The Sistine Chapel lies at the heart of the Vatican Museums and is, by and large, one of the most revered artistic and cultural treasures in the world today.
A Sistine Chapel ticket, whether a self-guided or guided tour, basically means a tour of the entire Vatican Museums and its open galleries.
Apart from its rich tapestry of art and history, the Sistine Chapel serves as the Pope’s private chapel and the site for the Papal Conclave—the gathering of cardinals that officially selects a new Pope once the incumbent dies or retires.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Sistine Chapel tickets.
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Sistine Chapel Tickets
There are several ticket options available to tour this beautiful stand-alone section of the Museums.
Skip the Line Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Ticket
A bestseller with tourists, this ticket allows you to go through faster security checks (2 mins max) without needing to stand and wait in long lines outside and inside the Museums.
Moreover, you get immediate access to all the open rooms and galleries of the Vatican Museums. As you stroll by, don’t forget to visit the galleries’ classical sculptures, Renaissance masterpieces, and stunning ancient Egyptian and Etruscan artifacts.
One thing to remember when booking your ticket is that it’s best to choose a time slot—there are eight, starting from 8 am to 4.30 pm—close to the museum’s opening hours or after lunch to avoid the teeming crowds.
Ticket details
- Adult (18+ years): €40
- Child (7 to 17 years): €24
- Student (up to 25 years): €24
Free entry
- Kids under 7 years of age
- Visitors with 74% certified disability and 1 carer
Cancellation policy
This ticket is not applicable for a refund or rescheduling even if you cancel your ticket in advance.
Visiting the Sistine Chapel: Guided vs self-guided tour
Opting for a self-guided tour ticket has its benefits, mainly in terms of flexibility and budget, as it’s cheaper than a guided tour ticket.
You also get to explore the Vatican Museums at your own pace and revisit certain works of art as long as you wish—you only need to exit when it’s the Museums’ closing hours.
But then, without an expert’s guidance, you could miss out on nuanced details and historical context that enhance the appreciation of the Sistine Chapel’s significance.
This is why a guided tour is a better experience. Moreover, you can visit galleries and other hidden attractions that are not usually open to regular ticket holders.
Check the ticket below to learn more about the guided Sistine Chapel ticket.
Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel Guided Tour Ticket
Available in English, Italian, Spanish, German, and French, this guided tour offers you a lot of information on what’s inside the Museums at a more leisurely pace.
After you pass the necessary security checks, your guide will take you through the attraction’s 26 museums, 54 galleries, three courtyards, and corridors.
The tour lasts 2.5 hours, and you will be provided with a headset to hear what your tour guide is explaining.
The time slots for this tour depend on your chosen language, and they are available from 8 am to 6 pm.
Ticket details
- Adult (18+ years): €90
- Child (6 to 17 years): €80
Free entry
- Infants aged 5 years and under
- Visitors with more than 74% certified disability and their carer
Cancellation policy
This ticket is not applicable for a refund or rescheduling, even if you cancel your ticket in advance.
Private Sistine Chapel Ticket with Vatican Gardens & St. Peter’s Basilica
This ticket includes all three attractions—the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Vatican Gardens, usually closed to the public—making it an absolute bang for your buck.
The 5-hour tour begins at the Vatican Gardens, and your special pass allows you to admire this exclusive part of the Vatican up close.
The second part of the tour entails the Vatican Museums and the magnificent Sistine Chapel.
The third leg of the tour entails the iconic St. Peter’s Basilica, where you will be given a special passage to enter the Basilica, generally reserved for the official Vatican tour guides.
While this tour does not include access to the Dome, you can visit St. Peter’s Tomb and the tombs of the other Popes. The tour officially ends at St. Peter’s Square.
Ticket details
- Group of 10 visitors (irrespective of age): €288
Cancellation policy
This ticket is not applicable for a refund or rescheduling, even if you cancel your ticket in advance.
Sistine Chapel Entrance
The entrance to the Sistine Chapel is the same as that of the Vatican Museums, as the Chapel is part of the Museums. The Sistine is usually the last section you visit before exiting the Museums.
Tourists usually exit the Sistine Chapel by taking the Bramante staircase that leads them to the Belvedere Courtyard and then to the Entrance. There’s also a secret exit from the Sistine Chapel that leads you to St. Peter’s Basilica. Unfortunately, it is closed till 2025.
Express Early Morning Sistine Chapel Ticket
This skip-the-line ticket is meticulously curated to allow you and your group to explore the Vatican’s treasures before the crowds arrive.
