Book the Museums for 8:00 at €25. The ticket includes the Sistine Chapel. Then walk to free St Peter's if time allows, leaving the dome for a longer visit.
Updated Hours Vatican Museums and St Peter's Basilica official sites, read ; tour prices read
Basilica security can push your visit past lunch.
Morning plan
The €25 Museums ticket includes the Sistine Chapel. St Peter's Basilica is free, so those visits need only one paid admission. A shorter gallery route leaves more time in the church.
Your Museums booking sets the starting time. The Basilica can wait until afterwards. Its winter closing time is 19:00, though that helps only if you can stay beyond lunch.
Visit order
| When | What to do | What to allow for |
|---|---|---|
| The evening before | Check the calendar and pack a small bag; set out clothes that cover your shoulders | St Peter's requires long trousers or a skirt below the knee and has no cloakroom |
| 8:00 | Enter the Museums on Viale Vaticano with your booked ticket | The opening slot gives you the most morning time inside |
| Until about 10:45 | Choose gallery stops on the way to the Sistine Chapel | The Gallery of Maps and Raphael Rooms take part of your morning; silence and no photos in the chapel |
| About 11:00 | Walk outside to St Peter's Square | The walk is 845 m, about 11 minutes |
| About 11:15 | Visit the free Basilica if you still have time | The Basilica suggests 1 to 2 hours inside; the queue comes before that |
| By about 12:30 | Add the free Grottoes if time allows | Keep the dome for another visit if you must finish by lunch |
The editor's suggested timing; security queues and time in the galleries decide when you finish
A firm lunch deadline makes one site a safer plan. St Peter's can stay flexible. A full morning in the galleries suits you if the chapel matters most.
What to do: Use this order on an open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday if you want both sites. Wednesday suits the Audience instead; on most Sundays, plan around St Peter's because the Museums close.
Other morning plans
The dome costs €17 by stairs or €22 with the lift. It opens at 7:30. The climb takes about 1 hour. If the climb is your priority, pair it with the Basilica and leave the Museums for later.
St Peter's is free and opens at 7:00, before the Museums at 8:00. An early Basilica visit can come first. Security and the walk still need time before your Museums slot.
The lift leaves 320 steps to the top. Online tickets include a Basilica visit. The audio guide covers the church. Your assigned route sets which visit comes first, so follow the order in your booking.
Opening hours
Vatican Museums8:00 to 20:00. Monday to Saturday, last entry 18:00
St Peter's Basilica7:00 to 19:00. Every day, current season
St Peter's dome7:30 to 17:00. Every day, current season
open, you can enter open, last entry has passed
The Museums open from 8:00 to 20:00, Monday to Saturday, with last entry at 18:00. St Peter's opens from 7:00 to 19:00 in winter. The dome closes earlier, at 17:00.
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.
A 2-hour visit suits one site. That means Museums highlights or free St Peter's. A morning covering both needs room for walking and security too.
The 7:00 opening allows a Basilica visit before other plans. A booked Museums morning makes St Peter's the later stop. Its security queue takes extra time.
Book once you know your date if you need the 8:00 Museums slot. The official online ticket costs €25. A €20 door ticket saves the booking fee if you can keep your morning flexible.
The official shop is tickets.museivaticani.va. Its €25 Museums ticket includes the Sistine Chapel. There is no separate chapel ticket in the official price list.
A guide gives your morning a set route. What a Life's 3.5-hour option covers the Museums and St Peter's from €99. Official Museums entry is €25 if you prefer your own pace; the Basilica is free.
Avoid ordinary Sundays for this Museums-first plan because the Museums close. Wednesday and Sunday are St Peter's busiest days. Those days suit a visit for the Audience or Angelus.
Tours
A 7:30 tour can start outside the Museums. Public opening is 8:00. The shorter option below includes 30 minutes of explanation outside, so compare its route with the longer visits before choosing.
What to do: Choose a tour if you want a guide to lead your morning. Buy the official €25 Museums ticket if you prefer to choose your stops and decide about St Peter's afterwards.
Museums and Sistine Chapel, then St Peter's
The 3.5-hour English tour starts at 7:30 or 7:45 and includes a guided Basilica visit. From €99 against €25 for Museums entry and a free Basilica visit on your own.
from €99 per adult
See the tourRaphael Rooms and Sistine Chapel
This 2-hour English tour includes 30 minutes outside before entry and leaves St Peter's to you. From €159 against €25 for official Museums entry if you want to choose your own route.
from €159 per adult
See the tourMuseums and Sistine Chapel, then St Peter's
The 3-hour English tour includes St Peter's and enters the Museums at the public opening time. From €149 against €25 for Museums entry; the Basilica itself is free.
from €149 per adult
See the tourPrices 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.
Read next
Every official ticket and price
Find the Museums entrance and St Peter’s Square
What to put out the evening before
