Vatican Museum Pass and Tickets: 9 Options Compared
To get into the Vatican you need a timed ticket for the Vatican Museums, which includes the Sistine Chapel. Search for a Vatican Museum pass and this is what you'll find: the official Vatican Museum ticket costs 20 € + 5 € online at tickets.museivaticani.va, and here we compare nine resale tickets to the Vatican Museums and tours, from $37. St Peter's Basilica is free and you enter from the square, with no ticket. The options below are grouped by what you're after: going on your own, going with a guide, or adding the Basilica to the same booking. Eight of the nine cancel free; the standard ticket is non-refundable, just like the official one.
On your own: standard, skip-the-line or audio guide ticket
If you want to go at your own pace, these three tickets include the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel without a guide. The standard timed ticket costs from $37, is rated 4.5 out of 5 from 159,426 reviews on GetYourGuide and has an optional audio guide, but it is non-refundable. The skip-the-line ticket with a host, from $51, adds someone who walks you from Via Sebastiano Veniero 74 to the entrance. The ticket with an audio guide on your phone, from $42, adds a map and an app in seven languages. All three skip the ticket-office line, not the security line.
Entrada Sistine Chapel Tickets with the Vatican Museums from $37
Timed Sistine Chapel ticket with the Vatican Museums from $37: what it includes, how much more it costs than the official 25 € ticket and how the day works.
Valid 1 day, with entry in the time slot you choose 4.5 (159,426)
Audioguía Vatican Museums Audio Guide Ticket on Your Phone: from $42
Vatican Museums ticket with an audio guide on your phone from $42: what it covers, whether it beats a handset and how much more it costs than the official one.
1 hour according to the listing; inside the Museums you go at your own pace 4.1 (5,735)
Entrada sin colas Vatican Museums Skip the Line Ticket with Host: from $51
Vatican Museums skip the line ticket from $51: which line you skip and which you don't, what the host does and how much more it costs than the official 25 €.
2.5–3 hours of suggested visiting; inside you go at your own pace 4.4 (18,804)
With a guide: daytime, early, evening or private
With a guide you understand what you see without relying on the wall labels. The guided tour with the Sistine Chapel and Basilica, from $71, has a Spanish-speaking guide option and, on its 3-hour options, goes through the Scala Regia straight into the Basilica; it is rated 4.7 from 19,233 reviews. The early-access tour, from $122, goes in before the general 8:00 am opening, in groups of up to 10. The evening tour, from $85, starts late in the day, around 5:30 pm. The private tour, from $290, is for your group only, up to 10 people. These last three have an English-speaking guide.
Visita guiada Vatican Museums Guided Tour with Sistine Chapel and Basilica
Vatican Museums guided tour from $71: Museums, Sistine Chapel and direct access to St Peter's Basilica, in 6 languages. 4.7 out of 5 from 19,233 reviews.
2–4 hours depending on the option 4.7 (19,233)
Primera hora Vatican Early Access Tour: Museums Before Opening, from $122
Vatican early access tour of the Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica from $122: in before 8:00 am, groups of up to 10, English-speaking guide.
3–3.5 hours 4.9 (3,600)
Visita nocturna Vatican Museums Night Tour: Late-Afternoon Guided Visit, $85
Are the Vatican Museums open at night? Official hours end at 8 pm. This late-afternoon guided tour, with the Sistine Chapel, costs from $85.
2 hours 4.4 (470)
Visita privada Private Vatican Tour: How Much It Costs, From $290
Private Vatican tour from $290: 3 hours with a guide just for your group (up to 10) through the Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's, tickets included.
3 hours 4.9 (176)
With St Peter's Basilica: combo or Basilica with dome
St Peter's Basilica is free, but it has its own security line on the square. The combo ticket, from $68, covers the Museums and the Sistine Chapel with a guide and gives you skip-the-line entry to the Basilica, which you see on your own. The Basilica tour with dome and grottoes, from $33, does not include the Museums: a guide, also available in Spanish, explains the Basilica and the Vatican Grottoes, and with the dome option you climb to the top, by lift to the terrace and then about 320 more steps.
