Sistine Chappell

Please note that if you want to visit the Sistine Chapel, you need to book a ticket to the Vatican Museums and walk through the museum until you get to the Sistine Chapel. Vatican Museums tickets go on sale 60 days in advance at midnight Rome time.

Vatican Museums tickets go on sale 60 days in advance at midnight Rome
time.

General-entry tickets are actually going on sale much further in advance now. It's a very recent change, and when I looked a few days ago they were on sale for the entire rest of 2024. Buy them as SOON as you know when you'll be in Rome if going this year.

The website:
https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en.html

General entry tickets are under "Vatican Museum Tickets": choose a date and insert number of visitors you're purchasing for. "Admission tickets - Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel" will come up as a selection with a yellow "book" button if the # of tickets you need are available for that date. Click the button and proceed; you'll be asked to choose an available entry time slot.

Yes, the chapel is at the very furthest end of the museums: you can't access it directly. The time it'll take to walk to it depends on how crowded the museums are at the time of your visit and how quickly you can move (no running, please.) Figure at least a 1/2 hour walk or more to get there if you aren't interested in any of the rest of the collections. You may also be waiting in a long line outside the Sistine's doors until enough visitors have left the chapel to allow more in. You can't book an entry time JUST for the chapel.

Editing to add: Tours offered on the Vatican's website are still only available to book 60 or so days in advance.

HEY Kath! LTNS!

Will be heading to Rome next April as part of a 16-day trip to Florence, Salerno and Sicily. Originally was going to be in Rome during Holy Week, then came to my senses and changed around the trip so we're there April 6-10, going to the Vatican on April 8. (Easter is the 20th BTW).

Wife and I have been to both the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's, but we will have two of my cousins in tow this time, and although I'm an avowed independent traveler, a tour kind of thing, where we can skip the line and do it all in 3 hours or so might be better, especially with the expected crowds seeing that 2025 is a Jubilee thing for the Vatican, meaning even more people!

Do you know if those tours, like Viator, supply the tickets as well or would I have to purchase them on my own?

HEY Jay!! LTNS, my friend!
Good thinking to change your dates what with the expected Jubilee madness adding to Holy Week masses. As far as a tour, any advertised guided group tour will include entry tickets unless otherwise noted, and I've yet to see one that does not. That said, it doesn't mean that the indy companies can actually GET them. Most of the tour companies are selling their products in advance, before they know they can actually get their hands on tickets. Sometimes they can't, as illustrated in this thread of someone who booked through Viator:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/vatican-tickets-907c18d9-ef80-4caa-9642-141ef1b63133

This has been especially true of tours of the Colosseum which include the underground; lots of cancellations of bookings through companies outside of the official website. Anyway, as Viator does not operate tours - they're just a cleaning house - I'd book directly with one of the companies mentioned in the thread I've linked, and other responsders may be able to provide additional resources. Try to book one that gets you into the basilica from the Sistine (don't book for a Wed.) to save time and shoe leather. Also be aware that really no tour (except a few REALLY expensive offerings) gets you inside before the general public anymore so don't rely on outdated info, OK?

Even booking directly with reputable company may not be foolproof but it's your better bet if not able or willing to book with the Vatican itself...which doesn't offer a combo tour which includes the museums + basilica, or at least not at this moment. Am I making sense?

A million thanks, Kath. Right now The Tour Guy is a leading candidate for our business. There will be 4 or 6 of us, and at $117 including tickets for Tuesday, April 8 seems reasonable. I'll let you know when we book!

I was able to purchase Vatican tickets on July 14 for December 10! Be sure your credit card or bank is aware as my bank received a fraud alert and I was unable to purchase until they released the hold.