The queues to get into the Vatican are notoriously long, and the Roman sun is hot. We tell you how to keep your cool by skipping the lines.
In a hurry? Left it too late? Don’t panic:
Get last-minute Vatican tickets here >
Otherwise read on.
The lines for the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel are notorious, and standing for often way more than an hour in the blazing summer sun can be miserable. Thankfully these days avoiding really long lines is very simple.
First, though, choose what time to visit the Vatican – we recommend as early as possible in the day. Here’s how to skip the lines when you do:
Buy a discount card such as the downloadable Rome Tourist Card (which is similar to the Roma Pass but includes the Vatican) or a Vatican City Pass. All of these solutions allow you to walk past the lines and some of them give you a heap of benefits such as free transport, etc.
Book a group guided tour for €65 per person.
Buy a skip-the-lines Vatican ticket with optional audio guide for €26.40 per person here. This has many of the interpretive advantages of the guided option, but allows you to take your own time, skip parts, or linger over favorite pieces.
With a guide and breakfast thrown in, this is without a doubt the most spectacular and pleasant way to visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.
You get to see the Vatican almost empty, way before the hordes arrive, and are escorted to the stunning “Pinecone Courtyard” for a sumptuous buffet breakfast buffet before being guided through the museums with exclusive access to the Upper Galleries (not normally open to the public) and have the Sistine Chapel almost to yourself. Without any doubt this is the best time to visit the Vatican.
Buy basic entry tickets directly online from the official Vatican ticket office. Basic entry tickets are €17 each (€8 concession) + €4 booking fee each, and are only valid for the date and time booked. The reason this is so far down our list is that we receive continual complaints that the site rejects non-Italian credit and debit cards.
Locals’ tip: if seeking a reduced entry ticket for children between 6 and 18 years of age, you MUST bring their official ID (i.e. passport) to prove their age. If you’re a student you must bring an internationally recognized student ID.
If you’ve booked a ticket rather than a guided tour, you will be emailed a voucher, that you then need to convert into a ticket. If you don’t have a printer, Vatican staff will inspect the PDF from your cellphone at the door.
Having this voucher will allow you to skip the long, long line and enter via the right-hand side of the entrance (see map) – where there may still be a line, but a much shorter one – after which you will need to verify your printout at the ticket booths to the left just after security (where there may be yet another – but relatively short – line).
Be warned though, at certain times of the year, e.g. around Easter, even the lines for people with tickets are long.
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