Entrada combinada Vatican Museums and St Peter's Basilica Tickets from $68
Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica in one booking from $68: a guide in the Museums and the Basilica without the line. What it covers.
2.5–3 hours 4.3 (17,624)
Basílica y cúpula St Peter's Basilica Tickets with Dome and Grottoes: from $33
Do you need St Peter's Basilica tickets? No: entry is free. This guided tour with the grottoes and optional dome costs from $33. What it adds, and prices.
1.5–2.5 hours 4.8 (6,363)
| Ticket or tour | What it includes | Guide | Duration | From | Cancellation | GetYourGuide rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard timed ticket | Museums and Sistine Chapel | No; optional audio guide | Valid 1 day | $37 | Non-refundable | 4.5 (159,426 reviews) |
| Ticket with audio guide on your phone | Museums and Sistine Chapel | No; audio app | 1 hour according to the listing | $42 | Free up to 24 hours before | 4.1 (5,735 reviews) |
| Skip-the-line ticket with host | Museums and Sistine Chapel | No; host to the door | 2.5–3 hours | $51 | Free up to 24 hours before | 4.4 (18,804 reviews) |
| Combo ticket | Museums, Sistine Chapel and Basilica (option) | In the Museums | 2.5–3 hours | $68 | Free up to 24 hours before | 4.3 (17,624 reviews) |
| Guided tour | Museums, Sistine Chapel and Basilica (option) | Yes, Spanish also available | 2–4 hours | $71 | Free up to 24 hours before | 4.7 (19,233 reviews) |
| Evening tour | Museums and Sistine Chapel | Yes, in English | 2 hours | $85 | Free up to 24 hours before | 4.4 (470 reviews) |
| Early access | Museums, Sistine Chapel and Basilica | Yes, in English | 3–3.5 hours | $122 | Free up to 24 hours before | 4.9 (3,600 reviews) |
| Private tour | Museums, Sistine Chapel and Basilica | Yes, your group only, in English | 3 hours | $290 | Free up to 2 days before | 4.9 (176 reviews) |
| Basilica with dome and grottoes | Basilica, Vatican Grottoes and dome (option) | Yes, Spanish also available | 1.5–2.5 hours | $33 | Free up to 24 hours before | 4.8 (6,363 reviews) |
What every option includes
- ✓ All 8 Museums tickets include the Sistine Chapel; the ninth is the Basilica tour
- ✓ Skip the ticket-office line on all 8 Museums tickets; everyone goes through security
- ✓ Free cancellation on 8 of the 9: the standard ticket is non-refundable
- ✓ Reserve now, pay later on 7 of the 9: not on the standard ticket or the private tour
- ✓ St Peter's Basilica on 5 of the 9: the combo and the guided tour as an option, early access, the private tour and the dome and grottoes tour
What the Vatican Museums ticket includes
A Vatican Museums ticket includes the Sistine Chapel: it sits at the end of a route of some 7 km (about 4.3 miles) and has no ticket of its own. It is valid only for the day and time slot you choose. It does not include St Peter's Basilica, which is free, or its dome, which costs 17 € on foot or 22 € by lift on the Basilica's official website. The 3-hour guided tours, the early-access tour, the private tour and the combo are the ones that put the Museums and the Basilica in one booking. What you'll see inside is summed up in the Vatican Museums guide.
Price by ticket type
The official ticket costs 20 € at the ticket office and 20 € + 5 € online; the reduced one, 10 € (+5 € online), for ages 7 to 18 and students up to 25 with ID. Free entry goes to children under 7, people with a certified disability of 67% or more (and their companion, if needed) and everyone on the last Sunday of each month, with exceptions. The tickets on this page cost from $37 for the standard one, $42 with an audio guide, $51 skip-the-line with a host, $68 for the combo, $71 for the guided tour, $85 for the evening tour, $122 for early access and $290 for the private tour. We break it down on the Vatican Museums ticket prices page.
