Tips for Visiting the Vatican Museum

Did you know that the Vatican Museum has over 1400 rooms with over 9 miles of art pieces?  That’s a lot of art!  Visitors usually spend between 2-3 hours at the museum. This blog will give you some tips on how to navigate your way through the museum and how to save time.

If Vatican City is on your travel list while in Rome, my first tip is to get there early.  We arrived at St. Peter’s Basilica before 9am.  The wait was only 15 minutes to get through security.  There was not a large crowd while we toured the church.  You can read about our experience here.

Another tip for visiting the Vatican Museum is to pre-book your entry ticket online, before you leave for Italy.  I found the Vatican website very easy to navigate and purchase tickets.  They have a variety of tours available.  I purchased the open tour of the museums and Sistine Chapel.  Adult tickets are 17 Euro and reduced ticket is 8 Euro with an online booking fee of 4 euro.  That 4 Euro will save you so much time not waiting in line.

After our family toured St. Peter’s Basilica, my mother and son went inside the museum.  My husband and I decided to take our younger kids to a park close by and wait while they toured the museums.  My son told me that the line to purchase tickets to get into the museum, was an hour and a half wait.  Since I printed their tickets beforehand, they walked right up to the counter to pick up tickets at the designated time. (I picked 11am, because I knew we were going to tour St. Peter’s first).  They walked right into the museum after a brief security check.

Tip #3- Write a list of the artwork that you want to see.  Do a little bit of research online and pick 10-20 pieces of art that you don’t want to miss.  You can look online and find the room or location.  Circle the location with a map you print out online or use the one that is given to you when you enter.  This will save a lot of time trying to navigate the 1400 rooms at the museum.

Some of the “must-see” on my son’s and mother’s list are: The Spiral Staircase, Transfiguration by Rafael, The Last Supper Mural by Leonardo da Vinci, Stefaneschi Altarpiece by Giotto, and Madonna and Child.

They saw everything on the list in 2 hours.  After all that walking, they went to the food court and ate lunch.  The food court has a variety of different cuisines and menus.  They offer a salad menu, pizza menu, hamburger menu, hot dog menu, and complete Italian menu.  Anyone can book a lunch and table online on the Vatican website.

If you’re like our family, you want to save money and time on vacations.  Following the tips I listed above and you can save both.  Have you visited the Vatican Museum?  What piece of art was your favorite?  Leave a comment below.