Vatican Museums - Sistine Chapel, Rome

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My top tip to enjoying the Vatican is to order your tickets in advance online to avoid waiting in the lines.

We went during a time when Rome wasn't crawling with tourists and tour groups, but it was still full of people and the horror stories of hours waiting in line just doesn’t make sense – you have limited time here and don’t want to waste it in lines. So go online to the official Vatican site – listed below - (not the expensive other sites that charge you high fees) and purchase your tickets online, print up the ticket they email you, and walk past all those who didn’t plan ahead. You still have to go through security, but then you collect your tickets at the windows inside after showing them your online voucher.

You will need to select a day and time for your entrance. Pick a day when you have plenty of time and go for an early start time. The museum and Sistine Chapel get rather crowded.

We selected a Tuesday because Wednesdays are typically more crowded due to the audiences with the Pope. Not a fan of crowds, we felt this would be a better option to ensure maximum enjoyment of our time in the museum.

Oh – and don’t be suckered into one of the “tours” that people are trying to sell you between St. Peter’s Square and the museum. We must’ve been asked at least 5-10 times each time we walked that way if we wanted to join a tour. Just ignore them (or firmly say no) and keep going.

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There is so much to see in the Vatican Museum, you will get overwhelmed unless you pace yourself. I had a list of must-see pieces of art that we looked for and then enjoyed the rest of the museum casually along the way.

I highly suggest you bring along some sort of guide book that will tell you what you are looking at since the labeling is not the best. My guide book of choice for the art and architecture in Rome is The Blue Guide – Rome, by Alta Macadam. This book will easily take you from room to room in the entire museum and tell you what you need to know about the art.

First stop after entering the museum was to get to the Pinacoteca, which is the Vatican’s Picture Gallery. Here are works by Leonardo, Raphael, Bellini, Fra Angelico, Caravaggio, and many more. The rooms in the Pinacoteca are numbered (look above the doorways for the Roman numerals).

From there, let your interests guide you. Do your research in advance so you know what you want to see or you will wind up wandering and wasting precious time. There are lots of tour groups that seem to command the prime spots in front of the works, so you need to allow time to make your way to the front if you want to see some of these things up close.

Seeing the Laocoön sculpture was important to me, so we made our way around to that ancient piece that was found in the 15th century in a farmer’s field. It is located outside in a courtyard.

The closer you get to the Sistine Chapel, the more crowded it becomes. Apparently, some people skip the museum and head straight to the chapel. Wow – I can’t imagine since the museum is full of treasures.

Be sure to take time in the Raphael rooms (painted at the same time Michelangelo was painting the chapel ceiling).

The hallway with all the maps on the walls is an interesting walk through. At this point, however, the hallways are filling up with people waiting for the chapel. And the bookshop is taking advantage of people going slowly through this area with tables and displays set up for you to purchase items.

You really need several visits to this museum to see it all – there are more than 4 miles of galleries! Plan ahead and come prepared to get the most out of your visit. Create a list of the must-see pieces you want to view lest you be disappointed after you leave. Be sure to find those works of art but don’t ignore the rest along the way. Look up at the ceilings and down at the floors. The entire building is a work of art!

And before you leave, be sure to take advantage of the bathrooms!

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This is the primary destination for most people visiting the Vatican Museum and it will be crowded – just prepare yourself now for that fact since even on slow days, the chapel is full of people. First of all, the chapel is not that big and it is THE place everyone seems to want to be. So prepare to be squished and lose that sense of personal space for the duration of your visit (make sure your valuables are safely tucked away from anyone who may want to get them). The crowds begin long before the chapel itself as people are all funneled into the Gallery of Maps to await their time in the chapel.

Once in the chapel, take some time to just be amazed. If you are lucky and can find a seat along the wall, grab the opportunity (it helps to be able to put your head on the wall as you look up). Take some time to just soak in the ceiling and the craftsmanship. Consider how Michelangelo painted the ceiling – there is some controversy on whether he stood and painted or laid down on the scaffolding as he painted. Either way – it was a tough job for a guy that would rather be chipping at marble than dabbling in paints!

The paintings reflect the beginning of the world from the book of Genesis – separation of light and dark, creation of land, moon, sun; God giving life to Adam, the flood and Noah’s later drunkenness. Along the sides of the ceiling are paintings of the prophets and sibyls with scenes from the Old Testament in the corners.

After you have looked at the ceiling, look towards the altar at the magnificent Last Judgment, also painted by Michelangelo many years after the ceiling. It reflects a difference in attitude for the artist, painted after the sack of Rome and the start of the Protestant Reformation when the Catholic Church was facing attacks. This is a solemn piece – no one is happy in it, including those that go to heaven. The creatures that pull the people into hell are creepy. And Michelangelo put a self portrait into this piece – he is the flayed skin being held by St. Bartholomew in the center right of the painting.

