How to skip the line at the Sistine Chapel

Why have we decided to write about “How to skip the line at the Sistine Chapel”?

Namely, on a busy day in Rome, more than 25,000 people pass through the doors of the Vatican Museums. But reaching what many consider the holy grail—The Sistine Chapel—often requires standing in three- to four-hour lines and then working your way through the labyrinth that is the museums themselves. Here are a few pieces of advice on cutting down your wait time.

Book a ticket in advance.

Don’t just show up: Pre-book your ticket for a set entry time via the Vatican Museums site. Tuesday through Friday from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., when tour groups are lunching and cruise ship crowds are fewer, are good time slots. Otherwise, consider Wednesday mornings. The Papal audience ends around 11:00 a.m. when people flow into the museum. And while the museums are open the first Sunday of every month free of admission, this time tends to be crowded with locals and tourists alike.

We have compared two sites for you. The first one is Tiqets, and the second is Musei Vaticani. Ultimately, we suggest booking a ticket via the second site because it is Italian and the keys are cheaper.

Rome tourist digital pass

Our recommendation: the Rome Tourist Card.

In our opinion, this is the best discount pass for a city trip to Rome. With only one purchase, you have all the essential tickets in Rome. You don´t have to pick up the card in Rome because you get all the tickets online. You must pick up the card in Rome for most other city passes. Click on the link for the Rome Tourist Card. You can select your arrival date and timeslot during the booking process. After payment, you will receive your tickets by email or show them via smartphone.

Go early with a guide.

There will always be a security line, even if you go with a guide. No one can bypass this (and be wary of tour companies that say they can). But a guide can speed the process up, mainly if you are focused on the Sistine. Consider an early wake-up. Large tour operators pay a hefty fee for the privilege of early entry (around 7:30 a.m.) to quite literally run to the Sistine Chapel first.
Hint: Guides can use a secret exit from the chapel that takes you to St Peter’s Basilica [afterward], so you don’t have to fight your way back through the tide of people coming for the chapel. However, individual visitors are not allowed to do this.

Go late

The tickets for the next calendar year go on sale in November and tend to sell out in a week. On Fridays from April through October, the museums stay open till 11 p.m., with final entry at 9:30 p.m.—a time frame that draws fewer visitors. There is a more exclusive, albeit expensive option (where you could very well be, dare we say it, alone in the museums): A restricted number of tickets are sold—mainly to tour operators—for evenings during the week. Therefore, try Context’s Friday evening Vatican Night Tour or After-Hours Vatican Tour.