10 Tips to Visit Vatican Museums - Sail through like a pro!

What's the best time to visit Vatican Museums?

How can you avoid the crowds at the Vatican Museums? 

Can you JUST visit the Sistine Chapel?

(Hint: NO)

Find out the answers to these questions, and more!

Visit Vatican Museums - Top tips from a local!

Don't let your visit to the Vatican be exhausting, confusing, or disappointing.

If you plan it right, you will have a fabulous time visiting one of the most beautiful and important sites in Rome.

Here are my Top 10 Tips to Visiting the Vatican Museums:

1. Know when to go
2. Don't over-plan your day - allow more time (and energy) than you think to your visit to the Vatican
3. Dress appropriately, or you risk being turned away
4. Wear really comfortable shoes
5. Make a food plan
6. Bring your camera or smart phone, but leave the tripod and selfie-stick at home!
7. Don't bring a large backpack
8. Be ridiculously vigilant of pickpockets
9. Don't get stuck waiting in the long lines
10. Don't come on the free Sunday

Want my tips on How to Visit Vatican Museums on your own, without a tour?

Jump down to this section.

1. When is the best time to visit the Vatican Museums?

Want to know how to avoid the lines, and how to avoid the crowds at the Vatican Museums?

If you are here from February through November, it's difficult (but not impossible) to avoid crowds almost any time of day.

But avoiding the lines is another story.

What is the Best Time of Year to Visit Vatican Museums?

You can visit the Vatican Museums year-round.

But the busiest time of year in Rome is from about mid-March through early November.

Which means visiting with thousands of other people.

From late November to early February (other than at Christmas and New Years) Rome, and the Vatican Museums, are quiet and wonderful to visit.

No lines.

No crowds.

What is the Best Day of the Week to Visit Vatican Museums?

Starting January 1st, 2024, the Vatican Museums are open Monday - Saturday, 8am - 7pm.

For the high tourist season in spring and summer, beginning March 2024, the museums will also extend their opening hours on Fridays and Saturdays to 8pm.

On Sundays and Catholic holidays like Easter Monday and Christmas Day, the Museums are closed.

On Wednesdays (except in July) when there is a Papal Audience in Saint Peter's Basilica, the basilica is closed until the crowd clears, usually around noon or 12:30 pm.

Many people think that this is a good time to visit the Vatican Museums, because the "crowds" will be attending the audience, but in fact, because the basilica is closed during the audience, the Vatican museums are more likely to be crowded.

So you may wish to avoid Wednesdays.

You'll also have to skip Sundays because the museums are closed, although they ARE open on the last Sunday of the month for FREE, but with shorter hours.

And if you go then, expect huge crowds.

Saturdays and Mondays, being close to the weekend might be a little busier than Tuesday and Thursday.

But really, in high season, there is not a quiet day of the week to visit Vatican Museums.

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What is the Best Time of Day to Visit Vatican Museums?

If you come in low season, this is less of an issue if it's about avoiding crowds and lines.

But if you are coming in high season, or even mid season, you can count on the Vatican Museums as being pretty crowded all day long.

And this includes early morning.

There is a misconception that if you go early, you will "beat the line."

But that is what everyone thinks, so guess what?

You are going to run into a LOT of people with this idea, and it will be packed right when it opens.

Also, many tour groups go early, also for this reason.

Believe it or not, the later in the day you go, the less crowded it MAY be.

So I'd say sometime between 1:30-3:30 is a good time to arrive.

I love to go right before the ticket office closes, two hours before the museums close.

But if you do this, you have to be careful since you will be kicked out of the Sistine Chapel half an hour before the official closure time (so 6:30PM when closing at 7PM).

Just make sure you know what you are doing, know what you want to see, and make sure to keep a good pace.

Having said all that, if you do not plan to visit Saint Peter's Basilica, or do not need at least 2 hours in the museums, then you can do what I love doing: arrive 15 minutes before the ticket office closes and breeze right in.

Then I head for the Pinacoteca where there is next to nobody, especially at that hour.

This kind of visit is of course ideal if you've been to the Vatican museums before, or simply have very limited time and don't mind having a quick/shorter visit.

2. Allow for more time than you think

Take a look at Vatican City on a map of Rome.

It's vast.

It's its own state!

And a large part of that vastness is the Vatican Museums.

If you walk through all of them, it's 7.5 km, or 4.5 miles.

Maybe you won't walk through all of that but you will walk A LOT. 