After you have admired all of Michelangelo’s work, be sure to take some time to look at the rest of the paintings that go around the walls. These were done by Perugino and others before the ceiling was done. These depict scenes from the life of Moses and the life of Christ.

Before you go to the Sistine Chapel, I highly recommend you read up on the ceiling so you can appreciate what you are seeing. A good book about the creation of the ceiling is Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling by Ross King. It is an easy read that will give you some ideas about the history, politics, and personalities during the time Michelangelo was painting in the Sistine Chapel.

Additionally, come armed with a good guide book, such as The Blue Guide – Rome that can describe the artwork you are seeing.

Finally, while I’m not always a fan of Rick Steves, he has a great audio series that can be downloaded from iTunes for free (yes, free!). There is a 30-minute audio tour of the Sistine Chapel that can provide you with enough history and interesting facts during your time in the chapel. Download before you leave for Rome (along with some of his other audio tours) and save yourself the money from the museums; be sure to print his accompanying maps for his audio guide as well, also on iTunes. I enjoyed all his audio tours while in Rome and the Sistine Chapel tour was one of my favorites.

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As you make your way through the Vatican Museum and head towards the Sistine Chapel, be sure to take the side track to the Raphael Rooms (located just before you get to the chapel and after the Gallery of Maps). These four rooms were designed and painted by Raphael for Pope Julius II (the same pope that was having Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel at the same time). Some of the rooms were designed by Raphael and carried out by his assistants, but inside are some pretty famous frescoes by the artist himself and well worth a visit.

Most famous would be the School of Athens, located in Room II. In this fresco, Raphael has depicted many great scholars through the ages but used the likenesses of many current individuals – his theme is the triumph of Philosophy. Raphael does quite a bit with the perspective as well – look at how the wall seems to go straight back, adding depth to the room by his use of architecture in the painting. In the center of the painting are two men - Plato and Aristotle. Plato (the white bearded man on the left) is a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. Others in the painting are Socrates (the bald guy to the left of Plato), Epicurus (with a leafy crown), Ptolemy (on the right side of the painting wearing a crown and holding the earth), Archimedes or Euclid (unclear which, but painted to look like the architect Bramante – the man who introduced Raphael to Pope Julius) bends over and creates geometric shapes on a board, and Diogenes is the lone figure in blue on the steps. The grumpy looking guy in the center is Heraclitus, which is considered to be a portrait of Michelangelo that Raphael painted as a tribute to the artist after he snuck into the Sistine Chapel and saw the ceiling work in progress. And finally, Raphael includes a self portrait – on the far right – the man with the red tunic and black cap that is looking out at the viewer.

In Room III, the fresco Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple at Jerusalem gives us a portrait of the patron of these works – Pope Julius II – who is pictured on the far left in the red outfit and being carried on a litter. This piece depicts an ancient scene but refers to Julius’ success in wars to free the Papal States. On the window wall there is a wonderful scene demonstrating the angel freeing Peter from jail. The mastery of the artist comes out in this piece!

In Rooms I and IV, the frescoes were designed by Raphael, but mostly painted by his assistants and pupils. In Room I there is a nice fresco of the Coronation of Charlemagne while Room IV had a massive fresco of Constantine’s victory near the Milvian bridge, again sketched by Raphael but actually painted by others. Raphael died young and was never able to complete the project. (If you plan to go to the Pantheon on your trip, be sure to find Raphael’s tomb located on the left side after you enter the building).

Someone had asked me after my trip to Rome what the highlight of my trip was. My answer was seeing the Raphael rooms, and especially the School of Athens.

No doubt the Vatican museum is one of the major multidepartment museums in the world but if you stay only a few days in Rome is it worthwhile to line up for nearly two hours to get in and fight your way through the crowd inside?

A VT friend asked me why after visiting and commenting six Roman museums I kept silent about the Vatican museum (except showing the opening hours)?
Well, my wife and I visited this museum around 1995. We waited 45 minutes in the rain, were very happy to get inside where it was dry but when we came out both of us felt somewhat disappointed. We had expected more!
The crowd in the Sistine chapel had spoiled our pleasure and what we saw in the other parts was not extraordinary; we had seen similar works of art elsewhere under better conditions.

Let me give you some examples about parts of the Vatican museum of which similar art works can be seen elsewhere without losing your time in long lines:
1° Greek and Roman antiquities. You can see works of art as good in quality at the Museo Capitolino and Palazzo Massimo, Palazzo Altemps (without lines).
2° Pinacotheca. Religious subjects by great Italian painters are very common in Italy. No need to line up during two hours to see some.
3° Stanze (rooms) of Raphael. Yes this are great works of art. Now if your interest for frescoes is a general one, not specific to Raphael, there are many other frescoes to be seen in Rome. If you came for the frescoes of Raphael you have to line up.