The tour takes you directly to the Raphael Rooms and Sistine Chapel, two of the most crowded attractions once the Museums open during their regular hours.
It also includes a well-guided tour of the Museum’s many galleries, which feature artwork and frescoes from the Baroque and Renaissance eras.
This tour lasts 105 minutes or 1.5 hours and begins from Caffè Vaticano on the street opposite the Museums. Your tour guide will be waiting for you, holding a LivTours sign.
From there, you will be escorted to the Museums’ entrance through Line 3. Once you are done with the Museums’ tour, you will be guided to St. Peter’s Square.
Ticket details
- Adult (18+ years): €200
- Child (3 to 17 years): €109
Free entry
- Kids under 2 years of age
Cancellation policy
This ticket is valid for a full refund if you cancel it up to 24 hours before the date of your visit.
Planning a visit to the Museums? Here’s all you need to know about the attraction’s dress code, its three entrance lines, opening and closing hours, the amenities within the Museums, how to reach the Vatican, and special tours like the Vatican Museums early morning and late evening tickets, Castle Gandolfo, and Vatican Grottoes & Necropolis tickets.
Night Tour of Vatican Museums with Sistine Chapel Ticket
Available only on Fridays and Saturdays, this ticket is all about exclusivity: You get private door-to-door transfers in a luxury vehicle to and from the Museums.
The tour lasts for 4 hours. Your English-speaking licensed guide (also available in Italian and Spanish) takes you right away to the highlights of the Museums, including access to areas typically closed to the general public.
For example, you get to spend copious amounts of time at the Gallery of Maps, Raphael Rooms, and the Sistine Chapel in peace and calm, adding to the allure of making it a mystical experience.
There are five time slots available for this tour: 6 pm, 6:30 pm, 7 pm, 7:30 pm, and 8 pm. These departure choices allow you to work around your evening itinerary, especially your dinner reservations!
Ticket details
- Adult (15+ years): €600
- Youth (11 to 14 years): €230
- Child (4 to 10 years): €200
Free entry
- Infants aged 3 years and under
Cancellation policy
This ticket is not applicable for a refund or reschedule even if you cancel your ticket in advance
Last-Minute Sistine Chapel Ticket
This ticket, also known as the ‘fast-track Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel ticket,’ is one of the best ways to explore the Museums.
While it doesn’t include access to a guided tour or an audio guide, this ticket ensures you have all the required assistance with the mandatory security procedures before being escorted to the museums.
Price-wise, this ticket tends to be costlier than the regular one, but tourists don’t mind the additional cost as long as they can avoid the Vatican’s long queues.
There are 12-time slots available for this ticket—8.30 am, 10.30 am, 11 am, 11.30 am, 12 pm, 12.30 pm, 1 pm, 1.30 pm, 3.30 pm, 3.45 pm, 4 pm, 4.30 pm—and you can opt for the one that best suits your itinerary.
Ticket details
- Adult (18+ years): €55
- Child (7 to 17 years): €45
Free entry
- Kids aged 6 years and younger
- Visitors with a certified disability of more than 74% + carer
Cancellation policy
This ticket is not applicable for a refund or rescheduling, even if you cancel your ticket in advance.
Timings
| Days | Timings | Last Entry |
| Weekdays | 8 am to 7 pm | 5 pm |
| Friday | 8 am to 8 pm | 6 pm |
| Saturday | 8 am to 8 pm | 6 pm |
| Sunday | Closed | Closed |
| Last Sunday of the Month | 9 am to 2 pm | 12.30 pm |
What to see inside the Sistine Chapel
From the outside, the Sistine Chapel looks pretty darb: It’s just a rectangular brick building with a barrel-vaulted ceiling and six arched windows on each side of the main walls.
Step inside, and it’s a different world altogether. It is not without reason that the German writer Johann Wolfgang Goethe once said: “Without having seen the Sistine Chapel, one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving.”
Here’s what’s on the inside of the Sistine Chapel:
- Entrance (Eastern) Wall: The entrance wall’s original frescoes by Ghirlandaio and Signorelli were destroyed in 1522 and later restored by Hendrik van den Broeck and Mateo da Lecci. They depict the resurrection of Christ and a discussion over the mortal remains of Moses
- Altar (Western) Wall: This wall behind the altar depicts a floor-to-ceiling fresco of Michelangelo’s Last Judgement. It illustrates Christ’s second coming and the dead rising and falling to their fates. Altogether, there are around 300 figures painted on the wall!
