Right or wrong, best or worst – they’re opinions, subjective and open to interpretation. But when it comes to talking about our two experiences visiting the Vatican Museum on different trips to Rome, we can confidently tell you that we did it horribly the first time and perfectly the second time.
So what did we do wrong and right? Well, the first time we bought the cheapest possible ticket, turned up for our pre-booked time slot and thought we’d be golden. We weren’t! The second time we knew what to do in order to have a better experience – pay for an early entry guided walking tour. It was that simple, and the difference was like night and day. Read more about us.
Don’t worry, this isn’t some sales pitch for a tour we operate (we don’t). We’re just two travelers, like you, who prefer to make the most of our trips and enjoy the attractions we visit. Especially at places as iconic and symbolic as the Vatican Museum.
This guide explains exactly what happened when we visited the Vatican Museum by ourselves and as part of a guided tour, so you can see our polar opposite experiences. Plus, we simplify the complicated ticket options so you know exactly what to pay for. Okay, let’s begin!
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Our Self Guided Visit
Okay, let’s start with our first visit to the Vatican Museum back in July 2018.
Italy was just one stop on our 18 month honeymoon around the world and we had a set budget that needed to last the whole trip. So we had to be careful about splashing the cash, and as a result we only booked basic entry tickets to the Vatican Museum.
It was €17 to book a ticket in advance with a specific time slot back then, but now it’s €20 plus a €5 booking fee per person.
We did some research and noticed that tickets always seemed to be sold out from around 9:00am-12:00pm. So we avoided the morning rush by booking our time slot at 1:00pm instead. We thought we’d be fine – but boy, were we mistaken.
Getting Inside
We arrived into St Peter’s Square at about 12:30pm thinking we’d just walk straight into a small line for the 1:00pm time slot. But in reality, we arrived into what looked like the main stage at a music festival. All we could see was an ocean of heads and shoulders.
It took us ages just to figure out where to go to get in line – and once we did, we joined a snaking queue like an airport security line that went on for more rows than we could count.
And to make matters worse, it was a scorching hot afternoon in July. You know what that meant? Everyone in line was melting, frustrated and acting up.
Self Guided Audio Tour
By the time we finally made it inside, we were sapped of energy and pretty annoyed at how long it took. But we composed ourselves, paid for an audio guide each (they cost €8 now) and started our self guided tour of the museum.
The problem? All those people from the line outside were now inside, and it was quite frankly ridiculous trying to move around the different rooms and halls. The idiom “packed in like sardines” had never been more true.
We expected it to be a popular attraction but it was outrageous. And the audio guide was hard to follow because there were so many other people at the exact same point, which meant we couldn’t get close to the artwork it was explaining.
We thought the audio guide would be a better option because we could go at our own pace. But it turned out to be pretty generic, and it stopped at too many things which led to us partially lose interest before long. Overall, it really wasn’t the experience we expected.
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Our Guided Tour
Now, let’s look at what we did the second time we went to the Vatican Museum during our trip to Rome in May 2022.
We love visiting attractions when we travel, and we especially enjoy places with historical significance like the Vatican Museum. So we absolutely knew we’d try again the second time we visited Rome, but this time we had to do it better.
So we did a ton of research about the best way to enjoy it without the crowds, and we eventually settled on paying for an early entry tour. Look, nobody (including us!) likes to waste money – but sometimes you get what you pay for, and this is one of those times.
Choosing A Tour
The most basic way to book a guided tour of the Vatican Museum was to book directly on the official site, choosing the option to include a guided tour (ticket and tour costs €40 per person).
But we would have had to choose an available time slot, and there weren’t many left for the date we wanted to visit. Plus, the earliest was 8:00am when the museum opens to the public. And finally, we didn’t know what the group size of the tour would be.
So instead, we scoured the web for other private expert-led guided tours – and there were a handful of great options with excellent reviews, but in the end we went with this top rated tour by Take Walks called “Pristine Sistine”.
We’d already done a few tours with them in other European cities and they were superb, so we felt comfortable paying to book with them at the Vatican Museum.
Why Was Our Tour Better?
The most important thing for us was to book a tour that got us inside the museum and Sistine Chapel before anyone else. That was paramount.
The tour we booked started well before the Vatican Museum opened to the general public – and this meant we were able to see empty galleries, halls, artworks, ceilings, and other areas with nobody else around except our small group.
Getting in early changed the game completely, but even better was having a professional guide who does this exact tour every day.
Our group only had 10 people, so every person on our tour had easy access to the guide with any questions. And because it was so quiet with nobody else around, we could actually concentrate and focus on what the guide was saying.
Another huge difference maker was being able to relax, knowing that the guide would take us only to the most important rooms, galleries, halls and artworks.
