Vatican Museums Opening and Closing Hours

The Vatican Museums have specific opening and closing hours, and the last entry is often scheduled an hour earlier than the Museums’ closing time. In fact, knowing when to enter or exit the Museums can be a deal-breaker for any awe-struck tourist, especially when you have to deal with crowds making a beeline for the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, and the Museums’ 54 galleries.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Vatican Museums’ opening and closing hours, last entries, holidays, private tour timings, etc.

Vatican Museums

The Museums remain open from 8 am to 7 pm from Monday to Thursday. The attraction opens at 8 am on Friday and Saturday and stays in operation until 8 pm. Barring the last Sunday of the month, the Museums remain closed on Sundays.

The above timings apply to all the galleries and rooms within the Museums, most notably the Sistine Chapel, which many tourists mistake as a standalone attraction.

Things to Note

• If you’ve booked an early morning or night tour ticket, the Vatican Museums’ timings differ, and they operate well beyond their regular opening and closing hours
• The last entry is an hour before the closing time; However, you need to leave the attraction 30 minutes before the Museums cease their daily operations for the day
• You can enter the Museums for free on the last Sunday of each month, provided it does not coincide with the feasts of Sts. Peter and Paul, and Christmas Day.
• The ‘last Sunday, free admission’ will be preponed to 24 December to allow visitors to enjoy the Museums during the festive season

St. Peter’s Basilica

Some Vatican Museums tours include St. Peter’s Basilica, too. Here are the mass times and the opening and closing hours of other attractions within the Basilica.

Weekday mass timings

Blessed Sacrament Chapel: 8.30 am (mass in Italian followed by Eucharistic Adoration)

Altar of St. Joseph: 9 am, 10 am, 11 am, 12 am (mass in Italian)

Altar of the Chair: 5 pm (mass in Latin, homily in Italian)

Sunday mass timings

Altar of the Chair: 9 am (Italian), 10.30 am (Solemn mass in Latin), 12.15 pm (Italian), 4 pm (Italian), 4.45 pm (Vespers in Latin), 5.30 pm (Italian)

Altar of St. Joseph: 1 pm (Italian)

Blessed Sacrament Chapel: 11.15 am (Italian) 

Note: Confession or the Sacrament of Penance is conducted on the right transept of the Papal altar. Make sure you maintain silence at all times.

St. Peter’s Basilica

Note: The Basilica remains closed from 7 am to 12.30 pm on account of the Papal Audience

St. Peter’s Basilica Dome

St. Peter’s Tomb

Vatican Grottoes

Vatican Necropolis

Note: The Vatican Necropolis remains closed on Sundays

St. Peter’s Square

Vatican Gardens

The Vatican Gardens—also known as the Pope’s ‘personal garden of Eden’—are adjacent to the Vatican Museums and make for a compelling visit, especially if you have been bogged down by the magnitude of the Museums and the Basilica.

The Gardens are open throughout the year but have differing opening and closing hours compared to the Basilica and Vatican Museums.

Note: The Gardens remain closed on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Things to Remember

• The Vatican Gardens have a strict timed entry policy; you won’t be allowed to enter if you arrive later than your assigned time slot
• Only a few ticket holders can enter the Gardens to preserve their tranquility and ambiance, so book your ticket online in advance
• You can visit the Vatican Gardens only through a guided tour or with an audio guide. You won’t be allowed to self-tour or visit the Gardens independently
• The Gardens span half of the Vatican’s total area so it would be advisable to opt for the Vatican Gardens open-top bus tour and save your knees
• This attraction is accessible only to children aged 6 years and above as it involves a lot of walking and historical narratives that may be uninteresting to kids