Visiting the Vatican: Museums & Sistine Chapel Tickets, St Peter's Basilica and Dress Code (2026)

A Vatican Museums ticket, which includes the Sistine Chapel, costs €20 at the ticket office or €25 booked online on the official site. Children aged 7 to 18 and students up to 25 pay €10 (€15 online), and children under 7 enter free. St Peter’s Basilica is free to enter. Dress with shoulders and knees covered.

When people say they want to “see the Vatican”, they usually mean three different visits: the Vatican Museums with the Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica and, for the energetic, the climb to St Peter’s Dome. They have separate entrances, separate tickets and different hours. We are a local tour operator in Rome and we organize Vatican visits, so this guide puts together the official rules and what we have learned on the ground: tickets, hours, the dress code, the rules inside and how to fit it all into one day.

What is the difference between the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s?

The Vatican Museums are a huge complex of galleries, courtyards and papal apartments, and the Sistine Chapel is part of it: you reach the Chapel near the end of the museum route, with the same ticket. There is no separate Sistine Chapel ticket. St Peter’s Basilica is the church on St Peter’s Square, with its own entrance and security check, and the Dome rises above it.

The Museums are closed on Sundays, except the last Sunday of the month, while the Basilica is open every day. On foot, the Museums entrance on Viale Vaticano and St Peter’s Square are about 15 minutes apart, along the Vatican walls.

How much are Vatican Museums tickets in 2026?

These are the official prices of the Vatican Museums. The online price includes a €5 “Skip the Line” booking supplement, and the only official site for online tickets is tickets.museivaticani.va.

A few things to know before you buy:

• The ticket is valid only on its date, and the Museums do not refund tickets.
• Book on the official site or with a tour you trust. Many websites resell Vatican tickets at higher prices. On the official site you choose a date and an entry time.
• “Skip the line” does not mean “skip security”. With a timed ticket you avoid the ticket queue, but everyone goes through the security check at the entrance.
• Reduced tickets need proof. Bring an ID that shows the age of children and teenagers, and a valid student card or enrolment certificate for students.

In spring, summer and around holidays, the best time slots can sell out, so book as soon as your dates are fixed.

What are the Vatican Museums opening hours and closing days?

The Museums are open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 18:00. Visitors are asked to leave the halls 30 minutes before closing time.

• Sundays: closed, except the last Sunday of the month, when entry is free from 9:00 to 14:00 (last entry 12:30). There is no free Sunday when it falls on Easter, 29 June, 25, 26 or 31 December. In the coming months that means 29 November 2026, 27 December 2026 and 31 January 2027. On free Sundays you cannot book, the queues are extremely long and the halls are very crowded.
• Closed on these holidays: 1 and 6 January, 11 February, 19 March, Easter Monday, 1 May, 29 June, 14 and 15 August, 1 November, 8, 25 and 26 December.
• Special hours: on some days, parts of the Museums or the whole complex have shorter hours. For example, the Sistine Chapel closes at 18:00 on 4 and 18 December 2026. Check the official hours page and its calendar before you go.

What should you see inside the Vatican Museums?

The full collection would take days. A first visit usually follows a route of about 2 to 3 hours that ends in the Sistine Chapel:

1. The Pinecone Courtyard, named after the huge Roman bronze pine cone at one end.
2. The Gallery of Tapestries, with 16th-century tapestries woven from designs by Raphael’s school.
3. The Gallery of Maps, a long corridor painted with 16th-century maps of the regions of Italy, under a gilded ceiling.
4. The Raphael Rooms, the papal apartments painted by Raphael and his workshop, with the famous School of Athens.
5. The Sistine Chapel, with Michelangelo’s ceiling, including the Creation of Adam, and his Last Judgment on the altar wall.

If you have more time, add the Pinacoteca, the picture gallery, where you find Caravaggio’s Deposition, and the Collection of Contemporary Art, with works by Van Gogh and Rodin. On the way out, look for the spiral staircase designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932, one of the most photographed spots in the Museums.

On your own, plan at least 2 hours. A guide makes a real difference here: the rooms are crowded, the signs are few, and inside the Sistine Chapel no one may explain anything aloud, so guides tell you the story before you go in. Our guided tours last 2.5 hours (shared) or 3 hours (private), which is enough to see the highlights without rushing.

What are the rules inside the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel?

• Photos: allowed for personal use everywhere in the Museums except the Sistine Chapel, where photos, videos and phones are forbidden and visitors are asked to keep absolute silence. No flash, and no selfie sticks anywhere.
• Bags: large bags, backpacks, suitcases, medium and large umbrellas and tripods go to the cloakroom, which is free. If you plan to continue to St Peter’s Basilica, do not leave anything at the Museums cloakroom, and travel light.
• Food and drink: not allowed in the exhibition halls. You can leave food and drinks at the cloakroom.
• Pets: not allowed, except guide dogs.

What is the Vatican dress code?

The same rule applies in the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Gardens: sleeveless and low-cut tops, shorts above the knee and miniskirts are not allowed, and hats must come off inside. Staff can refuse entry, even if you have a ticket.

In practice, cover your shoulders and knees. Jeans, long shorts below the knee and sneakers are fine. In summer, a light scarf or shawl in your bag is the easiest way to cover your shoulders at the door.

How do you visit St Peter’s Basilica?

Entering the Basilica on your own is free. All visitors go through a security check run by the Italian State Police, under the right-hand colonnade of St Peter’s Square as you face the Basilica, and the queue can be long, so it is hard to predict the wait. Arrive early: the Basilica opens at 7:00.