The "masterpiece", "chef-d'oeuvre", "capolavoro" of the Vatican is the Sistine Chapel for which there is no substitute. Therefore, at least once in our life, we line up in the rain or in the sun for 1 - 2 hours or pay a lot of money for a group visit or several hundred € for an individual guided tour.
I would certainly visit again the chapel if some Monsignor would take me here on a private visit. As the probability for such favour is zero I read a good illustrated guide on the frescoes of Michelangelo. Something I would recommend to all visitors because the frescoes are at 20 m height, so that the details are not much visible.

If it is your first visit to Rome, your only visit, you can not escape the lines. My photo shows the 500 m line starting at the Piazza del Risorgimento.

To avoid the line one can now purchase the admission ticket at the online ticket office of the Vatican museums:
http://mv.vatican.va or directly http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va
Details to be found in my new tips on the subject.
See also my tip "Opening hours and tickets 2011".

MORE DETAIL ON VATICAN CITY PAGES

You can only hope to have enough time to see all the Museum sections.
You will see people rushing forward to find the Sistine - best not to get caught up in that pace unless you are really pressed for time.
You will miss much along the way - the Sistine will be there (unless, of course, you enter close to closing time - then, it may be there - without you!)
There are areas where it is difficult to backtrack - some very narrow passageways leading to the next section - expansive rooms and then, courtyards which are a welcome respite if it happens to be crowded inside.

Museums and Collections overview:
Gregorian Egyptian Museum (look for the room containing the mummy)
Near Eastern Antiquities
Alexandria and Palmyra
Antiquities from Palestine
Room of the Assyrian relief sculptures
Gregorian Etruscan Museum
Antiquarium romanum
Collection of vases
Classical Antiquities (Greek and Roman)
Pio Christian Museum (with the Christian and Hebrew Lapidary)
Pinacoteca (picture gallery)
Tapestries
Ceramics (18th-19th century)
Miniature mosaics
Collection of Modern Religious Art
Missionary-Ethnological Museum
Museo Sacro (formerly part of the Vatican Library)
Gregorian Profane Museum
Vatican Historical Museum

Vatican Palaces:
Belvedere Palace
Upper Galleries (Gallery of the Candelabra; of Tapestries and of Maps)
Apartment of St. Pius V
Sala delle Dame
Room of the Immaculate Conception
Raphael Stanze della Segnatura (considered Raphael's most aesthetically perfect work)
(The entire floor here is Raphael so don't look for just one room as I did!)
Room of the Chiaroscuri
Chapel of Nicholas V
Chapel of Urban VIII
Sistine Chapel
Borgia Apartment - 5 rooms: Sibyls - Creed - Liberal Arts - Saints - Mysteries - Pontiffs
Salone Sistino
Room of the Aldobrandini Wedding
Lower Galleries (Urban VIII, Alexandrine, Clementine)

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Directions: Vatican

The best approach to skip the often extremely long line is by purchasing the admission ticket at the online ticket office of the Vatican museums.
http://mv.vatican.va or directly http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va

The ticket gives the right to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel for the day of issue. Tickets may be reserved up to 60 days before the date of the intended visit (they are not refundable).
For the purchase online an identity document, a credit card and names of all the participants is needed. Reduced prices for children and students are possible but not for seniors. A voucher with reservation code is sent back by e-mail to the visitor.
The system is rather flexible. For details see their Help & FAQ on their website.

If you could not prepare your visit in the above way and are facing a long line you might look for an alternative:

If your interest is mainly for antique art you can see works of art as good, if not better, in museums like the Capitoline Museums (see here tips on Musei Capitolini) and the National museums at Palazzo Massimo and at Palazzo Altemps (see here tips at Museo Nazionale Romano). There are no lines and no crowds and entrance fee is lower.

If your interest is for religious art you will find more than what you can dream of in the Papal Basilicas: Saint Peter of course, Saint Mary Major, Saint John Lateran and Saint Paul Outside-The-Walls. There is no queing in the three last ones (free entry). For details see here the tips.

I realize that these alternatives leaving aside the Vatican museum are frustrating for overseas visitors who came to see an highlight such as the Sistine Chapel.
On the other hand bad conditions of visit like inside the Sistine chapel spoil part or all the pleasure. Visiting my alternatives will make you experience some aesthetical plenitude.

A very practical alternative for the Vatican museum, if you don't want to loose a half day in lining, is to take Metro A at Vatican museum towards Termini station.
In the neigbourhood of Termini you find that real gem of Santa Maria Maggiore (opens at 7.00 h) and the Museo Nazionale Romano at Palazzo Massimo (opens at 9.00 h, closed on Mondays) a must for antique amateurs.