Most tours of the Vatican Museums are about 3 hours long.

Some are shorter, for those with limited time, or who just want to fast-track to the Sistine Chapel. But even then, it's doubtful you can spend less than 2 hours total, between getting there, getting in, visiting, and getting back out.

Even if you go on your own, you still have a lot of walking to do.

Considering that to visit Vatican Museums is only part of your visit to the Vatican, and that you may also include visiting Saint Peter's Basilica (half hr or more), and climb the dome (another half hr at least), and then check out St. Peter's Square, even if it's just to walk through it, is another 15-30 minutes.

All told, I'd say the average time it takes to spend visiting Vatican City is 3-4 hours.

But it can easily become a full day.

Even if you decide to only dedicate a half-day to this, try to avoid planning another major site or museum visit on the same day (skip Colosseum and Borghese Gallery, and do those another day!)

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3. Dress appropriately

Dressing appropriately to visit the Vatican Museums (and any other site in Vatican City, including Saint Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Gardens, The Necropolis etc), means not showing a lot of bare skin.

Specifically this means

• NO Bare knees - skirts and shorts should cover your knees. If they just come to the top of your knees, you may risk being told you cannot enter if you get a strict guard. 
• NO Bare midriffs
• NO Bare shoulders - this is easy, just carry a light sweater or scarf when you sightsee in hot weather.

It is perfectly fine to wear jeans, t-shirts and open-toed sandals. 

You do not have to be dressed UP. 

You just have to be dressed modestly.

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And beyond that, my strong advice to you is to dress comfortably.

Which brings us to:

4. Wear comfortable shoes

I said above that it's fine to wear sandals.

But I'd urge you to forego flip flops and any other flimsy shoes.

This is in fact true for most Rome sightseeing.

You will do more walking than you think.

Shoes that are not sturdy, and not broken in, will do more to kill your sightseeing joy in Rome than just about anything else.

When you visit Vatican Museums, you are faced with nearly 7.5 kilometers (4.5 miles) of rooms full of art.

Of course, many people do not visit all the rooms, but believe me, you will be doing a LOT of walking. 

A typical time-frame to allow yourself to visit Vatican Museums is 2-3 hours. 

Even if you do the bare minimum and fast-track to the Sistine Chapel, you will still have at least one hour's worth of walking to do.

Just in the museums.

And this does not include the walking you may do to get there.

And, a visit to Saint Peter's Basilica.

And then perhaps some more walking around Vatican Square afterwards.

And then there is the walking you might to do find food, and get a taxi, bus or metro back to your hotel.

So comfortable, sturdy walking shoes are absolutely key.

I cannot stress this enough.

5. Make a food plan

In my family, we are always thinking about food (maybe you can tell how much I love thinking and talking about food on my pages about food in Rome!)

I am a big believer in avoiding low blood sugar and debilitating hunger pangs in the middle of sightseeing.

First, you should decide if you are eating a meal before or after your visit, or both.

Second, bring some kind of snack with you: a bar, a piece of fruit or candy, or even small tramezzino (little sandwich).

You could also stop at a pharmacy and pick up some power / energy bars.

My suggestion is to arrive at the museums well-fed (unless you are actually having breakfast, lunch, or happy hour inside the museums.)

Even if you spend the least time possible, you are likely to still be at least 2 hours without any food or drink, unless you visit one of the Vatican Museums cafeterias (I've tried it and it's blah, but at least it's there just in case.)

6. Taking pictures inside Vatican Museums

You may take photos without flash and also video just about everywhere at the Vatican, including inside Saint Peter's Basilica (although not inside the treasury or the papal grottoes.)

The main exception is the Sistine Chapel, where NO photos are allowed.

Tripods and selfie-sticks are not allowed anywhere in the Vatican Museums or St. Peter's Basilica.

If you bring either of these, you will have to check it at the coat-check area right at the entry to the Vatican museums.

This is not a big deal unless you are planning to visit St. Peter's Basilica directly from the Sistine Chapel (which, again, you can only do on a guided tour that includes the basilica), because you have to go back to the museums entrance to collect your belongings.

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7. Don't bring a large backpack

If you bring any large bags or backpacks, you will have to check them.

Same with large umbrellas.

Wheelchairs are of course permitted inside the Vatican Museums.

For a complete list of items allowed/not allowed inside the Vatican Museums, visit their website.

8. Watch out for pickpockets

If you were a pickpocket, wouldn't you choose the easiest targets?

The people not paying any attention to their surroundings, and to their own belongings?

