Vatican Museums Tickets: Prices, Timed Entry, and What’s Closed

Last updated: September 22, 2026

A full-price Vatican Museums ticket costs €20, plus a €5 online booking fee for a timed “skip the line” entry, so €25 in total (as of September 2026). The reduced rate is €10 plus the same €5 fee. The museums open Monday to Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with last entry at 6:00 p.m. They close on most Sundays and on a fixed list of religious holidays.

Key takeaways

• Price: €20 full, €10 reduced, plus €5 for an online timed booking; children under 7 enter free (official ticket office, September 2026).
• Hours: Monday to Saturday, 8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.; last entry 6:00 p.m.; visitors must leave the halls 30 minutes before closing.
• Free Sunday: the last Sunday of each month is free, 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., with last entry at 12:30 p.m. The remaining 2026 dates are September 27, October 25, November 29, and December 27.
• Closed: every other Sunday, plus December 8, 25, and 26 for the rest of 2026.
• Sistine Chapel: no photos or video with any device, no phone use, and silence is required.
• Refunds: the official ticket office states that tickets cannot be refunded.

How much are Vatican Museums tickets in 2026?

A standard ticket is €20 without a booking or €25 booked online, and a reduced ticket is €10 or €15. The €5 difference is the booking fee for a timed entry. Official price list, checked September 22, 2026:

Three details that trip people up:

1. The ticket covers the Sistine Chapel. The official price list has no separate Sistine Chapel ticket; the chapel sits near the end of the museum route.
2. Free disability entry is issued on site. The official page says the free ticket for visitors with a disability is collected at the “Special Permits” or “Welcome Desk” counters in the entrance hall, with documentation. You cannot book it online.
3. The reduced rate has conditions. Per the official rates page (checked September 22, 2026), €10 applies to ages 7 to 18, and to students up to age 25 with a document from their school or university proving enrollment for the current year. Buy a reduced ticket without valid proof and it is canceled at the entrance: you pay the full rate instead.

Reseller sites also sell “Sistine Chapel tickets” at higher prices. If the product adds no guide and no early entry, you are paying a markup on the same timed ticket.

What are the Vatican Museums opening hours?

The museums open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and the last entry is at 6:00 p.m., according to the official hours page (checked September 22, 2026).

The 6:00 p.m. cutoff matters more than the closing time. Visitors must leave the halls 30 minutes before closing, so a 5:30 p.m. entry gives you about two hours on the route.

How much time to plan: the guided tour linked below is listed at about three hours for the route through the Raphael Rooms to the Sistine Chapel. Add time for security and the coat check at the start.

When are the Vatican Museums closed?

The Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays, except the last Sunday of the month, and on a fixed list of religious and civic holidays. The official list for 2026 is:

• January 1 and 6
• February 11
• March 19
• April 6 (Easter Monday 2026)
• May 1
• June 29
• August 14 and 15
• December 8, 25, and 26

What this means for the rest of 2026 (as of September 22, 2026):

December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, falls on a Tuesday in 2026. If you are planning a December trip, pair this page with the Italy2Love Christmas in Rome guide.

What about 2027? The official 2027 calendar was not published as of September 22, 2026. One date in the list moves every year: April 6 is Easter Monday 2026, while Easter Monday 2027 falls on March 29. The last Sunday of March 2027 is Easter Sunday itself, so under the current rule there would be no free Sunday that month. Check the official calendar once it is released.

Is the last Sunday of the month really free?

Yes. On the last Sunday of each month, entry is free from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with last entry at 12:30 p.m. (official hours page, checked September 22, 2026).

The official site lists five exceptions. The free Sunday is cancelled when it falls on Easter Sunday, June 29 (Saints Peter and Paul), December 25, December 26, or December 31. None of those clash with the remaining 2026 dates, so December 27, 2026, should go ahead.

The trade-off: you get the full route, Sistine Chapel included, for €0. You give up a timed slot: the official rates page does not list the free Sunday as bookable online, so expect to queue outside the walls. You also get less time, since rooms are cleared from 1:30 p.m.

The Vatican Museums do not publish queue times, and Italy2Love has not measured them. The structure tells you what to expect: free entry, a 3.5-hour entry window, and no booking. Arrive before the 9:00 a.m. opening if you want the full visit.

Which option should you choose: ticket, guided tour, or free Sunday?

Book the €25 timed ticket if you want the lowest cost with a set entry time. Book a guided tour if you want context and a guide who knows the route. Use the free Sunday only if your budget is tight and your schedule is flexible.

How we picked

Italy2Love compared the three ways in on what changes your day: cost per adult, whether entry is timed, the length of the entry window, and what the visit asks of you (queuing, pace). Prices come from the official ticket office and, for the tour, from Viator in September 2026.

Timed ticket. Pick a slot on the official ticket office and go at your own pace.

Skip it if you need a flexible date, since tickets cannot be refunded, or if you want someone to explain what you are looking at.

Guided tour. The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel tour is rated 4.9 out of 5 across 8,288 Viator reviews, runs about three hours, and starts from about €99 (checked September 2026). You pay about four times the ticket price for the guide.

Skip it if you prefer to linger in one or two rooms, or if a group pace in crowded galleries would frustrate you.

Last Sunday free. Worth it for travelers who are already in Rome on that date and do not mind a line.

Skip it if you have one shot at the museums, travel with small children, or need a guaranteed entry time.

Can you walk from the Sistine Chapel straight into St. Peter’s Basilica?