- Northern Wall: Dedicated to the life of Christ, this wall depicts paintings like the baptism of Christ, temptations of Christ, vocation of the apostles, sermon on the mount, delivery of the keys, the last supper, agony in the Garden, arrest of Christ, and the Crucifixion of Christ
- Southern Wall: This wall is all about Moses. It depicts Moses leaving for Egypt, the trials of Moses, the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses’ descent from Mount Sinai, the punishment of the rebels, and the testament and death of Moses
- The Ceiling Frescoes: Let the fact sink in that Michelangelo painted over 5,000 square feet of frescoes on the Chapel’s ceiling! Depicted here are nine stories from the Book of Genesis—including the famous ‘Creation of Adam’, ancestors of Christ, twelve male and female prophets, the Sybils, and the salvation of the Jews
Tips to make your experience a pleasant one
- Book your tickets online in advance to skip the long ticket queues at the venue. Also, these tickets are always in demand and sell out fast
- There is a strict dress code enforced at the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel; make sure you follow them at all times
- The Vatican Museums can get extremely crowded, so consider visiting during the late afternoons or early evenings for a more enjoyable experience
- Remember you have a lot to walk, so wear comfortable walking shoes as you’ll be on your feet for a significant amount of time
- You can explore the Sistine Chapel on your own, but having a guide can help you navigate the Museum’s extensive collections efficiently
- Photography and videography are strictly prohibited inside the Sistine Chapel to preserve the artwork
- Pace yourself and prioritize what you most want to see; also, allow time to appreciate unexpected discoveries along the way
- The Sistine Chapel is also a place of worship. Maintain a respectful demeanor, keep noise to a minimum, and follow any instructions given by staff or guides
Did you know?
- The Sistine Chapel is the last visited section of the Vatican Museums
- The Sistine Chapel is often used interchangeably with the Vatican Museums
- When you buy a Sistine Chapel ticket, you get to visit other galleries in the Museums
- The direct passageway from the Chapel to St. Peter’s Basilica is temporarily closed
- Clicking pictures or taking videos inside the Sistine Chapel is strictly prohibited
- You can carry only a plastic water bottle (no other drinks or food) inside the Museums
Recommended Reading
# What’s inside Vatican Museums
# Things to know before booking your Vatican Museums tickets
# Last-minute Vatican Museums ticket
# Sistine Chapel ticket
# Floor map of Vatican Museums
FAQs on the Sistine Chapel
Here are some frequently asked questions on the Sistine Chapel:
Can I take photos inside the Sistine Chapel?
Photography is strictly prohibited inside the Sistine Chapel to preserve the artwork.
What are the opening hours of the Chapel?
The Sistine Chapel is generally open Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 7 pm/8 pm. It remains closed on Sundays, except for the last Sunday when it opens from 9 am to 2 pm.
When is the best time to visit this attraction?
Early morning or late afternoon tends to be less crowded, thus offering you a quieter experience to appreciate the artwork.
Is visiting the Sistine Chapel during a morning or night tour better?
Both morning and night tours have their advantages. Morning tours may offer fewer crowds, while night tours can provide a unique ambiance with special lighting.
What can I see inside the Chapel?
You can marvel at Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes depicting scenes from Genesis, including the famous Creation of Adam and the monumental Last Judgment on the altar wall.
How long does a Chapel tour take?
A visit to the Sistine Chapel usually lasts around 15 to 20 minutes, although you can spend a longer time here with a private guided tour ticket.
Are there guided tours available?
Yes, guided tours are available, and it is highly recommended that you take one to gain deeper insights into the artwork and history of the Sistine Chapel.
Can I attend a mass or religious service at the attraction?
The Sistine Chapel is primarily used for papal ceremonies and is not open to the public for regular religious services.
Are there any restrictions on attire?
Yes, visitors are required to dress modestly. Remember, you will be turned away if you wear sleeveless tops, shorts, and skirts above the knee.
How do I get to the Sistine Chapel within the Vatican Museums?
The Sistine Chapel is at the end of the Vatican Museums’ museum route. Follow signs directing you through the various galleries to reach it.
Is this attraction wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel are accessible to visitors with mobility issues. Elevators and ramps are available throughout the museums, and wheelchairs and strollers can be rented at the attraction.
Can I bring food and drinks into the Sistine Chapel?
Food and drinks are prohibited inside the Sistine Chapel to preserve its artworks and maintain a respectful atmosphere.