Official website or resale: what each adds
The only official online shop is tickets.museivaticani.va; the Museums warn about websites with similar domains that charge much more. The official ticket is the cheapest, but it cannot be canceled or refunded. Resale tickets cost more and add other things: free cancellation on 8 of the 9, a guide, a host to the door, the Basilica without the line, or a time outside general opening hours. This website does not sell tickets: we send you to the booking partner's listing. We compare them on the official Vatican tickets page.
How far ahead to book and what happens if they sell out
Book as soon as you have a date if you are going in June, July or August, the busiest months according to the listings. There is no officially recommended lead time: the official website shows the free slots for each day. If the official site has no space at your time, look at the tickets on this page: each listing shows its free times when you pick a date. Keep in mind that the Museums close on Sundays, except the last one of the month, and on Vatican holidays; for the rest of 2026, November 1 and December 8, 25 and 26. Check the Vatican Museums hours.
Where you enter the Vatican
It depends on what you visit. You enter the Vatican Museums on Viale Vaticano: metro line A, Ottaviano or Cipro stops, or bus 49, which stops opposite. You enter St Peter's Basilica from St Peter's Square, after the security check under the right-hand colonnade. Guided tours with the Basilica go from the Sistine Chapel into the Basilica from the inside. Many tours meet first at a nearby office, such as Via Mocenigo 15 or Via Vespasiano 28: check each tour's meeting point. All the details are in how to get to the Vatican.
What to wear and entry rules
Shoulders and knees covered in the Museums, the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica: no tank tops or low-cut tops, shorts above the knee, miniskirts or caps. Bring ID: several tours ask for it and minors need it for their rate. Everyone goes through an airport-style security check. Large backpacks go to the Museums' free cloakroom; the Basilica has no cloakroom. No photos are allowed in the Sistine Chapel. More on the Vatican dress code page.
How booking works
Pick a ticket, open its page and press the booking button: the booking partner's listing, on GetYourGuide, shows the free times and the final price before you pay. Eight of the nine cancel free (the private tour up to 2 days before; the others up to 24 hours before) and seven let you reserve now and pay later. If you prefer the official ticket, buy it only at tickets.museivaticani.va. This site may earn a commission on bookings, at no extra cost to you.
This site may earn a commission on bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the official website for Vatican Museums tickets?
tickets.museivaticani.va is the only official online shop, at 20 € + 5 € booking fee. The Museums warn about websites with similar domains that charge much more. This website is not the official one: we compare resale tickets that add a guide, cancellation or other extras.
How do you get into the Vatican?
You enter the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel with a timed ticket, on Viale Vaticano. You enter St Peter's Basilica for free from St Peter's Square, after the security check. Tickets for the Pope's general audience are always free and are requested from the Prefecture of the Papal Household.
Can you cancel a Vatican Museums ticket?
Official tickets are non-refundable, and so is the standard ticket on this page. The other 8 cancel free: the private tour up to 2 days before and the rest up to 24 hours before.
What happens if the Sistine Chapel or the Basilica closes?
They can close without notice for official events or ceremonies, and the Basilica closes on Wednesday mornings for the general audience. The listings that mention it give no refund for these closures: they adjust the itinerary or offer another time. If the Basilica matters to you, avoid Wednesday morning.
Do children pay for entry?
Children under 7 enter the Museums free, with ID. Ages 7 to 18 pay the reduced 10 € (+5 € online). Some tours do not allow strollers or leave them under the Basilica's portico: check each page.
Do I still have to wait in line with a ticket?
Yes, for the security check, which everyone goes through; the listings warn it can take 30 minutes or more in high season. What a booked ticket saves you is the ticket-office line.