The Vatican Museums, which include the Sistine Chapel, are open Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 8 pm (last entry 6 pm). The full ticket costs €20 at the ticket desk, plus €5 if you book online on the official website. Entry is free on the last Sunday of the month, from 9 am to 2 pm, with some exceptions.
This page gives the official rules recorded on the Vatican Museums website, the traps of ticketing sites with similar names, and above all the calculated calendar of free Sundays for 2027, with the exceptions provided by the regulations. For the rest of your stay, see our Rome travel guide.
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Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel: key facts
- Hours: Monday–Saturday 8 am–8 pm, last entry 6 pm; leave the halls 30 minutes before closing (checked on 15 October 2026 on museivaticani.va).
- Full price recorded on 15 October 2026: €20 without a reservation; €20 + €5 with the online “skip-the-line” reservation; reduced €10 (+ €5 online) — subject to change, check before you go (checked on 15 October 2026 on the Tariffe e biglietti page).
- Booking: not compulsory according to the price list (“no reservation” rate at the ticket desk), but booking online avoids the queue.
- Closures: Sundays (except the last of the month) and 14 public holidays listed below.
- Free admission: last Sunday of the month, 9 am–2 pm (last entry 12:30 pm), unless it falls on an excluded holiday.
- Information checked on 15 October 2026 on museivaticani.va.
Tickets: official site or reseller?
The Museums’ website is explicit: “the only official website for buying tickets online” is tickets.museivaticani.va. It warns against sites with similar domain names, which may apply sharply higher prices. Tour operators also offer guided visits; that is a different service, to be compared with full knowledge.
| Ticket | At the ticket desk | Booked online (official site) |
|---|---|---|
| Full price | €20 | €20 + €5 |
| Reduced | €10 | €10 + €5 |
| Last Sunday of the month | Free | — |
| Children under 7 | Free | Free |
Other official free admissions: visitors with a certified disability of at least 67% (proof to be shown) and holders of ICOM or ICOMOS cards, among others. The conditions for the reduced rate are detailed on the official page.
Opening hours and closing days
Apart from the last Sunday of the month, the Museums are closed on Sundays. The regulations also list these closing days: January 1 and 6, February 11, March 19, April 6, May 1, June 29, August 14 and 15, December 8, 25 and 26. The website also publishes a calendar of temporary and extraordinary closures: check it for your exact date.
Free Sundays in 2027: the calculated calendar
The official regulations provide for free entry on the last Sunday of every month, “provided it does not coincide” with Easter, June 29, or December 25, 26 or 31. We applied this rule to the 2027 calendar (Destination de Voyage calculation; Easter calculated using the Gregorian computus):
| Month | Last Sunday | Free? |
|---|---|---|
| January | Sunday, January 31, 2027 | ✅ yes, 9 am–2 pm |
| February | Sunday, February 28, 2027 | ✅ yes, 9 am–2 pm |
| March | Sunday, March 28, 2027 | ❌ no: Easter |
| April | Sunday, April 25, 2027 | ✅ yes, 9 am–2 pm |
| May | Sunday, May 30, 2027 | ✅ yes, 9 am–2 pm |
| June | Sunday, June 27, 2027 | ✅ yes, 9 am–2 pm |
| July | Sunday, July 25, 2027 | ✅ yes, 9 am–2 pm |
| August | Sunday, August 29, 2027 | ✅ yes, 9 am–2 pm |
| September | Sunday, September 26, 2027 | ✅ yes, 9 am–2 pm |
| October | Sunday, October 31, 2027 | ✅ yes, 9 am–2 pm |
| November | Sunday, November 28, 2027 | ✅ yes, 9 am–2 pm |
| December | Sunday, December 26, 2027 | ❌ no: St Stephen’s Day |
In 2027, two free Sundays drop out: March 28, Easter Sunday, and December 26, St Stephen’s Day. On those days, the Museums follow the general Sunday rule, that is, closed. Note: the free Sunday is the busiest, with a short window (last entry 12:30 pm). The official website publishes no attendance figures, but the combination of free entry and reduced hours is enough to expect a long queue.