• Hours: every day 7:00–19:00 until 28 March 2027. From June to October 2026 it was open until 20:00, with last entry at 19:15.
• Timed visit: on the official booking site you can reserve a day and time for €7, with a digital audio guide. A guided tour of the Basilica in English costs €46.
• On Sundays, the Pope usually leads the Angelus prayer at noon from the Apostolic Palace, and access to the square closes well before 12:00. If you want to enter the Basilica on a Sunday, go early in the morning or in the early afternoon.
• Photos: the Basilica asks visitors not to take photos, even for personal use, so as not to disturb celebrations and other visitors.

Inside, do not miss Michelangelo’s Pietà, in the first chapel on the right, and Bernini’s bronze baldachin over the papal altar, under the dome.

Can you go from the Sistine Chapel straight to St Peter’s Basilica?

Not on your own. The Museums and the Basilica are two separate visits: when you leave the Museums you come out on Viale Vaticano, then walk about 15 minutes to St Peter’s Square and join the security queue, or use a timed reservation.

Some guided tours can add the Basilica at the end. Our shared tour has an option with entry to St Peter’s Basilica (no guide inside the Basilica), and on our private tour, if the Museums and the Sistine Chapel take about 2 hours, your guide can use the last hour for St Peter’s, only if time allows.

How do you climb St Peter’s Dome?

You can climb the Dome by stairs or take a lift to the terrace level, then visit the Dome’s inner and outer rings; the inner ring looks down into the Basilica. The official tickets cost €34 with stairs and €44 with the lift, and both include a visit to the Basilica with the digital audio guide, scheduled one hour before or after your Dome time.

The Dome is open from 7:30 to 17:00 in winter and from 7:00 to 18:00 in summer. Book on the official site, and leave the climb out if you have trouble with stairs or narrow spaces.

Can you see the Pope during your visit?

Tickets for the Pope’s General Audiences and celebrations are always free: you request them from the Prefecture of the Papal Household, through the official Vatican page. Do not pay anyone for them. Without a ticket, the simplest way is the Sunday Angelus at noon in St Peter’s Square, when the Pope is in Rome.

What are the best ways to visit the Vatican?

Whichever you choose, book ahead, carry your ID, dress for the dress code, and keep the free last Sunday for another trip unless you love crowds.

See the Vatican with us

Our private Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel tour lasts 3 hours with a licensed guide and skip-the-line tickets. You meet your guide outside the Museums entrance on Viale Vaticano, and the price is €485 for 1–2 people, €540 for 3, then €150 per person. Guides speak English and Italian, and other languages can be requested, subject to availability. Prefer a group? The shared Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel tour lasts 2.5 hours and costs €119 per person, or €134 with entry to St Peter’s Basilica.

To see Rome and the Vatican in one day, pair the visit with a ride. On the golf cart tour + Vatican Museums or the Fiat 500 tour + Vatican Museums, your driver picks you up in the historic center and spends 3 hours showing you the city’s landmarks, seen from the outside, such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. Then the driver takes you to the Vatican Museums meeting point, where your private guide is waiting. These tours usually start at 9:30 or 10:00, depending on the Vatican entry times available. See all our golf cart tours in Rome and vintage Fiat 500 tours in Rome.

Vatican tickets are issued in each guest’s name: when you book, we need everyone’s full name and date of birth as written on their passport, and on the day each guest brings a matching ID. These bookings are non-refundable, and there are no tours on Sundays or public holidays. You can find all our Vatican options on the Vatican Museums tours page.

Planning the rest of your stay? Read our guides to the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. Arriving on a cruise ship? See Civitavecchia to Rome and Rome in one day from a cruise ship.

Explore it with us

Private Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Tour3 hours with a licensed guide, tickets included · from €485 for 1–2 peopleBook nowGolf Cart Tour + Vatican Museums3-hour ride, then 3 hours inside with a private guide · from €935 for 1–2 peopleBook nowFiat 500 Tour + Vatican MuseumsVintage Fiat 500 ride, then a private Vatican tour · from €1,075 for 1–2 peopleBook now

FAQ

How much does it cost to visit the Vatican?

A Vatican Museums ticket, which includes the Sistine Chapel, costs €20 at the ticket office or €25 online on the official site, and €10 or €15 for ages 7 to 18 and students up to 25. Children under 7 enter free. St Peter’s Basilica is free, and the Dome costs €34 with stairs or €44 with the lift.

Is St Peter’s Basilica free to enter?

Yes. You queue for the security check under the right-hand colonnade of St Peter’s Square. If you prefer to choose a day and time, the official booking site offers a €7 timed visit with a digital audio guide.

What is the dress code for the Vatican?

Sleeveless and low-cut tops, shorts above the knee and miniskirts are not allowed in the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica, and hats come off inside. Cover your shoulders and knees: jeans and sneakers are fine.

Are the Vatican Museums open on Sundays?

Only on the last Sunday of the month, when entry is free from 9:00 to 14:00, with last entry at 12:30, unless it falls on Easter, 29 June, 25, 26 or 31 December. On all other Sundays the Museums are closed, while St Peter’s Basilica is open.

Can you take photos in the Sistine Chapel?

No. Photos, videos and phones are forbidden in the Sistine Chapel, and visitors are asked to keep silent. In the rest of the Vatican Museums you can take photos for personal use, without flash or selfie sticks.

How long do you need for the Vatican Museums?

Plan at least 2 hours on your own, and 2.5 to 3 hours for a guided tour of the highlights and the Sistine Chapel. Add about an hour for St Peter’s Basilica, plus the time for the security queue, and another hour or more for the Dome.