And can you imagine what easy pickings they have in very crowded places, like the Sistine Chapel, when everyone is jostling each other, and just concentrating on looking UP?

Sadly, I know of many instances where people have been pickpocketed without realizing it at all, until they get back to their hotel room.

Your belongings should be secured on your body or in a locked purse or backpack that you can keep control of.

I don't want to scare you, but I want you to avoid being a pickpocket victim.

It puts a huge damper on the whole experience.

So be vigilant.

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9. Avoid the long lines

The best way to avoid waiting in line to visit Vatican Museums is to buy your tickets in advance.

And the only way to do this is online.

You can do it through the Vatican website, or through an online vendor.

This does not mean you won't find crowds inside.

It also does not pertain to entry into Saint Peter's Basilica, which is a different building altogether.

10. Don't come on the Free Sunday

It sounds like a great idea to be able to visit Vatican Museums for free.

And you can, on the last Sunday of the month (unless this falls on a major holiday like Christmas.)

But should you?

Since visiting anything free is a popular thing to do, you can imagine how long the lines can get.

So you will need to show up long before they open at 8 AM if you can.

The museums on this day have limited hours, closing at 2pm, with last entry at 12:30.

This means you are pretty limited in when you can go, and how long you will have to see them.

I strongly recommend not visiting the Vatican Museums on the free Sunday unless it's the only time you can go, and/or you are on a tight budget.

And if you do go on the free Sunday, get there by 8 AM.

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Best Way to Visit Vatican Museums on Your Own

Having visited the museums often, in the past as a tourist, and many times since I live here, my recommendation if you are a first-time visitor to Rome is to take a Vatican Museums tour.

There is just so much to see and absorb, and a lot to navigate, and doing it all on your own is a bit daunting . . . plus I think you will miss a lot.

But if you have a lot of time in Rome, or have visited the museums before, or really just want to go on your own, because you are not a tour person, this is my advice:

See the Spiral Staircase first

The first thing you do when you visit Vatican Museums is come up an escalator (after scanning your ticket).

When you get to the top of the escalator, you will see in front of you a lot of options for things to see and places to go (Sistine Chapel this way!) So exciting!

If you turn around 180 degrees, you will see one of the Vatican Museums gift shops.

In the middle of this bookshop is the staircase everyone wants to photograph when they visit the Vatican Museums.

This is the exit of the Vatican Museums IF you don't take the shortcut from the Sistine Chapel (the shortcut currently is only available on tours of the museum that end in the Basilica) to Saint Peter's Basilica.

But by the time you exit after 2+ hours of sightseeing and walking, you will be tired and might not even pay much attention to the staircase.

So I suggest making a quick stop here first, take a peek, take your shot, and do NOT go down the staircase (you cannot come back up).

Then continue your Vatican Museums visit.

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Do you want to beeline to the Sistine Chapel?

If you are in a hurry when you visit the Vatican Museums, have been before, or simply just want to see the Sistine Chapel and nothing else, you can follow the signs, and go straight through the museums.

You WILL see a lot of other art and rooms on the way.

And it will take you nearly an hour to get to the Sistine Chapel but if you truly beeline and do not stop at all, you could probably make it there in about half an hour.

Decide if you have half an hour or so to visit the Pinacoteca

Most people who visit Vatican Museums skip the Pinacoteca.

I think it's because it's off to the right, not in the same direction as all the signs pointing the way to the Sistine Chapel.

Most tours skip this gallery too, as there is just not usually enough time to fit it all in.

But if you are on your own, or decide to go with a tour that includes it, the Pinacoteca offers the chance to see some of the most extraordinary paintings in Rome.

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To visit the pinacoteca, walk straight towards the outside space right when you come off the escalator that brings you to the Vatican Museums.

Look to your right and you will see a sign for it.

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Decide if you want to visit the New Wing / braccio nuovo

The Braccio Nuovo, or "New Wing" of the museums was actually there before.

But it was closed for years and was only re-opened in 2016, completely re-done.

It's truly spectacular but many people miss it when they visit the Vatican Museums, because, again, it's not directly on the route to the Sistine Chapel.

To see this beautiful section when you visit Vatican Museums, walk past the Pinecone courtyard, and take a right.

You will walk down a long corridor of neo-classic design, with statue after statue (many of which are worth a closer look!)

You will see the Braccio Nuovo on the right.

If you time it right, you can sometimes have this wing, or parts of it, all to yourself!

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