Citorah PickMuseum
Vatican Museums
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Citorah says
The Museums and the Basilica are separate visits with separate rules. The Museums need a booked ticket; the Basilica is free.
From Vatican Museums and St Peter’s 2026: Tickets, the Sistine Chapel, the Dome and Papal Audiences.
The catch
In mid-October 2026, every open day for the next three weeks had sold out.
Good to know
- Price
- €25 online (€20 plus a €5 booking fee), or €15 for children aged 7 to 18 and students up to 25
- When
- The Museums open Monday to Saturday, 08:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 18:00. On Sundays they’re closed, except the last Sunday of the month, when entry is free from 09:00 to 14:00
- Booking
- Book the Museums at tickets.museivaticani.va, their only official site
- Directions
- Google Maps Apple MapsLocation from © OpenStreetMap contributors
As the guide had it on 13 Oct 2026. Check prices and hours with the place itself before you go.
Closed, moved or not as described? Tell us.
Where it is
See it on the Rome mapNearby
Citorah PickSight
Pinecone Courtyard
Citorah says The Pinecone Courtyard is named after the ancient bronze pinecone in its niche, which once stood in the atrium of St Peter’s. Its restoration was celebrated on 6 October 2026.
Citorah PickSight
Gallery of Maps
Citorah says The Gallery of Maps is 120 metres long and was built in 1578–80, for 40 maps of Italy.
Citorah PickSight
Sistine Chapel
Citorah says Michelangelo’s Last Judgement has been cleaned. Maintenance work, which ended on 27 March 2026, removed a whitish film from it.
Citorah PickSight
St Peter’s Basilica
Citorah says The Basilica says a visit takes one to two hours. The Vatican Grottoes, with the tombs of many popes, are free. I spent about half an hour inside, late in the afternoon, under Bernini’s baldacchino and the dome, and came out into the square at dusk.
The catch The busiest days are Wednesday, the usual day of the papal audience, and Sunday, when the Pope says the Angelus at noon.
The guides it’s in
Rome · Sights & tickets
Vatican Museums and St Peter’s 2026: Tickets, the Sistine Chapel, the Dome and Papal Audiences
Official Museum tickets at €25 that sell out weeks ahead, the free last Sunday, the dress code, no photos in the Sistine Chapel, free entry to St Peter’s, the €17 or €22 dome, and free audience tickets.
Rome · Itineraries
3 Days in Rome 2026: The Colosseum, the Vatican and the Old Centre, Day by Day
A three-day Rome plan built on the route I took in November 2025: ancient Rome and an evening walk, the Vatican, then the Lateran and the old centre, with what to book, when things close and which days to avoid.
Plan the trip
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