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Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Viale Vaticano, Roma, Lazio

Description

The Vatican Museums display the various collections belonging to the Catholic Church and the papacy in the Vatican. It contains some of the best-known Renaissance art and Roman sculptures in the world. The museums consist of the Pinacoteca Vaticana (paintings), a Collection of Modern Religious Art (including work by famous artists such as Gauguin, Van Gogh, Picasso or Dali), the Vatican Historical Museum (portraits and items related to the popes) and the four sculpture museums containing artwork from the antiquity and the Renaissance (Museo Pio-Clementino, Museo Chiaramonti, Museo Gregoriano Egiziano and Museo Gregoriano Etrusco). Highlights include the Sistine Chapel with frescoes by the likes of Michelangelo and Botticelli, the Gallery of Maps, the Bramante Staircase, the Borgia Apartment, and the Raphael Rooms.

Access & Transport

Entrance is along Viale Vaticano. Bus 49 stops on the square in front of the Vatican Museums Tram 19 and buses 32, 81, 982, stop at Piazza del Risorgimento Bus 492 and 990 stop in Via Leone IV / Via degli Scipioni

Instructions & Recommendations

Free entrance every last Sunday (unless it is a holiday) but expect long lines. The online ticketing system gets sold out very quickly so, unless you plan well ahead of time, you may need to purchase tickets from an agency at a significant mark up.

Meta review

When somebody thinks of Rome and the Vatican, the Colosseum and Renaissance paintings come to mind, and in particular some of the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. The Museums are extremely popular and receive excellent reviews for the quality and quantity of the art pieces inside. In fact, there is so much to see that there are recurring recommendations to take an audio-guide or join a guided tour. The main complaint relates to the crowded feeling and there are some mentions that somehow the regularly prices tickets are no longer available but that it is still possible to buy them from agencies at an inflated price.

Environmental & Social

We deem this activity marginally negative from an environmental standpoint (electricity use within the buildings). Helps spread the arts and preserve the city's architectural heritage

Conclusion

The museums are the main attraction in the Vatican alongside St Peter's Square & Basilica. In our opinion, a visit to the Holy See would not be complete without going there and, in fact, the museums deserve a couple of visits. It is difficult to describe how extensive the collections are and the number of masterpieces, some of them very celebrated ones.

Key positive

Many absolutely stunning works of art

Truly unique venue

Key negative

Often too crowded

Can be difficult to get a standard price ticket at the last moment

Suitability

Accessible to visitors with reduced mobility. Younger children may get restless after a while.

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

April 2023

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
Last admission 2h bef. closing time. Closed on public & religious holidays

av. transport time:0h 30m

est. visit time:3h

Regulated hours

Start of Season 1:Apr, 22

Season 1

MONDAY09:00 - 18:00

TUESDAY09:00 - 18:00

WEDNESDAY09:00 - 18:00

THURSDAY09:00 - 18:00

FRIDAY09:00 - 22:30

SATURDAY09:00 - 20:00

SUNDAY -

Start of Season 2:Oct, 29

Season 2

MONDAY09:00 - 18:00

TUESDAY09:00 - 18:00

WEDNESDAY09:00 - 18:00

THURSDAY09:00 - 18:00

FRIDAY09:00 - 18:00

SATURDAY09:00 - 18:00

SUNDAY -

Pricing
Age band
Age band
Regular price / pers.
Senior
65 - 99
€17
Adult
18 - 64
€17
Child
6 - 17
€8
Infant
0 - 5
€0
Student < 26yrs old price is € 8

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