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We had breakfast at a café before heading to Vatican City and the Vatican Museums. The line to get in the museums was pretty short and after going through security (now expected at museums, churches, etc.) we picked up our audio guide. We like these better than guided tours because we can go at our own pace. On that day there were about 20 sections of the museum that were open to explore.

You can become a little dizzy looking at all those paintings, sculptures, etc., but you can always find something interesting. I loved the Egyptian room with the mummies, and the huge Map Room with an amazingly beautiful ceiling.

Of course the star of the museum is Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Cappella Sistina (Sistine Chapel). It took him four years to paint the ceiling – segments from the Bible- the most famous portion (and my favorite) being the “Creation”. Bring binoculars to examine the ceiling.

Be respectful of the signs - if it says NO FLASH, make sure you know how to turn yours off. If it says NO PHOTOS, DON'T take photos.

There is a nice little cafe right across from the entrance/exit of the museum. They serve really good pizza and cappuccino and are not as expensive as you would think.

Souvenirs are sold all around the museums and St. Peter's so you'll have plenty of opportunities to shop around.

Tickets are available online and since this is one of Rome's most popular attractions, I'd suggest buying your tickets online. Proper attire is required for entrance to the Museums. Allow a few hours to explore.

Check the calendar on the website to see what days the Museum and Sistine Chapel are closed. Entrance is free the last Sunday of each month, which means it will be very crowded.

Otherwise entrance is Euro 15,00.

Open Monday to Saturday: the Ticket Office is open from 9 am to 4 pm. The Museums close at 6 pm.

All visitor information is correct as of this writing.

** For several months each year (usually May - October) the museum is open Fridays from 7.00 to 11.00 p.m. Online booking is REQUIRED for Friday nights at the museum.

The most visited museum of Rome is also the one with the longest lines and crowds.
(That's why I wrote tips like: "Worthwhile?" and suggested alternatives when lines are extremely long).

The VATICAN MUSEUM and TICKET OFFICE is OPEN from 09.00 h to 16.00 h from Monday to Saturday. The museum closes at 18.00 h.

CLOSED on Sundays except last Sunday of every month, (free entrance from 09.00 to 12.30 h, closure at 14.00 h. Very long lines!)
Closed on following feast holidays in 2011:
January 1, 6;
February 11;
March 19;
April 24, 25 (Easter);
May 1;
June 29;
August 14, 15;
November 1;
December 8, 25, 26;

The admission ticket to the Vatican Museums is valid for visiting the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel only on the date of purchase. It is also valid for entrance to the Vatican Historical Museum and Noble Apartment of the Lateran Apostolic Palace if used within the five consecutive days from the date of purchase (included).

PRICES 2011:
Full 15,00 € (unchanged).
Reduced 8,00 €.
Scholastic Ticket 4,00 €.

ONLINE TICKET.
It is possible to avoid the often extremely long line by purchasing the admission ticket at the online ticket office of the Vatican museums.
http://mv.vatican.va or directly http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va

The ticket gives the right to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel for the day of issue. Tickets may be reserved up to 60 days before the date of the intended visit (they are not refundable).
For the purchase online an identity document, a credit card and names of all the participants is needed. Reduced prices for children and students are possible but not for seniors. A voucher with reservation code is sent back by e-mail to the visitor.
The system is rather flexible. For details see their Help & FAQ on their website.

PHOTOGRAPHY.
Works of art and surroundings may be photographed. No flash, no tripods.
No photography or filming in the Sistine Chapel.

Or go VERY early.

It sounds tempting, doesn't it? The last Sunday of the month, the Vatican Museums are open - and free! Saves you 14 euros per person; if you have a large group, it can add up. Well, that's exactly what all other budget-minded tourists and locals are thinking, too.

Click on the photo and see what awaits you! My traveling companion had no other time but Sunday morning available to her. This is the Gallery of Maps around 11 a.m. on a Sunday, on the way to the Sistine Chapel. It is a RIVER of people. . . .no, a TORRENT of people headed to the Sistine Chapel. Occasionally you can work your way to an eddy on the edge so that you could actually stop and look at something, but it isn't easy. (The Egyptian Museum and Pio Clemente sculpture museum were a bit less crowded; the Etruscan Museum was virtually deserted.)

If you're still determined to go, here's my suggestion.

The Museums open at 8:45. Get in line by 7:30. No, I'm not kidding. I thought 8 a.m. would be early enough, but luckily Rome VT friend Abarbieri suggested earlier, and he was right. At 8, the line was huge, we couldn't see the end of it. At 7:30, we were only about 75 meters from the entrance. We actually got in around 9 and took two hours to see the other museums before I took the photo.