Easy Guide to What to See in the Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums are Christian art museums located within the Vatican City, displaying works from collections amassed by Popes throughout the centuries. I began my first full day in Rome by visiting Vatican City. Figuring I should get it out of the way right off the bat, as when you go to the Vatican, it’s no small expedition. It’s a tremendous one. You could actually probably spend more than a day there, which is why I’m here to help you answer the question of “What to see in the Vatican Museums” so that you can plan accordingly. The Museums were my first stop on a tour of the Vatican. Inside the Vatican Museum, there’s not just art, it is art itself. Containing roughly 70,000 works, of which 20,000 are on display.
Getting Vatican Museums Tickets
My Omnia Vatican and Rome Card covered the cost of entering the Vatican Museums. I actually picked up my pass just outside the Vatican, which was very convenient. However, if you plan to get the Omnia card, access to the Vatican Museums is currently €20.00 for adults and €8.00 for children from 7 to 18 years old and students up to 25 years of age (as of March 2024). You can also get guided tours for this same cost. It appears reservations are now mandatory, so make sure to book far enough in advance to ensure you can use your Vatican Museums tickets.
Guide to Planning Your Day at the Vatican Museums
You should get to the Vatican early as it is a full day’s worth of excitement, but more so because it is a very popular destination and you don’t want to waste time in lines. You’ll want to beat the crowds as best you can.
I wore a long skirt and covered my shoulders, per the rules. However, I did see people in shorts, so I don’t know how much they are actually enforcing the rules. With that said, I like to respect the places I visit, so either way, I’d recommend following the rules. It was one hot day in Rome, so a long skirt, especially going upstairs, wasn’t the most comfortable, but rules are rules. If I were to do it again, I’d have wore light pants.
Note: My cousin has since visited and got rejected for wearing a skirt that ended above her knee, so they do enforce their rules sometimes.
Starting Your What to See in the Vatican Museums Overview
Inside the Vatican Museum are 24 galleries in total, with the Sistine Chapel, notably, being the last room visited within the Museum. However, to start your “What to See in the Vatican Museums” tour, you begin by looking at all the amazing ceilings and walls and soon understand what I mean by art itself. I could have posted about eight more ceilings I took photos of, yet they don’t capture what it’s like in person. The time and effort put into the building alone is amazing.
The image above is of the Gallery of Maps, a collection of topographical maps of Italy, painted on the walls by friar Ignazio Danti of Perugia and commissioned by Gregory XIII (1572–1585). It remains the world’s largest pictorial geographical study.
Moon Dust Inside the Vatican Museum
Above is the flag taken to the Moon by Apollo 11. President Nixon presented it to the Vatican. At the top is a fragment of the Moon’s surface taken by the astronauts. This stood out as the church and the science community as a whole have been at odds for centuries, so to see something that so clearly came from a scientific and engineering achievement was a bit surprising.
The Sala Rotunda
Built in the 18th century, the Round Hall is a hemispherical vault that imitates the Pantheon. Its floor is decorated with intricate mosaic patterns from the 3rd century A.D. The Sala Rotunda is lined with statues and busts. At the centre of the room is a huge red porphyry basin which has a circumference of 13 metres. The basin once embellished one of the large public spaces of imperial Rome.
Vatican Museums Exterior
For a short while, you’ll be led outside to this nice open-air area where you can get a nice shot of the Vatican dome. It provides a nice reprieve from the interior of the building, which can be crowded with people. I also remember this being a break point where you could stop and use the bathroom or get a drink.
Egyptian Artifacts in the Gregorian Etruscan Museum
Inside the Vatican Museums is a section dedicated to Egyptian artifacts. I’ve always been interested in Egypt, so I focused mostly on this area, although there are other sections. Mummies creep me out just as much as they fascinate me. The fact that the body is still around after all these years, it’s amazing.
It blows my mind that people had to chisel into stone to write. We take for granted the ease of writing today. Writing what you are currently reading would have taken at least a whole day back then! And to think if I made a mistake!
Chiaramonti Museum
One of my favorites to add to your “What to See in the Vatican Museums” is the Chiaramonti Museum. It’s a room full of statues! Don’t know what it was about seeing hundreds of stone pieces, but it was cool! I loved spotting the more unusual expressions on their faces like the guy’s open-mouthed laugh above.
The Chiaramonti Museum has over one thousand antique sculptures on display. Definitely could have spent a while in there! It was one of my favorite things about my trip to Rome, Italy.
No Photos in The Sistine Chapel
Sadly, the most famous part of my “What to See in the Vatican Museums” list does not allow photographs to protect the precious artwork from harmful camera flashes. However, it’s so darn famous that there are tons of photos online, so I’m sharing one of them here for you!
What to See in the Vatican Museums Highlights
What I’ve shared above were just some of my favorites while I was inside the Vatican Museum. However, there is much, much more to see. I believe some of the rooms were unavailable to view while I was there, as one such room I don’t recall is the Bramante Staircase, a double spiral staircase designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932.
Update: If I remember correctly, I went back in 2015, and if it hasn’t changed much since COVID, then at the end of one museum, you get funneled through into the next. It’s a one-way system, so it’d be difficult for you to miss anything on your tour of the Vatican Museums. Since I haven’t listed everything here, here’s a recent and comprehensive list of the museums.
Inside the Vatican Museum, you can also visit archaeological areas. I don’t recall these either on my visit, but I may have skipped them due to time constraints.
Speaking of time, the recommended duration for a visit to the Vatican Museums is 5 hours. This sounds like the duration of time I spent there. However, I tend to move fast sometimes, so I may have reduced it to 3-4 hours, especially since some museums were unavailable to me.
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