I am trying to book an online entry (without a tour) to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel for this spring. It is not clear to me on the official Vatican website whether booking an entry gives you access to all the main sites in the museums. The booking site says you have access to "PioClementine Museum, Gallery of Tapestries, Gallery of Maps, and Sistine Chapel. It make no mention of the Raphael Rooms, the Pinacoteca, and several other sites listed on their "Museums and collections" page. I am hoping for advice from someone who has been there.
Thanks.
Posted by
Farmingville, New York, USA
381 posts
The Raphael room is in the vatican museum as are most of the art of the vatican. I would look at the vatican museum website to inform you what is there. Quite alot. We just wanted to see the sistine chapel and the Raphael room in the vatican museum. We followed the Rick Steves book and walked right in at 3:30. That gave us plenty of time to see what we wanted. But if you want to see every little thing it can take some time. When we travel we always go to the museum or galleries site and pick what we want to see in advance. it really savea alot of time.
Posted by
Toledo
653 posts
The ticket is good for everything in the Vatican Museums except what is not open to the public. Some of these closed areas are available to tour groups, however. I was there last year and spent nearly a whole day - no one will kick you out at a certain time. This makes the Sistine Chapel a little chaotic, so be prepared for noise and lots of people in a very small space (compared to other places in the museums). Hint: Don't go to the cafeteria! There's a restaurant in the courtyard that is very good, even for a cool drink, but the cafeteria is awful.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
As Zoe says, you can visit every room in the museums with the exception of those that are being refurbished and those that are "tour only" rooms. The Rafael rooms are open to the general public. Here is a list of the sections: http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Settori.html The only time you'll not have access to all the rooms in the museums is if you go on Friday night. They only open specific rooms for the Friday Nights at the Museums. These are the rooms open: MUSEUM SECTORS OPEN TO VISITS: Egyptian Museum, Pio-Clementine Museum, Upper Galleries of the Vatican Museums, (Gallery of Tapestries and Candelabra, Hall of Maps), Raphael's Rooms, Borgia Apartment (limited to Rooms I, III, IV, XIII, XXVIII), Collection of Modern
Religious Art, Sistine Chapel Donna
Posted by
OP
Courtenay
12 posts
Thanks everyone. It sounds as though I will have access to what I want to see. I have booked my ticket.
Posted by
winston salem, nc, usa
1078 posts
We were at the museum yesterday and, for the first time ever in our 3+ visits, there were NO LINES! It was our best visit ever.