And not only that, but also in the right order to get us there before anyone else – which included going inside the Sistine Chapel right as it opened.
Finally, our tour went through a special access passage straight from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter’s Basilica (avoiding the line outside) which was pretty cool. And of course the tour continued once we were inside the basilica.
So overall it really was worth the money. Back in 2022 it cost us €94 each, but the tour price has gone up a bit since then, just like everything else in the world!
Vatican Museum Tickets
Now you know about our experiences, let’s take a step back and look at all the ticket options available for your visit to the Vatican Museum:
Basic adult entry – If you turn up in person without a pre-booked ticket, entry costs €20 per person. But you could end up waiting in line for hours, so we highly recommend you pay an extra €5 per person to book tickets in advance online at this official site to get a time slot. Time slots are available every 30 minutes from 8:00am-5:30pm. You’d then need to pay an extra €8 if you wanted an audio guide headset. So in total you’re looking at €33 per adult for the most basic self guided entry with audio guide.
Reduced price – There are reduced prices available for schools, students, pilgrimages and other exceptions. But even with a reduced price ticket, you still have to pay an extra €5 to book online if you want that timed entry. It’s very unlikely any of these will apply to you as a tourist.
Children – It’s important to know that kids up to and including 6 years old can enter all areas of the Vatican Museum for free. Tickets cost €8 for children aged 7-17, which makes a total of €13 once factoring in the extra €5 for booking online to get a time slot.
Sunday – The Vatican Museums are free for everyone on the last Sunday of every month. But be warned, while this sounds like a great deal, it’s only for basic entry with no tours and the lines will be even longer than usual because, well, who doesn’t love a freebie?!
On site guided tour – You can book a basic entry ticket with an on site guided tour for your chosen language that’s provided by the museum. Tour times vary by language. Using English as an example, there could be 3 different guided tours you can join at the 9:00am time slot. The total price for entry and on site guided tour is €40 per person, but it doesn’t get you in early and it isn’t specialized.
Private tour – Like we did the second time, you can book any number of private tours ranging from cheap to expensive and from early in the day to late in the day. We highly recommend the tour we took (see it here), but Take Walks also does a special late entry tour and also a regular tour during peak visiting times that’s much cheaper.
Mistakes To Avoid
Not booking tickets in advance – No matter how you choose to visit the Vatican Museums, the best advice we can give you is to book your tickets as far in advance as possible to avoid time slots selling out. If basic entry tickets run out, you’ll have no choice but to pay extra for an on site guided tour or a private tour.
Not dressing appropriately – Remember, you’re going to a place of worship so you need to be respectful of dress codes. Our visits were in May when it was hot and July and when it was even hotter, but we made sure to cover our knees and shoulders. Mark had to wear trousers (pants) which wasn’t fun in the heat, but we packed other clothes to change into straight afterwards. Oh, and don’t wear revealing clothes otherwise they might deny you entry.
Visiting at peak times – The Vatican Museum is open 8:00am-8:00pm from Monday to Saturday year round. Honestly, if we were to do it by ourselves again (ie. without a guided tour) we’d book a 4:00pm or later time slot because it would be so much quieter than the morning and midday rush. Trust us when we say it’s not worth losing your sanity over!
Visiting when it’s closed – Please don’t try to visit the Vatican on a Sunday because it will be closed (that is of course unless it’s the last Sunday of each month when the museum is open from 9:00am-2:00pm and is free of charge). We also recommend avoiding visiting on Wednesday mornings because St Peter’s Basilica is closed for the Papal Audience.
Is The Vatican Museum Worth Visiting?
Okay, let’s finish with the most important question of all, is it even worth going to the Vatican Museum?
We hate to give you the classic “it depends” answer because it’s terrible, but we really do think this is one of those places that gets hyped up so much and we know it isn’t going to blow everyone away.
Personally, we love the Vatican Museum because it contains some of the most important collections and works of art in the history of mankind. We’re no art aficionados but we do appreciate masterpieces and the peak of creative excellence.
So our answer is yes the Vatican Museum is definitely worth visiting if you have an appreciation for skill and expertise or art and history.
Otherwise, you might want to consider skipping it because you could just end up being frustrated by the overwhelming crowds. And there’s plenty more to do in Rome!
Next Steps
We hope our guide on how to visit the Vatican Museum helps with planning your trip to Rome, but please let us know if you have any questions in the comments box a little further below.
Still figuring out your plans?
- Read our tried and tested 4 days in Rome itinerary.
- Book your hotel in one of these Roman neighborhoods.
- Don’t miss these top experiences in Rome.
- And here’s how to visit the Colosseum.
Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Italy travel planning guide for helpful tips and advice.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.
Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.