Best time to visit
The visit is indoors; weather matters mainly for the wait outside the entrance. The following table cross-checks daylight hours in Rome with the normals published on our page on when to go.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Mean max | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:35 | 17:03 | 9 h 28 | 12.0 °C (54 °F) | 66 mm (2.6 in) |
| February | 07:06 | 17:42 | 10 h 36 | 13.0 °C (55 °F) | 63 mm (2.5 in) |
| March | 06:22 | 18:16 | 11 h 54 | 15.8 °C (60 °F) | 59 mm (2.3 in) |
| April | 06:30 | 19:50 | 13 h 20 | 18.8 °C (66 °F) | 69 mm (2.7 in) |
| May | 05:50 | 20:23 | 14 h 33 | 22.3 °C (72 °F) | 57 mm (2.2 in) |
| June | 05:34 | 20:47 | 15 h 13 | 28.1 °C (83 °F) | 30 mm (1.2 in) |
| July | 05:47 | 20:44 | 14 h 56 | 31.0 °C (88 °F) | 20 mm (0.8 in) |
| August | 06:17 | 20:10 | 13 h 53 | 31.6 °C (89 °F) | 30 mm (1.2 in) |
| September | 06:49 | 19:20 | 12 h 30 | 26.7 °C (80 °F) | 65 mm (2.6 in) |
| October | 07:22 | 18:29 | 11 h 07 | 22.2 °C (72 °F) | 88 mm (3.5 in) |
| November | 06:59 | 16:49 | 9 h 50 | 16.9 °C (62 °F) | 108 mm (4.3 in) |
| December | 07:30 | 16:39 | 9 h 09 | 12.7 °C (55 °F) | 98 mm (3.9 in) |
July and August exceed a mean maximum of 31 °C (88 °F): booking at opening time avoids the queue in full sun. November and December are the rainiest months. More details on our page on the best time to visit Rome.
What to see and how much time to allow
- The Sistine Chapel, included in the Museums ticket.
- The Raphael Rooms (Stanze di Raffaello).
- The Pio Clementino Museum and its ancient sculptures.
- The Pinacoteca, the Gallery of Maps and the Borgia Apartment, depending on your time.
- The Egyptian and Etruscan museums (Gregoriano Egizio, Gregoriano Etrusco).
The official website sets no visit duration. Keep one concrete constraint in mind: last entry is 6 pm and the halls start to close 30 minutes before closing time. On an ordinary day, entering before noon leaves several hours; on the free Sunday, the total window is only five hours.
Getting there and accessibility
The Museums’ address is Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome — checked on 11 November 2026 on museivaticani.va. The official website has dedicated accessibility pages (including content for deaf visitors); visitors with a disability of at least 67% enter free with proof.
Common mistakes (according to the official rules)
- Coming on an ordinary Sunday: only the last Sundays of the month are open.
- Aiming for the free Sunday at Easter or on December 26: excluded by the regulations.
- Arriving after 6 pm (or 12:30 pm on the free Sunday): last entry has passed.
- Buying on a site with a similar name: the only official site is tickets.museivaticani.va.
- Counting on a refund: the ticket is neither refundable nor valid on another day.
What to see nearby
Rome is best visited by neighbourhood: find the ancient sites, districts and practical tips in our guide to visiting Rome, and the month-by-month climate on the best time to visit Rome. For February, see also Rome in February.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to enter the Vatican Museums?
The full price recorded on 15 October 2026 on museivaticani.va is €20 at the ticket desk, or €20 + €5 online booking fee on the official site. The reduced rate is €10 (+ €5 online).
When are the Vatican Museums free?
On the last Sunday of the month, from 9 am to 2 pm (last entry 12:30 pm), unless it falls on Easter, June 29, or December 25, 26 or 31. In 2027, this excludes March 28 and December 26 (Destination de Voyage calculation).
Is the Sistine Chapel included in the ticket?
Yes: the ticket gives access to the Museums and the Sistine Chapel, only on the day of issue.
Which days are the Vatican Museums closed?
Sundays (except the last of the month) and January 1 and 6, February 11, March 19, April 6, May 1, June 29, August 14 and 15, December 8, 25 and 26, plus any extraordinary closures.
Where do you buy the official tickets?
Only on tickets.museivaticani.va, according to the Museums’ website, which warns against similar domains.
Our sources
- Musei Vaticani, Tariffe e biglietti and Giorni e Orari di apertura, consulted on 15 October 2026 (address re-checked on 11 November 2026).
- NOAA / WMO, 1991–2020 normals for Rome-Ciampino (via our page on when to go).
- NOAA, solar calculation algorithm; Gregorian computus for Easter; coordinates: Wikipedia / Wikidata (Q182955).
- Our methodology
Updated November 2026.