Vatican Tickets Price

If you are thinking of visiting the Vatican, you have probably wondered how much money you will need in total, which attractions require an entrance fee, what you can visit for free, and how much you should invest in tickets or a guided tour.

The most important thing to know is that you can access the Vatican from €36 without waiting in line at the ticket office, but if you prefer to hear about the details of the works of art and enter first thing in the morning, the price of guided tours is around €61.

The price of skip-the-line tickets for the Vatican is €36 if you purchase them online and in advance on official ticket websites such as Hellotickets. With these tickets, you will have access to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel and you can explore the different rooms at your own pace without a guide. You just have to select the time you want to start your visit.

Guided tours

You can also book a guided tour on our website for €36, and you can make changes or returns, which is important for greater flexibility during your trip. With this ticket, you will have access to the Vatican Museums, where the Sistine Chapel is located.

Why is it advisable to choose the guided tour option? Because, in addition to housing several museums, the Vatican has an incalculable number of frescoes, sculptures, paintings and works of art. Given such majesty, it is advisable to visit with an expert who will ensure that you see the essentials and explain the basics of what you are seeing.

Visit before the official opening hours

There is also the option of purchasing a ticket to access the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel first thing in the morning, before anyone else. With this exclusive tour, you will enter the Vatican with an expert guide and a very small group of tourists, guaranteeing a more intimate visit. It costs around €60.

Remember that you can buy tickets at the ticket office, but in addition to paying the same price as online (they never offer discounts or special rates), you will have to wait literally hours in line at the gates of the Vatican. Why is it important to choose the skip-the-line option? Precisely for this reason, to avoid the endless queues in front of the Vatican, which are the longest in Rome.

The ticket you need to access the Sistine Chapel is the Vatican Museums ticket, as the Chapel is located inside. Tickets start at €36 on Hellotickets (without a guide) and include a guided tour, which gives you access to the Sistine Chapel with an expert who will also show you around the rest of the Vatican galleries. A VIP ticket to enter the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel before it opens to the general public costs around €60.

If, in addition to visiting the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums, you are considering visiting other museums or attractions in Rome, such as the Borghese Gallery, the Capitoline Museums, the Colosseum or even taking the tourist bus, you may want to purchase the Roma Pass together with the Omnia Card, the city's tourist cards.

You can purchase the Omnia Card for €149 at Hellotickets, which will grant you access to Castel Sant'Angelo, the Colosseum, the Capitoline Museums and, most importantly, the Vatican Museums with the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica, without having to queue.

Alternatively, you can purchase the 24-hour Omnia Pass, which includes, in addition to admission to the Vatican, the tourist bus and the Vatican-Rome Open Bus, as well as admission to the Catacombs of San Calixto and other basilicas in Rome.

A great way to save money on tickets during your trip to Rome is to buy a combined ticket for the Vatican and the Colosseum. At Hellotickets, you can get a combined ticket for the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. What's more, you'll be able to skip the queues at both the Vatican and the Colosseum. What a bargain!

If you prefer, you can visit both monuments with a guided tour with the most comprehensive savings package, which includes a half-day tour with an expert guide to understand the history and significance of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

You're in luck, because entry to St. Peter's Basilica is free. However, the queues at the doors of the Basilica are endless, which is why there are tickets to the Vatican that include access to the Museums and the Basilica without having to queue. This is the case with this guided tour of the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, which costs €49 on Hellotickets. When you get there and see the queues forming at the door, you'll be glad you booked this option in advance.

Price of the climb to St. Peter's Dome

Climbing St. Peter's Dome costs €8 and tickets cannot be purchased online. You will have to go inside the Basilica to buy them at the counter. It is clearly marked, so you will recognise it as soon as you enter. If you want to buy a ticket that includes the option of taking the lift part of the way up, the price is €10.

How much does it cost to go down to the popes' crypts?

To go down to the crypts where some of the popes are buried, you will have to pay a separate entrance fee of €13, and again, you cannot buy it online. You will have to go to the same place where you buy the tickets for the dome, inside St. Peter's Basilica, to purchase them.

Vatican City itself is free to enter and does not require a ticket. You can access it for free by taking a leisurely stroll from the centre of Rome (normally, if you are coming from Castel Sant'Angelo, you will cross the majestic Via della Conciliazione) until you reach St. Peter's Square with Bernini's legendary white colonnade. All of this is free, as is entry to St. Peter's Basilica (be patient when entering the temple).

However, to access the Sistine Chapel (which is inside the Vatican Museums), the Vatican Museums and their gardens, and the Dome and Crypts of St. Peter's Basilica, you will need to purchase a ticket.

If you are a properly accredited pilgrim, journalist, art teacher or historian, you can enter the Vatican with an invitation, but you must bring the official documentation, correctly completed, and go to the ticket office to exchange it for your free or discounted ticket (to do so, you will have to queue with all the other visitors waiting to buy their tickets). Students are eligible for the reduced rate (€8 per ticket without a guided tour) until they reach the age of 25, but they must present their student card at the door.

Yes, children over the age of 6 need a ticket to enter the Vatican, but there are reduced rates. For example, to enter the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums, the reduced ticket price for children is €8 instead of the €17 adult price. Children under the age of 6 do not need to pay for a ticket.