I have a question about Vatican tickets. I heard on various Rick Steve's audiocasts that the Sistine chapel is open early until later in the evening and those are good times to go. When I went to buy my tickets to the Vatican for July, early times were gone on the day I need to visit and the earliest I could get a ticket for was 10:30am. I had hoped for more like 8:30 or 9am. So do I need a ticket to get into the Sistine chapel earlier in the day? If I want to go at 9, do I show up and stand in like to get a ticket to get in at 9? or do I just go in? I am not sure how prebuying a ticket works with trying to get in early or get in the later afternoon since prebuying the ticket has this specific time on it.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
You will be buying a ticket for the Vatican Museums, of which the Sistine Chapel is a portion. The museums open at 9:00. That is the earliest ticket you can get unless you take one of the early entry tours like Walks of Italy's The Pristine Sistine. If you just go and get in line, you will wait until all of the timed entry people get in. If you want to go at 9:00, you'd have to get there very early and wait and hope.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
The Vatican offers early morning entries that will allow you to visit the Sistine chapel before the normal day crowds enter. You can find those tickets at the official site:
https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking&codiceLivelloVisita=34&step=1
There are a few different tickets offered so read through each to see which is best for you.
If you book entry tickets online for 10:30 am they will not let you enter at 9am. They are timed for capacity control. If you want to get in at 9 but need to wait in line you should get there no later than 7am. Once they open the doors at 9 everyone in the ticket line is allowed inside but the line inside backs up quickly and they hold the line at the door. It often takes 2 or more hours to get inside from the back of the line.
Once the museums open, the chapel will fill to capacity very quickly and remain that way until they close. If you are there on a Friday you might consider doing the night visit.
https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking&codiceLivelloVisita=17&step=1
Donna