Sistine Chapel Tour

Hi! When we went there is wasn't that busy in the museum itself, but the Sistine Chapel was packed. Do keep in mind, that its big and the way to only the chapel is I believe around 30 minutes already. Make sure to buy a fast track ticket beforehand. The lines are crazy to get in. We used an audio guide, which I really found handy.

Hi,

Below is the link to the official Vatican website:

https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=gototipovisitapertag&tag=museiebasilicavgarteefedegruppi&weblang=EN

There are tour companies that have tours - more money, but many travelers have been satisfied and enjoyed the tours.

If interested, check out each. Most have similar itineraries, amount of people, pricing. Some have the early entrance. Look for discounts on their sites or if calling, inquire about discounts.

https://theromanguy.com/
https://www.walksofitaly.com/
https://www.througheternity.com/
https://darkrome.com/ (Dark Rome and City Wonders are sister companies)
https://citywonders.com/
https://angeltours.eu/destination/rome/

This https://www.walksofitaly.com/rome-tours/pristine-sistine-chapel-tour/ is one of the more popular early-entry tour.

There is a night tour, but the only available day is a Friday (June 5), so that won't work.

Another one is "Rome in a Day" - https://www.walksofitaly.com/rome-tours/rome-in-a-day-tour/

Keep in mind the time of year you will be traveling. Of course, high season (June is included) will have abundant crowds; long lines in some cases.

Strict dress codes are enforced especially for The Vatican and St. Peter's (and most Churches.)

St. Peter's Basilica has no entry fee if you visit it on its own. Although, it is "included" in the ticket for The Vatican Museums.

Personally, I would not schedule a tour on the day you are leaving Rome.

Aside from the strict dress code for The Vatican and Sistine Chapel (and St. Peter's if you visit), there is a bag and security check before entering. No large bags of any kind allowed. If it's about 14"-15," you should be okay.

If you have to check your bag(s), it creates a hassle to go back around and retrieve them after the tour.

Have a good time.

Sistine Chapel is always crowded. We went in mid May and were the second or third tour let in the door. When we got there, my wife and i grabbed the last two places on the bench on the side wall. It was shoulder to shoulder.

I have taken the early morning tour with Dark Rome and with Walks of Italy. They were both excellent.

My wife and I had an excellent experience with the early morning Through Eternity Tours in Aug 2019. Posted our experience on the forum:https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/early-morning-vatican-tour-with-sistine-chapel-with-through-eternity-tours-excellent

The Sistene Chapel is never 'not so crowded'. I don't know which tour company to recommend, but I can absolutely recommend not going it alone. People actually pushed my husband, in a wheelchair, out of the way and stepped over his footrests to get in and around the room. And then, if they got bumped or tripped, they gave us the dirty looks! It was a fiasco. They should time, or limit, the entries, but I presume it's a bigger money maker not to do that. Too bad.

It's not clear if some of the posters above had booked early entrance tours or just morning tours. To avoid the worst of the mob, you'll want to book a tour which gets you in at least an hour (8:00 or earlier) before the general public opening at 9:00. While you won't have the chapel to yourself by any means, as more and more companies are offering these tours, it'll be preferable to the crush it'll be in there later.

Some of the companies posters have used and recommended were listed above. Of all of them, Walks of Italy ("Pristine Sistine"), Context, Roman Guy, and City Wonders/Dark Rome (they are the same company) are the ones I see mentioned most often.

Would those of you with any insight please describe what an afternoon visit (arriving 14:00 to 15:00) to the museum and chapel might be like? FWIW, my first visit was a late morning (11-ish) entrance, so I understand what everyone means by the crowded conditions. Also, on a return visit I've taken the Pristine Sistine tour and certainly by comparison enjoyed it immensely. IOW, I understand the extremes. My next visit (date yet to be planned) I expect to travel with someone with dietary needs not able to arrive early enough for the Pristine Sistine. Thoughts please? Thanks in advance.

rab, I haven't been to the Vatican recently so I can't help. Please tell us what month and year you had the 11 AM experience. There may be folks who have some knowledge or experience with changes in visitor levels since that time.

I have been in the Sistine Chapel four times, three with tours during regular hours, and once with That Roman Guy Vatican & Sistine Chapel Privileged Entrance tour in which we and several other tours entered the Vatican before opening hours. The regular tours I took were the typical super crowded mayhem that most people experience. The tour that entered before opening hours was totally different. We met outside near the museum entrance at 7:00 am and entered ~ 7:30 am. Upon clearing security we went directly to the Sistine Chapel and experienced it with less than one hundred people. It was quiet, there were plenty of places to sit, and I had plenty of time to enjoy the Chapel until the normal opening time when more people started to arrive.

If you are there on the 5th, which is a Friday, they have a wonderful "Happy Hour" ticket. You enter at 7pm, have a cold supper buffet (optional but it's really very good), a free concert (also very good), and then you have the museum and Sistine until 11 pm. I have done this 2x and already booked by ticket for this coming July. No pressure, comfortable crowds, and the possibility of some cool night air.

“Sistine Chapel is always crowded”.

Not in our experience. We booked the Dark Rome “express” tour with first entrance into the chapel.

https://darkrome.com/vatican-tours/sistine-chapel-early-access

We actually missed the meeting time for the first tour ( walked from Trastervere and mis-timed it) and were assigned to their second. Still, there were only 20-30 people in the chapel when we arrived. It was quiet and peaceful, and there was lots of space on the benches to sit and marvel. There is no “tour” of the chapel; the rule inside is silence. And that was observed. We had 20 minutes in the presence of all this beauty before more people arrived and it became at all crowded.

Thank you all. I will be traveling in late August with my grandson before he heads back to school. I have re-sequenced our hotel stays to ensure we'll be in Rome on Friday night and will book the "Museums at Night" at the Vatican site as soon as I can figure out how to get my credit card accepted.

When we return, I'll plan to report back.