapel tours

A tour explains the chapel before you enter because silence applies inside. Your guide also takes you through the Museums. Entry alone costs €25 through the official online shop.

The visits below last from 2 to 3.5 hours. An early morning title does not promise an empty chapel.

What to do: If you want a guide, choose by the route and group size. The €25 official ticket suits you if you prefer to read beforehand and visit at your own pace.

Prices in euro per adult, read : the usual lowest price of each option, without short sales. The booking page shows the price for your date. We add no fee.

Nearby

Vatican visit guides