Sometimes, but it is not guaranteed, and the official Vatican Museums pages do not promise it to individual ticket holders. Plan to exit through the museum entrance and walk around to St. Peter’s Square.

What the official sources say, checked September 22, 2026:

• The Vatican Museums sell official guided visits of the “Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica,” led by guides authorized by Vatican City State, ending in the Basilica.
• The official page for the school-group version says the Basilica visit happens only “compatibly with liturgical celebrations” and other Holy See events, and that you cannot re-enter the museums on the same ticket.
• The official visitor tips advise anyone continuing to the Basilica not to leave bags at the museums’ coat check, since items must be collected the same day.

What the sources do not say: that a standard €25 ticket gives you the right to use the internal passage. Because access depends on the liturgical calendar, even a tour that plans to use it cannot guarantee it. If a tour promises the passage, ask what happens if it is closed.

Practical rule: carry only a small bag that clears security. Anything you check at the museum entrance stays there. For the Basilica itself, see the Italy2Love guide to visiting St. Peter’s Basilica.

What is the Vatican Museums dress code?

Cover your shoulders and knees. The official rules state that entry to the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Vatican Gardens is allowed only to visitors dressed with decorum.

The official rules exclude sleeveless or low-cut tops, shorts that do not reach the knees, miniskirts, and hats. They also cover visible personal items and visible personal signs, such as tattoos, that could offend Catholic morals. A light scarf or a shirt you can throw on solves most problems on a warm day.

What can’t you bring, and how does security work?

Every visitor goes through a metal detector at the entrance. The official tips suggest separating banned items from your hand luggage before you reach the scanner to speed things up.

Must be left at the free coat check (official list):

• Large bags, suitcases, backpacks, and parcels that staff judge unsuitable
• Knives, scissors, and metal tools
• Medium and large umbrellas, or any with a pointed tip
• Walking sticks (mobility aids are allowed)
• Camera tripods and video cameras
• Signs and banners of any kind
• Alcoholic drinks

Banned outright: laser pointers, selfie sticks, drones, and professional equipment.

Also banned: eating or drinking in the exhibition rooms, and smoking, including e-cigarettes, anywhere in the museums.

Can you take photos in the Sistine Chapel?

No. The official rules state that taking photos or filming video with any electronic device is forbidden in the Sistine Chapel. Phone use is also banned there, and visitors are asked to keep complete silence.

Elsewhere in the museums, you can take photos for personal use only. Flash is always forbidden, and so are tripods and professional equipment.

Are there evening openings, early entry, or breakfast tickets?

Not on the official hours page as of September 22, 2026. The official page lists only the regular Monday to Saturday hours and the last-Sunday opening.

Resellers advertise “early access,” “breakfast,” and “Vatican by night” products. The official rates page lists no such ticket as of September 22, 2026. Before paying a premium, check who operates the product and what time the group actually enters.

What else should you book around the Vatican?

Book the Colosseum separately: it runs its own timed-ticket system with several ticket types, covered in the Italy2Love guide to Colosseum tickets explained. Avoid putting both on the same morning.

Vatican City is a separate state, which is why it keeps its own holidays, such as February 11 and June 29. The background is in Vatican City as a state within a state. For the rest of your stay, start with the Rome travel guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a Vatican Museums ticket in 2026?

A full-price ticket costs €20, and booking a timed “skip the line” entry online adds €5, for €25 in total. The reduced ticket is €10, or €15 with online booking. Children under 7 enter free. These are the rates on the Vatican Museums’ official price list, checked September 22, 2026. Tickets are not refundable.

Do I need a separate ticket for the Sistine Chapel?

No. The Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museums route, and the standard museum ticket covers it. The official price list does not include a separate Sistine Chapel ticket. The chapel comes near the end of the visit, after the Raphael Rooms, so do not rush the early galleries expecting it to be first.

What time is the last entry to the Vatican Museums?

The last entry is at 6:00 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and the museums close at 8:00 p.m. Visitors must start leaving the halls 30 minutes before closing. On the free last Sunday of the month, the last entry is 12:30 p.m. and closing is 2:00 p.m., according to the official hours page checked September 22, 2026.

Are the Vatican Museums open on Sundays?

Only on the last Sunday of each month, when entry is free from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Every other Sunday is a closing day. The free Sunday does not happen if it falls on Easter, June 29, December 25, December 26, or December 31. The remaining 2026 dates are September 27, October 25, November 29, and December 27.

Which days are the Vatican Museums closed in 2026?

Besides most Sundays, the official 2026 closing days are January 1 and 6, February 11, March 19, April 6, May 1, June 29, August 14 and 15, and December 8, 25, and 26. For the rest of 2026, that leaves December 8, 25, and 26, plus all Sundays except the last one of each month.

Can I go from the Sistine Chapel directly to St. Peter’s Basilica?

It is not guaranteed. The Vatican Museums’ official guided visits end in the Basilica, but official pages describe that access as depending on liturgical celebrations, and they do not promise the passage to standard ticket holders. Plan to exit through the museum entrance and walk to St. Peter’s Square, and do not leave bags at the museum coat check.

What should I wear to the Vatican Museums?

Cover your shoulders and knees. The official rules ban sleeveless or low-cut tops, shorts above the knee, miniskirts, and hats, and the same dress code applies in St. Peter’s Basilica. Visible items or tattoos that could offend Catholic morals are also covered by the rule. A light scarf or overshirt is the easiest fix in warm weather.