Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums, located in Rome, are the public museums of Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of the best-known Roman sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world. The museums contain roughly 70,000 works, of which 20,000 are on display, and currently employ 640 people who work in 40 different administrative, scholarly, and restoration departments.

Planning your visit

Planning a visit to the Vatican Museums means planning around the queue. The complex holds roughly 70,000 works across 40 departments, and the route through the galleries funnels everyone toward the Sistine Chapel, so the entrance line outside the walls is often the longest part of the day. This is why almost every bookable option here is built around getting past it: skip-the-line entry, fast-track tickets that pair the Museums with St Peter's Basilica, and early-morning slots that put you inside before the main crowds arrive.

Guided options change the experience rather than just the timing. Small-group and private tours cover the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the Raphael Rooms with the context that wall labels leave out, while "hidden gems" itineraries take in the galleries most visitors walk straight past. There are wheelchair-accessible private tours, and combination tickets that add a hop-on hop-off bus for reaching the rest of Rome afterwards. Compare current availability and departure times below.